Theater/Dance/Performance Art Search – CL Recommends
Avenue Q
Sun., May 26, 2:30 p.m., Wed., May 29, 7:30 p.m., Thu., May 30, 7:30 p.m., Fri., May 31, 8 p.m., Sat., June 1, 8 p.m. and Sun., June 2, 2:30 p.m.Theater/Dance/Performance Art
Lovers of irreverence can rejoice greatly, for the potty-mouthed puppets of Avenue Q are bringing their song-and-angst routine to Theatre Charlotte, May 17–June 2. Recent college grad Princeton is the newest tenement tenant on this queer city block, wondering how he can parlay an English degree into a livelihood while instantly smitten — how could he not be? — by equally anxious and awkward Kate Monster. The song list is self-recommending to anyone who has ever suffered through the varnished truths of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, including such hits as “It Sucks to Be Me,” “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist,” and the imperishable “The Internet Is for Porn.” Blue-chipper Billy Ensley is directing a formidable cast that stars Andy Faulkenberry as Princeton and KC Roberge as Kate. Genders be damned, the supporting cast includes Matt Kenyon as Lucy the Slut and Veda Covington as Gary Coleman. Yes, that Gary Coleman. $25-$27
704-376-3777Proof
Sun., May 26, 2:30 p.m., Thu., May 30, 8 p.m., Fri., May 31, 8 p.m., Sat., June 1, 8 p.m. and Sun., June 2, 2:30 p.m.Theater/Dance/Performance Art
Premiering at the Manhattan Theatre Club in May of 2000 and working its way up to Broadway just five months later, David Auburn’s Proof is ... well ... proof that starting small can lead to bigger and better things. In 2001, the play picked up a Pulitzer Prize for “Drama” and a Tony Award for “Best Play,” before going on a continuous run that came to a close in 2003. Afterwards, it was adapted into a film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal. Reemerging in the quarters of Carolina Actors Studio Theatre, this production doesn’t really need a plug, but for folks who struggle with finding good solutions for things to do, consider this your cheat sheet. But be forewarned: This isn’t the happiest of plays. It revolves around Catherine (played by the talented Karina Roberts-Caporino), who sacrificed her own dreams to care for her mentally ill father (George Gray), a former mathematical genius, while her sister ran off to New York. With his death, Catherine faces her estranged sibling and one of her father’s former students, who thinks that an undiscovered, breakthrough manuscript may be hidden in her father’s office. Add to all this a blossoming romance and some questionable sanity and you’ve got the general equation for Proof.
$18-$28
War Horse
Tue., May 28, 8 p.m., Wed., May 29, 7:30 p.m., Thu., May 30, 7:30 p.m., Fri., May 31, 8 p.m., Sat., June 1, 2 & 8 p.m. and Sun., June 2, 1:30 & 7 p.m.Theater/Dance/Performance Art
It couldn’t be a more appropriate time to say “giddyap,” because Broadway’s War Horse is galloping through Belk Theater on a six-day run, slated for eight performances. It’s based around Michael Morpurgo’s children’s book of the same name, about a boy who embarks on a quest to bring his beloved horse back from the horrific front lines of war. But what you won’t find in those pages is the stamina that this musical carries as it comes to life with life-sized puppet horses, operated by humans who’ve mastered both navigation and neighing.
$20 and up
