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Friday, August 24, 2012

Arts

Double feature at Wine Up

Posted by Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Based on recordings given to co-author Dink Nolan by his grandfather before he died in 2000, Steinbeck Was Wrong is a genuine Okie's testimony that the sharecroppers portrayed in the classic Grapes of Wrath as stupid, ignorant and illiterate were not true to life. Not this grandpa's life, anyway. This is a one-man show directed by co-author Fran Wilbourn and starring the venerable Hank West, with his hair whitened, a layer or two of makeup applied, and sporting a cane to help him traverse the small distance between the compact Wine-Up stage and dinner tables where the audience is seated.

Calling the presentation intimate is an understatement, since West perches himself on one of the dinner tables before setting himself down at another. Of course, wine — and beer — are available at the bar or at your table, making the experience even more casual. Performances of Steinbeck clock in at 49 minutes and continue through August 31, so consider August 24-25 performances, when West’s one-man show is paired with Summer Knights With the Knights of M. In Knights of M, Nolan and Wilbourn conspire with Tom Ollis to become the famed Draak fighters, in response to reports of dragons in a nearby village. $10-$12. Steinbeck Was Wrong: Aug. 24-25, 8 p.m.; Aug. 31, 8 p.m.; Summer Knights With the Knights of M: Aug. 24-25, 10 p.m. Wine Up, 3306 N. Davidson St. 704-372-2633. www.wine-up.com.

Tags: Steinbeck Was Wrong, Knights of M, theater, Wine Up, Charlotte, NC