OCTOBER 20 – WEDNESDAY
Promoting the critically acclaimed Chemical Friends, San Francisco native n.Lannon is on the road morphing his acoustic-guitar-and-home-computer recording into a three-piece live band sound. The record is filled with luscious sounds and melodies ranging from hushed acoustic songs reminiscent of Nick Drake to the simulated 808 beats that bands like Autechre pioneered, only in a more subdued setting. For more on n.Lannon, see our story in this issue. Appearing on the same bill tonight at The Room are headliner The Virginia Reel and Bitter, Bitter Weeks. Tickets for the show, which begins around 10pm, are $7. For more information, go to www.theroom.tv or call 704-527-4511. (Schacht)
Drac is back at the Hart-Witzen in Moving Poets Theatre of Dance’s annual homage to Halloween. But he’s only part of the Poets’ package that they’re calling The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Poets are planning to make your night twice, exhuming a retooled Dracula from his coffin tonight and pairing the world premiere of Casanova Frankenstein with A Beautiful Murder (formerly Murder Woyzeck) tomorrow. These performances on Wednesday and Thursday have been designated “open dress rehearsals,” so you do get a break on ticket prices before Dracula officially opens on Friday and Casanova preens for your approval on Saturday. Frankenstein promises to be doubly seasonal as the famed monster runs for President and the audience votes on the ending. Dracula runs on even-numbered days (except the 26th) through October 30, and the Casanova/Murder duo runs on odd-numbered evenings (except the 25th) through October 31. Wednesday through Saturday performances at the Hart-Witzen, 136 E. 36th Street, begin at 8pm, and Sunday shows start at 7pm. Ticket pricing is nearly as bewildering as the leading candidates’ Social Security proposals, ranging from $12-$22.50. Call 704-527-6683. (Tannenbaum)
As part of the Novello Festival, author Tim Tyson will read from his latest book, Blood Done Sign My Name. The book tells the true story of the murder of a 20-year-old black man, Henry Darrow, in 1970 in Tyson’s hometown of Oxford, NC, and how the tragedy dramatically widened the racial gap in the small community. After the reading, Tyson, a professor of African-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin and a 2004-2005 National Humanities Center Fellow, will discuss the book; a book signing and dessert reception will follow. The event is at the Levine Museum of the New South at 7pm. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased by calling 704-333-1887. Space is limited — advance ticket purchase is recommended.
OCTOBER 21 – THURSDAY
Some of his songs are downright hilarious while others bring on a smile with his wry and dry vocal delivery. Todd Snider uses satire with ease to bring his songs of everyday folks and their daily dilemmas to the fore. His musical timing is rarely off, as he melds blues and folk stir-fried with country and rock. If you’re not rolling in the aisle with “The Ballad of the Kingmen,” off his new recording East Nashville Skyline, then “Conservative, Christian, Right-wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males” ought to do the trick. At Visulite, tickets are $15 in advance, $17 at the door. For more details call 704-358-9200 or hop on over to visulite.com. (Shukla)
It’s “bubble, bubble” bolognese as Opera Carolina brings us Verdi’s Macbeth a full week before our Halloween revels. The Italian master advanced the art of opera in 1846 when he borrowed from the Bard, emphasizing acting far more than his singers were accustomed to. Inspired by the tragedy’s weird atmospherics, Verdi also accorded as much attention — and invention — to his orchestrations as he did to his celebrated melody lines. Neither the original 1846 score nor the 1865 revision has ever been presented by Opera Carolina before, but it looks like OC is poised to get it right. Mark Rucker, who excelled villainously in the company’s Il Trovatore back in 2001, takes on the title role just two months prior to his Metropolitan Opera debut, partnered with soprano Jeanne-Michelle Charbonnet as Lady Macbeth. Jay Lesenger, of Porgy & Les fame, returns to stage direct. The Belk Theater curtain rises at 7:30pm, with encore performances on Saturday night at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $10-$81. Call 704-372-1000. (Tannenbaum)
Emmy Award-winning journalist Charlie Rose is undoubtedly one of the last bastions of thoughtful and intelligent banter on TV. His folksy, natural style and insatiable curious nature actually bring out informative discussions with guests. His Southern poise, on view nightly on PBS, invariably gets guests to open up, which avoids the “two walls talking” nature of most talk shows. Rose will speak as part of Queens University of Charlotte’s The Learning Society’s 2004-2005 speaker series. Tonight at 7pm in Dana Auditorium on the Queens campus. Tickets are $20 for general public, $15 for Queens students and alumni. For further details call 704 337-2256 or visit www.queens.edu/learningsociety. (Shukla)
OCTOBER 22 – FRIDAY
Yes, Yasmina Reza’s Art is an artful white-upon-white-upon-white discussion about what is and what isn’t art. But beneath the emotional, argumentative, and witty jousting that earned Art the 1998 Tony Award, there’s a devastating analysis of male relationships. Dominance is a paramount theme. What’s really at stake when Serge spends 50,000 francs on an all-white canvas purporting to be pioneering art is Marc’s previous intellectual dominion over him. While Marc’s world is turned upside down by Serge’s sudden independence, there’s a beautifully comical undercurrent in the chaos brought into Yvan’s world. Yvan is the Clintonesque good guy who needs to be liked by everyone, and the combatants in the 50,000-franc feud are forcing him to choose sides! Alan Edwards, Martin Thompson, and Steve Brady star through November 7 at Booth Playhouse. A special discussion of “What Is Contemporary Art?” led by Dr. Lili Bezner, UNC-Charlotte associate professor of art history, follows the October 23 performance. Tickets are $24.50-$37.50. Call 704-372-1000. (Tannenbaum)
OCTOBER 23 – SATURDAY
Back for a repeat performance, Oc Fest II: A Cultural Happening will again showcase a heady mix of art, fashion, film, music, poetry and literature. As Dennis Darrell, one of the organizers, notes, “This evening has nothing to do with German beer or funny hats. It’s a celebration of African-American culture.” The lineup for the event, which will be held from 7pm until 11pm at Spirit Square, includes a fall fashion show featuring the works of New York designers, performances by the Charlotte Slam Team and Rudy Currence, a book signing by author Danielle Santiago (Little Ghetto Girl — A Harlem Story), a screening of the film Love, Sex and Eating the Bones, a booth for voter education, and too many other activities to list. Best of all, admission is free for all events except the movie screening, which runs $7. For details, call 704-492-2519. (Brunson)
Coinciding with the Mint Museum of Art’s exhibit, Andrew Wyeth: The Helga Pictures, Jerald Melberg Gallery presents an Andrew Wyeth solo exhibition, on view from today through November 27. Dubbed “America’s Painter,” Wyeth is considered one of the nation’s most notable visual artists. This marks Wyeth’s first North American gallery exhibition in five years. Ten watercolors and one tempera painting will be on display and available for purchase. Paintings vary in size and content, with the collection spanning over 20 years. The Gallery is located at 625 South Sharon Amity Rd. Call 704-365-3000 or go to www.jeraldmelberg.com for details.
OCTOBER 24 – SUNDAY
The Carolina Panthers, last year’s Super Bowl runners-up, have looked out of sync and befuddled so far this season, with yesterday’s hero Jake Delhomme looking more and more like a one-season fluke. Today the home team takes on the San Diego Chargers, who are having a surprisingly strong season behind a newly powerful offensive line and the running of Jesse Chatman. They’ll play at Bank of America Stadium at 1pm. For ticket info, call 704-522-6500. (Grooms)
OCTOBER 25 – MONDAY
Tribute bands are a dime bag a dozen, but Dark Star Orchestra is a “head” above the rest. Known for performing replicas of live Dead shows, each band member takes on the persona of his or her Grateful Dead counterpart. From the set list to the amps and the placement of the mics, the band creates a time warp to Winterland Arena in San Francisco, June 9, 1977, or any one of the other 2,500 Dead shows. DSO adds a hint of suspense to their performances by waiting until the end to announce which show they’ve just played. If you never made it to a Grateful Dead show, or if you were there but too much acid has clouded your memory, DSO will be at Visulite for a two-night stand, tonight and tomorrow night at 9pm; doors open at 8pm. Tickets cost $20 in advance or $30 for both shows. Call 704-358-9200 for details. If you want to relive the days when you followed the Dead, trek on up to Greensboro’s Carolina Theatre this coming Friday, where the band will celebrate their 1000th live performance. For ticket info on this momentous occasion, call 336-333-2605. (Grossman)
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns serves as this year’s prominent lecturer at the Arts & Science Council 2004 Leadership Lecture, tonight at 7:30pm in the Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The Leadership Lecture honors outstanding cultural volunteer leaders in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Each year a person of great distinction in the field of arts and science or history is invited to address our cultural commu-nity. Burns’ monumental epic documentaries including The Civil War and Baseball have earned him the reputation of being the most accomplished documentary filmmaker of his generation. In order to receive tickets to this free event, you must RSVP by calling 704-372-9667, ext. 243 or e-mail rsvp@artsandscience.org.
OCTOBER 26 – TUESDAY
One of the most fun events of the Novello Festival — and it’s hard to say this without sounding like you’re tooting your own horn, but many people have told us the same thing — is Creative Loafing Carolina Writers Night. Which makes sense, as it’s the one night during the literary festival that focuses exclusively on writers who are either from the Carolinas or have a very strong Carolinas connection. This year, since the readings will take place so close to Halloween, we’ve adopted a theme of murder, ghosts and saints, featuring four terrific Southern writers: Sharyn McCrumb, Bland Simpson, Judy Goldman and the winner of the 2004 Novello Award, Steve Cushman. Call it Carolina Writers Night of the Living Dead. See our stories in this issue for more details. It takes place at Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th Street, at 7pm. The event is FREE. For more information, call 704-336-2725.
OCTOBER 27 – WEDNESDAY
Pray for clear skies as the first and only total lunar eclipse that’s viewable from Charlotte this year will begin tonight at 10:23pm and last until 11:45pm. During a total lunar eclipse, the moon moves through the shadow cast by the Earth, causing the moon to turn any number of shades from gold to deep brown. This is the first total lunar eclipse Charlotteans will witness since Nov. 8-9 of last year, and the next one won’t be here until Aug. 28, 2007! In honor of this astronomical event, Discovery Place and the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Club are hosting a Lunar Eclipse Viewing Party from 8pm-midnight on the top level of the parking deck at Discovery Place at the corner of 6th and Church streets. CAAC members will be on hand to answer questions and will provide telescopes for the optimal experience. This event is free as is parking. For more information, call 704-372-6261, ext. 312.
This article appears in Oct 20-26, 2004.
