MARCH 23 – wednesday
The Royal Shakespeare Company may have wrapped up its residency at Davidson College, but Break Thy Leg: Art and Design from the RSC Collection Exhibit will remain on view until April 15. Before the glitz and glamour of opening night, months of preparation go into every RSC performance, with highly specialized departments designing and executing every element of the stage production. Concept drawings, costumes, three-dimensional models, and props are on display to show the skill, ingenuity, and expertise that go into every production. This exhibit is at Van Every Gallery, Belk Visual Arts Center on the campus of Davidson College. For further details call 704-894-2115 or visit www.davidson.edu.
The Charlotte Bobcats take on All-Stars Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire — along with the rest of the high-flying, fast-breaking Phoenix Suns — tonight at 7pm at the Charlotte Coliseum. Saturday at 7pm, the team takes on Shaquille “The Big Aristotle” O’Neal and the new-look Miami Heat, a team that also boasts a budding superstar in Dwyane Wade. Tickets for both games are $10-$115, available at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 704-522-6500. (Davis)
MARCH 24 – thursday
Attention all Civil War buffs! (And hey, it’s the South, so you thousands of people know who you are.) Maybe the ultimate Mr. Smartypants of the Civil War set, distinguished historian James M. McPherson, will speak today at UNC-Charlotte. McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom is a highly engaging book that reads like a novel — probably one of the reasons it won the Pulitzer Prize and is generally considered the gold standard of one-volume histories of the war. McPherson plans to discuss the failed attempts to negotiate an end to the Civil War in “When Will This Cruel War Be Over: The Failure of Peace Negotiations, 1863-1865.” The lecture will take place 4-5pm in UNC-C’s Fretwell Building, Room 121. It’s free and open to the public. For more info, call 704-687-4823. (Grooms)
BareBones Theatre Group’s production of David Hare’s The Blue Room (yes, the Nicole Kidman naked on Broadway Blue Room) continues its run at SPAC at 211 Rampart Street in South End today through Saturday, and the following Thursday through Saturday, March 26. All shows at 8pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. Call 704-332-5300. (Tannenbaum)
MARCH 25 – friday
Catch Them If You Can: Two movies opening today at area theaters are both worth a look, albeit for entirely different reasons. Born Into Brothels, this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature, centers on the harrowing plight of children born to prostitutes in Calcutta’s red light district — and the efforts of the filmmaker to provide them with a glimmer of hope for their futures. Guess Who is a surprisingly effective remake of the lumbering faux-classic Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, with Bernie Mac as the imposing dad who’s not thrilled that his daughter’s new boyfriend (Ashton Kutcher) is white. For reviews, see this issue’s Film section; for theaters and showtimes, go to the Moviefone link at charlotte.creativeloafing.com/flicks_toc.html. (Brunson)
If you were lucky, you heard John Doe in the legendary LA punk band X, dropping thunderous bass-lines beneath Billy Zoom’s guitar and using one of the best voices in punk to go note-for-note with Exene Cervenka; or maybe you know him from his acting roles in the films Boogie Nights, Salvador and Great Balls of Fire, or the TV series Roswell. Tonight at the Visulite is your chance to get acquainted with his underappreciated solo work, including his latest, Forever Hasn’t Happened Yet, a bluesy batch of roots songs as straightforward and honest as his work with X. Doe will be backed by the Nic Luca (Calexico) Trio, and Yep Roc recording artist (like Doe) Jake Brennan & the Confidence Men are on the bill as well. Tickets are $12-$14, and the doors open at 9pm. For more information go to www.visulite.com. (Schacht)
Julie Ezelle Patton is a poet and performance artist who keeps her ear to the ground — along with her hands. Patton not only collaborates on films, she manufactures her own handmade books, including topsoil and flowers. Vegetation mixed with the verbiage. The Afro-Am Cultural Center, 401 N. Myers Street, is hosting a Patton residency this week, with workshops at the Afro-Am and Beattie’s Ford Public Library — plus excursions to contemplate Romare Bearden and Queen Charlotte. It all culminates in an 8pm performance at the Afro-Am’s Attic Theatre, and you can expect Patton to charge in with all she’s got: prose, poetry, theatrical improv, and music. Tickets are $10. Call 704-374-1565 for more info on the workshops and the performance. (Tannenbaum)
A past winner of CL’s Best Original Show award continues its rise from the dead as Tony Wright’s Vampire Love is produced by Actor’s Gym in Carolina Actor’s Studio Theatre’s performance space at 1118 Clement Avenue. Expect some sexy entertainment that’s long-in-the-tooth and aiming straight for the jugular. Tony and Courtney Wright take the big bites into the scant S&M costumes of Karen Surprise and Tara Watts today through March 27. All tickets are $10. Call 704-455-8542. (Tannenbaum)
Other club shows of note: Jamband faves Jupiter Coyote at Amos’ SouthEnd…”Steady Rollin'” blues kingpin Bob Margolin at the Double Door Inn…Raleigh’s quirky Pico vs. Island Trees at the Evening Muse…Snagglepuss and Babyshaker at the Milestone
MARCH 26 – saturday
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Lesbian & Gay Community Center presents Her-Story — A Celebration of Womanhood, honoring and showcasing influential lesbian and gay-supportive women in the Charlotte area. Through personal sharing, music and poetic verse, an all-female cast will expound on “The Beauty of Womanhood.” At the event, one phenomenal woman will be presented with the S.H.E. Award (strength to persevere, heart for all people, excellence in all endeavors). Four nominees have already been chosen and the LGBT community will have an opportunity to choose (via email) one of them as the S.H.E. Award honoree. Suggested donation $7, business attire requested. It starts at 7pm at the Center at 1401 Central Avenue. For more information, call 704-333-0144 or visit www.gaycharlotte.com.
Club shows of note: Veteran power-pop masters The Spongetones and The Blind Dates at Amos’ SouthEnd…Destructo-rockers ANTiSEEN at the Milestone…ambient indie rock from The Album Leaf at the Neighborhood Theatre…eclectic local rockers Baleen at the Visulite Theatre
This article appears in Mar 23-29, 2005.
