Wednesday, February 15
Southern ladies wearing their most glorious chapeaux to Sunday church. It’s an African-American tradition that’s unknown to the Brooklyn hip-hop protagonist of Crowns, coming to Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte through March 5. Yolanda’s awakening isn’t merely a runway revelation of hats; it’s a righteous explosion of gospel music praising the king on high — plus the lowdown on cultivating the proper “hattitude.” Kim Watson Brooks stars, teaming up again with Sidney Horton, who directed A Lesson Before Dying a year ago at 650 E. Stonewall. Their return engagement begins at 7:30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with 8pm performances on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday matinees are scheduled on Feb. 26 and March 5 at 2:30pm. Tickets are $20 on the weeknights, $25 Friday to Sunday, and a special pay-what-you-can performance is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7:30pm. Call 704-342-2251. (Tannenbaum)
Thursday, February 16
Joe Thompson is a phenomenon. He represents a tradition of African-American string band fiddling now all but vanished. Thompson began playing at age 5 with his banjo-playing brother, Nate, at frolics and square dances. He was “discovered” in the 1970s after interest in African-American folk music resurfaced, and he performed from Washington state to New York’s Carnegie Hall. Tonight, An Evening with Joe Thompson brings his legacy to a new generation in Charlotte. Held at the Main Library’s Francis Auditorium, 310 N. Tryon St. Tickets are $8 for Levine and Charlotte Folk Society members; $12 general admission. For reservations call 704-333-1887, ext. 501. (Calloway)
For the third straight year, Charlotte welcomes the NC Dance Festival to town. Dancers, choreographers and dance troupes from across the state will gather on consecutive evenings through Saturday, offering a different program each night and showcasing five to seven dance compositions. Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works is once again the presenter, this time in partnership with the UNCC Department of Theatre and Dance. That will enable the Festival to celebrate its 15th anniversary at beautiful Robinson Hall, the campus’ newest jewel. Festival founder Jan Van Dyke is among the 18 performers/ensembles in this year’s lineup, scheduled to appear on Saturday night. All programs begin at 8pm, with tickets priced at $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Call 704-338-1533. (Tannenbaum)
Friday, February 17
The Light Factory will present the Charlotte premiere of local filmmaker Jeff Moonie Jr.’s Donor at 7pm tonight in the McGlohon Theatre at Spirit Square. Winner of the Best Documentary award at last November’s Asheville Film Festival, the picture relates the circumstances surrounding Moonie’s father, who experienced radical changes (both physically and emotionally) after being diagnosed with bone cancer and undergoing treatment. Showtimes are 7pm and 9:30pm; admission is $10 at the door. For more info call 704-333-9755. (Brunson)
Rock-and-roll in a Broadway musical? Anathema! The Man from Galilee depicted as a mere mortal? Sacrilege. Looking back on the groundbreaking 1971 opening of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s audacious Jesus Christ Superstar, it’s a wonder nobody took a torch to the British Embassy. CPCC Theatre, a public-supported company for godsake, brings the now-classic musical to neoclassic Halton Theatre — Charlotte’s spanking new, state-of-the-art palace, paid for with our tax dollars! Newbie Jason Barney superstars as Jesus with seasoned triple-threat Billy Ensley as Judas. Six performances through Feb. 26. Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm, Sunday matinees at 2:30pm. Tickets are $14 and $16. Call 704-330-6534. (Tannenbaum)
Still aglow after their first performances in New York late last month, the Columbia City Ballet returns to the Carolinas with the homegrown production that took them to the Big Apple. Artistic director William Starrett’s Off the Wall & Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green is a celebration of South Carolina’s Sea Islands. We see the Gullah culture through the eyes of Green’s paintings — amped by Starrett’s choreography and live music performed by Marlena Smalls. Above all else, Off the Wall is reputed to be a digital techno wonder because of I. Weiss’s success in replicating Green’s paintings on stage-filling scrims without sacrificing their eye-popping colors. The live dancers really do inhabit Green’s space. Tickets for Friday’s 8pm performance at Belk Theater are $25-$45. Call 704-372-1000. (Tannenbaum)
Tuesday, February 21
The reality-TV show Rock Star is long over, as Australia’s biggest rock band INXS found a new singer. The new kid, Canadian J.D. Fortune, doesn’t have the charisma of Michael Hutchence and while the new record, Switch, has a couple of tracks that hark back to the old days, overall the record and the band seem to be running on fumes. The historical primer here is that one of the audition stops for the TV show was in the Queen City at the charismatic Milestone Club. The band is now touring the globe in the fading limelight of the TV show publicity. The show begins at 8pm tonight at Ovens Auditorium. Tickets are $31-$61. For details call 704-522-6500. (Shukla)
Wednesday, February 22
CL’s own Redneck Negress hosts a screening of Raymond Gayle’s pivotal documentary, Electric Purgatory. The film examines the struggles of black rock musicians and the industry’s ambivalence toward them, including Fishbone, Vernon Reid, Adam Falcon, Jimi Hazel and Cody Chesnutt. Distinguished journalists such as Flip Barnes, Darrell McNeil, Charlie Braxton and Greg Tate share their opinions and insight on the dilemma facing these artists. Author of Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock N Roll, Kandia Crazy Horse will hold a panel discussion following the screening. The location is Tempo, 4809 Wilkinson Blvd. Tickets are $5; doors open at 7pm. For more info call 704-391-8909 or visit www.tempocharlotte.com. (Calloway)
The Greatest Show on Earth, so they claim, is coming back through Charlotte for an encore, it’s 135th. (That’s a lot). The latest edition of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey will be at the Bobcat Arena for 11 Shows Wednesday through Sunday. The death defying daredevil husband and wife team, the Misers, Bello the clown and new ringmaster Tyron McFarlan (for his sake let’s hope he’s not too new) will be performing on three rings. Perfect for those of us with three heads. Wait, all those types will be performing. Tickets ($13-$45) are available by phone (800-495-2295) or by visiting www.ringling.com or www.charlottebobcatsarena.com. Show times vary, check the Web sites for time information. (Neumark)
This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2006.
