November 23, Wednesday
An outdoor ice skating rink in Charlotte? Yup, it’s time again for WBT’s Holiday on Ice rink on the Green downtown. Hop on the ice for some skating fun with family and friends, or watch the skaters from a nearby heated seating area. Food will be available in the rink area or at the nearby restaurants. The rink opens tonight at 5pm at the Green, 425 South Tryon St. Hours are Mon-Fri, 5pm-10pm; Sat-Sun, 12pm-10pm. $5 skating, $3 skate rental. For more details go to www.wbtholidayonice.com. (Shukla)
The don’t-look-now-but-they’re-actually-pretty-competitive Charlotte Bobcats take on the New York Knicks tonight at 7:30pm at the whimsically titled Charlotte Bobcats Arena. The Knicks are now coached by former Carolina product and ex-Detroit Pistons honcho Larry Brown, who will no doubt look forward to a little pregame chat with Bobcats season-ticketholder Roy Williams, the head man at UNC. As for the Cats, they’re playing hard, people are showing up, and their new digs might just be the best basketball arena ever built. Referendum? What referendum? Tickets are $10-$85, available by calling 704-BOBCATS or online at www.nba.com/bobcats. (Davis)
November 24, Thursday
OK, so there’s no giant Snoopy floating down Tryon Street and the Rockettes won’t be high-stepping in front of Discovery Place. But the Carolinas’ Carrousel Parade, our very own Thanksgiving Day extravaganza, does have floats and marching bands. Now in its 58th year, the event boasts spectatorship to rival a big race at Lowe’s — and the parade participants make right turns! Marching starts at 1pm at the corner of North Tryon and 11th streets. The parade route ends at 2nd and McDowell. If you don’t want to brave the crowds, watch the parade on WBTV, Channel 3. For more info, go to www.carrouselparade.org. (Vespa)
November 25, Friday
Uh-oh. They let Christopher Durang write a Christmas play. So the fiendishly lapsed Catholic let loose with Mrs. Bob Crachit’s Wild Christmas Binge, and Carolina Actors Studio Theatre is bringing it to town for a monthlong engagement, stretching to December 24. Of course, the satirist’s main target is the Dickens classic we’re all so tired, er, fond of. But with typical scattershot glee, Durang also takes aim at Oliver!, It’s a Wonderful Life, O’Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” and Leona Helmsley. You probably didn’t realize the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future drove a UPS truck, but Yuletide is a time for reflection and revelation. Performances at 8pm, Thursday-Saturday evenings, with 2:30 matinees on Sundays. Two exceptions: a free 7pm magic show opens tonight’s performance, and the Christmas Eve performance is a special 2:30 matinee. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students/seniors. Call 704-455-8542. (Tannenbaum)
What could be worse than a cynic mocking Dickens’ iconic holiday fable? Possibly a bunch of creative Middle American biddies paying it homage. Theatre Charlotte presents such a catastrophe this weekend with The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of A Christmas Carol. Directed by Jim Yost, this David McGallivray-Walter Zerlin script promises all the solemnity of Saturday Night Live and Monty Python. Be forewarned: there’s audience participation, two musical numbers and a wayward PA system. Evening performances Friday and Saturday at 8pm; Sunday matinee at 2:30. Tickets are $25 for newbies, $20 for Theatre Charlotte subscribers, $10 for students. Call 704-334-9128. (Tannenbaum)
For those who like pageantry with their Savior celebration, Paramount’s Carowinds WinterFest has more than one million twinkling lights on 35 acres, boasting the largest Christmas celebration in the Carolinas. Take the kids to see a live performance of Santa’s Toy Factory, a look at the inner-workings of Santa’s workshop (psst: they don’t have to know it’s a “performance”). WinterFest lasts 23 nights, Fri., Sat., and Sun. starting Nov. 25, and every night from Dec. 16-23 and 26-31. Tickets are $22.99 at the gate, $19.99 in advance. For more information call 704-588-2600. (Neumark)
November 26, Saturday
Early this year, the Charlotte-based band Baleen packed up its instruments and moved to the ATL. (Guess they wanted to be closer to their beloved Braves. Or was it because they wanted a shot at the big time?) Like all artists, Baleen will live or die by its product(ion), and luckily, the group has a solid new creation, Follow Me Blind. Energetic, avant-garde, and following the late author John Gardner’s dictum of never allowing a single hole in the so-called “fictional dream,” the album is easily the most cohesive thing Baleen has ever done, containing both melody and memory in spades. Tonight at the Visulite. Doors open at 9pm and admission is $8. Details at 704-358-9200 or visulite.com. (Davis)
November 27, Sunday
New York City hardcore band Madball originated in 1989 as a side project of Agnostic Front. A couple years later, the band became a full-time gig. The ensuing years haven’t slowed down this steamroller of spastic guitars and pissed-off “gurgling nails” vocals, accompanied by a fat bass and double-bass drums. It’s a wonder vocalist Freddy Cricien can still talk and walk. Keep your eyes peeled for flying bodies as you head toward the bar. Showtime is 7pm at Tremont Music Hall. Tickets are $15-$17. For more details call 704-343-9494 or go to www.tremontmusichall.com. (Shukla)
This article appears in Nov 23-29, 2005.
