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Saturday, June 22, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
Arts Theater review: The Divine Sister
Posted By Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 4:34 PM
When you don't have the playwright starring in the title role of Charles Busch's newest parody, The Divine Sister, you're bound to get a treatment of the script that is radically different from the original 2011 off-Broadway production. With Busch cross-dressing to portray the Mother Superior at St. Veronica's Convent - who was ace reporter Susan Appleyard before she took the veil - each performance at the SoHo Playhouse attracted devoted worshipers who loudly delighted in all the familiar tics and shtick of their venerated drag queen. Two catty words from Busch in his sparingly applied nasal intonation, and the place dissolved into bedlam.
- ATC
- Catherine Smith, Ashby Blakeley and Barbi VanSchaick
In the current Actor's Theatre of Charlotte version, director Matt Cosper casts longtime Tarradiddle stalwart Ashby Blakely as Mother Superior and dispenses entirely with the drag diva antics. Whether bicycling across the stage or wistfully picking up a guitar to sing us a song, Blakely delivers a healthy share of the stage and screen nun allusions that Busch has sprinkled everywhere. But instead of being conspiratorial with the audience, as Busch was when striking one of these campy chords, Blakely seems serenely oblivious to the comical IEDs he's detonating along his path.
Along this wickedly subversive path, you'll likely catch fleeting allusions to The Sound of Music, The Bells of St. Mary's and Doubt. Deeper than these is the conflation of Rosalind Russell films His Girl Friday and The Trouble With Angels, that the original New York Times review sleuthed out. The Mother Superior, now as a nun but many years earlier as a fast-talking journalist, embodies both Russells. Equally deep perhaps is Busch's mockery of Hollywood's habit of bringing two franchises together after each has played out. If Frankenstein can meet The Wolf Man, why shouldn't The Singing Nun meet Agnes of God?
News North Carolina gunman shoots four
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 3:43 PM
A gunman allegedly shot four people in Greenvile, N.C., before being shot by police, according to various news reports.
Armed with a shotgun, the gunman wounded one person at a law firm before crossing the street and shooting three more people outside of a Walmart.
Police shot and apprehended the gunman outside of the Walmart. Conditions of the shooting victims weren't known as of press time.
Culture Question the Queen City: When an elephant roamed Charlotte
Posted By David Aaron Moore on Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 10:24 AM
Editor's note: In this series, local author David Aaron Moore answers reader-submitted questions about unusual, noteworthy or historic people, places and things in Charlotte. Submit inquires to davidaaronmoore@gmail.com.
My mom told me a tale about an elephant that once escaped from a circus and roamed Charlotte for a couple of weeks, sometime back in the 1950s. It's the most bizarre story I've ever heard. Do you know any of the details? Madison Tate, Charlotte
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 10:24 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, June 21, 2013 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Dave Chappelle at Belk Theater
* 4th Annual Charlotte Uptown Jazz Festival at Uptown Amphitheatre
* The Original Artwork of Scott Whiteside at Orange Olive Salon
* Silent Disco at Pavilion at EpiCentre
* Sum Art Show at Birdsong Brewery
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 4:58 PM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, June 20, 2013 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Hollywood Squares: British Invasion at North Carolina Dance Theatre
* Con A de Arte at Mint Museum Uptown
* Rebirth Brass Band at Chop Shop
* Artist Mingle at Crown Station Pub
* Craft Night at Julia's Cafe
Film / Film News Pimp my screening
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg and Quincy Jones are just some of the luminaries who turn up in Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp, which will be screened at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 24, at Studio Movie Grill in the Epicentre.
Co-produced by Ice-T (who also appears in the film) and directed by his longtime business partner Jorge Hinojosa, this documentary uses period footage and modern-day interviews to examine the life of Robert Beck (1918-1992), aka Iceberg Slim, a vicious pimp who worked in that disreputable field for over two decades before turning his attention to writing about his experiences. This career change led to a series of bestselling books which gave birth to "street literature" as well as allowed the author to emerge as an influential figure to generations of rappers, hip-hop artists and comedians. (Ice-T and Ice Cube both based their show biz names on his.)
Admission to the screening, which is being presented by the Charlotte Black Film Festival (in association with Oju Image Collective and Phase 4 Films), is $8. For more details, or to purchase tickets, go here.
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 1:00 PM
- CBS Films
- The Kings of Summer
The Bling Ring - Emma Watson, Katie Chang
The East - Brit Marling, Ellen Page
The Kings of Summer - Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso
Monsters University - Billy Crystal, John Goodman
Much Ado About Nothing - Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker
World War Z - Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Music / Live Reviews Bonnaroo 2013 - The musical highlights and lowlights
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Wed, Jun 19, 2013 at 12:50 PM
The 2013 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival wrapped up on Sunday and left tens of thousands of fans exhausted and musically satisfied. Sure, Mumford & Sons didn't play, but if you were only going to Manchester, Tenn., to see one band, you probably should have stayed home in the first place.
Dozens of bands flood the fields of Bonnaroo on each of four days representing every genre under the sun. I managed to catch nearly 70 bands over the weekend, so here are some of my highlights and lowlights, in no particular order:
* Matrimony performed to a solid crowd in the Miller Lite New Music on Tap Lounge on Friday night, drawing in some fans who weren't in the mood for McCartney or big crowds. The band made the most of its time at Bonnaroo by performing a handful of one-off acoustic shows and doing plenty of interviews. They now hit the road for the next few weeks in support of their recently released EP, a prelude to the full-length Montibello Drive due this year.
* As Tame Impala's set went on, more and more people flooded the corner of the festival grounds to witness the band's set. Filled with psychedelic overtones and indie rock spirit, this is one of those must-see bands if they ever make it to Charlotte.
* R. Kelly had a great idea in kicking off his show from a crane above the Which Stage, but the two-minute delay while he was lowered back down was one big fail.
* Like the Black Keys? Check out Deap Vally, a female duo with the same raw spirit.
* Swans is known for its brooding, dark brand of metal, but when you scare off 80 percent of your audience before the set is over, is that good or bad?
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Live review: Latin American Festival, Symphony Park (10/13/2013)
Julieta Venegas, NoTeVaGustar headline 23rd annual event.
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5 Reasons To Buy Home Insurance Policy
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Question the Queen City: Hugh McManaway, the man behind the statue
It pays homage to a traffic director, friendly neighbor and one of Charlotte's most beloved local characters
