Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Friday, Nov. 18
Time Stands Still
Duke Energy Theatre
Collaborative Arts Theatre is stepping out of its Shakespearean comfort zone for Time Stands Still. The production, written by playwright and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies, is under the direction of Robert Lutfy (assistant director for the recently staged King Lear). The plot centers around a photojournalist (played by artistic director, Elise Wilkinson) and war journalist (played by Eric Tucker, who directed this season’s Women of Will), partners in work and romance, who question the prospects of a normal life.
• Special Event France’s celebration of “Les première vendanges” or (pardon my French) “the first grape harvest of the year” is a big vino deal. And since the festivities related to it have taken to globetrotting across 16 cities in the U.S., it’s only fitting that the practically royal Charlotte is included. Alliance Francaise de Charlotte and the Charlotte International Cabinet have teamed up for the 2011 Beaujolais Nouveau, in its 18th year, at Levine Museum of the New South. At the event, wines - specifically from the Beaujolais region of France - are available for sniffing, shaking and most importantly, tasting. Pair those sips with the available French food and music, and you’ve got one fulfilling event. Raffles and a silent auction are also transpiring through the course of the evening. More...
• Special Event An alternative to the mainstream circus fare, UniverSoul Circus is an action-packed show with extravagant entertainers: contortionists, a Russian swing act, biker girls, a daredevil motorcycle globe act, trickster dogs, high wires, tigers, Caribbean stilt dancers, elephants and even more. More...
Saturday, Nov. 19
Tiny Paradise
Genome
From time to time, we all need to close our eyes and just imagine a happy place. For Genome gallery owner John Josef, Florida - where he had good times as a young adult - is where his minds seeks refuge. It was this thinking that spawned the idea for the gallery’s new exhibit, Tiny Paradise. More than 15 participating artists were asked to illustrate their own versions (real or fantasy) of paradise. The result is an array of paintings, sculptures and installation works (from landscapes to surreal abstractions, like the picture piece, “Every Head is a World” by Cleonique Hilsaca). Opening reception tonight.
• Film Saturday Night Cine Club meets at Theatre Charlotte for a screening of A Screaming Man (Un homme qui crie). The 2010 Cannes award-winning film is based in war-torn Chad, where a former swimming champion - now working as a pool attendant (where he is about to be demoted) — must fight for his life’s purpose. More...
• Music Americana singer-songwriter Josh Ritter's single "Change Of Time" - off his 2010 album, So Runs The World Away - is one catchy number. In hearing of his upcoming Charlotte performance, its crept into my head and humming ensues. Ritter, who delivered an impressive set with his Royal City Band at McGlohon Theatre last year, combines storytelling to his acoustic set for an intimate, behind-the-music type feel. With Sarah Harmer. More...
Sunday, Nov. 20
Cafe Really
8430 Rea Road
Let the lure of breakfast draw you to Café Really in Ballantyne. The kitchen's strong suits are the creamy slow-cooked grits and Hawaiian-styled sweet bread concocted as French toast. At lunch, well-thought-out dishes include burgers and a regional favorite, a fried chicken salad. The fried green tomato BLT on whole wheat slathered with mayo is scrumptious.
• Theater For three days, advanced students in Winthrop University’s theater department are in total charge of directing. The annual Fall One-Act Play Festival gives them the chance to show off what they’ve learned and created over the course of the semester. Folks attending get a glimpse at a mix of one-act plays. More...
• Music Phillip Roebuck carries a marching-drum-and-tambourine contraption strapped to his back and plays the banjo like someone — or something — is after him for keeps. The Virginia-born one-man-band stomps across the stage like stop-motion animation to create his beats, and can strum the five-stringer for additional percussion or finger-pluck those long spidery lines the legends like. Of course, songs wouldn’t hurt, and he’s got those, too, blending deep delta blues with punk rock energy and tossing in the occasional Appalachia balladry in for balance. Kinda got to see it to believe it. At Milestone with Filthy Still, The Royal Tinfoil, Appalucia! and KPSoloman5000. More...