Mobile
Friday, April 15, 2016
Theater review: The Taming
Posted By Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, Apr 15, 2016 at 4:47 PM
Should I say the dog ate my homework? No, after returning home from assignment at the Savannah Music Festival, I plum forgot about The Taming amid the bustle of BOOM and Sensoria, and Opera Carolina’s U.S. premiere of Aleko. Even when I caught up with the latest from Donna Scott Productions at the Charlotte Art League this Wednesday, I was less vigilant than I should be.
I came into the funky South End gallery aware that there was a connect between Lauren Gunderson’s wacky political fantasia and Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. But by intermission, I’d completely forgotten about tracking the parallels. That’s because the storylines are so different in this all-female script, and where there are parallels, Gunderson has totally flipped the script.
Katherine is no longer the clawing, curst hellcat who scares away every sensible man in the kingdom except the opportunistic Petruchio. Here she’s charming, brainy, and talented – so charming, brainy, and talented that she’s Miss Georgia, for crying out loud, on a trajectory to become our President and reframe our cherished Constitution. Goodbye, Electoral College!
Nor is she kidnapped after any shotgun wedding. Katherine is in control as she kidnaps Patricia, the brains behind a powerful GOP Senator, and Bianca, a leftwing one-cause blogger and provocateur. This latterday Kate has not only drugged the diametrically opposed politicos, she’s locked them inside of her hotel suite, and – most devastating of all – confiscated their cellphones! If she can get these Red State and Blue State zealots to pull in the same direction with her, Kate reasons, revolution is possible.
Both of these high-energy women remain equally obdurate, but if you pay more attention to their names than I did, you’ll divine that Patricia is our Petruchio. So when Katherine has to drug everybody to calm them the hell down – including, oops, herself – it’s Patricia who wakes up after intermission as James Madison during the original Constitutional Convention of 1787. Bianca is now South Carolina’s Charles Pinckney, the South’s chief proponent of slavery, and Kate is now George Washington, still gushing with charm and still urging compromise.
So yes, mea culpa. By the time the three women had conked out on ether and time-travelled to Philadelphia, birthing constitutional government while switching genders, I had long-forgotten The Taming of the Shrew. When the women returned to present day and Kate triumphed as Miss America, only then did Gunderson conk me over the head: for Patricia, acknowledging Katherine’s superiority, pretty much parrots the scolding that the “tamed” Kate delivers to the other newlyweds in Shakespeare’s Act V.
Now you can go to The Taming without having to backtrack like I did to decode it. Donna Scott makes a wonderfully infuriating Republican as Patricia, and Glynnis O’Donoghue, armed with her righteous pout, is equally apt as the deviously myopic liberal. No surprises there, but Katherine Drew, stunningly slick and sufficiently gorgeous as Kate, is completely new to me. Gunderson drops a couple of lesbian hints into her lines, so it’s a treat to see how excellently Drew personifies this gorgeous George.
All of this frothy comedy would run 79 minutes without the intermission, but director Tonya Bludsworth, who does so much so right, needs to take her foot off the accelerator. Not only did the frantic pace cause the normally infallible Scott and O’Donoghue to bobble lines in the third week of this production, the dialogue zoomed by so fast that I missed stuff. Superfast or not, there are plenty of goodies here, and Gunderson’s crosshairs are trained more on us than on the Bard.
I came into the funky South End gallery aware that there was a connect between Lauren Gunderson’s wacky political fantasia and Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. But by intermission, I’d completely forgotten about tracking the parallels. That’s because the storylines are so different in this all-female script, and where there are parallels, Gunderson has totally flipped the script.
Katherine is no longer the clawing, curst hellcat who scares away every sensible man in the kingdom except the opportunistic Petruchio. Here she’s charming, brainy, and talented – so charming, brainy, and talented that she’s Miss Georgia, for crying out loud, on a trajectory to become our President and reframe our cherished Constitution. Goodbye, Electoral College!
Nor is she kidnapped after any shotgun wedding. Katherine is in control as she kidnaps Patricia, the brains behind a powerful GOP Senator, and Bianca, a leftwing one-cause blogger and provocateur. This latterday Kate has not only drugged the diametrically opposed politicos, she’s locked them inside of her hotel suite, and – most devastating of all – confiscated their cellphones! If she can get these Red State and Blue State zealots to pull in the same direction with her, Kate reasons, revolution is possible.
Both of these high-energy women remain equally obdurate, but if you pay more attention to their names than I did, you’ll divine that Patricia is our Petruchio. So when Katherine has to drug everybody to calm them the hell down – including, oops, herself – it’s Patricia who wakes up after intermission as James Madison during the original Constitutional Convention of 1787. Bianca is now South Carolina’s Charles Pinckney, the South’s chief proponent of slavery, and Kate is now George Washington, still gushing with charm and still urging compromise.
So yes, mea culpa. By the time the three women had conked out on ether and time-travelled to Philadelphia, birthing constitutional government while switching genders, I had long-forgotten The Taming of the Shrew. When the women returned to present day and Kate triumphed as Miss America, only then did Gunderson conk me over the head: for Patricia, acknowledging Katherine’s superiority, pretty much parrots the scolding that the “tamed” Kate delivers to the other newlyweds in Shakespeare’s Act V.
Now you can go to The Taming without having to backtrack like I did to decode it. Donna Scott makes a wonderfully infuriating Republican as Patricia, and Glynnis O’Donoghue, armed with her righteous pout, is equally apt as the deviously myopic liberal. No surprises there, but Katherine Drew, stunningly slick and sufficiently gorgeous as Kate, is completely new to me. Gunderson drops a couple of lesbian hints into her lines, so it’s a treat to see how excellently Drew personifies this gorgeous George.
All of this frothy comedy would run 79 minutes without the intermission, but director Tonya Bludsworth, who does so much so right, needs to take her foot off the accelerator. Not only did the frantic pace cause the normally infallible Scott and O’Donoghue to bobble lines in the third week of this production, the dialogue zoomed by so fast that I missed stuff. Superfast or not, there are plenty of goodies here, and Gunderson’s crosshairs are trained more on us than on the Bard.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Apr 15, 2016 at 3:31 PM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, April 15, 2016 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Improv Vikings at UpStage
• The Taming at Charlotte Art League
• Kacey Musgraves at Amos' Southend
• Science on the Rocks at Discovery Place
• '80s Night at Howl at the Moon
• Improv Vikings at UpStage
• The Taming at Charlotte Art League
• Kacey Musgraves at Amos' Southend
• Science on the Rocks at Discovery Place
• '80s Night at Howl at the Moon
News Lunch Break (4/15/16): Charlotte NBA All Star Game hangs in balance as commissioners meet
Posted By Ryan Pitkin on Fri, Apr 15, 2016 at 11:47 AM
The future of the NBA All-Star game scheduled to come to Charlotte in 2017 is up for discussion when the NBA Board of Commissioners meet this morning in New York. Following the introduction of HB2, NBA officials voiced concern over the controversial bill, but have not released an official statement on whether they plan to proceed with plans to host the event in Charlotte, or relocate. The cities of Atlanta and Oakland have both offered to host the event. (WSOC Staff)
.@DetroitPistons coach said @NBA should move the 2017 All-Star game out of Charlotte over HB2 #RepealHB2 https://t.co/OCSLfyupX7
— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) April 14, 2016
While the future of the NBA All-Star game remains unclear, pop fans can rejoice: Duran Duran announced last night that they would not be canceling their scheduled tour stop at Charlotte’s PNC Pavilion this weekend. In a statement on their website, the band said: “With respect to the current storm which is howling through this State, we considered canceling our show on Saturday, but decided to go ahead, both for the sake of our fans and to support those in North Carolina who feel as strongly as we do about this issue.”
A statement from @duranduran on their upcoming show this weekend in North Carolina. https://t.co/mibMoalCIl pic.twitter.com/rUUdYLk8nn
— Duran Duran (@duranduran) April 14, 2016
Charlotte-area fire departments rushed firefighters to two separate mobile home fires early this morning. The first fire occurred in a Kannapolis mobile home. Fire officials haven’t determined what caused the fire, but revealed that the home suffered extensive damage. The home was not equipped with working smoke detectors, but it appears that nobody was inside at the time. The second fire broke out shortly after 2 a.m. in a Gaston County mobile home; investigators now believe it was caused by electrical problems. Two adults and two children were able to escape without injury, and the Red Cross has stepped in to provide the displaced family a place to stay. (WBTV Web Staff)
Kannapolis,NC **Structure Fire**
— ncfirefighters (@ncfirefighters) April 15, 2016
mobile home/402 Blackhawk dr.
<12:30am #NCfire, NCF 119 pic.twitter.com/M9nv1hGCql
Plans for a new housing development near the CPCC campus indicate that a change of vibe may be coming for the Elizabeth area. Named “The Towers at Mattie Rose," the planned units will be duplex- and triplex-style homes featuring a Dutch-inspired “woonerf” — a type of street that features gardens, speed bumps, and different textures (like brick) to deter speeders and foster a sense of community. The homes will start in the $600,000-range. (Ely Portillo, Charlotte Observer)
Thursday, April 14, 2016
News Protesters shut down Trade and Tryon, call for repeal of HB2
Posted By Ryan Pitkin on Thu, Apr 14, 2016 at 10:44 AM
About 50 anti-HB2 protesters rallied and marched to the center of Uptown last night, shutting down the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets for well over an hour to call for the repeal of HB2 and denounce the treatment of transgender people — especially trans people of color — in North Carolina.
The protest, organized by the Charlotte Queer and Trans People of Color Collective, began with a march from First Ward Park at about 6:40 p.m. When they reached Tryon Street while marching down Trade Street, protesters slowly began to block the streets on all four sides by standing at the crosswalks. Police took several minutes to respond, and when they did arrive, officers redirected traffic and made no efforts to arrest or move the protesters standing in the crosswalks or the three protesters who had chained their hands together and sat down in the middle of the intersection.
The three protesters in the street — Ashley Williams, Gloria Merriweather and AJ Williams — all have long histories of protests with Black Lives Matter, Moral Mondays and other movements within Charlotte and North Carolina in recent years.
“We’re here now to take up space,” Merriweather announced over a loudspeaker at one point during the protest. “The state is attacking the humanity of queer and trans people statewide.”
At one point, protesters held a moment of silence in memory of Blake Brockington, a transgender man from Charlotte who took his own life in March 2015. Brockington made headlines when he won homecoming king at East Mecklenburg High School in 2014. He fought for trans rights in the community in a number of different ways.
"I believe that we will win" pic.twitter.com/fppt2Zxv2I
— Ryan Pitkin (@pitkin_ryan) April 14, 2016
At around 7:50 p.m. on Wednesday night, police announced over their own loudspeaker that protesters would have 20 minutes to leave the area or be subject to arrest. The protesters complied and marched peacefully back to First Ward Park, where they spoke shortly about future actions — like a planned shutdown outside of the North Carolina General Assembly on April 25 when the state legislature reconvenes — before disbanding.
After the march, Merriweather spoke with CL about why it was important for people of color to organize an anti-HB2 event in which the vulnerability of their experience was focused on.
“Queer folks of color in Charlotte have been showing up to other rallies, and other rallies have participated in erasure of the trans, queer P.O.C. experience, which is why it’s very important that we speak on that,” Merriweather said. “Blake Brockington was directly affected by the antidiscrimination ordinance debate last year. HB2 came back into the [North Carolina] House [of Representatives] on the one-year-anniversary of his death. That is fucking heinous. That is disgusting. Queer and trans folks of color coming together is about us raising our voices and demanding to be seen. It has to do with maintaining visibility so we can continue to live.”
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Apr 14, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, April 14, 2016 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Mumford & Sons at Time Warner Cable Arena
• Charlotte Knights vs. Durham Bulls at BB&T Ballpark
• Charles Williams' lecture and Continuum (Night) exhibit at CPCC's Ross Gallery
• Fly By Night at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
• Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars at Neighborhood Theatre
• Mumford & Sons at Time Warner Cable Arena
• Charlotte Knights vs. Durham Bulls at BB&T Ballpark
• Charles Williams' lecture and Continuum (Night) exhibit at CPCC's Ross Gallery
• Fly By Night at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
• Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars at Neighborhood Theatre
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Apr 13, 2016 at 4:55 PM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, April 13, 2016 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Amy Bloom at CPCC's Halton Theater
• Kat Country Jam at The Fillmore
• Robert McDuffie & Friends at Davidson College's Duke Family Performance Hall
• Triptych Collective at Snug Harbor
• The Taming at Charlotte Art League
• Amy Bloom at CPCC's Halton Theater
• Kat Country Jam at The Fillmore
• Robert McDuffie & Friends at Davidson College's Duke Family Performance Hall
• Triptych Collective at Snug Harbor
• The Taming at Charlotte Art League
News Lunch Break (4/13/16): Racially charged drama featuring Helen Hunt begins filming in Gastonia
Posted By Ryan Pitkin on Wed, Apr 13, 2016 at 11:30 AM
A new TV series starring Helen Hunt and Stephen Moyer began filming in Gastonia yesterday, to the excitement of local residents. The series, titled “Shots Fired,” follows the aftermath of a “racially charged” shooting in a fictional small town. Local businesses have already seen a boost from the production coming to town. The production is expected to remain in Gastonia until July. (erika Hayes, WCNC)
An early morning accident in Statesville has left one dead and another hospitalized with injuries. The accident occurred on Garner Bagnal Boulevard near I-77 when two pickup trucks collided head-on at around 6 a.m. One driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was transported to the hospital, condition undisclosed. The road was closed until around 8 a.m. while police investigated. (WSOC Staff)
A man was hospitalized after being shot in north Charlotte on Tuesday night. Police responded to 911 calls reporting the shooting on Geraldine Powe Drive and arrived to find the wounded victim. The man was rushed to the hospital, but his condition is unknown. CMPD hasn’t identified a suspect in reports, but says the investigation is ongoing. (WBTV Web Staff)
In budget plans for the upcoming year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Ann Clark has asked for a $23 million increase in school funding. Speaking of the increase, Clark says: “I want to be clear that $17.3 million of our ask is for two items: a salary increase and the charter-school pass-through.” The 5.7-percent increase would also allocate an extra $3 million to busing for the newly expanded magnet program. Despite the budget requests, commissioners and history suggest that CMS will probably be getting a figure closer to $10 million. (Ann Doss Helms & David Perlmutt, Charlotte Observer)
Oscar winning actress @HelenHunt is in Gastonia filming for the new TV series Shots Fired. Get the scoop at 11 @wcnc pic.twitter.com/ly32wqTyy0
— Erika Hayes (@ErikaWCNC) April 13, 2016
An early morning accident in Statesville has left one dead and another hospitalized with injuries. The accident occurred on Garner Bagnal Boulevard near I-77 when two pickup trucks collided head-on at around 6 a.m. One driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was transported to the hospital, condition undisclosed. The road was closed until around 8 a.m. while police investigated. (WSOC Staff)
PHOTOS from scene of a deadly crash on Garner Bagnal Blvd at Wall St, near I-77https://t.co/lGcBHek8q7 #WakeUpWith9 pic.twitter.com/OI726jmXDd
— WSOCTV (@wsoctv) April 13, 2016
A man was hospitalized after being shot in north Charlotte on Tuesday night. Police responded to 911 calls reporting the shooting on Geraldine Powe Drive and arrived to find the wounded victim. The man was rushed to the hospital, but his condition is unknown. CMPD hasn’t identified a suspect in reports, but says the investigation is ongoing. (WBTV Web Staff)
In budget plans for the upcoming year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Ann Clark has asked for a $23 million increase in school funding. Speaking of the increase, Clark says: “I want to be clear that $17.3 million of our ask is for two items: a salary increase and the charter-school pass-through.” The 5.7-percent increase would also allocate an extra $3 million to busing for the newly expanded magnet program. Despite the budget requests, commissioners and history suggest that CMS will probably be getting a figure closer to $10 million. (Ann Doss Helms & David Perlmutt, Charlotte Observer)
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
News Gov. McCrory signs Executive Order 93, doesn't change HB2
Posted By Ryan Pitkin on Tue, Apr 12, 2016 at 3:32 PM
This afternoon, Gov. Pat McCrory responded to backlash against the controversial House Bill 2 by signing Executive Order 93, which clarifies certain parts of the law and adds sexual orientation and gender identity to state laws protecting people from job discrimination.
A release from McCrory's office states that it accomplishes the following (language directly from McCrory's office):
-Maintains common sense gender-specific restroom and locker room facilities in government buildings and schools
-Affirms the private sector’s right to establish its own restroom and locker room policies
-Affirms the private sector and local governments’ right to establish non-discrimination employment policies for its own employees
-Expands the state’s employment policy for state employees to cover sexual orientation and gender identity
-Seeks legislation to reinstate the right to sue in state court for discrimination
While adding workplace protections for the LGBT community has long been a goal of advocates, the executive order is sure not to quell the large backlash McCrory and state lawmakers have faced from people opposed to the new law. The first three points read like they were taken straight from McCrory's press release defending the law shortly after it was passed and they don't really change anything.
Today's action leaves in place many of the more controversial points of HB2, including the so-called "common sense" rules for bathrooms, which bar transgender people from entering restrooms of the gender they identify with.
The last point, which at first glance may seem to fix one of the more perplexing points of HB2, does not actually restore the right of those who have been discriminated against — whether based on sexual orientation, disability, race or any other aspect — to sue in state court, but instead gives residents all assurances that McCrory will do his best to have the state legislature revisit this issue when they return to their desks on April 25.
In a Facebook post following the signing of EO93, Lara Americo, a transgender woman and CL contributor, expressed similar feelings to many of those in the LGBT community on Tuesday afternoon.
"A small step in the right direction after a huge leap into the past," she wrote.
In a statement from Sarah Preston, acting executive director of ACLU of North Carolina, she called EO93 a "poor effort to save face" by McCrory.
“Efforts to divide the LGBT community by extending limited protections but leaving in place the rules mandating discrimination against the transgender community will only strengthen our resolve to fight back against this discriminatory and misguided legislative action," Preston wrote. "We call on Gov. McCrory and the North Carolina legislature to repeal House Bill 2 and replace it with full non-discrimination protections for all LGBT people."
McCrory's video announcing the executive order is below:
Monday, April 11, 2016
News Lunch Break (4/11/16): Suspect in March murder turns self in
Posted By Ryan Pitkin on Mon, Apr 11, 2016 at 11:30 AM
A man wanted for the March 31 murder of Ernest Cash, Jr. is in police custody. Police said 22-year-old Antonio Covington turned himself in at police headquarters on Sunday. Covington is believed to be the one pictured dropping Cash off at Carolinas Medical Center in south Charlotte following the shooting. Covington has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a felon. The other man believed to be in the photos, Shari Harris, was found and interviewed by police. He was not charged in the murder. (Ryan Pitkin)
One person has reportedly been shot in an armed robbery at a pawn shop in Gastonia this morning. The victim was grazed by a bullet during the robbery, which took place at Quick-Cash Pawn Shop at about 9:30 a.m. this morning. (WBTV Web Staff)
State troopers say a man who was hospitalized after spinning out and slamming into a Department of Transportation truck on I-77 overnight was going about 110 miles per hour when the wreck happened. The incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes near West Boulevard. Nobody else was injured in the wreck, as DOT crews were still working outside of their vehicles. (WSOC Staff)
PHOTOS after driver accused of speeding more than 110mph crashes into DOT truck on I-77 https://t.co/cALu4qhFz9 pic.twitter.com/w8bkleOCiz
— WSOCTV (@wsoctv) April 11, 2016
A 12-year-old is said to be recovering after being shot in the leg during a home invasion this weekend. The girl was reportedly shot by suspects who kicked in the door at her family's home on Saturday night. Nothing was stolen in the incident. Police are yet to release any information on the suspects. (Fox46 Staff)
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Sunday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sun, Apr 10, 2016 at 7:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, April 10, 2016 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Pagliacci and Aleko at Belk Theater
• Charlotte Spartan Race at Porter Farms
• Rhiannon Giddens at McGlohon Theatre
• Screening of The Muses of Bashevis Singer at CPCC's Tate Hall
• Charlotte's Funniest Barbers at The Comedy Zone
• Pagliacci and Aleko at Belk Theater
• Charlotte Spartan Race at Porter Farms
• Rhiannon Giddens at McGlohon Theatre
• Screening of The Muses of Bashevis Singer at CPCC's Tate Hall
• Charlotte's Funniest Barbers at The Comedy Zone
-
Rango / Gnomeo & Juliet: Tale of two toons
Toon Western triggers a good time for all, but silly Shakespeare spin is solely for the kids.
-
Question the Queen City: Who set fire to the nightlife? 3
From 1971 to 1976, 17 nightclubs in Charlotte burned to the ground. Who did it?
-
Question the Queen City: An unsolved double murder 5
Did they ever catch the killer from the Mulberry Church Road murders?
