Charlotte doesn't have much of an arts scene. Do you believe that? At WFAE, we don't.
To prove it, we're starting a new monthly series where on the first Friday of every month, we're going to bring in local arts and culture reporters covering the Charlotte area to talk about some of the big events coming up that you might want to add to your calendar.
Featured in this first edition of the "First Friday Arts Panel" is Jesse Boykin Kimmel of Y'all Weekly, Ashley Mahoney of Axios Charlotte and Madeline Holly-Carothers of QCityMetro. They spoke with WFAE's Nick de la Canal.
Nick de la Canal: All right, Jesse, we're going to start with you. You're primarily covering local theater in the Charlotte area. What is on your radar for the month ahead?
Jesse Boykin Kimmel: So there are a ton of local theaters in Charlotte [that] have shows coming up this spring. But I wanted to talk about two. They are opening today, Feb 7.
We've got Three Bone Theatre, and they have a show going up called "Mary Jane." It's the story of a single mother in a tough situation, and the reason I want to go is because it's starring Nonye Obichere, who I've seen in a lot of incredible shows in Charlotte. And no matter what the subject matter is, I know that she's going to turn in a great performance.
Lee St. Theatre — that is up the road in Salisbury — they're going to put "Misery" up. This play, of course, is based on the Steven King novel, and we will see actor Jessica Jax take on the role of Annie Wilkes, which was made famous by Kathy Bates.
It's worth mentioning that I've never seen a bad show at Lee St. Theatre, but their commitment to the thriller genre makes "Misery" a must-see this month.
De la Canal: Yeah, and I'll just second Nonye — the actress that you mentioned performing with Three Bone Theatre — is a great performer. I've seen her in many shows. A really great local talent.
Ashley, let's move to you. I think that you were also looking at Three Bone Theatre. What else are you looking ahead to?
Ashley Mahoney: Absolutely — anything that you can dive into local theater. I know there's been a lot of buzz in Charlotte around "Hamilton." Not going to lie, I went, I saw it, I cried again. There's so much local theater to dive into, but also make sure that while you're enjoying all of this theater, you take a minute to see some exhibits.
So there are a bunch of exhibits opening in February, including Virginia Jaramillo's "Principal of Equivalence," at the Bechtler (Museum of Modern Art). That opens this weekend actually, Feb. 8, and you get an opportunity to see the first retrospective that really explores this Mexican American artist's work. So you get a chance to see her early work. You have a chance to really dive into her paintings, her handmade paper works and examine her contributions to the realm of abstraction.
There's also exhibits coming up — or rather that are now on view — at The Gantt Center, right across the street. You can go see "Cherry" by Khalif Tahir Thompson. So this will be on view through Aug. 17. You'll see eight large-scale paintings that are really exploring identity, theming around memory and emotions. So just take a second while you're there and ask yourself about identity. What does identity mean to you? How do you identify yourself? How do you identify others? So, just take a moment and see if that speaks to you at all.
De la Canal: Yeah, big questions and some really big art exhibits. OK, Madeline, finally, let's move to you. February, of course, is Black History Month. I think this is something that's on your radar. What are you looking ahead to?
Madeline Holly-Carothers: So two big things I'm looking forward to most in February — the first is going to be Friday, Feb. 21. It is Black Trivia Night at Harold's Chicken and Ice Bar. It is the biggest Black trivia night in Charlotte. I mean, 200 to 300 people. People attend with their grandparents or their parents. And I think the best part about this is — besides the fun trivia, '90s culture, music, movies — it also supports a Black-owned business directly. So it's like a double whammy. You support local, and then you get to do something fun for Black History Month.
And then second — now this is not necessarily a local event — but it's coming to Charlotte, so I'm counting it, OK? If you have not attended Lil' Weezyana Fest in New Orleans, it's coming to Charlotte. And so this is your chance to relive "the time to take over for the '99 & the 2000," OK?
Lil Wayne, Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, The Hot Boys — I'm planning to go, and I will be dressing like it's 2001. So I'm really excited. And then the great thing is that the Spectrum Center is uptown, so you have the opportunity to ride the light rail, you can eat of Queen City Quarter — formerly known as the EpiCentre for all the Charlotteans who will not let the name go — and then you can go to some bars and some restaurants in the area and make a whole night of it.
