SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Li’l Friday is a weekly roundup of events in art, music, theater, comedy, pop-up markets and more.
All events featured were scheduled as of Thursday; however, it’s wise to check in ahead of attending any one. Inclement weather, changes in schedules and unforeseen circumstances may shift for organizers at the last minute.
Thursday, Dec. 14
‘Elf’ Shadow Cast
Eagle’s Dare, 420 N. Second St. • Free
“OMG! Santa, I know him!”
Pineapple Shaped Lamps is bringing Buddy the Elf to life while the movie “Elf” plays in the background at Eagle’s Dare (420 N. Second St.) at 8 p.m.
It’s an interactive experience, much like a shadow cast — popular with films like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The local comedy troupe will act out scenes and conduct audience singalongs.
They will also sell props for people to throw during certain film highlights — like the snowball fight, for example. The audience is encouraged to engage as they wish or just sit back and enjoy the show.
It’s free to attend.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
Mocksie 101: Holiday Edition — If you’re in the throes of holiday parties but looking to tame the libations, well, Mocksie can help. The shop at 713 Princess St. serves non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits and is hosting a sample party of its wares Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and you’ll learn how to make mocktails for the holiday season to keep you on track with your healthy lifestyle.
Christmas Movie Night Trivia Night — So, you can speak every line in “Christmas Vacation” and belt every word to the songs from Rankin-Bass’ “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” If so, the L.A. Times Bar in Leland (2851 Maco Road) is calling your name tonight. Christmas Movie Night Trivia gets underway at 7:30 p.m., hosted by Eddie Messer. L.A. Times has two bars and two patios, arcade games, pool tables, corn hole, cigars, and fun.
Friday, Dec. 15
Rachel Feinstein
Dead Crow Comedy, 511 N 3rd St. • Tickets: $20
Nationally touring comedian and actress Rachel Feinstein will make her debut at the Dead Crow Comedy Room Friday evening.
Feinstein has three Comedy Central specials, has been featured on the Amazon series “Red Oaks” and on Judd Apatow’s HBO comedy “Crashing.” She has also been a cohost on “The View” and “Upload with Shaquille O’Neal.”
Feinstein’s comedy focuses on family, strange life experiences, and problems related to race, class, and pop culture
During her stand up on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Feinstein talks about her parents’ Facebook activity: “My mom logs in and uses my father’s Facebook page to tell all my girlfriends how gorgeous they look in their photos. So now it just looks like my father is hitting on all of my friends.”
Feinstein will perform four shows this weekend on Dec. 15 and 16, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $20, available here.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Kure Beach Holiday Whoobie Whatty — An annual holiday celebration is set to take place Friday evening at the Kure Beach Ocean Front Park (105 Atlantic Ave.) celebrating the Grinch and Whoville. The annual Whoobie Whatty includes an award ceremony for the 2023 Kure Beach Cheermeister — the best decorated house as voted on by the public. The event also includes a screening of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and there will be different stations — face painting, Grinch crafts, cookie decorating — set up around the park during the movie. It’s free to attend and takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Caroling by Reindeer-Drawn Carriage — Springbrook Farms is hosting its annual holiday carriage rides. Santa will be there with his special “reindeers” singing Christmas carols and sightseeing the holiday lights around downtown Wilmington. Warm lap blankets will be provided for all patrons and Santa will provide free candy canes for all the children. The event runs Dec. 15-16 and 22-23, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for children under 12.
Hark the Herald Angels Swing — Thalian Hall is set to host this annual cabaret and fundraiser benefiting the Opera House Theatre Company. A Wilmington tradition for more than a decade, local talent will perform seasonal tunes, a three-course meal will be provided, and a live and silent auction will take place. The event is coordinated and directed by Ray Kennedy and will run Dec. 15-17, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 12 p.m. Tickets are $90, available here.
Wilmington Voices: ‘Silent Night’ — Wilmington Voices is performing a holiday show on Dec. 15 and 17 that will spotlight seasonal tunes, both sacred and secular music. The show, “Silent Night,” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 and 3 p.m. on Dec. 17 at Kenan Chapel at Landfall. Admission to the event is free but tickets are required and available for pickup at the New Hanover County Library northeast branch on Military Cutoff Road.
Midatlantic Holiday Revue — The Brooklyn Arts Center will host the second annual Holiday Revue with local musicians The Midatlantic and The Paper Stars (read more about one of the Stars’ musicians, Kevin Rhodes, who has released new music, including a Christmas track, here). The show is a benefit concert for Toys for Tots and the Plastic Ocean Project, with partial proceeds donated to the charities. The event will get underway at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20, available here. Everyone is asked to bring an unwrapped present to donate for Toys for Tots.
A Hometown Holiday Musical Revue — Untitled Theatre Productions — read previous PCD coverage here — is collaborating with Pender County Parks and Recreation to host its very first show at the Hampstead Annex Building (15060 Hwy 17). The evening will be filled with familiar Christmas characters and holiday singalongs. Untitled Theatre Productions is run by volunteer community members; the performances will be on Dec. 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. nightly, with a Sunday matinee on Dec. 17 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, available here.
Storytime with Santa — The New Hanover County Fire and Rescue will welcome area kids to 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 130 to enjoy stories read by Santa. There will be coloring and pictures with Old Saint Nick and his friends Sparky and McGruff. The rescue will also hand out information about how to stay safe this holiday season.
Saturday, Dec. 16
‘Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some)’
Thalian Hall Ruth and Bucky Stein Theatre, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets: $35
Had enough of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”? So have Steve Vernon, Anthony Lawson and Randy Davis.
The three actors are bringing to life “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some)” at Thalian Hall’s Ruth and Bucky Stein Theatre for one final weekend.
Davis, Vernon and Lawson take on Christmas traditions from around the world, including seasonal icons from ancient times to current pop culture. Santa, Rudolph, Linus, the Ghost of Christmas Past, a Who down in Whoville and Frosty, among others, all appear in the play — a hodgepodge of traditions and storylines strung into one. Plus, they add in every carol ever sung.
Performances will run Thursday to Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35, available here.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
‘The Nutcracker’ — There has been a Nutcracker featured practically every weekend since Dec. 1 and it’s not slowing down as we inch closer to Christmas. Wilmington Conservatory for Fine Arts and Wilmington Dance Theater dancers are bringing to life the tale of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the mysterious drosselmeyer, and Marie and her Nutcracker prince at Wilson Center, 703 N 3rd St. The Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ballet takes place on Christmas Eve and is told through the mind’s eye of a child’s imagination; it features well-known music such as “Nutcracker Suite,” “Waltz of the Flowers” and “Dance of the Sugar Plum.” The local troupes will perform their rendition on Dec. 16-17 at Wilson Center. It also will star Dara Holmes of the Joffrey Ballet. Tickets start at $32.
Dance with the Fishes Silent Disco — The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is hosting a silent disco to give people a chance to dance with the aquatic life, yet without disrupting them. A DJ will be spinning tracks covering multiple decades of music, but the fish won’t hear a peep — as state-of-the-art headphones allow patrons to dance freely and to the non-headphoned onlooker, silently. The event will run from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for ages 21 and up. Tickets are $55, which includes pizza and two beverages.
Winter Wanderland — The Children’s Museum of Wilmington is hosting its annual holiday celebration on Dec. 16 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Visitors are welcome to wander around the museum to learn about how cultures from around the world celebrate winter holidays. The event will entail creating holiday crafts and games; tickets are $10, available here.
Free Christmas Shop ILM — The fourth annual Free Christmas Shop will take place Saturday morning at 1019 Meares St. Friends and community members have joined forces to ensure every child and family has a joyful holiday. The donation-based event means there will be limited items for attendees. Families are able to choose from toys, clothing, and more to ensure there are presents around the tree on Christmas morning. The line will begin forming at 8 a.m., with the event starting at 9 a.m. It’s free but participants should register here.
Sunday, Dec. 17
‘Elf the Musical’
Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets: $42
And if the shadow cast from Thursday didn’t give you enough of your “Elf” fix, perhaps a musical version will top off the season for you.
“Elf the Musical” is showing at Thalian Hall through Sunday. Based on the classic holiday film — which turned 20 this year — it takes audiences through the hijinks of Buddy the Elf, a human raised by elves in Santa’s Workshop. When Buddy finds out he is adopted, he goes on a quest from the North Pole to New York City in an attempt to find his biological father.
While there, he learns about the real-world, family and what it means to fall in love — specifically with Jovie, someone who shares his affinity for elf culture.
Thalian Association Community Theatre is putting on the musical, with performances taking place Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available here.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
All is Bright — Been to Poplar Grove Plantation yet to deck the halls? Welp, All is Bright takes place Thursday through Sunday until Dec. 23. The grounds will be decorated with a Christmas light display and a number of events and activities will also be taking place. Admission to the grounds includes: photo opportunities for the family, a USO letter writing station, Santa’s mailbox, Grinch’s junk shop, campfires to roast marshmallows, Christmas movies, food trucks, and concessions. The event runs Thursday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Family package tickets are available for $35, which includes two adults and two kids. Single night all-age tickets are available for $10. Tickets can be purchased online here or at the gate.
Tips or comments? Email peter@localdailymedia.com.
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