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, Nov. 21
Mannheim Steamroller
Wilson Center, 703 N Third St. • Tickets start at $60
The rock ‘n’ roll holiday show founded by Chip Davis 35 years ago is coming back to Wilson Center. Mannheim Steamroller is scheduled for two shows on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The longest-running concert tour in entertainment, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas presents classic carols amped up and performed by 15 musicians playing more than 20 instruments against a backdrop of dazzling multimedia effects.
The group has sold 31.5 million Christmas albums to date.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
Beaujolais Nouveau — Fermental, located at 600 S. 17th St., is hosting the release of one of France’s fames’ harvest of the Gamay grape: Beaujolais win is released in a worldwide celebration the third Thursday of each November. Commemorating the seasonal harvest of French grape growing and wine production, this yearly release showcases a bounty of young grapes that were on the vine just a few weeks ago. The juice is quickly fermented, bottled, and delivered across the world for a simultaneous celebration with wine lovers everywhere. Fermental is celebrating it with the wine available at noon with Arabelle food truck at 5 p.m. and Jake Beamer performing music at 7 p.m.
Dance-a-lorus — A perennial favorite of Cucalorus Film Festival comes Thursday with Dance-a-lorus on the main stage of Thalian Hall. It pairs up choreographers and dancers in modern, tap, jazz, ballet and more with filmmakers and musicians. The multimedia event blends the artistic genres, with this year showcasing 10 performances. One is “Seabreeze” by Kevin Lee-y Green, the founder of Wilmington’s Techmoja Dance Company. The dance will feature nine performers — including Green — whose intent is to capture the beach vibe, community strength and resilience, and nightlife of the resort, which welcomed African Americans in the mid-20th century during the Jim Crow era. The music will feature sounds from Duke Ellington and The Drifters, often heard on the resort grounds. There also will be Southern blues from the 1800s included. Tickets to the event are $20, available here.
Friday, Nov. 22
“Head Over Heels”
UNCW Cultural Arts Building, 5720 Randall Drive • Tickets: $12-$15
A jukebox musical is going into its second weekend at UNCW, a collaboration between the music and theater departments for the first time in more than a decade.
“Head Over Heels” centers around music by ‘80s pop-punk all-girl band The Go-Go’s. The group, led by Belinda Calisle, scored a slew of hits — “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “We Got the Beat” — and landed number-one on the charts for its 1982 album “Beauty and the Beat.”
The musical, written by Jeff Whitty and adapted by James Macgruder, is based on 16th-century “The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia” by Sir Philip Sidney. The story centers around the royal Arcadia family as they journey to keep their famous “Beat” — a force guaranteeing the king’s prosperity, which is threatened.
“Head Over Heels” officially launched in 2015 but opened on Broadway three years later.
The show covers romance, gender fluidity, identity, and duels and is directed by Mark Sorenson, with choreography from Nancy Podrasky Carson and musical direction by Bettsy Curtis.
The show takes place Nov. 21-24, and shows will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday shows at 2 p.m. Tickets are $6-$15 here and available at Kenan box office by calling 910-962-3500.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Cape Fear Book Festival — Multiple events are planned, including a book sale, WriteOn! conference and workshops, and afterparty at the downtown library and Front Street Brewery. They’re all free and take place Nov. 22 and 23. Friday night will feature a book sale at Chestnut Street Main Library in downtown Wilmington. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., it will feature works from local authors. Saturday will include the conference and workshops, with local Wilmingtonian Wiley Cash — a NYT bestselling author, whose last work “When Ghosts Come Home,” centers on a murder mystery set in Oak Island — giving the keynote talk. Cash speaks from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Other local authors involved in the conference include Shawna Kenney (“I Was a Teenage Dominatrix”), who will be part of a panel on “Building Superfans.” Local author Emily Colin (“Storm of the Seven Sins”) will moderate a 2 p.m. panel, “Shelf Life: Building Connections with Independent Booksellers,” featuring Jerry Jones and Kathleen Jewell. See the full conference lineup here. Saturday night will feature Happily Ever Afterparty hosted at Front Street Brewery from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., to include meet and greets with authors and attendees.
“A Contemporary American’s Guide to a Successful Marriage” — A satirical take on love, marriage, children, and divorce. The show, written by Robert Bastron, is set against the backdrop of the late 1950s and told in the style of the social guidance films of that era. It follows two young couples from courtship to marriage and the complications thereafter. The show takes place Nov. 21-23, 7 p.m., and tickets are $5 to $15.
Big Band Concert — UNCW is bringing saxophonist and director of jazz studies at associate professor of African American Studies at University of Iowa, Damani Philips, to the stage. An active performer, Phillips has traveled to play and teach around the world. He’s joined artists includeing Lewis Nash, Christian McBride, Wycliffe Gordon, Bobby McFerrin, Marcus Belgrave, Terrell Stafford, Hank Jones, Red Holloway and Pat Bianchi onsatge and released five albums and published his first book, “What Is This Thing Called Soul: Conversations on Black Culture and Jazz Education,” in 2017. Tickets to his show are $9.
Saturday, Nov. 23
Cape Fear Festival of Trees
N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, 900 Loggerhead Road • Price of aquarium admission
From Nov. 22 through Dec. 30, the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher welcomes back Lower Cape Fear LifeCare’s Cape Fear Festival of Trees.
Businesses and organizations sponsor more than 50 trees that are decorated in various themes; some honor loved ones who have passed, others embrace the spirit of the holiday. Visitors can also add a name to the Memory Dove Tree to honor and remember loved ones who have passed.
The trees are set against the aquatic backdrop and the display is included with aquarium admission. Lower Cape Fear LifeCare receives no proceeds from admission sales, so donations are appreciated, with funds helping the organization provide end-of-life and supportive services to people community-wide.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
Christkindlmarkt: A German Christmas Market — At St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 612 S. College Road, the Christmas spirit will be in full swing with a German-style market, including food, entertainment, more than 30 vendors, crafts for children, a petting zoo, dry slide and silent auction. There will be free entry and free parking, behind Taco Bell. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friendsgiving ‘90s Dance Party — The Beehive Blondes is celebrating Thanksgiving … for friends. Their Friendsgiving Dance Party has a ‘90’s retro theme, in honor of the popular TV show “Friends.” It takes place at Prost from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. Check out tickets and VIP tables here.
Kure Beach Holiday Market — Kure Beach is also getting into the holiday market game. Taking place Saturday, Nov. 23 and Nov. 30, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees will shop through 50 or more talented artists, crafters, and food vendors on site. Also accepted will be an unwrapped toy or minimum $5 cash donation for Toys for Tots at the Town of Kure Beach booth; a ticket will be given to be entered to win a raffle basket of items donated by the vendors.
Sunday, Nov. 24
“Catch a Killer”
Thalian Hall, 301 Chestnut St. • Tickets: $20
Written by a Cucalorus alum Teddy Grennan, and produced by Gill Holland, “Catch a Killer” will tap into all crime lovers’ hearts. It’s screening as part of the independent film festival lineup on Sunday.
“This one is really clever,” Cucalorus executive director Dan Brwaley told PCD earlier this week.
The story follows Otto, who desires to become the city’s youngest detective yet is derailed. Not able to stay away from the case, he lands a job as a bioremediation specialist who cleans up after a serial killer.
Obsessed by horror films and combined with his natural instincts, Otto takes on the mystery behind the murders. And with the help of his pregnant girlfriend, Lex, the begin tracking the killer in an attempt to catch him!
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
“Anastasia” — A Disney musical continues one final weekend at the Community Arts Center. Stacie Smith is directing “Anastasia” The Musical,” with music direction by Aimee Henderson and choreography by Candi Terry. It runs through Nov. 24 at the Community Arts Center on Second Street. The book is by Terrence McNally and music by Stephen Flaherty with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. The show is an escapade for the audience, from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family. Tickets are $15, with the show running Nov. 22-24.
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