Halloween is right around the corner, and there are a couple of ghoulish good times this weekend to help get you in the spirit.
Local troupe Big Dawg Productions kicks off its Halloween Horror Theatre Festival tonight (Thursday) with the first of several themed performances.
“War of the Worlds,” a dramatic recreation of the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles, premieres at 8 p.m. and runs at the same time Friday and Saturday. A matinee performance is set for 3 p.m. Sunday.
This production sticks to the original script, along with live sound effects being created by artists.
Upcoming productions in the horror fest include: a frightfully funny night of comedic acts, a family friendly spooky tale and “Death Bed: The Play That Bites,” a tongue-in-cheek take on the 1970s cult classic movie, “Death Bed: The Bed That Eats.” Click here for a full schedule.
Channel your inner undead Saturday during the seventh annual Wilmington Zombie Walk. Show off your zombie costume or if you don’t have one, get a zombie makeover for just $5 extra. Make-up starts at noon and the walk around downtown begins at 4:30 p.m. at The Underground, 21 N. Front St.
Zombies aren’t real, of course, but hunger is, so the event will once again benefit the Food Bank of Central & Eastern N.C. The walk has raised enough to provide 14,000 meals to people in our area, according to organizers. The entry fee to walk is $5 or three canned good items, all of which go directly to the food bank.
There’s lots more to do at some of your favorite local haunts, as listed below in our weekly arts and entertainment roundup.
Most of the items can be found on The Scene, our comprehensive community events guide.
Music
Cameron Art Museum presents its next installment of Jazz at the CAM at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday) with Winston-Salem act The Reggie Buie Group. Admission is $8 for CAM and Cape Fear Jazz Society members and $12 for non-members ($5 for students with valid IDs). Click here for more information.
Rockabilly queen Imelda May plays Ziggy’s By The Sea tonight, with opening act The Bellfuries. Tickets are $20. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8.
Country musician Brett Eldredge comes to Ziggy’s By The Sea Friday on his Bring You Back Tour. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the show. VIP Suite and Gold Room reservations are available. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show gets underway at 9 p.m.
The South Eastern 360 Food and Music Festival runs from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Hampton Inn on 17th St. The all-day event includes performances by southeastern musicians in an array of genres, such as hip hop, R&B and rock. Tickets are $10.
Local band Bootleg Dynasty performs, with Kyle Lindley and Dennis Brinson, at The Calico Room at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Raleigh-based indie folk cello and guitar group Pippa Hoover Duo plays the Juggling Gypsy at 10 p.m. Saturday. Admission is pay-what-you-can.
Poplar Grove continues its Grooves in the Grove concert at 5 p.m. Sunday with a performance by the Doug Irving Quartet. Admission is free. Coolers are welcome, and the Catch Food Truck will be on site. Click here for more information.
Theater
Thalian Association presents the beloved musical, “Peter Pan,” at 7:30 tonight through Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 tonight and $30 Friday-Sunday.
UNC-Wilmington presents an updated version of Moliere’s 1666 satirical farce, “The Doctor in Spite of Himself,” at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, at the Mainstage Theatre in the Cultural Arts Building. The play tells the story of an unhappy wife who tricks her woodcutter husband into believing he is an important physician. Tickets are $5 to $12 and can be purchased here.
Super Saturday Fun Time Kids’ Variety Show continues this Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at TheatreNOW. The ongoing series features Captain Plunkett, Dock the Dog and the Dock Street Kids as they unravel mysteries tied to Wilmington’s history and local attractions in Scooby Doo-style. A new “episode” happens each week. Tickets are $8.
Hilary Snow is a reporter at Port City Daily. Reach her at (910) 772-6341 or [email protected].
