Do you miss theater, too? After COVID, we can look forward to these Charlotte shows.
Editor’s note: After this article’s publication, the Actor’s Theatre moved its season to start in August instead of July. The “Holiday Spectacular” has also been removed from its lineup. The story has been updated to reflect the changes.
If it feels like it’s been too long since you’ve perused the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte or Blumenthal Performing Arts lineups for a show to see, you’re not alone.
Remember the days of sitting beside strangers in a packed theater, enjoying Peanut M&Ms paired with a cup of wine the size of your head? Remember exiting shoulder-to-shoulder, with the collective energy of the crowd matching the perfect ending of the show? The smiles and the tears, the chatter of friends discussing the plot, the songs and the magic that is made on stage — yeah, we miss it, too.
Weeks into our stay-at-home order to prevent community spread of the coronavirus, the idea of going into a crowd that large feels almost like it could never happen again.
But it can, and it will.
And if there was ever a time to support theater in Charlotte, it’s now. “Like other sectors of the economy, the fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic was swift and merciless,” Cristina Bolling wrote for the Charlotte Observer earlier this month in a story about how COVID-19 was affecting Charlotte arts groups. “The city’s arts and culture scene was already reeling from a decades-long decline in funding and the failure of a November sales tax referendum that would have given the arts sector a $22.5 million boost. Now it was spiraling even faster.”
And it’s as if the Actor’s Theatre knows we need something to look forward to right about now — it has released its Season 32 schedule, with a planned start for August.
Go ahead, take our money.
Check out the schedule, then mark your calendar, in pencil — due to the unpredictability of COVID-19, dates are subject to change. Pro tip: early-bird flex pricing only lasts until May 31.
HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
by John Cameron Mitchell & Stephen Trask
Aug. 5-Sept. 7, 2020
From ATC: “Love. Loss. Lust. Lies. Genderqueer rocker Hedwig sets the record straight to a pulsing rock score as she shares her quest for love, her other half, and, ultimately, her identity. After a botched sex change operation, a failed marriage, and a lost love, Hedwig remembers the words of her East German mother, “To be free, one must give up a little part of oneself.” Hedwig and the Angry Inch is an inspiration to anyone who has felt life gave them an inch when they deserved a mile.”
AMERICAN DREAMS
by Leila Buck
Jan. 28-Feb. 20, 2021
From ATC: “In this satirical immersive comedy, you are invited into the live studio audience of American Dreams, where YOU, the audience member, will decide the fate of three international contestants vying for citizenship in the land of the free and the home of the depraved. With active audience engagement and relevant questions about immigration, this playful participatory performance invites us to explore what we choose to believe and how those choices shape who we are as people, communities, and nations. Raise your voice, use your vote, and decide their fate. Do they have what it takes to be a true American?”
GHOSTS OF BOGOTÁ
by Diana Burbano
Oct 15 - Nov 7, 2020
From ATC: “A heartbreaking dark comedy following 3 siblings as they return to their parents’ birth country to bury a grandfather… who no one will mourn. A universal story about family secrets, told through a Latinx lens, and a story about that unique immigrant experience of never feeling fully at home in any country that can claim you.”
CROWNS
by Regina Taylor
Nov. 27-Dec. 19, 2020
From ATC: “An African American woman knows that a hat is more than mere fashion. It’s an extension of tradition and a connection to your roots. As a young Black woman mourns the loss of her brother, an intergenerational community baptizes her into this tradition. These hats are our Crowns! With haunting spirituals, joyous hymns, and stories straight from the Carolinas, Crowns captures the peculiar convergence of faith and fashion that keeps Sunday both holy and glamorous.”
BECOMING DR. RUTH
by Mark St. Germain
March 25-April 17, 2021
From ATC: “Sex Therapist- Single Mother- Sniper! Most know Dr Ruth Westheimer as a pioneering radio and television sex therapist. Few, however, know the incredible journey that preceded it. From fleeing the Nazis in the Kindertransport and joining the Haganah in Jerusalem as a scout and sniper, to her struggles to succeed as a single mother coming to America. Noted psychologist Dr. Ruth recalls finding her unique place in this world through humor, brilliance, and realizing that size doesn’t matter.”
ONCE
by Enda Walsh, Glen Hansard, & Markéta Irglová
May 27-June 26, 2021
From ATC: “On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship and collaboration quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story, underscored by emotionally charged music. This achingly beautiful, joyously uplifting show strikes an unforgettable chord in audiences and speaks to the power of music to connect us all.”
Upcoming Blumenthal shows
Blumenthal has canceled or postponed several events, but all is not lost. Here are some upcoming shows that as of right now are still on the calendar — please note, these dates are subject to change:
Listed by the original event date.
MARCH
- Menopause the Musical at McGlohon Theater - March 17-18 - This event has been rescheduled for June 25-26.
- James Gregory: Crock Pots and Chicken Legs at McGlohon Theater - March 21 - Rescheduled for July 17, 2020.
- Dancing Through the Movies at Stage Door Theater - March 22 - Rescheduled for June 14, 2020.
- Andrew Schulz: The Matador Tour at McGlohon Theater - March 22 has been rescheduled for November 8, 2020.
- Jon McLaughlin at Stage Door Theater - March 24 - Rescheduled for October 21, 2020.
- CMS Foundation “Teacher Talks” at McGlohon Theater - March 26 - This event has been rescheduled for October 29, 2020.
- Byrne and Kelly at McGlohon Theater - March 28 - This event has been rescheduled for July 21, 2020.
- Ronan Farrow at Belk Theater - March 28 - This event has been rescheduled for September 20, 2020 at Knight Theater.
APRIL
- An Evening With Dr. Jennifer Ashton (HopeWay’s Covington Education Program) at McGlohon Theater - April 1. This event has now been rescheduled for January 27, 2021.
- Rain – A Tribute to The Beatles at Belk Theater - April 2. This event has been rescheduled for March 14, 2021.
- Dancing Through Latin America at McGlohon Theater - April 4 - Rescheduled for August 1, 2020.
- Opera Carolina: I Dream at Belk Theater - April 2020. Rescheduled for Jan. 21-24, 2021.
- An Intimate Evening with David Foster: Hitman Tour - April 27 - Belk Theater has been rescheduled for February 10, 2021.
- Simrit at McGlohon Theater - April 27 has been rescheduled for July 12, 2020.
- The Crown - Live! at Stage Door Theater - April 29-May 3. Rescheduled for November 4-8, 2020.
- Crash Test Dummies at McGlohon Theater - April 29 - Rescheduled for October 7, 2020.
MAY
- Charlotte Concert Band at Knight Theater - May 3, 2020 has been rescheduled for April 24, 2021.
- Ungeographic - May 3 - Booth Playhouse. This event has been rescheduled for August 9, 2020.
- Learn with Laugher - May 4 - Duke Energy Theater. Rescheduled for June 22, 2020.
- Everything Beautiful Tour with Jenna Bush Hager- May 1 - McGlohon Theater. Rescheuled for September 13, 2020 at 4:00pm.
- Herb Alpert and Lani Hall at McGlohon Theater - May 16 has been rescheduled for December 8, 2020.
- Alan Saldaña at McGlohon Theater - May 22 has been rescheduled for September 5, 2020.
JUNE
- Blippi The Musical at Belk Theater - June 5 has been rescheduled for March 9, 2021.
- Brian Culbertson: The XX Tour at Knight Theater - June 21 has been rescheduled for June 20, 2021.
JULY
- The Awakening: Take the Throne at Duke Energy Theater, July 2, has been rescheduled for July 3.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 3:04 PM.
