The play is also a blueprint for any aspiring Asheville leftists or progressives about how to work with the many contradictions in Asheville’s democratic party.
Filmmaker John Waters talks Christmas, career, criminals and more
“I’ve been doing this Christmas show for 12 years,” Waters says. “Even when I made all the movies, I use to always do a show called This Filthy World or An Evening with John Waters. It began when I use to tour with the movies to introduce them. I’ve always had a stage show of some kind or other — I never gave up on Vaudeville.”
SART returns to Owen Theatre with a festive musical
Sanders Family Christmas marks SART’s homecoming production. The musical is the sequel in Connie Ray and Alan Bailey’s bluegrass gospel trilogy, Smoke on the Mountain. The show launches Tuesday, Dec. 14 and runs through Saturday, Dec. 23.
Theater review: ‘The Twelve Dates of Christmas’ at N.C. Stage
Because of Maria Buchanan’s incredible performance, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better show than ‘The Tweleve Dates of Christmas’ this season.
UPDATED: Racial tensions mar WNC holiday events
Separate incidents in Canton and Buncombe County over the past week highlight the racial tensions that have dominated headlines throughout 2017 in WNC and across the country.
Theater review: ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ at Asheville Community Theatre
Shouting, fighting and a 7-year-old smoking cigars in the bathroom, which leads to a visit from the fire department, before the chaos resolves into a happy and poignant ending.
Smart Bets: Shozo
Asheville artist Tim Arem’s one-man Japanese-themed family circus theater experience will be performed Dec. 10 at The Altamont Theatre.
Monica McDaniel stages a play inspired by addiction issues in her community
McDaniel has also published two books, including the 2014 poetry and short-story hybrid Misty’s Blues, and is currently at work on a novel. “My community, the African-American community, has been supportive,” she says. “You have to build up your fan base — you have to leave your readers wanting more.”
Theater review: ‘Bernstein Family Christmas’ at The Magnetic Theatre
The skits include a poke or two at Donald and Ivana Trump, unhappy reindeer, a self-help Santa who ends up on a rant about fallen celebrities, and the appearance of an overgrown Baby Jesus, portrayed, as usual by Marshall in a diaper.
Theater review: ‘Christmas Spectacular’ at Flat Rock Playhouse
A powerhouse chorus of all ages elevate songs like “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” to a goose-bump-inducing crescendo in the first half of the show. They are aided by the nimble musical direction of Ethan Andersen, who plays at a grand piano at center stage.
Smart Bets: A Christmas Carol
The holiday tradition — now preceded by a Victorian craft festival — runs Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 2-17, at Hazel Robinson Amphitheater.
Smart Bets: It’s A Wonderful Life
The annual local performance takes place at Isis Music Hall on Nov. 26.
Theater review: ‘Red’ at 35below
At this phase in his career, Rothko believes that color is merely an instrument that informs emotion. As he ages, Rothko feels the same pressures that, a generation earlier, he proudly imposed upon the likes of Picasso.
Theater review: ‘Othello’ at The BeBe Theatre
Montford Park Players and Different Strokes! are both excellent local theater companies. Their partnership proves to be a triumphant venture.
Theater review: ‘Uranium235′ at The Magnetic Theatre
In the powerful play, onstage through Saturday, Nov. 18, at The Magnetic Theatre, President Harry S. Truman wrestles with perhaps the most horrific decision of the 20th century — whether or not to drop the atomic bomb on Japan.
Toy Boat Community Art Space is in need of a new home
French Broad River Brewery’s expansion will force the community art space to relocate once its lease is up after January 2018.
Different Strokes! and Montford Park Players highlight gender issues in Shakespeare
The intersectionality of racial and homosexual prejudice places Shakespeare’s 400-year-old play in the context of contemporary social justice.
Theater review: ‘Dial M For Murder’ at Flat Rock Playhouse
Dial M For Murder grabs hold of us and doesn’t easily let go, rattling the chains of Hitchcock in an honorable way. Here’s hoping Flat Rock Playhouse incorporates more thrillers into its future seasons.
Theater review: ‘Rapture, Blister, Burn’ at N.C. Stage
Theater shines best when it reflects the true lives and struggles of the audience members in a way that moves them and makes them think. N.C. Stage delivers just such an experience in this play.
Halloween happenings around WNC
Here’s a selection of costumed capers, ghoulish gatherings and pumpkin-spiced parties. From autumnal festivities to puppet shows, there’s a celebration for nearly every reveler.
Smart Bets: Love Makes a Home
The one-woman play about Daniel Boone’s wife Rebecca runs Oct. 27-28 at White Horse Black Mountain.