Supporting Asheville and Western North Carolina’s Recovery from Hurricane Helene through Music
Community, Relationships, Music, Money, Arts, Travel Melissa Rooney Community, Relationships, Music, Money, Arts, Travel Melissa Rooney

Supporting Asheville and Western North Carolina’s Recovery from Hurricane Helene through Music

Hurricane Helene may have passed, but its impact on Asheville and the surrounding regions of Western North Carolina is still felt deeply. Attending upcoming concerts and music events not only provides entertainment but also contributes to the local economy and fosters community spirit. Here’s how you can get involved and help Asheville and Western North Carolina bounce back from the storm.

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The Museum of Very Bad Smells: A Dare to Scratch 'n' Sniff Mystery by Monica Arnaldo
Children's Books, Published, Community Melissa Rooney Children's Books, Published, Community Melissa Rooney

The Museum of Very Bad Smells: A Dare to Scratch 'n' Sniff Mystery by Monica Arnaldo

The Museum of Very Bad Smells will, no doubt, be interesting to children for the first read or two. It will also, no doubt, be disappointing to children who open the book to find that the smells “don’t work.” For this reason, you may want to purchase the book in a store where you can test it out, rather than online.

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Mouse on the River by Alice Melvin: A Review
Children's Books, Published, Travel, Community Melissa Rooney Children's Books, Published, Travel, Community Melissa Rooney

Mouse on the River by Alice Melvin: A Review

Mouse on the River is—in a word—delightful. This is not just a book that you’ll read once or twice. It is a book that children will want to read over and over again, with pictures they will scrutinize repeatedly on their own, and that will, no doubt, remain on many of their bookshelves until they are adults and have children of their own.

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The Game by Bekah Brunsetter Explores the Impact of an MMORPG-Addicted Spouse on His Marriage
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney

The Game by Bekah Brunsetter Explores the Impact of an MMORPG-Addicted Spouse on His Marriage

Though based on Aristophanes' Lysistrata, The Game is set in current-day Troy, North Carolina, not ancient Troy in Asia Minor. It features five women of differing generations and circumstances, who have formed a support group for women whose partners are addicted to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game(MMORPG) aptly called The Game.

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Van Gogh Exhibit Gives Me Fever

Van Gogh Exhibit Gives Me Fever

Not long ago, I was rolling my eyes at another selfie taken in front of the giant reproduction of Starry Night covering the entrance of every venue for the Van Gogh Immersive Experience. Two days ago, I found myself at a show in Raleigh. When I got home, I researched the things I'd learned and found that we're not as sure of Van Gogh's history as we think.

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On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan is a Pop Concert, Dance Party, Documentary, and Musical Theater, All Rolled Into One
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan is a Pop Concert, Dance Party, Documentary, and Musical Theater, All Rolled Into One

“It's a shame that there is only one more performance of On Your Feet! -- at 7:30 p.m. tonight at DPAC. The house should be filled for the show's final Durham performance, and audience members should inform the producers and DPAC that they want it back for a longer run next year.”

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Mean Girls at DPAC May Be the Best Musical That I've Ever Seen
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

Mean Girls at DPAC May Be the Best Musical That I've Ever Seen

“I would see the performance again tonight just to hear Natalie Shaw’s solos a second time, but there’s so much more to the musical than her enchanting voice. It would be a shame if the house were not full for all the remaining performances, particularly given the number of angsty teenagers we have in the Triangle who would benefit from its viewing.”

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Funny  Girl  at  DPAC  Is  a  Bucket-List American  Classic
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

Funny  Girl  at  DPAC  Is  a  Bucket-List American  Classic

“Director Michael Mayer and stage manager Jovon E. Shuck have their hands full with this production of Funny Girl, but they can clearly handle the weight. They deserve the house to be full for every remaining performance. And YOU deserve to see it!”

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DSA Theatre Troupe 5765's Into the Woods Meets Sold-Out Audience's Expectations
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Children Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Children Melissa Rooney

DSA Theatre Troupe 5765's Into the Woods Meets Sold-Out Audience's Expectations

“Director and DSA theatre teacher Douglas Graves can once again hold his head high with DSA’s 2023-24 high school students’ performance of this year’s production of Into the Woods, as should assistant stage managers Clark Beckstrom, Emily Neill, and Sasha Wolfrum, all DSA students. DSA students were responsible for every part of the production, which was sometimes hard to believe given its professional quality.”

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Prince Hal at Breweries Is a Win-Win Proposition
Published, Arts, Relationships, Inspiration, Community Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Inspiration, Community Melissa Rooney

Prince Hal at Breweries Is a Win-Win Proposition

“I highly recommend Scrap Paper Shakespeare's remaining brewery-located performances to parents who are looking for a place to have a drink while doing something productive with their teen or tween children. I was just glad my 13-year-old got some outside-the-book exposure to Shakespeare. Turns out, he thoroughly enjoyed the first act and at times actually explained to me what was going on. “

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British Comedic Icon Delighted His Triangle Fans with An Evening with the Late John Cleese
Published, Arts, Relationships, Inspiration, Community Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Inspiration, Community Melissa Rooney

British Comedic Icon Delighted His Triangle Fans with An Evening with the Late John Cleese

“Death is certainly a taboo enough subject for Cleese's brand of comedy (and that of his Monty Python peers), particularly among older people who don't even want to acknowledge its encroaching inevitability. You would think that such a stereotypically dark theme would doom a comedy show from the start. But, for most of the audience, including my son and me, this couldn't have been farther from the truth.”

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The World Premiere of Ona by Keith Burridge Vividly Dramatizes a Forgotten But Still Pertinent Chapter of 19th Century U.S. History

The World Premiere of Ona by Keith Burridge Vividly Dramatizes a Forgotten But Still Pertinent Chapter of 19th Century U.S. History

“Ona centers around Martha Washington's personal house slave Ona Judge. I'd never heard of her; and I'm not alone, which is not coincidental. thirty-five American states still censor discussion of slavery in secondary-school classrooms, which inevitably hinders public discussion altogether.”

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Clyde's at PlayMakers Rep Puts Its Audience in the Shoes of the Formerly Incarcerated
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

Clyde's at PlayMakers Rep Puts Its Audience in the Shoes of the Formerly Incarcerated

“The riding momentum behind PlayMakers' production of this iconic play is toward social consciousness and literacy when it comes to addressing the denigrating, disparaging, and (seemingly) hopeless experiences that previously incarcerated people face every day. We nod our heads empathetically when the subject comes up in conversation, but how many of us with no incarceration experience ever put ourselves in their shoes? This is desperately needed, and seeing Clyde's is a good start.”

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Sound Problems Make Ride the Cyclone a Bumpy Ride
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

Sound Problems Make Ride the Cyclone a Bumpy Ride

“The highlight of the production is Kayla Petrille's expert portrayal of the doll-like Jane Doe, particularly her piercing, siren-like voice whenever she opens her mouth and especially when she sings. This is no surprise, as Petrille teaches voice lessons full time and has the most performing experience among the actors. “

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Lights! Costumes! Magic! Beetlejuice Brings the DPAC Audience to Its Feet!
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney

Lights! Costumes! Magic! Beetlejuice Brings the DPAC Audience to Its Feet!

“The costume and physical appearance of Lydia (Isabella Esler) is delightfully reminiscent of Christina Ricci's wardrobe as Wednesday in the 1991 film adaptation of The Addams Family or the costumes that Winona Rider wore when she played Lydia in Tim Burton's 1988 movie Beetlejuice. Whether speaking or singing, Esler's voice is prominent and clear, with the made-for-stage lilt and vibrato of a pop star.”

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John Frazier Lights Up the PSI Stage as Ladies' Man Garry Essendine in Noël Coward's Present Laughter
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney

John Frazier Lights Up the PSI Stage as Ladies' Man Garry Essendine in Noël Coward's Present Laughter

Present Laughter, which was written in 1939, but not staged until 1942, due to World War II, opens on a young woman in her dressing robe, waiting in a sitting room for world-loved comic actor Garry Essendine to emerge from his bedroom. Daphne, played in dramatic juvenile fashion by Dani Coan, forgot her latchkey the previous night and had to spend the night in Essendine's "spare room" …

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Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Earns a Standing Ovation at the Durham Performing Arts Center

Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Earns a Standing Ovation at the Durham Performing Arts Center

When the musical debuted in 2018, it became the highest-grossing production at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA, which is no surprise, given that Alanis Morissette's album by the same name is considered one of the most important albums of the '90s and of the alternative rock genre in general, selling 33 million copies, topping the charts in 13 countries, and winning five GRAMMYS, including Album of the Year….

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Durham Students Sparkled in An Evening to Shine on Feb. 21st at DPAC
Published, Arts, Community, Inspiration, Education, Music Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Community, Inspiration, Education, Music Melissa Rooney

Durham Students Sparkled in An Evening to Shine on Feb. 21st at DPAC

An Evening to Shine is an annual event, presented at the Durham Performing Arts Center by Durham Public Schools (DPS), in partnership with the Durham Public Schools Foundation, which showcases the talents of dedicated youth from every public school in the county. [Of note, the DPS Scholarship Foundation merged with the DPS Foundation in 2020.] Only a handful of students are selected from each school, and they must commit to five weekly two-hour rehearsals, plus two full days of preparation at DPAC before show time…

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