A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at DPAC Is FABULOUS, with Flawless Music and Acoustics
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Music, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at DPAC Is FABULOUS, with Flawless Music and Acoustics

On Tuesday, Jan. 7th, I attended the opening-night performance of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center with my mother-in-law, who experienced Neil Diamond's music as it was released; but I had never been a Neil Diamond fan. Well, I am now…

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Paperhand Puppet Intervention's Earth and Sky Features a Plethora of New Giant Puppets

Paperhand Puppet Intervention's Earth and Sky Features a Plethora of New Giant Puppets

The Paperhand Puppet Intervention’s performance of Earth and Sky at the historic, outdoor Forest Theater in Chapel Hill is a night to remember—if only to see this year’s plethora of new giant puppets in action.

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Starting Over with Clover

Starting Over with Clover

… My clover and abundant flowering plants aren’t just pretty; they hold the soil in place, naturally filter storm water before it flows into Jordan Lake, and absorb rain water that will otherwise flood or turn my yard to quicksand. Cisterns and rain-barrels enable even more water and nutrients to be recycled where I want them…

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The UNC Science Expo – Reuniting Our Left and Right Brains

The UNC Science Expo – Reuniting Our Left and Right Brains

…As I tell kids, we are all born scientists. Our experiential knowledge is a blank slate, and we delight in the experiments and rational conclusions we conduct in order to live in this world. But we tend to lose this delight as we age, which is sad on so many levels…

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To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities

To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities

“…details the history of the Mohawk men from eastern Canada’s Caughnawaga reserve who supported their families by constructing some of the longest and tallest bridges and buildings in Canada and America.”

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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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Home Is Where the Heart Is (Emma Dodd's Love You Books)

Home Is Where the Heart Is (Emma Dodd's Love You Books)

“Home Is Where the Heart Is features a mother cat and her young kitten, who live in a house that clearly has human owners. The story uses simple and repetitive words to describe what “home” means to all of us, emphasizing the security that notion provides even when we are far away from our physical house and/or one another.”

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A Lesson in Life and Dying: Becky Heron

A Lesson in Life and Dying: Becky Heron

Due in no small part to her husband, Becky’s realism and lack of pretense never abandoned her. She and her family enabled me to be a part of her departure from this world, and I will never allow my fear or awkwardness with death to keep me away again…

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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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