We’re kind of opening, kind of not, so not all of these are virtual events as we were highlighting at the beginning of the lockdown, but plenty are. COVID is still going strong, so party at your own risk. ‘TROPICAL SECRETS: HOLOCAUST REFUGEES IN CUBA’
Through Broadway on Demand, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte presents an adaptation of author Margarita Engle’s spare and elegant book-length poem that covers a period from 1939 to 1942. Alone in Havana, Cuba, after escaping Nazi Germany, 11-year-old Daniel meets spirited 10-year-old Paloma, who introduces Daniel to the language, music and history of Cuban culture. However, once Cuba enters the war, the two young friends are faced with dangerous choices that test their friendship, and Paloma reveals some painful secrets of her own. More: $21.95; ongoing through March; online; tinyurl.com/CharlotteBOD
MODERN MOXIE
Modern Moxie frontwoman Madison Lucas took up songwriting in college, mostly confined to her dorm room closet. In 2013, she found her partner in crime, bassist, Charlotte music scene veteran and future husband Harry Kollm. The pair recruited guitarist Phil Pucci (Pullover, Serfs) after he heard their song, “Light + Sound.” Pucci, who also officiated the couple’s marriage, brought drummer Charlie Weeks into the fold. With their melodic and crackling newwave-influenced tunes, Modern Moxie is in the top tier of Charlotte rockers, earning Queen City Nerve’s Critics’ Pick for best band in 2019. More: $10; March 24, 7 p.m.; Online; neighborhoodtheatre.com
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INSPIRE THE FIRE DAY
With a mission to inspire young people to succeed on stage and in life by focusing on artistic expression, Inspire the Fire is being awarded an official day in the Queen City by Mayor Vi Lyles and Charlotte City Council. Inspire the Fire was an America’s Got Talent season 7 finalist, and was selected by Oprah Winfrey to perform at Maya Angelou’s memorial service. The non-profit provides students, ages 10–19, coaching in artistic development and community engagement. Majors include dance, voice, theatre, rap and visual arts. The live talent showcase takes place at Victoria Yards. More: Free; March 25, 5:30 p.m.; Victoria Yards, 408 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org/events
LOCAL/STREET
This pop-up exhibition features the work of more than 40 local artists of color who are defining Charlotte’s 21st century visual identity. BLKMRKTCLT co-founder Carla Aaron-Lopez has partnered with the Mint Museum to launch the three-day show. “Artists living and thriving in Charlotte bring so much color and imagination to our city’s identity,” says Aaron-Lopez. “We must support local artists now before they seek opportunities in other cities across the United States.” More: Free; March 26, 27 and 28, 5:30 p.m.; Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road; tinyurl.com/LocalStreet
FIXAPLATE VIRTUAL POTLUCK
Mixed Metaphors’ FixaPlate is an immersive experience about food, family, and history. For their Virtual Potluck series, FixaPlate draws on theatre techniques to create a digital iteration of the family table experience. Potluck guests will join and tell their stories with Charlotteans from across the city, sharing a virtual kitchen table and generations of family recipes as they reminisce about the Charlotte of old and dream of its future. An opportunity to meet new people and stroll through Charlotte culture, the potlucks are scheduled for five dates in March and April. More: $18-33; March 27 6:30 p.m., March 28, 5:30 p.m.; online; tinyurl.com/FixAPlate1; tinyurl.com/FixAPlate2
UNMASKED: ‘LIFT EVERY VOICE’
For this edition of Unmasked, moderator and talk show personality Ohavia Phillips holds a conversation with the curators, artists, and city planners involved in the Black Lives Matter street mural and Lift Every Voice exhibition at the Harvey B. Gantt Center. The panelists will discuss the mural’s journey, from inception to the process of making it come to life. They will also talk about the regional and national impact of the mural, as well as the intentions behind the Lift Every Voice exhibition. More: Free; March 30, 7 p.m.; online; ganttcenter.org
AN ALL STAR TRIBUTE TO CHICK COREA
A creative and enormously influential piano player, Chick Corea touched on every music genre in his career — classical, post-bop, Latin jazz and jazz-rock fusion. He played on Miles Davis’ groundbreaking 1969 album Bitches Brew and founded the innovative — and best — jazz-rock fusion band Return to Forever. He died on February 9 at age 79. Middle C Jazz’s All-Star tribute lineup, led and directed by Stephen Gordon on keyboards, includes Tyra Scott on vocals, Malcom Charles on drums, Lovell Bradford Jr. on bass and Danny Rodriguez on percussion. More: $27.20-$34; April 1, 7 p.m.; Middle C Jazz, 300 S. Brevard St.; middlecjazz.com
ADULT EASTER EGG HUNT
Normally a destination for children’s birthday parties, with a petting zoo and safari revolving around their adorable animals, Darby Acres Farm is hosting this Easter-themed event for an older demographic. Whether you’re wishing you could relive the glory days of Easter egg hunts gone by, or you just need a night out of the house, this adultsonly event is the perfect getaway. More: $11; April 2, 5:45 p.m.; Darby Acres Farm, Hutchinson Lane; darbysafari.com
INDIE FEST: PIP THE PANSY & EMANUEL WYNTER
Every Friday night in March and April, the Indie Fest Spring Series features outdoor socially distanced concerts spotlighting local and regional bands. Atlanta’s Pip the Pansy entwines folk, electronica and virtuosic flute to deliver polished songs that scan like latter-day classical mythology. With a voice that’s sultry, lilting, playful and bold, she cuts a striking bubblegum-chic figure onstage. Equally adept at pop and R&B, violinist and singersongwriter Emanuel Wynter boasts lilting melodies, candid lyrics and swarming harmonies that merge smoothly with his violin. More: $15-25; April 2, 6 p.m.; Lenny Boy Brewing, 3000 S. Tryon St.; tinyurl.com/PipThePansy
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AMPLIFY 2021
Maestra Music’s inaugural spring concert celebrates the women who make music in musical theatre with performances from Broadway stars, appearances from Tony Award-winning Hadestown creator Anais Mitchell and OBIE Award-winning Bubbly Black Girl creator Kirsten Childs, plus a special appearance by Bernadette Peters. The broadcast highlights Maestra’s programs, which provide support, visibility, and community for the female, non-binary, and TGNC music makers in the theatre industry. Special postshow virtual hangouts with Book of Mormon stars Nikki M. James and Andrew Rannells, Mean Girls’ Ashley Park and Erika Henningsen and more. More: Free-$500; March 29, 7 p.m.; online; blumenthalarts.org/events
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