Charlotte’s performing arts insiders offer their tips for the best new shows this season
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Charlotte Observer Fall Arts Guide 2022
Returning favorites and big new shows and events are on tap this season for local arts and culture organizations. Meanwhile, several major groups find themselves at a crossroads now. We have it all covered for you.
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Charlotte’s arts scene is ready to roar back post-pandemic.
We asked some of the the city’s artists and arts leaders what audiences can look forward to this fall. Their responses ranged from the world premiere of an orchestral version of David Bowie’s final album to a musical’s bloody splatter zone and the return of a classic American opera after a 20-year absence.
Here’s what else they told us:
Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte
Laura Rice, executive director
What show or performance are you most looking forward to in the new season, and why?
We have one big show that we are producing this fall: “Evil Dead The Musical” (Sept. 29-Oct. 30). It will be outdoors, a big Halloween horror comedy that will be a total blast. There will be beer and snacks, and it’s a bring your own chair event. You can buy tickets in the splatter zone if you want to be covered in blood.
Who is a performer to watch for in the new season, and why?
We’re still solidifying some casting, so it’s hard to say. But we have some actors who are back from last year who are so excited to be returning.
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing now?
Coming back post-pandemic and figuring things out financially. People are leaning away from planning ahead. More people buy tickets the day of the show as opposed to ahead of time.
What’s a can’t-miss event in the new season?
“The Play That Goes Wrong” (Dec. 1-Jan. 14, 2023). The set collapses around the actors throughout the show, lines are missed and people are fainting. And it’s all in good fun. It’s a nightmare for the stage manager but hilarious and wonderfully fun for the audience.
Charlotte Ballet
Juan Castellanos, first company dancer
What show or performance are you most looking forward to in the new season, and why?
We have a season opener called “Fall Works” (Oct. 13-15) and we have three different pieces that are going to be a part of that playbill. One piece is called “Under the Lights,” which is a Johnny Cash ballet sort of thing. I’m a country fan, so I’m excited for that one.
Who is a dancer to watch for in the new season, and why?
There’s not a particular one because the company is so well-rounded. We all have our special moments, and that’s one of the great things about our company. We’re a group of dancers and we work collectively as a group of dancers.
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing now?
I’d say it’s more exciting, but we have a new artistic director. And I think a lot of the dancers are really excited to get to know him and get to work with him and get a feel of what his artistic vision is for Charlotte Ballet.
What’s a can’t-miss event in the new season?
“Fall Works” is definitely going to be really exciting. I think everything we’re doing is can’t-miss just because of the quality choreographers that are coming in. “The Nutcracker” (Dec. 9-23) and a reimagined “Peter Pan” next April is going to be something that I think kids are really going to enjoy.
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
David Fisk, president and CEO
What show or performance are you most looking forward to in the new season, and why?
We simply love to play all kinds of music, including stuff that isn’t in our traditional classical repertoire. We’re performing the scores to movies, including “Get Out” on Nov. 4. It’s going to be just an extraordinary experience.
Who is a musician to watch for in the new season, and why?
We’re really excited to have landed Rhiannon Giddens, who is North Carolinian originally and straddles pretty much every musical genre. She’s taken over the Silk Road Ensemble from Yo-Yo Ma, and she’s a resident artist at Carnegie Hall. I can’t tell you how excited we are to be welcoming her to Charlotte to perform with the Charlotte Symphony (Nov. 5).
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing now?
To get people’s attention. All of us who live in the city have so many options for how to spend our time, so we want to surprise people. Performing outside is something we do quite a lot of. And we’ll be popping up in neighborhoods and in breweries, as well as in the traditional spaces where orchestras usually play.
What’s a can’t-miss event in the new season?
We start the season on the 16th and 17th of September as part of the Charlotte International Arts Festival by playing the album “Blackstar” by David Bowie. That will be a world premiere.
Opera Carolina
James Meena, artistic director, and Claudio Ferri, director of development
What show or performance are you most looking forward to in the new season, and why?
Ferri: As an Italian, born and raised in Rome, probably “Tosca” (Oct. 13, 15, 16) will be the opera I’m waiting for. Our scenery is a recreation of the original scenery Puccini saw at the premiere, each setting portraying a different place in Rome. And every time I hear this music, I relive those feelings and emotions in which I grew up. But I also cannot wait to see “Porgy & Bess” (Jan. 22, 24, 26, 28, 2023) and “La Traviata”. (April 20, 22, 23, 2023)
Who is a performer to watch for in the new season, and why?
Ferri: I’m excited to see Nicole Cabell in the role of Bess in “Porgy & Bess”.
I am also so excited that Charlotte’s own Melinda Whittington will sing the leading role of Violetta in “La Traviata”. I can’t wait to hear Melinda in this role because being a member of our resident company she practically grew up on this stage. Now seeing her sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and in her home company in Charlotte, fills me with great pride and Joy.
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing now?
Meena: We cannot anticipate how the public will respond as we, hopefully, come out of the pandemic. For 2 1/2 years we could not perform on the grand opera stage. And while we did our best last year, the limitations for the artists, and the health concerns of the public tested our company like at no other time. Thankfully, we are emerging from the pandemic in good condition financially, but we must be very cautious as we enter what I expect to be year one of a three-year recovery from the pandemic.
What’s a can’t-miss event in the new season?
Meena: Hands down our performances of “Porgy & Bess”. The last production Opera Carolina produced was in 2003. The updated Broadway version of a few years ago was interesting, but this will be a chance for the public to hear this American opera as Gershwin intended — classically trained voices with a full orchestra in a compelling production.
Theatre Charlotte
Chris Timmons, acting executive director
What show or performance are you most looking forward to in the new season, and why?
Our first show back in our building, which is “Misery” (Nov. 4-13). We haven’t had a show in our building in over two years because of the pandemic and then the fire (A December 2020 fire badly damaged the theater, forcing performances to relocate last year.) So just getting back in that space and being able to do what we’ve been doing for so long and share that with the community again.
Who is a performer to watch for in the new season, and why?
Our auditions are open to the community, so it could really be anyone. You see people that you know on stage. Sometimes it’s a co-worker, sometimes it’s your dentist. I think people find that really interesting about our work.
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing now?
It’s twofold. We’re getting back into our building after the fire, which was a major traumatic event. And on top of that, there are the long-term effects of the pandemic. We don’t know what that’s going to mean for audiences coming back.
What’s a can’t-miss event in the new season?
Definitely “Something Rotten!” (Jan. 20-Feb. 5, 2023). That will be our big grand reopening, though we still have really exciting shows in the fall before then.
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This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte’s performing arts insiders offer their tips for the best new shows this season."
