Dancing With the Stars, Martin Lawrence and Valentine’s Day highlight our Best Bets
It’s Valentine’s Day, whether you’re a full house, booed up, single and ready to mingle, or straight tired of the swipe life, there are more than a dozen lovely reasons to get out and spread the love this week.
Dancing With the Stars: Live!
Jive on as top toe-tapping TV show “Dancing With the Stars” makes a stop at DPAC with your fave dancers (think Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Gleb Savchenko and more) and an all-new production as part of its North America live tour. Special Guest Star Kate Flannery. DPAC, 123 Vivian St., Durham. Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m. From $49.50. dpacnc.com
Lawrence Brownlee
Renowned tenor Lawrence Brownlee will perform in a recital for the North Carolina Opera. The program includes Schumann’s Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love) and “Cycles of My Being,” which according to a news release, “explores the condition of being black and male in America today.” The work has been described as “Black Lives Matter meets the opera stage,” according to press notes. The North Carolina Opera is celebrating its 10th year. A.J. Fletcher Opera at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m. $24 and up. ncopera.org
Martin Lawrence’s comedy tour
Following the much-anticipated release of “Bad Boys For Life,” and Lawrence’s 2018 LIT AF Tour, the 2020 LIT AF Tour makes a stop in Raleigh with special guests Michael Blackson, Lil Duval, Bruce Bruce! PNC Arena, 1400 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh. Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. From $41. ticketmaster.com; pncarena.com
Valentine Friday Favorites: Swing Is the Thing
“Got to tell this world that you’re mine, mine, mine, mine!” Join the N.C. Symphony for jump, jive and swing hits from the 1940s and ‘50s (“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “Rock Around the Clock”) in the name of love this Valentine’s. Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., Raleigh. Feb. 14, noon. $33. ncsymphony.org
Seussical TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences)
“It is fun to have fun.” Make a stop at Cantey V. Sutton Theatre as the Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton the Elephant who unearths a fleck of dust filled with tiny people (aka the Whos), whom he must protect from a world of danger and disbelievers as the power of friendship, loyalty and family is tried — but triumphs. Don’t miss Milk & Cookies Night Feb. 20 with Seuss-themed activities in the lobby and fresh milk & cookies provided by Insomnia Cookies. Raleigh Little Theatre, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh. Feb. 14-23, times vary. Adults, $17; children 12 and under, $12. raleighlittletheatre.org
‘Sweat’ by Lynn Nottage
“Three generations of loyalty to the same company. This is America, right? You’d think that would mean something.” Justice Theater Project debuts the regional premiere of this 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner, directed by Jerry Sipp. The gritty drama chronicles Rust Belt steel workers and lifelong friends whose world is shaken when one of their own is promoted into management and an us vs. them battle ensues. Umstead Park United Church of Christ, 8208 Brownleigh Drive, Raleigh. Feb. 14-29, times and prices vary. thejusticetheaterproject.org
Blippi Live!
Blippi transcends screen to stage in this thrilling production welcoming children to sing and dance along as they continue to learn about the world while having a blast with Blippi. DPAC, 123 Vivian St., Durham. Feb. 20, 6p.m. From $25. dpacnc.com
‘Loving’
“The greatest love story in American history” is both befittingly named and timed in this story about white Virginia construction worker Richard Loving, who, in the 1950s, loved African American Mildred Jeter — and interracial marriage was prohibited in their state of Virginia. Arrested, tried and sentenced and, eventually, forced to separate, the couple fought their way up to the Supreme Court in the name of their Loving family, where, in Loving V. Virginia, laws prohibiting interracial marriage were ruled unconstitutional. Pure Life Theatre Company, 3801 Hillsborough St., Ste. 113 Raleigh. Feb. 13-29, times vary. From $24. purelifetheatre.com/buy-tickets
Singles Awareness Day (SAD)
Swipe life got ya down? Cupid shuffle over to Boxcar Bar + Arcade for Singles Awareness Day (appropriately dubbed SAD). Whether you’re happily single, booed up and feeling like celebrating yo’self, or still looking for love in all the wrong places, some SAD-themed cocktails, $12 bottles of sparking rosé, $3 fireballs and DJ Pangean and Three Handsome Robb ought to set you right. 330 W Davie St., Raleigh. Feb. 14, 4 p.m. until. Free to enter. theboxcarbar.com
Unscripted Valentine’s Day
We poppin’ bottles in the name of love! Fete love via Unscripted Valentine’s Day with a tasting tour with Moet & Chandon and live music by Jess Klein and the Berlin Brothers—all while indulging in a four-course menu of different Champagnes (think Moet Ice), paired with small plates like savory chicken marsala, grilled shrimp with a citrus jus, and fresh strawberry parfait. Santé! Unscripted Hotel, 202 N. Corcoran St., Durham. Feb. 14, 7-10 p.m. with the first tasting at 7:30 p.m. $50. unscriptedhotels.com
Hayti Heritage Film Festival
Kicking off Feb. 13 to celebrate and keep Southern Black film alive is Durham’s Hayti Heritage Film Festival. Continuing through the weekend, the fest is back for its 26th annual installment with myriad new and veteran artists in black cinema with cutting-edge docs and fictional shorts and features, master classes and more — plus great food and drinks and arts and crafts to boot. Be sure to catch the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance as part of the fest (Saturday, $10), where you can “get a flavor for the era as we show short fictional films with Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Bessie Smith, and documentary work by Zora Neale Hurston. NC State’s Darrell Stover will host, taking us on a journey through time while NCCU’s Lenora Helm Hammonds leads a jazz band with music from the era.” Follow @haytifilmfest on social or visit the site for full film lineup and fest details. Feb. 13-15, times, locations and prices vary. Opening night reception 5:30 p.m., screening 6:30 p.m. hayti.org
‘Prelude to a Kiss’
Now, that’s amore. Get your romance on with this “play that propels the audience through hairpin emotional turns,” according to “The New York Times,” offering, what curtainup.com calls a “rare combination of laughter, romance and throat-tightening substance.” Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St., Wake Forest. Feb. 14-23, times vary. From $13. forestmoontheatre.org
‘The Old Man & The Old Moon’
Folksy musical numbers, puppetry, sword fights, flying sharks, a hot air balloon and plenty of theater magic ensue in this 1907-based imaginative sea-faring epic set in a shipbuilder’s warehouse in the U.K., and centered around the moon’s sole caretaker (the Old Man), who must decide between duty and love when his wife is drawn away by a mysterious melody sparking memories of their shared past. “This isn’t your typical musical band either; the actors flow in and out of the orchestra pit, joining the band or playing instruments onstage. Theatre in the Park, 107 Pullen Road, Raleigh. Feb. 14-March 1, times vary. Adults, $33; seniors (60+), students, military, $27; groups of 10 or more, $24. theatreinthepark.com
Stories Behind the Music
“What is the music in the bottle?” “Who is dancing by the sea?” “What happens in the Nightdreams?” These scratch the surface of the kinds of answers revealed via this Raleigh Symphony concert in quest for the inspiration that created the music. 4720 Hargrove St., Raleigh. Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. Adults $13, children $10. raleighsymphony.org
‘Ragtime’ by Terrence McNally
Boundaries are crossed and lives are changed in this majestic musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel, where historical figures like Emma Goldman, Booker T. Washington and Evelyn Nesbitt cross paths with three groups of New Yorkers, and, obviously, drama ensues. Stewart Theatre, Talley Student Union, 2610 Cates Ave., Raleigh. Feb. 19-23, times vary. From $24. theatre.arts.ncsu.edu
Natural Explorations: Love Birds
Don’t miss your chance to get all lovey-dovey, literally, as you and boo mix your love for each other and the great outdoors on this fond fowl-filled tour through the park by a park naturalist, where you can “discover how our feathered friends court — from flaunting feathers and fending off rivals to settling down to build a nest.” Clearly, birds of a feather really do flock together. Historic Yates Mill County Park. 462 Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh. Feb. 14, 10-11:30 a.m. Free, registration required. active.com/raleigh-nc
Adult Nights: Wild Love
Bring boo or bae or BFF and tap into your primal instincts as you get schooled on the science of courtship, reproduction and parental care in the natural world and discover how animals flirt, flaunt and impress potential mates. Like, literally learn about femme fatales, monogamous mates and the original Cupid’s Arrow as you navigate the likes of “Extreme Animal Mammaries,” “Wild Love BINGO” and more. Oh, and drinks and food to boot. Lovely, indeed. N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 W. Jones St., Raleigh. Feb. 14, 7 p.m. 21+, in advance: $20; Friends of the Museum $15. At the door: $25; Friends of the Museum $15. naturalsciences.org
American Revolution Lecture Series: Patrick O’Donnell
Familiar with the Immortal 400? That’s the group of men in the Maryland Regiment famously dubbed and known for enabling the Continental army to fight on via a series of desperate charges after Washington’s troops had been outmanned and outmaneuvered in August of 1776 (the month after America’s Continental Congress had formally declared independence from Britain). Come listen as award-winning military historian and author of “Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution” Patrick K. O’Donnell revives this revolutionary tale of these remarkable men. A book signing will follow the presentation as part of this historical lecture series at the N.C. Museum of History. 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh. Feb. 20, 7 p.m. $10 for MOHA/museum members; $15 for nonmembers. ncmuseumofhistory.org
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Dancing With the Stars, Martin Lawrence and Valentine’s Day highlight our Best Bets."