10 things to do in Wilmington for Labor Day weekend, from musicals to Harry Potter spoofs
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Welcome to Labor Day weekend, the last (unofficial) weekend of summer in the Wilmington area.
It's a holiday that's all about the beach, so a little lighter on the entertainment calendar than normal, but it is your last chance to catch some tunes at a few of the outdoor concert series that started way back in May and come to a close this weekend.
It's also a time for new beginnings. Fall means a packed calendar for the arts, and Wilmington's theatrical community will help us make that segue with a pair of new productions, one a splashy musical at Thalian Hall and the other a spoofy treat for fans of the wizarding world of Harry Potter.
Read on for the details, and know that many of the aforementioned outdoor concert series continue on after Labor Day, so feel free to peruse our full list of outdoor summer concerts in the area. If you're looking for things to do in Brunswick County, we do a weekly roundup for that as well.
Previously: See images from largest telescope in space, plus 9 events happening in Brunswick this week
Read this: Full list of outdoor summer concerts in Wilmington, plus Brunswick and Pender counties
Plus, I just did a tour of about a dozen mini-golf courses in the three-county area, so check that out if you feel like hitting the little links as an ode to the end of summer.
ALL WEEKEND
'Funny Girl'
At Thalian Hall: It'll be a double homecoming this weekend when two former Wilmington standouts step back into the spotlight on the main stage of Thalian Hall to star in the classic 1960s musical "Funny Girl," directed by Ray Kennedy for Opera House Theatre Co.
Kendra Goehring memorably played multiple multiple leads for Opera House, including "Mamma Mia!," "South Pacific" and "Sweet Charity," in the 2000s and 2010s before going away to study abroad. Now she's back in town for her first Wilmington show since 2019 to play Fanny Brice, the comedian and actress who rose from poverty on New York's Lower East Side to become one of the most famous women in America during the first half of the 20th century.
Playing Nick Arnstein, the gambler and shady businessman with whom Brice has a tumultuous relationship, is the singer and actor Jon Berry, who'll be back in Wilmington doing his first show here in a decade.
A top cast includes such local favorites as Fracaswell Hyman and Cindy Colucci.
"Funny Girl" is known for its many flashy production numbers, some of which include the famous Ziegfeld Follies, as well as for Fanny's big song, "Don't Rain on My Parade."
7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3 and 8-11, 2 p.m. Sept. 4 and 11. 910-632-2285
'Puffs'
At CFCC Wilson Center's Studio Theater: Wilmington comedy and theater troupe Pineapple-Shaped Lamps has a little bit of unfinished business to attend to.
Back in March of 2020, the troupe was staging "Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic," a spoof of the Harry Potter books and films that centers on the oft-ignored Hufflepuff house. That run was canceled by the pandemic after just a few performances, but director Beau Mumford and PSL producer Wesley Brown always wanted to return to it.
This week they are, albeit in a different theater (the studio at Cape Fear Community College's Wilson Center) and with a revamped cast.
"Our goal after everything ended (during COVID) was to bring this back," Brown said. "It didn't get its full chance."
"Puffs" is also a collaboration of sorts, with CFCC's drama department providing some backstage help and Kevin Green of Wilmington's Techmoja Dance & Theatre Co. helping to produce.
Techmoja and PSL have worked together in the past, Green said, like when he did the choreography for PSL's production of the musical comedy "Cannibal."
"These are the kinds of relationships we should build in the theater community," Green said, adding that he's going to direct the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" for PSL next year.
Mumford said he's not a Harry Potter superfan, exactly, but he did grow up with the books and movies. ("I remember going to the midnight release for the seventh book.")
"We were pretty happy with how our first production was," Mumford said. "But when you get new actors in a new space, you start seeing new and different angles to some of the characters. It's definitely 'Puffs' 2.0."
The show continues PSL's tradition of not only tackling pop culture topics, but also of staging shows at any venue that will have them. The CFCC studio is at least the eighth different theater the troupe has staged a show in since forming more than a decade ago.
"We've always done pop culture material that pokes fun and makes inside jokes," Brown said, adding that "Puffs" has "some deep cut stuff that's great for superfans, but you don't need to be a superfan to enjoy it."
7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3 and 8-10, 3 p.m. Sept. 4 and 11. $25. PSLcomedy.com.
Love and laughs: With Acme Revue, Wilmington comic Julia Desmond unites creative community
Jenny Zigrino
At Dead Crow Comedy Room: The hits just keep on coming at downtown Wilmington's home for comedy, as this weekend brings an acclaimed and very funny stand-up who's worked some of the biggest shows and stages around. With many appearances on Comedy Central, as well as on talk shows including "Conan" and others, Zigrino has an unfiltered and breezily self-effacing style, with jokes about everything from what it's like to be condescended to by skinny people to the awkwardness of crashing on your friend's house as a 30-year-old.
7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sept. 2-3, $18 and $28. 910-399-1750.
FRIDAY
'Refuge'
At Jengo's Playhouse: The Jengo's Community Film Series put on by Wilmington's Cucalorus Film Festival continues with this documentary about a white nationalist and KKK member from Georgia who confronts his hateful views after meeting a Muslim refugee. The film series at the refurbished Jengo's Playhouse, which has new seating and a a bar that's open from 6-10 p.m., is done in partnership with the University of North Carolina Wilmington and the South Arts Southern Circuit Tour.
Airlie Gardens concert finale
At Airlie Gardens: It's the last show of the summer for this popular series, which brings live music to the historic, beautiful Airlie Gardens near Wrightsville Beach. Headliners are The British Invaders, playing a mix of Stones, Beatles, The Who and more.
6-8 p.m. Sept. 2. Parking is off-site at the New Hanover County Public Library's Northeast Branch, which is where you catch the free shuttle. Concessions not available, but chairs, blankets and picnics are allowed. Tickets are $10, $3 for ages 4-12, free for ages 3 and under. 910-798-7700
Friday Night Live! finale
At The Pier at Port City Marina: This summer was the first year for this new outdoor concert series downtown, which took over where the old Downtown Sundown series left off. Friday Night Live! presents tribute acts, and they may have saved the best for last with Departure, which plays the songs of Journey and will no doubt have the crowd singing along to such hits as "Open Arms" and "Don't Stop Believin'."
7 p.m. Sept. 2, free. Concession available.
Boardwalk Blast finale
At the Carolina Beach Boardwalk: This weekly concert series capped off by fireworks is usually on Thursday nights, but since it's a holiday weekend they moved it to Friday this week. The Main Event band will play a mix of beach music and classic rock, with the final fireworks display of the season following the tunes.
6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Sept. 2 at the Gazebo Stage on the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. Fireworks on the beach strand begin at 9 p.m. Free.
SATURDAY
Hell of a Night with Jason Mott
At Jengo's Playhouse: Wilmington author and recent National Book Award winner Jason Mott will read from his novel "Hell of a Book" while also raising money for the restoration of a Black Wilmington landmark in this event put on by the Historic Wilmington Foundation and the Cucalorus Film Festival.
Mott has won acclaim for the ways in which "Hell of a Book" grapples with the inherent violence of racial inequality, so it's fitting that the event will benefit the restoration of Giblem Lodge on Princess Street. Once a cultural center of the Black community that housed the only library Blacks were allowed to access, it fell into disrepair over the decades. Efforts to restore the structure to its former glory met a milestone recently when the HWF announced that repairs to Giblem's roof are now fully funded and will be underway soon.
7-9 p.m., $40. Tickets at HistoricWilmington.org.
In other news: Historic Wilmington Foundation to help restore iconic Black history landmark
The hole story: 11 fun mini-golf courses to play in the Wilmington area
Dispatch and O.AR.
At Live Oak Bank Pavilion: The crowd should be pumped on Wilmington's Northside when these longtime, popular rock acts take the stage for a double bill. Both bands, which have been around since the '90s, are often lumped into the jam band category, which they transcend. Dispatch's rock origins have taken on electronic flourishes over the years, while O.A.R. has mastered a crowd-pleasing mix of rock and pop, with emotionally charged songs that have won the band a die-hard fan base.
7 p.m. Sept. 3, tickets start at $28.
SUNDAY
Acme Revue adieu
At The Opera Room: Sunday marks the grand finale for what has been a grand addition to Wilmington's cultural scene. The brainchild of Wilmington comic Julia Desmond, the Acme Revue has synthesized comedy, music and visual art into a scene-bolstering evening that's unmatched locally in terms of both coolness and variety. The final Acme before Desmond moves up to the big city will feature a mix of local comics, the results of a collaborative art project and music by Wilmington DJ and producer RizzyBeats, who will provide the soundtrack for what should be an epic dance party.
8 p.m. Sept. 4, free.
Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Things to do in Wilmington NC for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-4
