12 things to do in Wilmington for the first weekend of summer

I've gotten so used to defining things in terms of the pandemic that I don't even notice anymore.

We joke about The Before Times, when we thought our attendance at live events would continue uninterrupted forever, and now that the pandemic is "over" and there are more events to attend than we can keep track of, it can be hard to remember just what it was like when everything was shut down.

What always brings it back for me is when something happens, or some group performs, "for the first time since the pandemic."

Well, this week we've got at least two of those: Comedy troupe Pineapple-Shaped Lamps is back on stage for the first time since March of 2020, and public radio station WHQR's art gallery hosts a public reception for a show for the first time in over two years.

Check below for details and as always, check the story link below for a full listing of all the outdoor concerts in the area. I don't always list all of the shows there in this weekly roundup, but it's a great place to check out where live music is happening outdoors in the three-county area.

More: Full list of outdoor summer concerts in Wilmington, plus Brunswick and Pender counties

ALL WEEKEND

Pineapple-Shaped Lamps

At Jengo's Playhouse: The last time Wilmington comedy troupe Pineapple-Shaped Lamps performed in front of a live audience, we didn't know what a pandemic was. Not really. In fact, PSL's production of the Harry Potter/Hufflepuffs-inspired play "Puffs" at Thalian Hall was canceled by corona.

For their first in-person show since the pandemic began, PSL goes back to the pop culture well it's drawn from before for "Gotta Sketch 'Em All," an evening of sketch comedy inspired by the sprawling and very popular world of Pokemon, those lovable animated characters who have inspired the "Detective Pikachu" movie, the much-ballyhooed Pokemon Go! game and much more.

If you're thinking of bringing the little ones, keep in mind that the show will include PG-13-rated humor.

8 p.m. June 24-25 and 3 p.m. June 26 at Jengo's Playhouse in Wilmington. $15-$18. 

Michael Franti & Spearhead

At Greenfield Lake Amphitheater: The ever-popular Franti makes his seasonal return to the Wilmington area, bringing his mix of rock, reggae, hip-hop and world music to the Hugh Morton/Greenfield Lake Amphitheater for a two-night stand.

7 p.m. June 24-25, $56-$72

'School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play'

Thalian Hall studio theater: Jocelyn Bioh's trenchant comedy, directed by Frascaswell Hyman for Big Dawg Productions, is about girls attending an exclusive boarding school in the West African nation of Ghana. One girl in particular, Paulina (Addison Hamlet), has the goal to get into the Miss Global Universe pageant. But when a smart, talented American student named Erika (Hallie-Claire Weems) enrolls in the school and impresses a pageant recruiter, Erika becomes a target of the threatened Paulina and her friends. StarNews reviewer Bob Workmon calls it "witty and insightful" and said it works "subtle yet brilliant magic."

7:30 p.m. June 23-25, 3 p.m. June 19 and 26. $34. 910-632-2285. 

'The Black Phone'

Shot right here in Wilmington, this horror thriller starring Ethan Hawke as a serial killer of children hits the big screens nationwide this weekend. Word on the street is that it's pretty good, which is why a January release date was pushed back to June, when more people tend to go to the movies. At any rate, all of the locations are in Wilmington, and the cast includes: Banks Repeta, the 14-year-old son of Wilmington actress Nina Repeta ("Dawson's Creek"), who plays one of the killer's victims; former Wilmington actor Troy Rudeseal, now based in Atlanta, as Detective Miller; "Drought" filmmaker Megan Petersen as a math teacher; and Rocco Poveromo as Chief of Police Clarke.

More: Lots of local talent, locations featured in Wilmington-shot horror film 'The Black Phone'

Devon Walker

At Dead Crow Comedy Room: Touring comic comes our way from Austin, Texas, by way of New York City, where he's a writer for the star-packed Netflix sitcom "Big Mouth." Walker has a way of making racial tension funny in his stand-up act, like when he skewers white people for appropriating Black culture, but then blames Black comedians of the '80s, like Eddie Murphy, for being so cool that white people wanted to copy them. Trust me, it's funnier when he says it.

7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. June 24-25, $18-$28.

THURSDAY

Slaid Cleves

At Bourgie Nights: Texas-based songwriter Cleves has gotten plaudits from the likes of Rolling Stone and National Public Radio for his plain-spoken story-songs, which he's been performing for 25 years now. A master craftsman who will make you laugh, and who might bring a tear to your eye.

8 p.m. June 23, $20 and $30. 

D&D Sluggers

At Barzarre: This long-running oone-manband led by the musician Tim White is like no other act in Wilmington. White technically makes electronic music of the "chiptune" variety, repurposing the sound cards of old video games. But while he might go about differently than most acts, songcraft is very much at the core of what White does, whether he's writing songs about romance or riffing on pop culture. With synthpop act Jaguardini and Wilmington electronic group Shoulder Cat.

9 p.m. June 23, $8. 

'The Winter's Tale'

At Hugh Morton/Greenfield Lake Amphitheater: June 23 marks this year's final performance of Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green's production of this complex comedy, one of the Bard's perhaps lesser-known works.

As part of Cape Fear Shakespeare's 29th season of free summer Shakespeare at Greenfield Lake, it's the story of the insanely jealous King Leontes of Sicily (Jason Corder), who accuses his pregnant wife, Hermione (Aisling Stegmuller), of adultery with his childhood friend. Leontes does something rash, but then the story skips ahead 16 years to explore the far-flung fallout of the king's actions.

8 p.m. June 23, rain or shine. Admission is free, with donations accepted. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Concessions available, picnics allowed. 

More: 29th year of free summer Shakespeare in Wilmington is a win with 'The Winter's Tale'

FRIDAY

Fourth Friday Gallery Night

As usual, there will be plenty of art to see and plenty of places to see it during the June installment of this monthly crawl through downtown and downtown-adjacent art galleries and art spaces.

Highlights include public radio station WHQR's M.C. Erny Gallery, which will host a public reception for the first time since the pandemic. The featured show is "The Shape of Color: Paintings by Stephanie Holt."

An era comes to an end at Art in Bloom Gallery on Princess Street, which hosts its final Fourth Friday reception before owner Amy Grant moves to a new, larger location in Mayfaire next month. Featured art is "Primordial Lines" by Brian Evans (ceramics) and Kirah Van Sickle (mixed media), and “Visual INTROSpection: Photography by WAZgriffin."

At New Elements Gallery on Front Street, the featured show is "MACRO/MICRO" from artists BF Reed and Sally Sutton. Reed, a painter and pastel artist, works in the abstract realm to create a feeling of limitless space, while Sutton is an oil painter focused on the smallest details with her work. Also featured are the summery paintings of longtime Wilmington artist Betty Brown.

And at the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens on Market Street, David Norris' art show "“Streets, Streams, and the River: Finding Inspiration in Wilmington” uses a variety of media, from drawings and paintings to a variety of prints, as he focuses on natural and historic subjects found in the Port City.

6-9 p.m. June 24, free. For a complete list of participating galleries, go to ArtsWilmington.org.

Friday Night Live!

At the Pier at Port City Marina: This tribute band concert series will aim to get the weekend off to a high-energy start with Funky Monks, a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band. At The Pier on downtown's Northside, they might not be able to perform "Under the Bridge" under the bridge. but they'll be close enough.

7 p.m. June 24, free admission, concessions available. 

SATURDAY

HPFANGS studio/gallery grand opening

At Designworx in the Cargo District: Wilmington artist Greyson Davis, who also goes by the moniker HP Fangs or Happyfangs, is well-known around town for his irreverent, cartoonish art style, which can be found everywhere from billboards to the Cameron Art Museum. Now, Davis is opening his own gallery, studio and teaching space in the Cargo District. Saturday's grand opening will feature a display of recent work, with proceeds going to the development of the studio, in which Davis foresees holding future art shows featuring the work of his students.

6 p.m. June 25, free. 

More: Explore the magic mind behind the 'Black Lives Do Matter' art installation: Greyson Davis

Nauti Pride Day

At Nauti Dog: It's still Pride Month, and at Carolina Beach the Nauti Dog specialty hot dog restaurant is having a day-long celebration with live music on the Boardwalk. Acoustic act Emily Burdette will play from noon to 2 p.m., followed by the Wilmington folk-rock act Striking Copper from 2-4 p.m. and the indie folk duo Courtney Lynn & Quinn from 5-7 p.m. Once the live music's over, DJ Quinn will spin tunes till 10 p.m. A raffle will benefit the LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear Coast.

Noon-10 p.m. June 25, free .

Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com. 

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 12 things to do in the Wilmington NC area June 23-26 2022