Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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14 UCW APRIL 25-MAY 1, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM SHANE WILSON, contributing writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com 910-484-6200. It can be hard to put a name on the genre of music the Andrew Collins Trio plays, but regard- less of label, the music resonates. Thursday, May 3, the winner (seven times) of the Canada Folk Music Awards and nominee (five times) of the JUNO awards – Canada's Grammy – brings its award-winning sound to the Cameo Art House Theatre on Hay Street. Collins fell in love with the mandolin when he was 18. "But I'd had guitars before and didn't think I would have it in me to practice," he said. "It kept me from getting a mandolin. "I went to a fest with a friend. I like music played at a high level, and bluegrass is a technical music. That is what I like about it. At 23, I was living a ski bum's life. (Then) I quit skiing and sold my gear to buy my first mandolin. It took over my life." Now, he writes and plays, enjoying the growth that comes from performing onstage with the band. It's challenging, he said, but fun to see hours of playing together yield synergistic energy in performance venues. It's musically technical and soulfully touching. "Our music draws from jazz, classical, folk, swing and blue grass," said the group's namesake. "There is usually enough of a musical memory and feeling of familiarity for people to feel comfortable and appreciate it, but it's also new and fresh." The playlist includes the band's double album "Tongue & Groove." It's 11 vocal cuts, or tongues, and 11 instrumentals, or grooves. "We do a few covers of things including jazz and traditional bluegrass," Collins said. "The instru- mentals move around several styles, too. These two albums are a real mix, which is really fun. "Our show has a lot of storytelling and jokes within the show as well. The idea is to make it mu- sically fun but also entertaining." The trio is composed of Collins, who plays man- dolin, fiddle, guitar, mandola, mandocello and croons smooth vocals; Mike Mezzatesta on the guitar, mandolin, fiddle and mandola; and James McEleney on bass, mandocello and vocals. The Andrew Collins Trio pushes for technical prowess matched equally with soul and personal- ity. "The genre that we play – a lot of people refer to it as new acoustic music," Collins said. "Often when we play, it is like we are educating, too." This year marks the band's first tour in the U.S. Collins noted that lately it seems the band is play- ing more in the U.S. than in their native Canada. "So far, we've been ver y well received. And it has been a lot of fun for us, but also the audi- ences seem to really enjoy it, too. Often, we are playing to audiences that are ver y familiar with this genre." The May 3 show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Cam- eo Art House Theatre, 225 Hay St. Tickets cost $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Call 910-486-6633 or visit w w w.theroosterswife.org/shows/andrew- collins-trio-cameo to purchase tickets. Learn more about the band at w w w.andrewcollinstrio.com. Award-winning Andrew Collins Trio brings multi-instrumental fusion to downtown Fayetteville by STEPHANIE CRIDER EVENTS The Andrew Collins Trio is set to perform at the Cameo Art House Theatre May 3. STEPHANIE CRIDER, associate publisher. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Sweet Tea Shakespeare and its company of performers are readying the stages at The 1897 Poe House at the Museum of the Cape Fear for an up- coming run of the classic and widely beloved "Jane Eyre." "Jane Eyre" is a stage play adapted from the popular Victorian novel of the same name by Char- lotte Brontë. The show opens Thursday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 6. "Jane Eyre" tells a sort of coming-of-age story about a woman named Jane, a young orphan in Victorian England. Much of the earlier sections of the novel show the many trials Jane faces as an or- phan trying to make her way in the world. As Jane ages into adulthood, the novel focuses more on her complicated relationship with Mr. Rochester – the lord of Thornfield Manor where Jane is employed as a governess. The original novel is typically printed in edi- tions that top out at 400 pages. Adapting that for the stage is no easy task, but according to Jessica Osnoe, associate artistic director for Sweet Tea Shakespeare, the adaptation serves the source ma- terial well without being overwhelming. "The adaptation captures the essence of the novel in its characters and themes and, like other adaptations, focuses primarily on Jane's time at Thornfield," said Osnoe. "Our guiding lens be- came Jane's search for home. So, we focused our production on the events in the novel (that) best tell that stor y." Osnoe pointed out that Sweet Tea Shake- speare's 2017-18 season has explored themes of homecoming in a variet y of ways. "Sweet Tea Shakespeare creates a home for beautiful, won- drous stor y telling, so 'Jane Eyre,' the stor y of an orphan in search of love and home, makes perfect sense for us," she said. Sweet Tea Shakespeare truly offers a unique ex- perience to its patrons. Performances can happen in a variet y of venues around the cit y. According to Osnoe, "Our shows are not static. We perform at several locations in and around Fayetteville; we play indoors and out, and we seek to bring the part y to our audiences. We want both our stories and our delight to be accessible to ever yone in the communit y." The 1897 Poe House at the Museum of the Cape Fear serves as the Sweet Tea Shakespeare's primar y spring and summer performance space, while Holy Trinit y Episcopal serves as the com- pany's winter venue. General manager of Sweet Tea Shakespeare, Jen- nifer Pommerenke, is also looking forward to the run of shows and wants those who plan to attend to have the best possible experience. It is recommend- ed that patrons arrive around 45 minutes earlier than the 7:30 p.m. start time. According to Pommerenke, "All of our shows begin with a musical 'What you Will' pre-show. The music always ref lects the themes of the story we are about to tell." Additionally, Pommerenke said, patrons are responsible for their own seating since the performance will occur outdoors. There will be food and drink available the night of the perfor- mance. Otherwise, patrons should "be ready to see a beloved, timeless story told with care and heart." There are performances each evening from April 26-29 and from May 3-6. General admission tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Senior citi- zen and military tickets are $13 in advance and $18 at the door. Admission for students and children ages 6-12 costs $8 in advance and $13 at the door. Children under five are admitted for free. For more information or to order tickets, visit w w w.sweetteashakespeare.com. Sweet Tea Shake- speare can also be reached at 910-420-4383. Sweet Tea Shakespeare presents 'Jane Eyre' by SHANE WILSON "Jane Eyre" tells the coming-of-age story of an orphan in search of love and a home.