Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/462019
CHICO Thefollowingper- formances are scheduled in February as part of the Chico Performances se- ries. All shows start at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in Laxson Auditorium. ZapMamaandAntibalas is scheduled to perform Wednesday, Feb. 18. Tick- ets are $10-32. Collaborating for the first time ever, Zap Mama and Antibalas will come to- gether to celebrate the evo- lution of contemporary Afro music. From Afrobeat to Af- ropop, Zap Mama mixes Af- rican vocal techniques with European polyphony, while Antibalas effortlessly seams Afrobeat with New York City Latin funk and the tra- ditional drumming of Cuba and West Africa. Taken by Storm — Songs of Seduction & Obsession is set for Thursday, Feb. 19with tickets ranging from $10-34. Add two parts Adele and one part Bette Midler with a splash of George Carlin and an intoxicat- ing cocktail of music, the- ater, and personal intensity is served. You know her as the six-foot tattooed diva who has graced the Laxson stage as the front for Pink Martini. Storm Large re- turns to Chico with her own band performing Broadway tearjerkers, American song- book classics, and rock god- dess anthems. Prepare to be swept away by the voice, the beauty, and the visceral tal- ent that is Storm Large. Reyna Grande — "The Dis- tance Between Us" will be the featured Book in Com- mon on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Tickets are $8-10and free for CSU and Butte College students. A National Book Cir- cle Critics Award finalist, The Distance Between Us is an inspirational com- ing-of-age story about the pursuit of a better life. The Los Angeles Times hailed it as "the Angela's Ashes of the modern Mexican im- migrant experience" and calls author Reyna Grande "a courageous voice." In her memoir, Grande writes about her life before and after illegally emigrating from Mexico to the United States. Grande is an award- winning novelist and mem- oirist. She has received an American Book Award, the El Premio Aztlán Liter- ary Award, and the Latino Book Award among oth- ers for her novels Across a Hundred Mountains (2006) and Dancing with Butter- flies (2009). Events scheduled this month in Chico CONTRIBUTED Reyna Grande: "The Distance Between Us" will be the featured Book in Common on Tuesday, Feb. 24. CHICO PERFORMANCES The Second Annual Wild Oak Hootenanny will be at the historic State Theatre for the Arts in downtown Red Bluff on Valentine's Day, Saturday, Feb. 14. Doors open at 6 p.m., bluegrass music with Loosely Strung starts at 7 p.m. and comedy at 8 p.m. The always enter- taining bluegrass band Loosely Strung — Tex Ash, Pat Scott, Rich Reyn- olds and Becky Huskey — adds the hoot to the hoo- tenanny. It's a big stage night of music and comedy with a new set by Aaron Standish and Liz Merry featuring Roland Allen. Plus the Wild Oakies — Doug Kelly, Sarah Anker, Haley Pratt and Weston McCoy — per- form an updated ver- sion of KKOW Radio, other revised Merry Standish bits and their own weirdness to cel- ebrate 21 years of Red Bluff's favorite store for fake hippies and more. Wild Oak opened in 1994. It sits across the street from the State Theatre for the Arts and has been a staunch supporter of that fine venue and organiza- tion since restoration ef- forts began in the late '90s. Half the proceeds from this show will go to the theater. Tickets are $10 and available at Wild Oak at 328 Oak St., Plum Crazy at 645 Main St., the Tehama Country Visitor Center at 205 Antelope Blvd. and at the door. Beer and wine will be available. The Wild Oak Hoote- nanny is suggested for a mature audience. For more information about the event, check Facebook. STATE THEATRE Valentine's Day comedy, music hootenanny COURTESY PHOTO Loosely Strung will perform starting at 7p.m. Saturday. The California State University, Chico will host a New Music Symposium featuring student compos- ers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 in Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall. Composition students and musicians will per- form original musical cre- ations and premiere per- formances. Chambermusic Contemporary cham- ber music performed by Bay Area new music lumi- naires Earplay is sched- uled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 at Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall. Comprising virtuosic in- strumentalists — including the North State Sympho- ny's own concertmaster, Terrie Baune — Earplay has performed more than 400 works by more than 275 composers in its 28- year history, including more than 100 world pre- mieres and more than 60 new works commissioned by the ensemble. Known for their lyrical and ferocious style, Ear- play performs pieces from some of today's leading musical thinkers. Both concerts are free. For more information, call 898-5917 or visit www. schoolofthearts-csuchico. com. CHICO STATE Student composers, chamber music to be featured By Verda MacKay Correspondent OROVILLE Few things happen in the sleepy little southern town of Chin- quapin, Louisiana that are not discussed at the local home-based beauty shop. Good friends look for- ward to that part of their weekly routine when they catch up on news and gossip and try to solve community prob- lems. "Steel Magnolias," opening Friday at the Birdcage Theatre, is set in this little beauty salon. It runs through Feb. 22, and promises to generate much laughter and a few tearful epi- sodes. Directed by Sarah Pierce and Tara Stokes, assisted by Lacey Wil- liams, "Steel Magno- lias" was written by Rob- ert Harling. It opened on Broadway in 1987, fol- lowed by an award-win- ning film in 1989. The story is based on the lives and loves of six women as strong in their friendships as they are varied in personalities. The two-act play takes place in the beauty shop of Truvy Jones whose philosophy is, "There is no such thing as natural beauty." During the two-year span of the play, the characters depict the courage, tenacity, humor and compassion of wom- anhood. The play's author em- phasized the women are witty, intelligent, real characters and are never meant to be portrayed as caricatures. The story line ranges from befriending one character; an upcom- ing wedding with col- ors in blush and bash- ful pink; a dog on the edge of a nervous break- down; a new baby; and a tragedy. It is filled with laughter and a tribute to the power of love. The "Steel Magnolias" cast features Heidi La- Grone as Truvy Jones, the beauty shop owner. Jen- nifer Beers is Annelle Du- puy-Desoto, the beauty as- sistant. The grand dame widow of the former mayor, Clairee Belcher, is por- trayed by Kathy Neal. The bride-to-be Shelby Eaten- ton-Latcherie is played by Whitney Jones. A.D. Cardwell is in the role of M'Lynn Eatenton, socially prominent ca- reer woman and Shelby's mother. Trudy Lark is cast as Ouiser Boudreaux, a wealthy, grouchy, full of sarcasm, yet lovable woman. Justin McDavitt plays the role of a Radio DJ. Others who round out this cast are Todd Wil- liams and McDavitt for tech and sound. Plus, in- teresting sets by McDa- vitt, Larry Pierce, Jr. and Brandon Stokes. Laughable lines include Truvy's wisecrack about her son bringing his girl- friend home at Thanks- giving. "The nicest thing I can say about her is that all her tattoos are spelled cor- rectly." All the characters in "Steel Magnolias" are such strong women that it's hard to pick one that is stronger than the others because they all have adversities in their lives. The strength they draw from each other is a big strength of the play. They all come from different walks of life, but come to- gether to help and support each other. Tickets cost $15 for general, $10 for preteen and can be purchased at the door. Also at Betty Jeans', 1920 Bird St. and Air Cooled, 2816 Olive Highway in Oro- ville. For information, call the Birdcage Theatre, 533-2473, or go online to www.birdcagetheatre. net. BIRDCAGE THEATRE 'Steel Magnolias' celebrates steely southern women By Hillel Italie The Associated Press NEW YORK From the very first sentence, Oprah Win- frey loved what became her latest book club pick. "I thought, 'Wow, this is so good I have to wait un- til I actually have the time to absorb the language,'" said Winfrey, during a re- cent telephone interview with The Associated Press, of Cynthia Bond's novel "Ruby." "I put it down and waited until I was in bed with the flu to start read- ing it. I found the language and descriptions so viv- idly compelling that some- times I would have to take a breath and repeat the sen- tences out loud." Winfrey's choice, coming out in paperback Tuesday and announced to the AP, is a debut novel published last year to positive reviews and moderate sales. Bond's publisher, Hogarth, under- standably expects that to change and has commis- sioned a paperback printing of 250,000 copies. The hard- cover currently has 20,000 copies in print, according to Hogarth, an imprint of Pen- guin Random House, and is available as an e-book. BOOK CLUB Oprah Winfrey selects Cynthia Bond's 'Ruby' Saturday,February28th 10:00am – 8 : 0 0 p m Carlino'sRoomatRollingHil Casino Tickets $10 Includesacommemorativetastingglassand$5freeslotplay $1 Tasting Fee at Each Booth Tickets available at the Rolling Hil Casino Box Office by calling 530.528.3500, AmericanWest Bank, Rabobank, and at the door! inFrontierVillageacrossfrom the fairgrounds. 527-1420 645 Antelope Blvd. #1 Reservationsrecommended Steak & Lobster Tail Complete Dinner including Dessert & a Drink Dinner Special available on Feb 13 th & 14 th Sweetheart Dinner Special 365S.MAINST,REDBLUFF 527-2720 • www.lariatbowl.com Lariat Bowl & Miniature Golf Joinus for FUN 100JacksonStreet Red Bluff (530) 529-1220 No Enrollment Fee $25.00 month A+E » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, February 12, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5