At NC State’s Stewart Theatre, for one night only, the Aquila Theatre will present The Trojan War: Our Warrior Chorus. photo courtesy of nc state university.
THEATER In April, Burning Coal tackles a personality whose life contains an important Raleigh footnote. The play is Marco Ramirez’s The Royale, which premiered in Los Angeles in 2013 and had subsequent mountings in London and New York. The story concerns an early 20th-century boxer named Jay Jackson who becomes the first AfricanAmerican heavyweight champion. If this sounds like Jack Johnson to you, you may also know that Johnson died in a car crash on US 1 in Franklinton, 25 miles north of Raleigh. The critically acclaimed play receives its North Carolina premiere, running April 6th-23rd. Avis HatcherPuzzo directs. burningcoal.org At NC State’s Stewart Theatre, for one night only, the Aquila Theatre will present The Trojan War: Our Warrior Chorus. The production, which features combat veterans in the cast, will present an adaptation of ancient myths, filtered through the lens of modern warfare. According to the promotional materials, viewers can expect “the clash of gods and heroes, the rage of Achilles, the suicide of Ajax, the fall of Troy and the rise of Rome.” live.arts.ncsu.edu The longtime family theater stalwart Raleigh Little Theatre has two children’s shows this spring: When She Had Wings, a mystical tale of a girl who dreams of 118 | midtownmag.com
the set of when she had wings. photo courtesy of imagination stage.
flying, and the Roald Dahl adaptation James and the Giant Peach. The former runs March 17th-April 2nd, and the latter April 21st-30th. On March 25th, support this theater by attending its fundraiser, Divas!, an evening of song and dance featuring an array of community performers. And don’t miss the opportunity to purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win two tickets to a New York performance of Hamilton. raleighlittletheatre.org Theatre in the Park’s big spring show is the oldie but goodie On Golden Pond. No word on the casting of the roles that went to Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn and Jane Fonda in the 1981 movie, but this show runs April 7th-23rd. theatreinthepark.com Broadway Series South and NC Theatre’s sole offering in March and April is a week-long run of Jesus Christ Superstar. Felicitously timed with Easter week, this show can’t help but pack a hallelujah in the expanses of Raleigh Memorial Auditorium from April 11th-16th. nctheatre.com
Attributed to Giovanni Bellini, Christ Carrying the Cross, circa 1500–10, oil on panel.