From musical 'Mermaid' to GRiZ-related events, 11 things to do in Wilmington this weekend

John Staton, Wilmington StarNews
·6 min read

The last weekend of July in Wilmington is on the lighter side in terms of events, with the exception of a series of concerts by the electronic music artist GRiZ, which has a spawned a slew of related shows.

Still, there's plenty of stuff worth checking out, including a big musical at Thalian Hall, a monthly downtown art crawl and a free concert series' final show of the summer.

We also have a big list highlighting outdoor concerts in the area if you want to see what's coming down the pike the rest of the summer. If you're looking for Brunswick County events, we do a separate list for that.

ALL WEEKEND

'The Little Mermaid'

Mary Mattison stars as Ariel in Opera House Theatre Co.'s production of "The Little Mermaid."
Mary Mattison stars as Ariel in Opera House Theatre Co.'s production of "The Little Mermaid."

At Thalian Hall: Summer blockbusters aren't just for the silver screen. They're on stage, too. If you need evidence, look no further than Opera House Theatre Co.'s crowd-pleasing production of Disney musical "The Little Mermaid," which opened last weekend at Thalian Hall and runs through Aug. 6.

Sunday's matinee was packed to overflowing with families, so if you want to go you probably need to stop reading this and get tickets ASAP.

"The Little Mermaid" is led by a gorgeous, flawlessly sung performance from professional actress Mary Mattison in role of Ariel, the mermaid who falls in love with a human, and it features requisitely splashy, high-energy production numbers from guest director Sarah Rodgers, choreographers Jason Aycock and Brooklyne Williamson and their youthful cast. (Bonus for all you dads out there: The show has a litany of truly awful maritime puns, like when Ariel's father, King Triton, regally played by Kaleb Edley, tells his daughter, "My reef, my rules.")

As the human object of Ariel's affection, Kellen Hanson is a charming Prince Eric, even if his pleasant voice doesn't have the range of Mattison's. Heather Setzler is sufficiently malevolent as the octopus-like villain Urusula, and Bianca Shaw is downright effervescent as Sebastian, the cheerful Carribean crab who gets Ariel out of all manner of tight spots.

Opera House Theatre Co.'s production of "The Little Mermaid" runs at Thalian Hall through Aug. 6.
Opera House Theatre Co.'s production of "The Little Mermaid" runs at Thalian Hall through Aug. 6.

For an ambitious show like "The Little Mermaid" the level of stagecraft needs to be high, and costume designer Juli Harvey delivers with an impressive array of acquatic attire, from cute little fish costumes for a chorus of "guppies" to Ursula's tentacle-adorned gown. Set desinger Terry Collins creates an effective and flexible set based on the show's conceit of a young boy getting sucked into a "Little Mermaid" storybook, and sound designer Christopher Dean helps set the mood with plenty of oceanic sound effects.

On the whole, Opera House's "Little Mermaid" is a solid, if not overly spectacular production that delivers on the familiar songs (music director Brian Whitted's band is spot-on) and story from the 1989 animated movie that remains a big hit with audiences. 7:30 p.m. July 28-29 and Aug. 4-5, 2 p.m. July 29-30 and Aug. 5-6. 910-632-2285.

'La Traviata'

Opera Wilmington presents "La Traviata" starring former Miss North Carolina Elizabeth Stovall.
Opera Wilmington presents "La Traviata" starring former Miss North Carolina Elizabeth Stovall.

UNCW Cultural Arts Building: Opera Wilmington returns with its annual summer production. This year, it's "La Traviata," Verdi's 1853 masterpiece about a courtesan who finds true love, only for it to end in tragedy. University of North Carolina Wilmington graduate and 2014 Miss North Carolina Elizabeth Stovall sings the leading role of Violetta, while the part of her lover, Alfredo, is sung by Darius Gillard. Local singer (and physician) Michael Rallis plays Alfredo's disapproving father, Georgio. Music director Daniel Brier will conduct the Opera Wilmington Orchestra, and Nancy King, chair of UNCW’s Department of Music and Opera Wilmington’s artistic director, will direct. 7 p.m. July 28, 3 p.m. July 30. Tickets are $25 and $60. 910-962-3500.

Langston Kerman

At Dead Crow Comedy Room: L.A. comic, actor and writer Kerman, whose list of credits include the "Bust Down" comedy series on Peacock and a Comedy Central appearance, headlines Wilmington's top comedy club this weekend. Kerman's got an affable, laid-back style he uses to deliver material that contains counterintuitive takes on race and other topics. 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. July 28-29, tickets are $18 and $28.

GRiZ

At Live Oak Bank Pavilion: Electronic music artist GRiZ returns to Wilmington for what's become an annual tradition: GRiZMAS in July, a wildly popular, dance-happy, two-day bacchanal. Tickets are sold out, so if you want to go and don't have one yet, it's going to be spendy. Sunday's outdoor GRiZ show at the Carolina Beach Pier is sold out as well. 6:30 p.m. July 28-29, verified resale tickets start at $250.

Kaleidescope Festival

Multiple venues: Two-night festival of electronic music running in conjunction with the GRiZ weekend features a mix of art and music at multiple venues around town, including Pravda and Bourgie Nights downtown, and The Palm Room at Wrightsville Beach. 9 p.m. July 28-29, tickets are $20-$40.

Ya Filthy Animals

At the Lookout at Iron Front: Yet another event spawned by the GRiZ takeover of downtown Wilmington, this three-day festival electronic music is being presented as an after-party to the main GRiZ events. Multiple artists performing each night. 10 p.m. July 28-29, 6 p.m. July 30. $15-$50.

THURSDAY

Boardwalk Blast

The singer Bibis Ellison is seen here 2017.
The singer Bibis Ellison is seen here 2017.

At the Carolina Beach Boardwalk: Bibis Ellison, who's possessed of a soulful voice and energetic stage presence that makes her one of Wilmington's best singers, headlines this weekly concert series. The music is followed by fireworks on the beach strand. 6:30-9:30 p.m. July 20, free. Fireworks at 9 p.m.

FRIDAY

Fourth Friday Gallery Night

Downtown Wilmington: Monthly art crawl through downtown and downtown-adjacent art galleries and art spaces returns with an event during the height of summer. Participating galleries include WHQR's MC Erny Gallery (group show with Sarah Doss, Rena Powell and Jeanne McIntosh Rietzke), CFCC's Wilma Daniels Gallery (retrospective of work by the late Dorothy Gillespie) and the New Elements Gallery downtown; Acme Art on North Fifth Street; and the ArtWorks in the South Front District. 6-9 p.m. July 28. For a full list of participating galleries, go to ArtsWilmington.org.

Free Concert Friday

At the Eagle's Dare: Last concert of the summer for this free concert series at Third Street hotspot the Eagle's Dare. Wilmington reggae act Signal Fire headlines, with Michael Eakins, who just released a poppy new single, "Take a Ride," featuring Jared Sales, opening up. 6-11 p.m. July 28 at the Eagle's Dare, Third and Red Cross streets. 6 p.m. opener, 8 p.m. headliner. Free.

More: Wilmington music Songs of the summer: New music from 11 Wilmington artists to put on your playlists

SATURDAY

Beard of Antlers

At Reggie's 42nd Street Tavern: Longtime hard rock standard bearers from Wilmington headline a four-band bill of heavy hitters, including Doomsday Profit, Bongfoot and Yule. 7:30 p.m. doors, 8:30 p.m. show, July 29, $10.

SUNDAY

The Runarounds

At Bourgie Nights: Indie rock band has been featured performing on the smash Netflix show "Outer Banks." Led by William Lipton, a young star of long-running soap opera "General Hospital." 6-9 p.m. July 30, $12.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 11 things to do in Wilmington NC for the weekend of July 27-30 2023