A quick run through some of the events happening this week in the world of art, music and film.
Monday
Monday Night Film Series presents Stan & Ollie. Laurel and Hardy, the world’s most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song – a gruelling theatre tour of post-war Britain. Already legends by 1953, beloved comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy set out to perform live shows for their adoring fans. The tour becomes a hit, but long-buried tension and Hardy’s failing health start to threaten their new act and friendship. 7:30 p.m. at Tilley Hall, UNB Campus. $8. $5 for members.
Tuesday
The Lifers + Sarah Cooper + Scott Michaud at Gallery on Queen. The Lifers, led by sisters Anita and Liv Cazzola, are an experimental folk duo from Guelph, Ontario. Resonant harmonies guide the way with strength and vulnerability throughout intensely dynamic performances of pieces confronting the fragility of our world and ourselves. Harpinspired ukulele, accordion swells, and lush string and synth arrangements give way to soaring melodies and overdriven frenetic strums. Folk music has never sounded so immediate. 7 p.m. $10
Open Mic Night at The Capital. Rich Gloade hosts this weekly event at The Capital. If you are a duo, or a band, stop by and try out a new tune in front of a very encouraging crowd. 9 p.m. No cover.
Wednesday
Documentary 1999 by NFB at the Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne. When death haunts a high school in Moncton in the late 1990s, everyone is forever transformed. In this gentle, prismatic film, Samara Grace Chadwick returns to the town she fled as a teen to re-immerse herself in the memories still lurking there, in its spaces and within the dusty boxes of diaries, photos and VHS tapes. 1999 is not a ghost story, but the ghosts are palpable at every turn. This documentary is presented by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and is presented in French without English subtitles. 7 p.m.
The Tortoise, The Hare and The Millionaire & Friends at Wilser’s Room. Fredericton-based emerging blues rockers THM continue their January residency at Wilser’s Room with special guests. Doors at 7:30. Show at 9 p.m. No Cover.
Marcello Di Cintio at UNB’s Alumni Lounge. The author of the acclaimed Pay No Heed to Rockets: Palestine in the Present Tense, Di Cintio will read and discuss contemporary Palestine and the narrow language of conflict. Di Cintio first visited Palestine in 1999. He is also the author of Walls: Travels Along the Barricades, winner of the 2013 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize. His essays have been published in the Walrus, Canadian Geographic, the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveller, and Afar. He lives in Calgary. 7:30 p.m.
Theatre UNB presents Black Dog: 4 Vs. the Wrld at Memorial Hall. Theatre UNB’s upcoming production, to be staged as part of Fredericton’s winter festival FROSTival, is a powerful and innovative drama about the mental health challenges faced by a growing number of young adults. This work, by Sudbury playwright and UNB Creative Writing graduate Matthew Heiti, is a play about four teens haunted by a vicious black dog: the spectre of mental illness. In sync with the topics it explores, Black Dog melds live action with technology to bring the online world that young adults inhabit today to the stage, with videos, text messaging, and social media feeds that audience members can follow and respond to live in the theatre all part of the play. Unflinching but inspirational, Black Dog shows that with the support of friends and community inner strength can be realized and the road to recovery is possible. January 30 – February 2. 7:30 p.m. $8-$14
Theatre St. Thomas presents The Importance of Being Earnest at the Black Box Theatre. Theatre St. Thomas’s second production of 2018-19 is Oscar Wilde’s perennially popular comedy of manners. Subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” Wilde’s play premiered in 1895 as a witty send-up of late Victorian earnestness. A farcical romantic comedy of double lives, mistaken identity and improbable coincidence, it follows the misadventures of two young couples whose deceptive impostures and rigid views during courtship may prevent them all from getting what they want — each other. January 30 – February 2. $5-$10. 7:30 p.m. (Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.).
Speaker Series: Aboriginal Visual Arts at NBCCD. History through Visual Art with Emma Hassencahl-Perley Emma will share her experience as an Indigenous multidisciplinary artist who examines our shared history in Canada, legislative identity, and her own Wolastoqiyik identity. 12:10-12:50 p.m. at the George Fry Gallery.
Tertulias at Milda’s Pizzas in The Charlotte Street Arts Centre. A tertulia can be described as a literary and artistic social gathering or philosophy cafe where participants talk about ideas. Tertulias combine words, music, poetry, art and whatever else speakers want to share. Come early and order delicious pizza or treats made with seasonal local produce and beverages. This week features Branimir Dadid discussing Alexander Grothendieck. 7 p.m.
Thursday
Ian Sherwood & Luke McMaster at The Fredericton Playhouse. Luke McMaster is best known for “Good Morning, Beautiful,” his 2013 Top 3 Billboard AC smash hit with new age pianist, Jim Brickman and his impressive Canadian gold album run as a duo with Rob James in McMaster & James, (“Thank You,” “Love Wins Every Time”) with media often referring to them as the “Canadian Hall & Oates.” Luke is originally from Manitoba and now resides in Toronto. A rising star on Canada’s folk-pop scene, Ian Sherwood is a musician’s musician, storyteller and constant creator with five studio albums. Ian has performed at Lansdowne Concert Series many times in the past and was our first artist back in February 2011. His genre is varied and he often mixes genres in a single song. 7:30 p.m. $30
Andrea Ramolo Pays Homage To Leonard Cohen at Wilser’s Room. On her latest album, Homage, Toronto musician Andrea Ramolo shares her own interpretations of Leonard Cohen’s words and music. Through ten tracks, this “love project” finds Ramolo momentarily stepping away from her own developing, ten year career as a country/folk artist to explore the work of one of her favourite songwriters. Revisiting some of Cohen’s most popular songs like Famous Blue Raincoat, Everybody Knows and Suzanne, Homage is a career spanning tribute to one of Canada’s best known artists. Doors at 8. Show at 9 p.m. $10
Friday
Jenn Russell Big Band Bonanza CD Launch at the Delta Fredericton. Let the sounds of big band music warm you up as you heat up the dance floor! Join us as Jenn Russell releases her second original big band album filled with twists from other genres – everything from 40s style jazz and swing to the blues. There will be a bar on site and light hors d’oeuvres will be served. This event proudly supports Liberty Lane, which offers second-stage housing to women and children seeking to escape domestic abuse. 8 p.m. $45.
James Mullinger at The Playhouse. Comedian James Mullinger has taken Canada by storm since moving to Saint John in 2014. He’s appeared on CBC’s The Debaters and has been nominated for both a Canadian Comedy Award and a Just for Laughs Award. He has sold out hundreds of venues across Canada, and produced three seasons of his own television series. A movie titled The Comedian’s Guide to Survival has been made about Mullinger’s life, and he was the subject of a CBC documentary called City on Fire, about his record-breaking sold-out show at Saint John’s Harbour Station in 2016. 7:30 p.m. $16-$32
Mandy Silk at The Muse. Mandy Silk is a country music singer songwriter from Fredericton with a warm, powerful voice. At this intimate, acoustic performance Mandy is excited to be sharing some of her new originals, covering some of her favourite new country artists, as well as performing a tribute to fellow Canadian female country singer songwriters. 7 p.m. $10
Ceeb Dread CD release show at The Capital. Three hours of local hip hop hit the Capital stage when guests Wiggz, Johnny Manic and Monark join Ceeb Dread in celebrating his two new albums. Doors at 9. Show at 10 p.m.
The Mellowtones at the Boyce Farmer’s Market. For over a decade, The Mellotones have been bringing their high-octane party to stages around the world. Lighting up dance floors wherever they go, the R&B Funk band is an 8-piece powerhouse. From weddings to festivals, or from sweaty late-night clubs to corporate events, their in-demand, energetic show provides the perfect atmosphere for any occasion.
Combining powerful vocals, dynamic horns, and a groovy rhythm section with a catalogue that dives deep into the history of soul, funk, disco, and R&B music, The Mellotones recall an era dominated by the classics of Motown, Stax, and Chess Records. Doors at 7. Show at 8 p.m. $20
Saturday
Adam Washburn at The Muse. In the past two years, Adam Washburn has performed with maritime artists Matt Minglewood, Christina Martin, and Gypsophilia. His EP, Beautiful Things, was produced by Dale Murray at Come Undone Records. 7 p.m. $10
A Messtival Capital Takeover. With performances on the main stage as well as in The Phoenix, Messtival bring you sets from Chillteens, Winter’s Howl, Joyful Noise, Lewcid, Moon Druid and Hank of the Hill. Doors at 9. Show at 10 p.m.
Chinese New Year Gala at the Fredericton Playhouse. Chinese New Year is an ancient holiday, most of its traditions date back to thousands of years ago. But as times change, it’s not surprising that new traditions are formed. The most prominent is the Chinese New Year Gala. Along with “The River” theme, the exciting performance of 2019 Chinese New Year Gala will be presented with traditional and contemporary dances, rich and lively music, Kong Fu show and the exciting lion dance to usher in the Year of the Pig! 6:30 p.m. $14.47 – $24.47
