THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509140116
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Preview
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
A TRADITIONAL AFRICAN DRUM CALL officially opens this weekend's fifth annual ``Umoja Festival'' along the downtown Portsmouth waterfront. The African-American Cultural Celebration offers up music, ranging from jazz and R&B to Caribbean and gospel, arts and crafts, dancing, food, children's activities and more. Today's opening ceremony begins at noon at Veteran's Riverfront Park and the colorful processional proceeds along the seawall to Portside. Impromptu (pictured here), also known as the Hampton University Jazz Combo, performs at 3 p.m. today on the Portside Stage. Other music headliners include the Dramatics (8:30 p.m. tonight), Jonathan Butler (8:30 p.m. Saturday) and an all-day Gospel Music Explosion (Sunday). Festival hours: noon to 10 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. 393-8432.
- Roy Bahls
FINGERS WILL BE STICKIN' and boots will be kickin' this weekend at ``River RibFest'' at Norfolk's Town Point Park. World class ribbers including Fat Fred's, Beach Bully, Uncle Spunkey's and Carolina BBQ will be serving up their specialties and competing for the coveted ``Best Ribs'' Award and over $4,000 in cash prizes. Along with the tummy-tickling ribs there'll be country music by the likes of The Freddy Jones Band at 8:30 p.m. tonight, Billy Montana (pictured here) at 7 p.m. Saturday, James House at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and The Ohio Players at 4 p.m. Sunday. Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. tonight, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. 441-2345.
- Roy Bahls TONIGHT
THE SET TIPS you off. That's the balcony from ``The Glass Menagerie,'' isn't it? And that looks like the New Orleans French Quarter staircase from ``A Streetcar Named Desire.'' Hey, isn't that Maggie and Brick's bedroom from ``Cat on a Hot Tin Roof''?
Opening tonight at 8 at Norfolk's Generic Theater is ``The Glass Mendacity,'' a sly, raucous spoof on Tennessee Williams' best-known plays. The show, written by a Chicago theater collective called The Illegitimate Players, mixes and matches characters and plot details from each show.
A tip: The better you know the classic films of these plays, the funnier you'll find the show.
This weekend, ``Mendacity'' will be performed Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. It runs through Oct. 8 at the Generic, 912 W. 21st St. Single tickets are $10 and $12. Call 441-2160 for reservations.
- Teresa Annas ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
"The Glass Mendacity"
by CNB