The weather is getting warmer, and this weekend is hotter. This should keep you busy this weekend:

• Fridays After Five: The Charlottesville Funk All Stars open for the Lee Boys performance at 5:30PM . From their website “The Lee Boys are one of America’s finest African-American sacred steel ensembles. This family group consists of three brothers, Alvin Lee (guitar), Derrick Lee and Keith Lee (vocals) along with their three nephews, Roosevelt Collier (pedal steel guitar), Alvin Cordy Jr. (7-string bass) and Earl Walker (drums). Each member began making music at the ages of 7 and 8 in the House of God church they attended in Perrine, FL. Here they underwent a rigorous course of training in a variety of musical instruments, including lap and pedal steel guitars. Born and raised in Miami, each of The Lee Boys grew up in the church where their father and grandfather, Rev. Robert E. Lee, was the pastor and a steel player himself.” They are also playing at the Outback Lodge at 10PM for $10.
• Sex And The City Party: For all of you wannabe New-yorkers still living in cville, you can almost live vicariously through the show’s best music at 216 on Friday night.
• Sex And The City Movie Premiere: This movie is only playing in one theater in all of Cville, Carmike 6 on Garden Blvd. You can watch this all weekend at 1:00, 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 7:30, 10:00, 10:30. The Girl’s Night Out is organizing a move night for all you women out there.
• Bent Theatre Comedy Group: Performing in Lovingston, VA, at Rapunzel’s Coffee and Books from 8pm-10pm on Friday night.
• String of Pearls: Live Art’s new performance opens tonight at 8PM. Buy tickets here for $12 -$14. Catch the next show on Saturday night at 8PM as well
• Farmer’s Market: Saturday from 7AM-12PM you can catch the freshest produce, meat and poultry this side of the Mason Dixon.
• Crabtree Falls Hike: a moderate hike with 7 people attending so far
• Handgun Shooting: Saturday 2PM at Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club. This will come in handy when you run for President and claim that you were born with an NRA license in your mouth.

What other happenings are going on this weekend?

Someone at the Space party referred to Cvillain as a really organized, really fun community bulletin board. To add to that warm fuzzy feeling:

Charlottesville Women’s Theatre is having auditions for their next production on Monday, June 2, 2008 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Bridge PAI in Belmont (www.thebridgepai.com). Check it out. It sounds like they would like everyone and anyone to audition (we are working on getting parlie to audition in a dress-they would have a GREAT turnout).

Charlottesville Women’s Theatre Project is holding auditions for it’s next production on Monday June 2nd from 7-10 at The Bridge PAI in Belmont www.thebridgepai.com. We will be doing a staged reading of “Bras and Beaters” – a play by a local woman playwright. We need women AND men for this project! Performances mid to late July. No preparation needed! Questions contact 434-984-2684 or cvillewomenstheatreproject@gmail.com

If any of you check this out let us know how it goes. And please, please, please let us know if any of you end up in it. We would love to come cheer you on (selfish note: it would give me something to do on Friday night).

[written by Tuffy]

This past Sunday night, I was really quite delighted to go to Rapture and see Barhoppers [Off Stage Theater website].

Barhoppers is something of a Charlottesville institution as this is its 20th year, sort of. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I was assured by one of the cast that is was worth the $8 at the very least. She was right. A total of 7 plays were performed, none longer than 10-15 minutes, and they ran from funny, to dramatic, to sad, to touching. All funny, though. And all this with the bar and food service going on. A funny play with a few Jack and sodas – believe you me – makes for a good time.

The Barhoppers preview reads as follows:

We’re calling this one our 20th anniversary…and whether it is or whether it isn’t, it’s at least a pretty fair approximation. This year, we’re proud to celebrate our most prolific contributor, the former C-Villian JOEL JONES, with all 7 short plays penned by the master—so you’re bound sooner or later in the evening to watch two characters who start off hating each other wind up sucking face.

Remaining performance dates: Rapture Sunday, March 23rd. Monday, March 24th. Tuesday, March 25th.

All shows at 7:30 pm, all tickets at $8 at the door, all butts in seats well in advance ’cause you know how it fills up.” Head on out and see what the local talent has to offer.

And by talent, I mean 15th century Scottish warlords, film noir hotness, frat boy/art girl drama, and guitar-toting omnipotence.

And tell them Tuffy sent you. They’ll probably kick you out or not know what you’re talking about, but something cool might happen, you never know.