Durham
Ben Folds, Girl Talk
Duke Campus, Main Quad”If students are obviously making poor decisions (i.e. urinating in public) or appear otherwise intoxicated, their alcohol will be confiscated,” reads the policies page of the Web site for Duke University’s Last Day of Classes, the school’s binge-and-purge, puke-and-rally affair. Though intended for students, the easily accessible all-day party begins at 10 a.m. with a free breakfast, followed by a vendors fair, which runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and a free lunch (no such thing while paying Duke tuition, though) at 12:15 p.m. Then the music starts: Locals, including Stella by Starlight and Chapel Hill’s excellent The Huguenots, play the Plaza Stage until about 6 p.m., when Duke student and buzz kid Mike Posner hits the Main Stage. Gym Class Heroesan electric trainwreck of pop, rock and hip-hopprecedes Pennsylvania mash-up booster Girl Talk. If my very scientific, multi-variable model proves correct, undergrads should start wetting their pants about the time Girl Talk’s Greg Gillis drops Metallica’s “One” beneath Lil’ Mama’s “Lip Gloss.” Everyone may be too gone to notice the Ben Folds Five tune he uses as the transition between The Band’s “The Weight” and Lil’ Scrappy’s “Money in the Bank.” But headliner Lil’ Benny Folds should bring them back to sobering reality with his songs about the harsh realities of being male, upper class and white. If there were ever a songwriter you’d want to inspire your pupils toward maturity, the still-sophomoric Folds isn’t your best use of student funds. Still, free food, free bands and premier people-watching. Grayson Currin
Chapel Hill
9 Parts of Desire
Kenan Theatre, UNC CampusWhat are the hopes, fears and dreams of Islamic women? Iraqi-American Heather Raffo explores this idea in-depth in 9 Parts of Desire, a series of monologues based on interviews she conducted with Islamic women. The results range from the chilling (one woman describes years of rape while designing tributes to Saddam) to the semi-comic (a young girl notes how American soldiers look like Justin Timberlake). This production, acted by Elizabeth Huffman and directed by Emily Ranii, explores not only Iraqi culture, but the effects of war on that society. Playmakers’ production runs through April 26; for more information, visit www.playmakersrep.org. Zack Smith
