Raleigh
Birds of Avalon, The Loners & more
Lincoln TheatreIf you're holding this piece of paper in your hand and standing at what used to be your favorite rock club in Raleigh only to find that it is now a parking deck, just relax: Head toward that overpass thing behind you, moving south toward Davie Street. Take a left, walk a few blocks on Davie, and turn right on Wilmington. Walk one more block, hang a left on Cabarrus and right thereacross from yet another god damn parking deckyou'll see the Lincoln Theatre. Pay $5 for the cover, order that much in the cheapest beer they stock, close your eyes, and listen to the rock 'n' roll blare of four of the area's best: Birds of Avalon, The Loners, Richard Bacchus & the Luckiest Girls and The T's. See, doesn't it feel like Kings? (No, no, but this is still a pretty amazing bargain, and the Lincoln's crisp sound should make those BOA guitar-monies real nice.) The memories roll into the moment at 8 p.m. for $5. Grayson Currin
Raleigh
Cinderella
Fletcher Opera Theater, Progress Energy CenterThere's more than one long-running Christmastime production in the Triangle, and the Raleigh Little Theatre's Cinderella hits the quarter-century mark this year. The popular show is presented in the style of an English pantomime, combining elaborate costumes and humor for a show that appeals to adults and children of all ages. Directed for the 25th straight year by Haskell Fitz-Simons, the show opens Friday, Dec. 12, with the 250th performance of the play and continues through Sunday, Dec. 21. For more information, including photos from the 25 years of productions, visit www.raleighlittletheatre.org. Apparently, this year you can join the Ugly Stepsisters on Facebook. That's good to know. Zack Smith
Raleigh
Triangle Shape Note Singers
N.C. Museum of HistoryShape note singers pierce a hypnotically droning, four-part, a cappella harmony with entrances and enunciations praising God. Popularized in the 19th-century rural South, shape note singing invites participation. Notes on the page appear as triangles, ovals, rectangles and diamonds to help singers visualize intervals, so observers become participants with a quick lesson. Everyone sits in a square, facing one another and hearing their voices join in the center, creating an exuberant Sacred Harp of sound. Singing Christmas hymns and anthems today, the Triangle Shape Note Singers meet in Durham or Cary every second and fourth Sunday of the month. This free exhibition starts at 3 p.m. Andrew Ritchey
