photography by abigail morici
“Iliumpta”
Crosstown Arts
On display through April 28
Happy Leap Day! What a thrilling day, a surprise day in the calendar. It really isn’t a surprise though, is it? It comes around every four years, but when it finally arrives, it’s still a shock to the system. Yet I can’t say I prefer my Februarys to be 28 days, nor can I say I prefer them to be 29 days either. I mean, if I had a choice, I think 30 or 31 days would be ideal for February since that’s what every other month has, but who am I to adjust the calendar? Julius Caesar? Ha, see what I did there? Julius Caesar is the whole reason why we have leap years, aside from, like, the fact that the Earth takes 365.25 days to revolve around the sun.
Oh Caesar, a fascinating man. Saw himself as a god among men. He wanted to be a hero like Achilles or Odysseus, but we all know what happened to him — beware the Ides of March and such. He should’ve known what happens to men like Achilles. They “choose death over happiness, a closed ear before sound advice, and doom before an apology.”
I’m quoting artist Birdcap here because he knows a bit more about the ancients and their mythology. Just take a look at his latest exhibit, “Iliumpta,” a retelling of Homer’s Iliad set in the Southernmost bayous of Mississippi. On display at Crosstown Arts, this show has sculptures, paintings, silk screens, and mosaics, and everything is all done in Birdcap’s cartoonish style with bright colors. Let me tell you: It’s really, really, really cool. (Read more about the show here.)
Also on display in the galleries at Crosstown are Melissa Dunn’s “The Earthworm and the Hawk” and Kevin Brooks’ “What Were You Meant For?” Both of which you also gotta see while you can.
photography courtesy overton park shell
5 Fridays of Jazz: Memphis Black Arts Alliance ft. Joyce Cobb
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Friday, March 1, 6:30 p.m.
The odds of being born on a leap day are 1 in 1,500, but the odds of free jazz on a Friday in March are 1 in 1, thanks to the Overton Park Shell’s “Shell on Wheels” and the Memphis Library Foundation. Starting Friday, March 1st, and following every Friday thereafter, the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library will play host to talented artists, kicking off with the Memphis Black Arts Alliance and Joyce Cobb. To complement the tunes, tasty food and beverages will be available for purchase, provided by King Manor Catering and Bar and Kaye’s Pints & Scoops.
See the full 5 Fridays of Jazz schedule here.
photograph courtesy tony isbell
The Sound Inside
TheatreSouth
Friday, March 1-17
In some cultures, leap day is considered unlucky for weddings, with a belief that marriages on this day are doomed. Meanwhile, in Ireland, leap day is also called Bachelor’s Day, where women buck gender norms and propose marriage to their boyfriends. (It’s true. There’s a whole rom-com starring Amy Adams all about. Would recommend.) Yay! Reversing gender roles! Women asking for what they want!
Although in Quark Theatre’s newest production The Sound Inside, a woman asks for what she wants, and … uh … without spoiling anything … it’s questionable. The play, starring Kim Justis and Taylor Roberts, revolves around two characters (read: unreliable narrators), an isolated creative writing professor, and her enigmatic student, whose lives become intertwined.
This is a regional premiere! Tickets ($20) for the 90-minute-long show with no intermission can be purchased here. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through March 17th. A pay-what-you-can performance will be on Monday, March 11th, at 8 p.m.
(Read more about the show here.)
photography courtesy whiskey warmer festival
Memphis Whiskey Warmer Festival
The Kent
Friday, March 1, 6 – 9 p.m.
Apparently, leap year has its own special cocktail. English bartender Harry Craddock created it on February 29, 1928, with lemon juice, gin, Grand Marnier, and Italian vermouth. I’m not sure what exactly makes it the Leap Year Cocktail — that’s just what the internet says — but what I’m gathering is that if you make something one day, you can just put the in front of the date and BAM! You’re in the history books. Come March 1st, you could make a mediocre cocktail with a bit of whiskey, and if you call it the March 1st Cocktail, you’ll be the next Harry Craddock. A legend.
Need a bit of whiskey to get you started? Why not head to the Memphis Whiskey Warmer Festival, where you can taste samples of premier whiskey, bourbon, and scotch. It’ll be an elevated evening of entertainment, good food, exceptional spirits, and education for those looking to learn more. This event benefits Volunteer Memphis, so every sip counts.
Purchase tickets here. General admission tickets ($59) include 15 whiskey tastings and access to all areas of the event, and VIP tickets get you early access to the event, plus access to premium, rare, and experimental whiskey offerings and complimentary light bites.
photography by Rob Davidson
Awadagin Pratt: Piano Prowess
Germantown Performing Arts Center
Saturday, March 2, 7:30 p.m.
There are 525,600 minutes in a typical calendar year, but on leap years, you get 527,040 minutes. That means an extra 1,440 minutes this year. So what to do, what to do? Well, maybe you could go see Awadagin Pratt in performance at GPAC as he gives the Memphis premiere of Jesse Montgomery’s Grammy-winning Rounds, co-commissioned by Iris Collective and inspired by the epic poem “Four Quartets” by T.S. Eliot. Tickets ($45-$70) for the show can be purchased here.
On Sunday at 3 p.m. at University of Memphis’ Harris Hall, Pratt will also screen his film Awadagin Pratt: Black in America, which reveals his climb to fame and is a candid conversation about what it is like to be a person of color in the United States. Pratt will play for the audience, and a panel discussion will follow the film. Tickets for the event are pay-what-you-can and can be purchased here.
