Got plans this Valentine’s Day weekend? Here’s our top 5 Grand Strand entertainment picks
Love is in the air on the Grand Strand – and with it comes the opportunity to take your valentine out on the town. This week, you can watch a local performer’s transformation into a beloved balladeer, laugh with a visiting comedian or catch a local performance of a Pulitzer-nominated play. You can also enjoy a visit from one of the 1970s’ most popular vocal groups or immerse yourself in a night of Appalachian Funk and more.
Check out our top five entertainment event picks for the week:
1. Love Lionel Richie with James Stephens III
Where: The Asher Theatre, 3237 Waccamaw Blvd., Myrtle Beach
Contact: 843-903-3100 or www.ashertheatre.com
When: 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. Friday
Cost: $39.99 (Plus $1 online processing fee)
More info: James Stephens III is the driving force behind the one-man-show, “The Man of a Thousand Voices” at The Asher Theatre – taking on the personas, quirks and voices of a varied cast of characters from Chris Rock and Lil Wayne to Sammy Davis, Jr. and even Ronald Reagan.
For Valentine’s Day, Stephens morphs into Lionel Richie, as he and his five-piece band deliver all the hits you remember – from “Three Times a Lady “to “Still,” “Hello” and so many more.
2. Love and Laughter: Chris Monty
Where: Comedy Cabana, 9588 N. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach
Contact: 843-449-4242 or www.comedycabana.com
When: 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. Friday
Cost: $22-$25 (Space is limited. Call for reservations. Tickets may be higher on day of show.)
More info: Comedian Chris Monty has opened for the likes of Joan Rivers and B.B. King and was featured in the PBS documentary “The Business of Comedy.” He can be seen in the film “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” and in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.”
Monty also appears at Comedy Cabana Saturday and Sunday, but this special Love and Laughter package includes reserved seating, chocolates and a long-stemmed rose for the ladies.
3. Love Letters
Where: Theatre of the Republic, 335 Main Street, Conway
Contact: 843-488-0821 or www.theatreoftherepublic.com
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday & 3 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $28
More info: Playwright A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” premiered at the New York Public Library in 1988. The play’s two characters – lifelong friends who were once romantically attached but married others and lived separate lives – sit side-by-side at tables and read notes, letters and cards written to each other over 50 years.
Over the ensuing decades, “Love Letters” has been performed by such stars as Larry Hagman and Linda Gray, Robert Wagner and Jill St. John, Carol Burnett and Brian Dennehy and many more. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama.
4. Three Dog Night
Where: Alabama Theatre, Barefoot Landing, 4750 U.S. 17 South, North Myrtle Beach
Contact: 843-272-1111 or www.alabama-theatre.com
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $40.95 - $57.95
More info: Between 1969 and 1974, no other group celebrated more top ten hits than Three Dog Night. Songs like “One,” “Joy to the World,” “Black and White” and the Randy Newman-penned “Mama Told Me (Not to Come) continue to be a part of the fabric of pop culture. The group maintains a touring schedule of more than 70 dates per year.
Fun fact: Three Dog Night came from an Australian Aborigine expression meaning that a night was so cold, you needed three dogs with you to keep warm.
5. Cabin Fever Party with Dr. Bacon
Where: The Brickhouse Lounge, Surfside Bowl, 510 U.S. 17 Business, Surfside Beach
Contact: 843-238-2695 or www.surfsidebowlingcenter.com
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $7 at door.
More info: Get Right Promotions presents an evening of “Appalachian Funk” with Asheville, N.C.-based band Dr. Bacon – bringing you danceable music for the people. Expect a festival atmosphere and an all-around good time with live painting, vendors, beer and grub, including bacon jerky from J-Mike’s Flavor Station.
Innova Discs will be on hand with an indoor disc golf putting alley for one dollar per throw to benefit the Adaptive Surf Project, which provides custom adaptive surfboards to those with disabilities.