11423656_10153440856956060_309758790995566207_nTonight is the night for Ann Magnuson’s show at The Walker Theater at The Clay Center.

“An Evening of SuRURALism™” promises to be a tour-de-force of highbrow/lowbrow intermingling with music, art, dancing, video and more from the coolest person from Charleston, Ann Magnuson.

From the Facebook event page:

Ann workshops a new live show celebrating her West Virginia roots, surrealistic dreams, and big city escapades. Coining a new term, SurRURALism ™, Ann combines the surrealistic with the homespun in a sophisticated nightclub setting where a helluva lot of moonshine spills into Moon River (along with something that smells a lot like licorice.) Songs, stories, and shenanigans accompanied by pianist Tom Judson.

“Imagine Eydie Gormé meets Salvador Dali meets Hasil Adkins” says Ann. “We plan to reimagine Charleston’s retro supper clubs like The Press Club and The Army/Navy Club – nightspots from the Mad Men era when the state was ‘dry’ and you had to go to a private club to get a cocktail served with your steak. (Of course, I always ordered a Shirley Temple.) This time we’re serving up a blend of story, song, satire and homegrown weirdness in a tribute to the place I shall always call Home. “

In addition to the musical live performance, there will be a sneak peak screening of the pilot for Ann’s new web series, Ann Magnuson’s Dream Puppet Theater. Ann provides all the voices while filmmaker Jonathon Stearns animates her dreams using the otherworldly ‘outsider art’ dolls Grandma Magnuson made (out of pipe cleaners, old stockings, sequins and crochet) while living in Morgantown during the Fifties and Sixties.

Expect a surreal and hilarious journey into the depths of the human psyche, Mountaineer style!

Like I’m not going to run this photo every chance I get.

I’m exceedingly proud to have been asked to contribute some of my art to this show, but I’m even happier to just have the chance to see another of Ann’s cool shows. It’s been six years since “Back Home Again (Dreaming Of Charleston)” and this town needed a new Ann fix.

The show kicks off at 8 PM tonight at the Walker Theater at The Clay Center. Tickets are twenty-five bucks, which is a bargain! I hope to see you there!