Memorial Hall will be filled with the sound of samba fused with rock ’n’ roll March 14 for Gilberto Gil’s “The String Concert.”

In 1983 actor Ray Dooley played protagonist Jack Worthing in a production of “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

Twenty-seven years later, he returns to the play, this time in the rigid dresses of Lady Bracknell.

PlayMakers Repertory Company will lend a twist of hilarity to Oscar Wilde’s comedy classic, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” which opens today and runs until March 21.

Wilde’s play, set in the Victorian era, is a witty social satire about three couples trying to find love.

Connie Mahan, director of marketing and communication for PlayMakers, first suggested that Dooley play Lady Bracknell.

The show’s director, Matthew Arbour, agreed that a male actor cast as a female would add to the play’s humor.

Correction (March 4 12:31 AM): Due to a reporting error this story incorrectly stated that the orchestra would stop in Newport, Va. It will stop in Newport News, Va. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

Chapel Hill is in elite company this week.

Memorial Hall is one of only four venues that will host The London Philharmonic Orchestra on its exclusive U.S. tour, which includes stops in New York City, Long Island, NY, and Newport News, Va.

The orchestra will perform tonight and Wednesday night and has different programs planned for each night.

Correction (March 1 11:49 p.m.): Due to a reporting error this story failed to include UNC student Emily Satterfield, one of the winners of the student stand up competition.  The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

A New York City snowstorm prevented “The Daily Show” comedians John Oliver, Wyatt Cenac and Rory Albanese from attending the events of this week’s seventh annual Carolina Comedy Festival, but the show continued with help from some New York comedians and Lewis Black.

Festival sponsor Carolina Union Activities Board reacted quickly to the weather and what Sam Morgan, the chairman of CUAB’s comedy committee, called “a fun surprise.”

“Even though things didn’t go as planned, the shows still went great,” Morgan said.

Famous trumpeter Terence Blanchard will bring his soulful sound to Memorial Hall at 8 p.m. tonight for an evening of jazz.

Blanchard, a native of New Orleans, recorded his latest album at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, honoring the city after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

David Houston, the museum’s curator and director, said Blanchard brought back the soul of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina with his music.

“Terence gave it more soul, gave it more feeling,” Houston said. “He started thinking more of his legacy as a New Orleans tradition rather than a national reputation.”

Six actors will try to remind audiences what matters most in life by illustrating what they learned in kindergarten while honoring the memory of a beloved professor.

The sounds of saxophones, trombones and trumpets will fill the air as the 33rd Carolina Jazz Festival kicks off today.

The performers of STREB: Brave displayed just how brave they are in their performances Friday and Saturday night in Memorial Hall.

Not even belly flopping onto a stack of mats from 25 feet in the air posed an obstacle.

The performers astounded audiences with their creative mix of aggressive aerobatics, extreme sports and dance.

Gaming expert Jesper Juul posed an unexpected question: “Can video games make you cry?” in his speech Friday afternoon in the Union auditorium.

He answered it with a slide of a South Korean man tearfully mourning his loss in StarCraft, an example of the potential emotional investment involved with competitive gaming.

Continuing its critically acclaimed 2009-10 season, the PlayMakers Repertory Company has unveiled its next season, beginning on Sept. 22 with William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”

Combining extreme sports, dance and technology, STREB Extreme Action Company’s “BRAVE” promises to be something much different than you’ve ever seen.

Before Elizabeth Bennet met Mr. Darcy, she trained to become an accomplished zombie slayer.

At least according to Steve Hockensmith and his next book, “Dawn of the Dreadfuls,” the prequel to Quirk Books’ popular “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.”

Cynthia Burton has been playing the violin since the age of three and has been the concertmaster, or first chair violinist, of the UNC Symphony Orchestra for the past two years.

But when she takes the stage tonight, she will do something she has never done before with the group — perform as a soloist.