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INSIDE ▼ Hospitals rewarded for heart, stroke care
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PAGE 3A Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 • Vol. 26 • No. 35
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Playhouse presents 'The Odd Couple' MATTHEWS – Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts celebrates the opening of its 31st Mainstage Season with Neil Simon’s classic Broadway comedy “The Odd Couple.” Performances run Sept. 18 to 27 at the Matthews Community Center’s Fullwood Theatre. Simon’s 1965 comedy follows two mismatched roommates: Oscar Madison, a messy and easygoing sportswriter, and Felix Ungar, a fastidious, uptight neat freak. When Felix’s marriage falls apart, he moves in with Oscar. “The Odd Couple” was adapted into a hit 1968 film and later became a popular television
series in the 1970s. “While the conflicts between Oscar and Felix lead to some very funny moments, beneath that comedy and humor there are themes of friendship, love and support, which I want to explore and bring to the surface,” director Lisa Ulanow said. Ulanow hopes audiences will recognize themselves and people they know in both Oscar and Felix, while connecting with the challenges and rewards of maintaining relationships with people who see the world differently. “Sometimes these people may drive us crazy, but with
compromise on both sides, we can still get along,” she said. Ulanow was last seen on the Matthews Playhouse stage in the 2023 production of “Scrooge! The Musical.” Her other Matthews Playhouse credits include “Hello, Dolly!,” “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Jeff Powell plays Oscar while Matthew Lang portrays Felix. The cast is rounded out by Solomon Amaning (Speed), Mike Carroll (Murray), Henk Bouhuys (Roy), Nate Stowe (Vinnie), Caryn Crye (Gwendolyn) and Mary Lynn Bain (Cecily).
Want to go? Performances start at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18, 19, 25 and 26 as well as at 2 p.m. Sept. 19, 20, 26 and 27 at the Matthews Community Center, 100 East McDowell St. Shows are about two hours and recommended for ages 12 and older. Tickets start at $23 for adults and $20 for seniors, military, students and children. Buy them at matthewsplayhouse. com or at the door. There is a pay-what-you-can performance at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17 with a suggested donation of $10.
Matthew Lang and Jeff Powell become Felix and Oscar in “The Odd Couple” in a new Matthews Playhouse production. Photo courtesy of Matthews Playhouse
WHAT'S INSIDE:
Big Gains Schools show academic growth, 3A
Love in Action Common Heart hopes to raise $125K, 3A
Plenty of Options Shopping center offers curated eats, 1B
Small But Mighty Mini Cans make the cool list, 1B
The Carolina Renaissance Festival is holding a job fair on Sept. 12 in preparation for its 2026 season, which spans weekends from Oct. 3 to Nov. 22. Flip to pages 3B-5B for coverage of this and other fall festivals. Photo courtesy of Carolina Renaissance Festival
2026 Fall Festival Guide
CMS updates community on first week of school CHARLOTTE – CharlotteMecklenburg Schools wrapped up the first week of the 2026-27 school year. The district welcomed nearly 140,000 students back to classrooms. “What a fabulous first week of school this has been,” Superintendent Crystal Hill said. “I want to thank the amazing
staff of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for their hard work and preparation to make the start of the 2026-27 school year a resounding success.” District leaders provided a first-week update Aug. 28 at the newly opened Cato Ridge Middle School, highlighting progress across academics, operations and
staffing. CMS increased the number of academic specialists supporting schools this year, bringing additional instructional support closer to teachers and students. CMS Transportation is serving nearly 102,000 student riders with 750 buses. Morning on-time arrivals improved from 75.2% at
the beginning of the week to 91% Friday morning, while afternoon performance also improved throughout the week. The district also began the year with its lowest number of teacher vacancies in recent years. CMS currently has 135 teacher vacancies, with more than 98.5% of teacher positions filled. The
district has 77 fewer vacancies than at the start of last school year. CMS School Nutrition is serving more than 27,000 free breakfasts and 61,000 lunches each day, with 114 schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision. On the web: cmsk12.org/ families/back-to-school/welcome