ARTS Pick: Follies

Showgirls and show makers gather to pay tribute to their theatrical past in Follies, a Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman musical that magnifies its characters’ dreams and illusions through emotional reminiscences. The play had a contemporary setting when it opened on Broadway in 1971, went on to win seven Tony Awards, and ran for more […]

ARTS Picks: Elvis & Bowie Birthday Bash

“Elvis is a major hero of mine,” said David Bowie in 1996, according to The Ziggy Stardust Companion website. “I was probably stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something.” And rumor has it that Elvis Presley was impressed by Bowie as well. Country star Dwight Yoakam claims that […]

ARTS Pick: New Year’s Eve bashes

Sunday, December 31 C-VILLE’s Big Night with casino, dance floor, food, drink and a midnight toast $75, 8pm. 21-plus. Carver Rec Center, 233 Fourth St. NW. c-villetickets.com. First Night Virginia’s 36th annual festival of the arts with family-friendly activities on and around the Downtown Mall $6-38, times and venues vary. Schedule at firstnightva.org. Nelson County […]

ARTS Pick: Hansel and Gretel

The well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel becomes an absurd opera in the hands of producer Richard Jones. In a special English-language Met Live In HD presentation, the doomed siblings wander from their home into the dark forest and end up at the Witch’s gingerbread house. With food at its dramatic center, each […]

ARTS Pick: A Christmas Carol

The publication of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in 1853 served to revive interest in some long-expired holiday traditions, including caroling and feasts, and generated the iconic tale of personal transformation that’s been replayed in December for more than 150 years. Responsible for imprinting “Merry Christmas,” “Bah, humbug!” and Scrooge on the seasonal lexicon, Dickens […]

In brief: Soviet-era propaganda, a landmark vote and a grisly death

Dollars and sense A story published December 7 in UVA Today boasted that minimum wage for the school’s new hires has increased by more than 16 percent since 2011, and President Teresa Sullivan and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Hogan presented this milestone to the Board of Visitors earlier this month. The current minimum wage for […]

LIVING Picks: Week of December 20-26

FAMILY Gingerbread house making Thursday, December 21 Show your creative spirit by decorating graham cracker gingerbread houses. $15 (includes museum admission for one child and one adult), 4pm. Virginia Discovery Museum, 524 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 977-1025. NONPROFIT Gift Forest Through December 24 Holiday pop-up market features designers, makers and artists from across the […]

ARTS Pick: Country Christmas Show

Sarah White and her friends are back to deck the Southern Café and Music Hall with boughs of holly, twinkly lights, giant plastic peppermint sticks, Christmas cookies, Santas galore and so much more at the annual Country Christmas Show. The (All New) Acorn Sisters, Ian Gilliam, Charlie Bell, Ned Oldham and others strike the harp—er, […]

ARTS Pick: Ugly Sweater Party: Parts 1 and 2

Let the holidays unravel with Ugly Sweater Party: Parts 1 and 2, a musical experience exploring two different genres over consecutive nights. The Ugly Sweater fun begins with indie electronic tunes featuring Ethan Lipscomb, a classically trained pianist who combines samples with aggressive lyrics to create his own style of dance-rock. Duo Playdate also brings […]