We Are Star Children define a new era of adventure pop

The name of Gene Osborn’s band, We Are Star Children, does not come from a Bruce Dickinson song called “Starchildren.” Osborn says he’s never heard the song, and that he’s shocked to find the chorus of the song spells out his band’s name. “I’m equally shocked no one else has brought it up to me […]

Miki Liszt’s graceful work in local dance carries on

For many budding dancers in the annual Community Children’s Dance Festival on Saturday, it will be their first time on stage, facing bright spotlights and a hushed audience. But amidst the backstage buzz lies another milestone that might escape the eyes of proud parents. Miki Liszt will quietly celebrate her dance company’s 30th anniversary during […]

No surprises in the lazy plot of The Other Woman

The Other Woman has approximately 1 million things working against it. First, we’re expected to believe Kate (Leslie Mann) is some sort of undesirable fuddy-duddy. Mann has played this role before, mostly in her husband Judd Apatow’s movies, but at least here she has a chance to use her goofy muscles instead of just reacting […]

May First Fridays Guide

First Fridays is a monthly art event featuring exhibit openings at many Downtown art galleries and additional exhibition venues. Several spaces offer receptions. Listings are compiled in collaboration with Piedmont Council for the Arts. To list an exhibit, please send information two weeks before opening to arts@c-ville.com. First Fridays: May 2, 2014. Angelo 220 East […]

ARTS Pick: Burlesque in Bloom

Dust off your derbies and gather your garters, ladies and gents, because spring has sprung and it’s time to celebrate. What better way to kick off the most frisky of all seasons than an evening of vaudevillian delights presented and hosted by Richmond’s most titillating leading ladies? Burlesque in Bloom is a classic variety showcase […]

ARTS Pick: The Sound of Music

The Albemarle High School auditorium comes alive with The Sound of Music as dozens of teenage thespians bring the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to the stage for four performances. If last year’s live, television production of the show was one of your favorite things, you already know the play centers around Maria, a singing nun-in-training-turned-governess, who […]

The meticulous collaboration to pull off Candide

Are you familiar with the Night-Blooming Cereus? It’s a flower, or, more properly, a flowering cactus that blooms only one night a year. That’s it. And if you’re not there, you won’t see it. Ash Lawn Opera and the Oratorio Society of Virginia’s production of Candide promises to be far more spectacular than flowering cacti, […]

ARTS Pick: Ami Dang

Though the sitar doesn’t often appear in contemporary American music, Maryland musician Ami Dang strives to break the barriers between New Delhi and Baltimore by pairing the instrument with modern electronic beats and drones to create a distinctive new sound that she calls “Bollywave.” Her sitar shines with the help a looping pedal, creating a […]

Downtown church brings back short-lived artists’ forum

How cool can a church get before it starts to ruffle some feathers? Christ Episcopal Church, which operates The Garage, an outdoor concert venue/art gallery (a super-cool combo if ever there was one), is pushing the boundaries of non-secular hip yet again by bringing back its Makers Series. The quarterly event features an evening of […]

ARTS Pick: Man Forever

John Colpitts, better known as Kid Millions, began his musical journey as a teenager in Connecticut, playing classic rock covers in a band named after a pancake joint in California.  From humble beginnings in Lakeville, best remembered by Colpitts as the town where the little known classic psych-folk  album Red Hash was recorded by Gary Higgins, the […]