Live action dominates the summer blockbuster season

It’s mid-May: The crushing tide of summer movies is just around the corner. Gear up. Actually, we don’t really have a summer movie season anymore. Of all the traditions Star Wars ushered in—it was released on May 25, 1977, just in time for Memorial Day—summer release dates have largely gone kerblooey. To wit: Captain America: […]

ARTS Pick: Bedroom Farce

Four marriages go through a series of situational calamities over the course of an evening in the contemporary British play Bedroom Farce. Through brilliant comic timing, several bed swaps, and a surprising lack of hanky-panky, the tale of generational differences cleverly reveals itself as a relationship survival guide. Through Sunday 5/25. $12-16, times vary. Four […]

ARTS Pick: Little Red Riding Hood

Countless adaptations of the famous folk tale “Little Red Riding Hood” portray the young hooded girl and her lone perilous pilgrimage to grandma’s house. The Albemarle Ballet Theatre’s rendition, however, is a lighthearted musical featuring friendly forest creatures and an antagonist that is more Wile. E. Coyote than Big Bad Wolf. This tippy-toe version of […]

Live Arts adapts cult novel

Peter DeMartino might never have spent nine months translating a 1920s Russian novel about Jesus, the devil, and a nine-foot-tall cat into a full-scale theatrical production if not for one strange affinity. “I met Julie [Hamberg, artistic director at Live Arts] after I got to play Edna in Hairspray,” said DeMartino, who works as the […]

Willie Watson looks to kick start his solo career

Willie Watson, formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show, is turning to the South to help build some momentum for his new solo act. “We wanted to hit certain markets right off the bat,” Watson told C-VILLE Weekly in a recent phoner. “The South is sort of the hotbed of my fan base.” Watson will likely […]

ARTS Pick: Elephant Revival

A beautiful thing happens when five earth-conscious activists harness acoustic music to spread their message of soulful living—you get Elephant Revival, a band whose sound is both a tribute to and embodiment of nature’s beauty. The music is deeply rooted in Celtic and folk tradition, accented by notes of rock and gypsy with lyrics that are […]

ARTS Pick: Roosevelt Dime

Touching on everything from Appalachian string music to jug band and Dixieland, Brooklyn’s Roosevelt Dime coined the term “steamboat soul” to describe the period sound it has culled from historic influences. From busking in the boroughs to raising cain at highfalutin’ festivals, the Dime’s live shows promise to be a suspender-snapping good time. Friday 5/9. $10-15, 8pm. BON […]

ARTS Pick: Bleeding Rainbow

From the ashes of twee noise pop duo Reading Rainbow, Philadelphia’s dark phoenix has risen in the form of Bleeding Rainbow—an anthemic grunge punk quartet whose soaring melodies and driving, fuzzed-out guitars remind you of the ’90s in the most wonderful kind of way. The band successfully mingles flannel-clad angst with hopeful harmonies, Cobain-inspired screams, and […]

Monticello High opens doors of opportunity with Urinetown

Madeline Michel doesn’t care for musicals. “I hate them,” she laughed. “They’re boring, and I can almost never sit through the second act.” Which begs the obvious question: Why in the name of Stephen Sondheim does the Monticello theater director devote countless hours every spring to putting together a high school musical? “It’s all about […]

Knit stop: All you need is Two Arms!

Picture this: It’s a sunny day, and new leaves rustle overhead as you walk along the Downtown Mall. In the distance you see people moving their arms, loaded with cloud- or cocoon-like substances. As you approach, you realize they’re actually knitting, using their arms like needles to weave thick skeins of yarn made from old […]