ARTS Pick: Crazy for You

Adapted for the stage by notable playwright Ken Ludwig, Crazy for You is set to the music of George and Ira Gershwin, and takes place in the bustling 1930s. Robert Chapel directs the heartwarming tale as it follows the dreams of main character Bobby Child, a playboy and future banker with a musical soul, in a production […]

Ensemble Plus Ultra refurbishes 16th century classical treasure

Ever wonder what Spanish explorers listened to as they mapped the world? Probably not. But worth exploring are the discoveries of Britain’s Ensemble Plus Ultra. The ensemble is an eight-piece consort of chamber musicians that sings early liturgical music, mostly, from the Spanish Renaissance. Founded by Michael Noone in 2001, EPU formed when Noone discovered […]

ARTS Pick: Steel Magnolia

Country-rock duo Steel Magnolia cut its teeth on the national stage with an audition for CMT’s reality show “Can You Duet?” Initially skeptical that the judges would understand its unique twist on country, Joshua Scott Jones and Meghan Linsey walked away with the show’s grand prize, and received further confirmation in 2012 when awarded an […]

ARTS Pick: The Mock Stars Ball

Six local bands go big on Halloween with slick impersonations of popular rock bands at The Mock Stars Ball. The heavy metal-esque Corsair will play all the “hits” by Iron Maiden, and fast-paced Dwight Howard Johnson takes on the Pixies catalog, while Moby and the Dicks (Joe Cocker and Friends), Megaphor (Rage Against the Machine), Sharkopath (The […]

Universal Studios set the tone for the icons of horror

In the 1930s and 40s, Universal Studios produced a series of horror films which remain some of the best and most popular examples of the genre. Tod Browning’s Dracula and James Whale’s Frankenstein became the iconic depictions of those characters in the popular imagination, from Dracula’s Hungarian accent, widow’s peak haircut, and cape to the neck-bolts, […]

C’ville Art Blog: The Whimsical World of Jessie Meehan

The Firefish Gallery is currently showcasing a collection of works by local artist Jessie Meehan that approaches painting in a refreshing and imaginative way. The body of work, titled “Tiny Lights,” is united by many elements, including the use of white pin points, stars or “tiny lights” that show up in each piece. The artist […]

ARTS Pick: Pearl Jam

Since the late ’80s Pearl Jam has been rocking out the grunge genre it helped to define. The benchmark of the Seattle scene is currently touring on its tenth album, Lightening Bolt, and it still delivers the authentic, high energy rock ‘n’ roll performances, led by passionate frontman Eddie Vedder, that broke the mold in […]

ARTS Pick: Neko Case

The prolific solo artist and front woman of The New Pornographers performs to support her seventh studio album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. Case’s newest work, includes tight ballads and punchy rock songs like “Night Still Comes” and “Man,” explores themes of freedom […]

ARTS Pick: Mainstage One

Charlottesville Ballet’s Mainstage One mixes classic and eclectic dance pieces “Grand Pas de Deux” from Don Quixote and the “Odalisques Pas de Trois” from Les Corsaire together with new choreography from guest R. Colby Damon of Philadelphia and co-director Sara Clayborne. The evening of dramatic physical expression also includes the premiere of new work from […]

The Cold War Kids refine their spin on indie rock

The Cold War Kids are kind of like leftovers from a good restaurant in the back of your fridge. You remember them being tasty, but you forget to eat them for a while, and then you start to wonder if they’re any good anymore. If only old leftovers could produce an album like the Kids’ […]