ARTS Pick: Jessye Norman

Uber achiever The richly talented Jessye Norman is not a standard singer. To clarify, she does sing standards, as well as opera and Broadway ballads, but she refuses to align herself with any stereotype. Her set list consists of classics by Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and Bernstein, but Norman innovates through the sheer power of […]

April 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 April 5 The Bridge PAI 209 […]

ARTS Pick: Quidam

Sleight of head The story of a neglected child who seeks solace in a fantasy life, Quidam is the ninth Cirque du Soleil production to take to the road after its inception in 1996. Originally branded by the image of a headless man holding an umbrella, the show is filled with extraordinary characters whose tricks […]

ARTS Pick: Charlottesville Area Quilters Guild show

A Stitch in Time Springtime typically begets a seasonal bedspread switch, and this eighth-installment of the Charlottesville Area Quilters Guild (CAQG) biennial quilt show offers the best of warm, vibrant, and lively linen inspiration. Transforming the East Rivanna Fire Station into a  hub of artistic activity and enterprise, the event includes a silent auction, displays […]

Film review: The Host

Forget that this story recalls not only Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but also Robert Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters and John W. Campbell’s Who Goes There?—better known to most people as Howard Hawks’ The Thing from Another World or John Carpenter’s The Thing. Because, really, this story is about liking boys. And Jesus, sort of.

Music review: Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Jefferson

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are in many ways teachers, instructing fans on the history of black music. During the Charlottesville tour stop, they pedantically described the traditional instruments they broke out at various points during the show and explained—somewhat laboriously—the meaning of several songs.

ARTS Pick: Aziz Ansari

Victory laugh In 2007, when MTV’s sketch comedy and surprise hit “Human Giant” was just underway, Aziz Ansari seemed the likely breakout star among the trio at the show’s helm. His trajectory in the following two years would prove this—paying comedic dues in the Judd Apatow flick Funny People, cropping up on fan favorite “Scrubs,” […]