Film review: Magic Mike delivers in an encore performance
Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2012, with a muscle-centric marketing campaign that no doubt sold tickets but failed to notify audiences that this […]
Shifting the difference: Aboriginal artist Tony Albert breaks through silence in ‘Brothers’
Ever notice how many artists call attention to negative space? The white of the canvas unobscured by paint. The breath on all sides of a published poem, each word a […]
Staying underground: Steel Wheels’ roots rock festival grows its musical identity
Trent Wagler is a storyteller. The Steel Wheels front man tells stories when he’s writing songs. He tells stories when he’s on stage. And he tells a ripping story about […]
ARTS Pick: Spamalot
Camelot may be a silly place, but the trademark tongue-in-cheek humor of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gillam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin has kept audiences coming back […]
What a weekend! Fireworks, concerts, parades and more mark July 4 holiday
Friday, July 3 Keith Morris and the Crooked Numbers An original singer-songwriter with deep roots in the South. He plays on the lively feelings of rock ‘n’ roll and the […]
Album reviews: Jason Isbell, Sharon Van Etten, Our Friend and the Spiders
Jason Isbell Something More than Free/Thirty Tigers “Are you living the life you chose? / Or are you living the life that chose you?” These two lines aptly sum up […]
In the wings: Ash Lawn Opera’s Madama Butterfly alights the Paramount stage
Every summer, Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall floods with a subtle siege: opera singers, orchestra members and technical crew members from all over the country. Unlike participants in traveling productions, they arrive […]
Film review: MacFarlane drives Ted 2 off the laugh track
If Ted 2 proves anything, it’s that Seth MacFarlane cannot be trusted with his own success. MacFarlane—a demonstrably talented, funny and often thoughtful individual—has a nasty habit of doing something […]
July First Fridays Guide
Local poet Judy Longley often feels like she’s drowning in words. After years of letting her poetry consume her, she’s learning how to revel in silence with a new skill […]
ARTS Pick: Antony and Cleopatra
Best known for the love story of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare did not stop there. Antony and Cleopatra, one of his last romantic plays, is an epic unravelling of life and […]