ARTS Picks: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Sibling rivalry is elevated to comic catastrophe in Live Arts’ production of Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Bloodlines, love and lust collide in this Chekhov-tinged mashup about home, and where the heart is, that’s directed by Julie Hamberg. Through 3/28. $20-25, times vary. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. 977-4177.

ARTS Pick: The Fantasticks

“It is September, before a rainfall…a perfect time to be in love,” sets the stage for The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical. The show, which ran off-Broadway for 42 years, portrays the machinations of two feuding fathers and the love story that unfolds between one’s son and the other’s daughter. The tale is humorous and […]

ARTS Pick: The Convolution of Pip and Twig

Observing the fantastic world of The Convolution of Pip and Twig, it’s as if you’ve stepped through the looking glass and into a children’s pop-up book. The minimal, vibrant set uses low tech manipulations, visual metaphor and physical magic to tell a story almost entirely without words, and Performer’s Exchange Project members Sian Richards and […]

ARTS Pick: Vodka Variations

UVA Drama presents an evening of “bite-size” dramas entitled Vodka Variations, adapted from short stories by Anton Chekhov. The production examines the colorful world of 1890s Russia with hilarious and heartwarming glimpses into the lives of everyday people in search of love, happiness and a strong vodka buzz as they navigate their way through their […]

The people’s diva: Renée Fleming is branching out and looking for ways to keep opera relevant

In January, Charlottesville audiences experienced Renée Fleming’s artistry on the big screen at The Paramount Theater’s HD broadcast of The Metropolitan Opera’s live performance of Lehar’s The Merry Widow. On Friday, February 20, Fleming will grace the stage in person, and while opera houses around the country are facing increasingly tough times prompting cutbacks, strikes […]

ARTS Pick: Crooked

Catherine Trieschmann’s earnest coming-of-age story Crooked sees teenagers Laney and Maribel wrestle with self-discovery, chronic illness, family tragedy and fierce faith in the Deep South. This powerful production directed by Kate Adamson relies on a minimal cast of three and strips away all distractions to expose the true vulnerability of adolescence. Through 2/21. $20-25, times vary. […]

ARTS Pick: The Rover

17th century spy and playwright Aphra Behn’s work returns to the American Shakespeare Center with a production of The Rover (subtitled The Banish’d Cavaliers), a romantic romp through the Naples Carnival. Rakish naval captain Willmore finds himself trapped in a love triangle filled with convents, courtesans and mistaken identities. From thieves and prostitutes to nuns […]

ARTS Pick: The Taming of the Shrew

Verona gentleman Petruchio attempts to turn headstrong Katherina into an obedient bride in Shakespeare’s ultimate battle of the sexes, The Taming of the Shrew. The American Shakespeare Company goes beyond the main comedy with the Bard’s Induction, creating a play within a play as drunken tinker Christopher Sly is duped into believing himself a nobleman […]