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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Charlottesville is a music town, no doubt. What other small city can boast that it’s seen the likes of The Rolling Stones, U2 and Lady Gaga come through, not to mention hosts a healthy local scene that’s launched a couple of groups into straight-up rock stardom and keeps a slew of smaller venues booked almost […]
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 […]
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. […]
Born in Madrid, Fernando Operé calls himself “one of those weirdos”: a grad student who, upon receiving his Ph.D. from UVA in 1975, remained on campus as he moved up the ranks from assistant to associate and finally full professor of Spanish in 2002. But for Operé, who still speaks with the thick accent of […]
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 […]
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 […]
I was 10 years old when I saw Les Misérables on Broadway, and my dislike of the show was immediate and intense. I wasn’t prepared for my total immersion into a world where destitute mothers became prostitutes, innocent men served on chain gangs and girls my age toiled barefoot in the streets. Oh, and then […]
When it comes to holiday traditions, some wait with bated breath for annual broadcasts of the 1964 stop motion animation classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Others prefer rom-coms with predictably heartwarming plots. However, no December is complete without The Nutcracker. And though I’m still entranced by the 1977 version featuring the great Mikhail Baryshnikov, I […]