Tag: Pick

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Accidental Death of an Anarchist

A Maniac wreaks havoc at a police station in Live Arts' Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Supplied photo.

A farce for the force: Italian playwright Dario Fo’s political satire Accidental Death of an Anarchist pokes fun at the Italian police force by imagining a fictionalized aftermath of 1969’s real-life Piazza Fontana bombing. Giuseppe Pinelli, an anarchist wrongly accused of the bombing, plummets to his death from a fourth-floor window while in a police interrogation room. In the acclaimed play, the Maniac works his way through the police station, confuddling officers with absurd disguises and witticisms until the truth is revealed. Susan E. Evans helms the production—her first directing gig as Live Arts’ artistic director.

Through 6/5. $20-25, times vary. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Venus & Adonis

Soprano Alyssa Weathersby stars as Venus and serves as stage director in the Early Access Music Project's production of Venus & Adonis. Supplied photo.

Sad, mad love: A grumbling Cupid, lovesick Venus, and dishy Adonis star in Venus & Adonis, a modern operatic take on the classical Greek myth, produced by the Early Access Music Project, a rotating group of musicians that brings early music to the community through accessible programming. Originally composed by John Blow in the 1680s, Venus & Adonis features a baroque band with period instrumentalists, and stars sopranos Alyssa Weathersby and Julie Bosworth, and baritone Harrison Hintzsche.

Monday 5/23. $15-35, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. earlymusiccville.org

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: How-To Festival

JMRL's Central Library hosts the How-To Festival on May 14. File photo.

Got skills?: The How-To Festival is a fun, fast-paced day of learning that helps you master a new skill in just 15-30 minutes. Local professionals and organizations take over the library to give short, interactive demonstrations and presentations on a variety of topics, including technology, food and drink, repairs, health, and more. Sessions include cello playing, houseplant care, small press printing, the benefits of essential oils, and Qigong.

Saturday 5/14. Free, 10am-1pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: This Much I Know To Be True

The Paramount Theater screens Andrew Dominik's new documentary, This Much I Know To Be True, about the friendship and collaboration between Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. File photo.

True companion: Andrew Dominik’s acclaimed 2016 documentary One More Time with Feeling followed Australian musician Nick Cave on an emotional journey of creation and loss when, during the recording of a new album with his band, Cave’s son tragically passed away. Dominik has reunited with Cave and Warren Ellis, Cave’s collaborator, for the companion film, This Much I Know To Be True, an optimistic and hopeful doc that captures the creation of their last two studio albums.

Wednesday 5/11. $13-15, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Bob Log III

Bob Log III performs at The Southern Café & Music Hall on May 11. Supplied photo.

Enjoy the ride: Clad in a skin-tight jumpsuit and singing through a motorcycle helmet wired to a telephone handset, Bob Log III delivers a one-man show of musical mayhem like no other. The Arizona-based multi-instrumentalist stomps on a homemade cymbal with one leg, a kick drum with the other, and plays finger-picked slide guitar while singing original crowd favorites including “Boob Scotch” and “I Want Your Shit On My Leg.” The interactive show features plenty of props, shots, and maybe a little bit of crowd surfing.

Monday 5/16. $12-15, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Lindsey Buckingham

Lindsey Buckingham performs at the Paramount Theater on April 27. Publicity photo.

Going his own way: After 33 years with Fleetwood Mac, rock legend Lindsey Buckingham certainly needs no introduction. He’s still going strong as a solo act, and last year Buckingham released his self-titled seventh studio album, a pop-rock record with catchy drum loops and breathy vocals. Known for his complex arrangements, Buckingham is the sole instrumentalist on the album, playing guitar, keyboards, percussion, and more. Clocking in at just under 40 minutes, it’s short, but it sure is a good time.

Wednesday 4/27. $49.75-229.75, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: The Children

Live Arts' The Children runs through May 7. Photo: Will Kerner

In a fix: Do we owe future generations a better world than we’re leaving them? The Children, Live Arts’ latest production, explores this real-world question through the lens of three retired nuclear scientists. In a post-nuclear world, Hazel and Robin are trying to live a normal life despite radiation pollution and rationed electricity and water. Their shaky peace is rocked when Rose, a former colleague they haven’t seen in 38 years, reappears, ready to fix what they have created. Tragic yet humorous, The Children is full of surprises and twists that will stay with you.

Through 5/7. $20-25, various times. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: It Shoulda Been You

Four County Players perform It Shoulda Been You on April 15 and 16. Supplied photo.

I OBJECT!: Bridezillas, groomzillas, there’s nothing like good ol’ fashioned wedding drama to anchor a comedy plot. Get your fix at Four County Player’s It Shoulda Been You, a musical that takes place over the course of a wedding day where everything that can go wrong, does. The 90-minute show from central Virginia’s longest continuously operating community theater is full of outrageous antics, fun twists, and plenty of laughs.

Friday 4/15 & Saturday 4/16. $10-18, 8pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Chocolate Chowdown

PVCC hosts its Annual Student Exhibition and Eighth Annual Chocolate Chowdown on April 15. File photo.

Sweet tooth: A sweet evening awaits at PVCC’s Annual Student Exhibition and Eighth Annual Chocolate Chowdown. Sample from a lavish spread of decadent chocolate treats as you peruse a diverse display of student art, including paintings, drawings, ceramics, graphic design pieces, sculptures, and other digital media. Stop by the “color-in” tables to add your own work to the art club’s first collaborative coloring book, and stick around for the Free Movie Friday screening of Dune.

Friday 4/15. Free, 5pm. PVCC Gallery, V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. pvcc.edu

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Shovels & Rope

Shovels & Rope perform at The Jefferson Theater on April 13. Photo: Ryan McKellar.

Domino effect: After months of nonstop touring, Americana folk act Shovels & Rope was ready to slow things down on its latest album, Manticore. Then COVID-19 stalled the music industry, and the husband-and-wife duo decided to revisit and expand the songs that were originally intended to include nothing but acoustic guitar and piano. The result is a record that’s deeply personal yet universally relatable, with songs that take a raw look at the human experience, social justice, homelessness, parental love, marital strife, and more. There’s even an ode to James Dean in the opener “Domino,” a foot-tapping, fast-moving song about the actor’s ghost and America’s reaction to his death.

Wednesday 4/13. $30-35, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com