Cover Story
Local plays link college, community, and theater
Our local college theater programs, as well as local playwrights, rarely get significant community exposure. This month, a production by the University of Rochester’s International Theatre Program will bring those two elements of the local theater scene together
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, February 13
Theater: Out of Pocket productions continues the second show of its 2012-13 season, “All This and Moonlight,” at the Space Theater and Gallery at Greenovation (1199 E. Main St.). The romantic comedy – written by Charles R. Johnson – depicts the romantic life of a photographer named Ned Edwards, who is followed, literally, by the…
Health review delays fracking regs
It looks like the state may not make its deadline for finalizing fracking regulations (draft regulations are here). But it could begin reviewing well permit applications after it finalizes an environmental statement on the extraction technique. Today, state Health Department Commissioner Nirav Shah sent a letter to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens, saying…
Breaking the silence on prostate cancer
When Rodney Anderson, 50, had a physical at a local health fair, he asked for a prostate-specific antigen test — which is used to detect prostate cancer. The health workers told him he didn’t need to take the test, since it mostly occurs in older men. Anderson’s test came back positive. But the bigger surprise…
Daily Choices: What to do on Tuesday, February 12
Special Event: How much would you pay for your favorite local baked goods? How much more would you pay if those treats could have an international impact? Indulge for a good cause at the Flour City Dessert Auction, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Smokestack Cowork (429 State St.). Local bakeries will be auctioning homemade…
Alex White wants to run for mayor
Any doubts about whether Alex White would run for office were immediately erased when he showed up at his press conference this afternoon wearing a button with his name on it and the slogan, “A Rochester for all of us.” White, a Rochester businessman, is seeking the Green Party endorsement to run for mayor (his…
Concert Review: Todd Bradley, Sandwich, Upstate, Babayaga, Sisters of Murphy
I knew he could do it, I just didn’t realize how well. Bassist Todd Bradley has the chops and the pipes for sure, as he demonstrates as a a member of popular Rochester trio The Hi-Risers. But Thursday, February 7, at Abilene, armed with an acoustic and those aforementioned vocal cords (a foundation-rumbling collision between…
WEEK AHEAD: White announcement; RCSD budget; State of the Union party; MCC decision day
Rochester businessman Alex White will make an announcement this afternoon regarding the 2013 elections. White, a member of the Green Party, has waged unsuccessful bids for Rochester mayor and City Council in the recent past. “There has been speculation as to my intentions for the local races this year,” White said in a press release.…
Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, February 11
Special event: Bake It or Cleave It joins forces with Interstellar Love Craft for the sumptuous Sweets for your Sweets Sale, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Thread (654 South Ave.), which is usually closed on Mondays. Bake It or Cleave It will offer four flavors of cotton candy (cinnamon, champagne, vanilla and mint chocolate…
Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, February 9 and Sunday, February 10
Special Event: Don’t be late for this very important date on Sunday: Talulah’s Fancy and Friends Gift Shop will hold its third annual Mad Hatter Tea Party in the Rabbit Room (where else?) of the Lower Mill (61 N. Main St., Honeoye Falls). There will be a tea and brunch from 11 a.m. to 3…
Review: RPO’s “Rhapsody in Blue”
The only way to start a review of Thursday night’s concert by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, led by guest conductor Ward Stare, is to discuss the final work on the program. Given the grey winter skies outside and the earlier program works being full of dissonances, “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, featuring pianist Terrence…
RBJ poll heavily favors Richards
Ninety-two percent of readers responding to a Rochester Business Journal poll said they prefer Tom Richards for Rochester mayor over possible challenger Lovely Warren. Warren, who is president of City Council, is weighing a primary challenge to Richards, the incumbent. Richards announced his intention to seek re-election earlier this week. FILE PHOTO Tom Richards About…
Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, February 8
Museum: This being Rochester, it might be another two months or so before we fully enjoy spring weather. But spring will come early at the 18th annual Dutch Connection exhibit at the George Eastman House (900 East Ave.). The exhibit honors Eastman’s tradition of filling his home with blooms, and will feature more than 2,000…
“American Idol” 2013: Vegas Week, Part 2: So many crying men
It was the final solo auditions for the guys in Vegas. We started with 43 with a goal of getting down to 20. That’s not quite how it went down, but it’s nice to have dreams. Paul Jolley, who reminded me of a Canadian version of Adam Levine, was having a total freak out both…
College Blog: A stranger in my own hometown
“So where is your hometown?”
This is the most common question people ask me. While it sounds like a simple question for most people, my response can be lengthy. Even though I was born in Indonesia, I’ve always seen Singapore as my home. The 16 years spent growing up in the red dot island…
College Blog: Learning to use social media
Each Sunday morning, almost without fail, my Facebook and Twitter feeds are flooded with updates about my friends’ weekends. As I view picture of them holding their red Solo Cups, I can’t help but wonder if they had given any thought ass to who might see this photo before they uploaded it.
Regional cap and trade program tightens limits
Cap and trade advocates got some good news this morning: the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has announced plans to permit fewer carbon emissions from power plants in 2014. RGGI, as the initiative is commonly known, is made of Northeastern states that banded together to impose stricter regulations on power sector greenhouse gas emissions. The…
Vargas: Success is still possible
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas told parents, teachers, and community leaders in his State of our Schools speech last night that the district can be turned around. But he simultaneously lowered expectations, saying that it will take years, and test scores and the district’s graduation rate could get worse before they improve. “I want you…
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, February 7
MUSIC: Joywave is a study in limitless atmosphere and pop beauty. The Rochester band cranks out epic salvos that skate the razor between electronica and indie rock.
“American Idol” 2013, Vegas Week, Part 1: Let’s raise the bar a little bit
So the show is changing up the semi-finals and finals process this year, and we started to see some of that come into play as we started Vegas Week tonight. Only 20 guys and 20 girls will make it to semi-finals this year, and there will be only a Top 10 — no wild cards,…
Video Game Review: Fire Emblem: Awakening
Two hundred and twenty six. That’s how many times I started up “Fire Emblem: Awakening” before I beat it. Two hundred and twenty six different times, with an average play time of 10 minutes before I hit the power button and started over again. Across the 40 and a half hour adventure, that’s a lot…
Performance photos: Joel McHale and Brooks McBeth at RIT
“The Soup” and “Community” star Joel McHale came to RIT as part of its annual FreezeFest weekend on February 1. Brooks McBeth opened up the night.
City officials advance land bank proposal
City officials are asking the state for permission to form a land bank, an entity it’d use to help address vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties. This morning, Mayor Tom Richards announced that the city has submitted a formal application to Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency. The application proposes creating the Rochester Land…
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[UPDATED] Duffy clarifies remarks about possible Warren-Richards race
New York State Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy called yesterday to clarify remarks he made about a potential mayoral bid by City Council President Lovely Warren.
Urban Action 2/6
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) 100th anniversary of murdered striker The Ronald G. Pettengill Labor Education Fund will hold a memorial at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, February 8, for Ida Breiman, the 17-year-old worker who was murdered during…
Indie Rap | Why?
Sunday, February 10 Water Street Music Hall, 204 N. Water St. 8 p.m. | $12-$15. | 325-5600, waterstreetmusic.com Why? begs a good question: why would we listen to rap without the booty shaking and fronting? Well, for one thing, because it’s awesome. Why? takes it down a peg, and if you’re expecting brain-melting bass, that’s…
DINING REVIEW: Thai Time Cuisine
Tai Time Cuisine in Henrietta is just the warm answer you need for the cold Rochester winter. Pumpkin-basil curry, larb kai, Dad and Mom’s BBQ pork and chicken, and explosive som tum are all waiting to warm you (and your belly) up.
ROCK | Joywave
Joywave is a study in limitless atmosphere and pop beauty. The Rochester band cranks out epic salvos that skate the razor between electronica and indie rock. It’s positively euphoric in headphones or blasting out of the dashboard with the car pointed everywhere in particular. The band’s latest, “Koda Vista,” is a snappy pleasure platter in…
ART REVIEW: Feathers and focus found
The current exhibit at Oxford Gallery showcases the current works of two skillful Rochester-based artists, Ray Easton and Jean K. Stephens, whose gentle reverence for nature lends a breathtaking sweetness to each work. Through their eyes, we see nuance and minutiae as crucial and worthy of our attention. The artists have in common a supremely…
METAL | Doro
Few musical genres can set my pulse racing like German metal. German bands — Accept, Rammstein, Scorpions — tend to balance aggression and melodies in a way that skews them toward symphonic and danceable angles. While most metal groups make me want to raise my fist and yell, German bands make me want to sing…
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[UPDATED] Richards says he’ll run again
Rochester’s mayor says there is still much he wants to continue to work on, including strengthening the city’s neighborhoods and rebuilding downtown
ROCK | Daughtry
You see? Something good can actually come out of “American Idol.” Season 5 finalist Chris Daughtry went on to form an eponymous band and release an eponymous record in 2006. The album went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 4 million copies. Daughtry’s sound is a quasi-throwback to the…
THEATER REVIEW: “A Life in the Theatre”
Playwright David Mamet got straight to the point when he titled his 1977 work “A Life in the Theatre.” The play, a combination comedy/drama, gives the audiences snapshots of two theater actors at very different points in their careers. One, John, is young excited, sure that he’s on the way up, eager to learn (at…
COUNTRY | Confederate Railroad
Friday, February 8 Main Street Armory, 900 E. Main St. 7 p.m. | $15-$45. | rochestermainstreetarmory.com These cats in Confederate Railroad used to back up David Allan Coe and Johnny Paycheck. And for those of you in the honky-tonk know, it doesn’t get much more country than that. You can
ART | “Silver & Water” and “Dutch Connection”
Two new exhibitions will open at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) this week. On Friday, February 8, spring comes early to East Avenue when the mansion’s conservatory and palm house will be filled with thousands of flowering bulbs for the annual exhibition “The Dutch Connection.” The event follows Mr. Eastman’s tradition of filling the…
CHORAL | Greater Rochester Choral Consortium
Sunday, February 10 Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St. 4 p.m. | Free | 303-6305, choral-rochester.org. Imagine a choral concert so great that the number of singers scheduled to perform equals more than one-third of the seats at the Eastman Theatre. Imagine no more, as more than 800 singers from 19 choral groups…
KIDS | Disney on Ice
Nemo belongs in the ocean, Simba belongs in the African pride lands, and Buzz Lightyear thinks he belongs in outer space. But they will all be united on a skating rink — along with Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket and a host of other Disney stars — for the Disney on Ice show “100 Years…
AMERICANA | The Honeycutters
Monday, February 11 Abilene Bar & Lounge, 153 Liberty Pole Way. 8 p.m. | $10 | 232-3230, abilenebarandlounge.com This alt-country ensemble from Asheville, North Carolina, reaped some real critical acclaim with the release of its first studio effort, “Irene,” in May 2009. The amazing breadth of the group’s sound is balanced by the soothingly sweet…
KIDS | Superhero Weekend
Bring the kiddos to meet Spider-Man and Captain America at The Strong National Museum of Play (1 Manhattan Square) during Superheroes Weekend, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, February 9-10. Marvel Comics’ official superheroes will greet museum guests and pose for pictures. The event will also include how-to-draw workshops with comic-book experts, and a variety…
FESTIVAL | Lakeside Winter Celebration
By now, many of us are probably ready to stay inside and just hibernate through the rest of winter. But the resilient Rochesterians who want to fully embrace the tundra can frolic and freeze together at the 29th Annual Lakeside Winter Celebration, held on Sunday, February 10, at Ontario Beach Park (4800 Lake Ave.) and…
A hostel for Rochester?
Does the City of Rochester need a hostel? Local residents Evan Lowenstein and Michael Lasota say it does. Hostels provide inexpensive lodging for travelers and are common in cities around the world — Buffalo and Syracuse each have one. Hostels typically provide a more social experience for travelers and tend to be popular with the…
THEATER | “The Addams Family”
It’s hard to find a tale of murder, mayhem, and the macabre that the entire family can enjoy. But fear not: everyone can rejoice in the morbidity of “The Addams Family,” the classical comic strip turned into a hit Broadway musical that has now embarked on a national tour that brings it to the Auditorium…
RCSD adopting ‘common core’ curriculum
While the New York City and Yonkers school districts have seen their graduation rates go up over the last few years, Rochester’s rate seems permanently stuck around 50 percent. And 27 of Rochester’s 60 city schools are among the lowest performing in the state. One reason for the gains in New York City and Yonkers,…
RECREATION | Pushups Instead of Pizza Friday Night Fitness
Did you know that working out is a natural way to fight depression? That includes seasonal-darkness-induced depression — I’m talking to you, Rochester. In related news, alcohol is a depressant. If your happy hour could use a little more glee, why not give it a healthy jump start? On Friday, February 8, join professional fitness…
Eastman House wants another shot at vets club
A proposed apartment complex and a lingering dispute may keep the Eastman House from getting land the house director says is necessary for future expansion of the national historic landmark — one of two in the City of Rochester. (The other is the Susan B. Anthony house). Morgan Management has a contract with Monroe Voiture…
MOVIE REVIEW: “Stand Up Guys”
One of the pleasures of the new movie “Stand Up Guys” involves the connections between the roles the actors occupy and the actors themselves. The three stars, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin, play aging criminals who reunite after working together many years ago; watching them in action, no viewer could ignore the fact…
Climate cinema
Climate change isn’t easy to explain. And it’s not always easy to describe the actual or potential effects, either. | That’s the challenge that faced local filmmakers Dave Danesh, Sean Donnelly, and Kate Kressmann-Kehoe when they set out to produce a locally-focused documentary about climate change. The result, “Comfort Zone,” will premiere at the Little…
MOVIE REVIEW: “Amour”
Austrian director Michael Haneke has become notorious over the years for his clinical, detached style of directing, which he often employs while telling stories that evoke a visceral, often intensely negative reaction in viewers. Whether it be the brutal torture of a family in his infamous “Funny Games” or the portrait of mentally unstable, masochistic…
The next act for the RPO
The two sides in the Rochester Philharmonic fight will likely be back in court soon. At first blush, a court ruling on Monday seemed to be a clear win for the RPO board: State Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Fisher basically tossed out requests from a group of dissident RPO members. Upset that the board fired…
RPO drama #2
The attorney for dissidents upset over the firing of Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra music director Arild Remmereit are preparing to head back to court after a ruling on Monday that sided with the RPO board. | Attorney Eileen Buholtz said Tuesday morning that she’s preparing a new filing, asking the court to void the RPO’s annual…
REVIEW: RBTL’s “The Addams Family”
The Addams Family originally came to life in 1938 as a series of one-panel cartoons drawn by Charles Addams for The New Yorker. Since then the creepy, kooky group has existed in nearly every possible pop-culture medium: television series, movies, Saturday-morning cartoons, and even video games. So really it was only a matter of time…
Feedback 2/6
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Comments of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. School reform…
MUSIC FEATURE: Mike Kaupa Quartet
Update 2/8/13: Due to inclement weather this concert has been postponed until Thursday, February 14. It’s 1990, and after playing concerts in Italy and Spain, trumpeter Mike Kaupa is at the top of the Eiffel Tower looking out over Paris with a band-mate. “I turned to him,” says Kaupa, “and said, ‘All we ever did…
