Frank reviews Hopeless Romantic
The term hopeless romantic makes about as much sense to me as the phrase guilty pleasure. If you’re a romantic then you’re far from hopeless. And if you get off on something, f**k those who don’t and judge you because you do. OK? OK. That being said, Hopeless Romantic’s vocal chanteuse Sage Melcher was particularly…
Rebecca reviews “The Steele Sisters: Comedy Sword-Fighting Show” and “The Nameless Days of Gumdrop Smith”
The two ladies who comprise “The Steele Sisters: Comedy Sword-Fighting Show” gave the kind of playful, riotous performance that makes you wish they were your buddies. Gwendolyn and Gertrude Steele, dressed in fanciful layers of medieval garb, took the stage at Blackfriars Theatre and revved the audience into a participatory frenzy with a few playful…
Rebecca reviews “The Steele Sisters: Comedy Sword-Fighting Show” and “The Nameless Days of Gumdrop Smith”
The two ladies who comprise “The Steele Sisters: Comedy Sword-Fighting Show” gave the kind of playful, riotous performance that makes you wish they were your buddies. Gwendolyn and Gertrude Steele, dressed in fanciful layers of medieval garb, took the stage at Blackfriars Theatre and revved the audience into a participatory frenzy with a few playful…
Garretson elected to lead Dems; Gantt leads walkout
Dave Garretson, who for the past four years has served as Greece town Democratic leader, is the new chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee. But the real excitement happened before the vote took place. Garretson was elected to the post during the Dems’ annual organizational meeting tonight. He beat Rochester for Obama organizer Ken…
World leaders gather at UN summit to talk climate
Today, leaders from across the world, as well as leaders from some of the world’s top corporations, are gathering in New York City to talk about climate change. The summit is a prelude to talks that’ll take place next year in Paris. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened today’s summit and “has asked these leaders to…
Film Review: “A Walk Among the Tombstones”
Although the American private detective story traditionally takes place in California, especially in Los Angeles, many contemporary writers set their works in other locales, some of them actually quite implausible. A surprising number of stories these days deal with small towns, which hardly abound in enough murders, missing persons, stolen jewels, and similar problems to…
Rebecca reviews “My Name is Rachel Corrie”
MuCCC hosted an important work of art the past two nights. The one-woman show, “My Name is Rachel Corrie,” chronicles the life of a young American Peace Activist who traveled to Gaza in 2003 with the International Solidarity Movement to defend Palestinian homes from being demolished. Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while protecting…
Film Review: “Love is Strange” and “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them”
“Love Is Strange” (R), Directed by Ira Sachs Opens Friday at the Little Theatre In Ira Sachs’ (“Keep the Lights On”) lovely, tender “Love is Strange,” Alfred Molina and John Lithgow portray George and Benjamin, a couple who, as the film begins, have finally gotten married after 39 years together. While their marriage is joyous…
VOTE NOW: Best of Rochester 2014 Final Ballot
Want to take the Best of Rochester survey? Click Here It’s the final countdown! During the months of August and September, THOUSANDS of Rochesterians took the Best of Rochester 2014 Primary Ballot. They told us their picks for the best people, places, and things in Rochester. We counted them up, got the Top 4 in…
WEEK AHEAD: Farmworker protections; coffee and conversation with Vargas
The League of Women Voters of the Rochester Metro Area and the League of Women Voters of Wayne County will hold a forum on proposed legislation that would extend some existing labor laws to farmworkers. The forum will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 22, at the Asbury First United Methodist Church, 1050…
Rebecca reviews “Merely Players”
The Sunday, September 21, performance of “Merely Players” felt a bit rushed, as though there was too much content for the hour-long performance. The small troupe flew through one select scene from each of several of Shakespeare’s more popular plays, which at times included masks, pantomime, and puppetry. Each scene was preceded by an identification…
Adam reviews “Vintage Hitchcock,” “Solo Drum Solo,” and “God of Carnage”
Screen Plays’ performance of “Vintage Hitchcock” got my afternoon off to a great start. A packed crowd filled the Dryden Theatre, eager to experience the old-timey goodness of a live radio play — and the performers more than delivered. Utilizing vintage equipment from the AWA Wireless Museum, the production recreated an authentic 1940’s radio show,…
David reviews “A Page of Madness,” “Coffee With God,” and “The Last Five Years”
What better way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon than in a Japanese madhouse? That is the setting for “KuruttaIppeji,” or “A Page of Madness,” a recently discovered silent film from 1926 by the Japanese director Teinosuke Kinugasa. It was presented on September 21 in the Eastman School of Music’s Kilbourn Hall with a live…
Frank reviews The Younger Gang
As the ghosts of so many mondo-cool rock shows of years gone by bounced off the walls of the empty pool that is Manhatan Square Park, The Younger Gang conjured bluegrassy boogiemen and specters of its own. This string-driven quartet takes the vintage patina of old-tyme music and applies it to a slightly modernized sound.…
Adam reviews the RIT School of Film and Animation Student Honors Show and “Trending”
I started my third day of the Fringe Festival by heading over to the Little Theatre to catch the RIT School of Film and Animation Student Honors Show. Speaking before the screening began, Administrative Chair Malcolm Spaull explained that the program was curated by faculty members to incorporate each type of film (narrative, documentary, experimental,…
Jake reviews Sound ExChange
Recently, Sound ExChange received a grant from the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation to produce its “01X Project,” a series of concerts that aim to integrate the audience into the performance through technology and visual art. The group — an artist collective that formed at the Eastman School — partnered with RIT photography professor…
Frank reviews “Dead Dames Don’t Dance”
“Dead Dames Don’t Dance” at Geva — or anywhere else for that matter unless you count my minor obsession with the Black Dahlia doing her annual bisected Charleston in my fevered dreams. Geva Comedy Improv had me with the title, but I gotta be honest, I was a little suspicious. I was afraid they were…
David reviews “W.A.C. Iraq” and “Bernhardt on Broadway”
Rochester Latino Theatre Company’s "W.A.C. Iraq" takes a complicated subject and presents it in a simple, powerful way. This tribute to Latina women in the Armed Forces who have served in Iraq honors their contributions, details their sacrifices, and asks some disturbing questions about a country that gives poor women opportunities in the military and…
Casey reviews PUSH Physical Theatre and “Germination”
PUSH Physical Theatre is always entertaining, but it has deep ideas to communicate as well. Through movement, of course. The company’s new piece, “Strangers,” is still a work in progress. But judging from the excerpt the award-winning, Rochester-based group premiered at Fringe Festival on Saturday afternoon, it is going to be a work of powerful…
Jake reviews Circus Orange’s “Tricycle”
Before I dive into my thoughts on Circus Orange’s “Tricycle,” I feel like I should give a quick disclaimer: Given the performance’s scope, the large crowd, and the layout of Manhattan Square, there were parts of the performance that were just impossible to see from my position. I welcome readers to fill in some of…
David reviews “SaMe SeX sHaKeSpEaRe” 2014
The Rochester Shakespeare Players’ "SaMeSeXsHaKeSpEaRe" was a hit at last year’s festival, and if you’ve ever wanted to see Macbeth in a red power suit and heels, or Hamlet as the original emo teen, you have one more chance to see the 2014 edition, on September 26. This is a nicely paced, 45-minute tour through…
Casey reviews Sisters of Murphy and “Unbridled”
Friday on the Fringe was full of free offerings, but fun, not free, is the word that epitomized the night for me. I left feeling happy, energized, and excited about the festival; music, dance and photography cavorting in my brain. Sisters of Murphy, a local band that fuses traditional Celtic drinking songs with rock ‘n’…
Photos from Canary in a Coal Mine, Silent Disco, and “Divas”
Canary in a Coal Mine will perform again on Saturday, September 20 at 10pm at MuCCC. Silent Disco will occur again Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27 at 11pm at the Spiegeltent. Aggy Dune and Kasha Davis present “Divas” Aggy Dune and Kasha Davis present “Divas” will be performed again on Saturday, September 20,…
Concert Review: RPO’s season opener
Based on most local media coverage of Ward Stare, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s new music director, you would know that he’s young, he’s handsome, and he looks good in a tuxedo — all excellent attributes in a conductor, of course, but … The media have approached Stare’s musical credentials more gingerly; nonetheless they are definitely…
Frank reviews perCepTION
So there I was, nursing the blood of the bean from a ceramic chalice, watching the nubile cavalcade’s ebb and flow at Java’s on Gibbs Street, when what to my wondering eyes appeared but perCepTION on stage kicking out the jams in hiiiiigh gear. This outfit was tres cool with lots of exploratory spirit that…
Rebecca reviews Cirque du Fringe
Cirque du Fringe’s take on Mardi Gras played to a packed Spiegeltent on Thursday night, and was a thoroughly entertaining trip. Old-timey clowns Tyler and Carl were the informative and charmingly abrasive hosts of the 20 Penny Circus, providing humorous banter and historic tidbits about Fat Tuesday between daring acts by the Kenya Safari Acrobats,…
Photos from “The Cougar & the Cabana Boy”
In this original musical comedy, cougars fraternize with their pool boys. Check out future performances on Thursday, September 25th, Friday, September 26th, and Saturday, September 27th at the TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium as part of the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival.
Adam reviews “Dashboard Dramas”
Located just outside of the Spiegeltent — but at the opposite end of the Fringe spectrum as the glitzy spectacle of “Cirque du Fringe” — “Dashboard Dramas” is a no-frills affair, though it still completely encapsulates the spirit of the festival: It’s fast, fun, and wildly creative. Directed by Patricia Lewis and written by Abby…
Port of Rochester designs presented
The first phase of a project to redevelop the Port of Rochester includes a 10-story destination hotel. Gregory Weykamp, president of Edgewater Resources, presented his company’s vision of a redeveloped port area tonight.
Brooks lays out opposition to lake-levels plan
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks says that she opposes the plan for regulating water levels in Lake Ontario. This morning, Brooks appeared at the county’s Webster Park, along the lake’s shore, with Wayne County Board of Supervisors chair Jim Hoffman and Republican County Legislators Mike Rockow and Brian Marianetti to speak out against the plan.…
![[UPDATED] Judge says proposed redistricting commission could not be independent](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/legal_sidebar.webp?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Judge says proposed redistricting commission could not be independent
Albany Supreme Court Judge Patrick McGrath has ruled that a proposed state redistricting commission cannot be considered independent and that the word must be struck from ballot language before the November election. During the general election, voters will decide on Proposition 1, which as currently written would “reform the process of establishing new state legislative…
VOTE NOW: Best of Rochester 2014 Primary Ballot
Tell us what YOU think are the best people, places, and things in Rochester.
Autumn moves
It’s never easy previewing the upcoming dance season and singling out which performances promise excellence, but with Rochester dancers and choreographers focused like a laser on the imminent Rochester Fringe Festival (September 18-27), information about later dance shows was hard to pin down. So, along with the picks outlined below, look for pop-up performances from…
Feedback 9/17
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. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in…
Hearing the season change
The 2014–15 classical season is stirring up a wide variety of talents and mediums for the fall. World-renowned guest artists, fearless programming, and interactive concerts are pillars to this fall’s offerings. When you’ve tired of pumpkin farms and apple picking, escape the inevitable early snowflake sighting by checking out some of the following. Rochester is…
Free LED bulbs
Small steps can add up when it comes to energy conservation. Case in point: a Spencerport Municipal Electric initiative involving light bulbs. Residential and small business customers of the utility, which serves the village and part of Ogden, can get up to two LED light bulbs from Spencerport Municipal Electric at no cost. To fund…
COMEDY | Amy Schumer
Comedian Amy Schumer had been on a steady rise for years — a successful appearance on “Last Comic Standing,” appearances in TV shows and movies, a steady slot on those Comedy Central Roast specials — but she virtually exploded in 2013 with “Inside Amy Schumer,” her sketch comedy series. Not only is Schumer fearlessly hilarious…
Back-yard scenes
Being the birthplace of film, Rochester has always prided itself on being a city with a deep, abiding love for the movies, so it only follows that we would have a vibrant, active community of filmmakers as well. Add in RIT’s renowned school of film and animation constantly pumping out new generations of auteurs, and…
Preventing H.I.V., battling stigma
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ambitious goal of ending AIDS by 2020 will take more than a single approach to achieve, says Dr. William Valenti, senior vice president and co-founder of Trillium Health in Rochester. One of the most promising tools in the arsenal is the FDA-approved drug Truvada. The drug, commonly referred to as PrEP (Pre-exposure…
SPORTS | Women’s soccer: U.S. vs. Mexico
Rochester’s own Abby Wambach will be in town on Thursday, September 18, to play in the U.S. Women’s soccer match against Mexico. She will be joined by Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, and Megan Rapinoe at Sahlen’s stadium, 460 Oak Street, for the 7 p.m. kick-off. This game will be the final warm-up for both teams before the 2014 Confederation of North, Central American…
Hollywood screens
There are plenty of mainstream films coming out this season. Along with those local productions in the works, here are the larger-release films I’m most looking forward to. Which films are you hoping to see this fall? Let us know at rochestercitynewspaper.com. Also, release dates are subject to change, so be sure to check listings…
Urban Action 9/17
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Port designs to be unveiled The City of Rochester will host a presentation of the designs for the first phase of development at the Port of Rochester at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September…
FILM | “David Bowie is”
David Robert Jones traveled a long, bizarre road from his days as young bari sax player and mime, to a folk singer, internationally known space-age rock and film star, to the legend-married-to-an-iconic-model that he is today. The retrospective exhibition, “David Bowie is,” created by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, explores his life through his…
Down on the farm
As the calendar and the seasons change, so does the nature of our harvest, and by proxy, our recreation. With our roots and heritage so closely tied to the land of Western New York, it should come as no surprise that many people gravitate toward agriculturally themed events as the leaves change. There is no…
Making climate a career
Susan Spencer, a Rochester Institute of Technology Ph.D. student, wants people to understand that climate change is a serious problem and that workable solutions exist.
SPECIAL EVENTS | Rochester Deaf Awareness Week
This week, a variety of events will be offered to help the wider Rochester community learn about the Rochester Deaf community’s language and culture. The goal of Rochester Deaf Awareness Week — which kicked off on Sunday, September 14, and continues through Saturday, September 20 — is to raise awareness, empower, promote understanding, and celebrate…
Ithaca is gorging
According to the all-too-true joke, ’round these parts there are only two seasons: winter and roadwork. But there’s actually a third: leaf-peeping season. Watching the trees abandon their lush jewel tones in favor of a fleeting, fiery splendor is one of New York State’s genuine pleasures, and the Finger Lakes set the perfect stage. The…
Toward what end? Obama’s ISIS policy
I don’t like where this is headed. I don’t like it at all. It’s been 13 years since 9/11, and in spite of the blood spilled and the money spent in Iraq and Afghanistan, by this country and others, we have by no means wiped out the threat of terrorism. We weakened – but didn’t…
FESTIVAL | Finger Lakes Fiber Festival
The Finger Lakes Fiber Festival celebrates 20 years of fiber creation and art, just as the cold season sets in. On Saturday, September 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. there will be exhibitions, competitions, and workshops on a wide-range of fiber arts, like hand-spinning, knitting, crocheting, weaving, felting, lacemaking, rug…
JAZZ | Paul Smoker & Ken Filiano
Paul Smoker is such a forward-thinking trumpet player, his style could be called post-contemporary. So why will he be playing renditions of tunes from 1924, like “The Man I Love,” “Fascinatin’ Rhythm” and “Tea for Two,” at his concert on Sunday? Nazareth College, where Smoker serves as director of Jazz Studies, is celebrating its 90th…
FRINGE FEST 2014: City’s Daily Fringe Blogs
The 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival runs September 18-27, and City Newspaper will be out EVERY NIGHT of the festival, covering multiple shows. Check in first thing each morning for photos and reviews of the previous night’s entertainment, listed below by date. For up-to-the-minute coverage of the festival follow City on Twitter (@roccitynews) and…
FILM | The Latino Film Festival
Curated by the organizers of the Puerto Rican Festival, the Latino Film Festival is a day-long event celebrating the wide-ranging cinema of the Hispanic and Latino culture. Held on Saturday, September 20, at St. John Fisher College, 3690 East Avenue, the event will take place from 12 to 8:30 p.m. Four feature films will be…
FESTIVAL | Sterling Stage Last Daze of Summer
The Sterling Stage Kampitheater is closing out its 2014 season with the 7th annual Last Daze of Summer event, a weekend long festival featuring a mix of folk, roots, and jam band music. With more than 20 musical acts in attendance, highlights include Buffalo-based groove rock band Aqueous on the main stage on Friday night,…
DINING REVIEW: Balsam Bagels
How are the bagels at Balsam Bagels? They are good — and not just by Rochester standards but by NYC-bagel-capital-of-the-world standards. If Balsam Bagels served its coffee in Greek-styled paper cups, it might be hard to remember which city you were standing in. Balsam’s bagels are dense, tanned circles with a glossy, almost shiny, exterior;…
THEATER | “The Life of Gautama Buddha”
The story of Prince Siddhartha’s physical and spiritual journey to becoming Gautama Buddha is a compelling one in any format. This weekend you can see it take theatrical life in the Theatre World production “The Life of Gautama Buddha,” presented by India Community Center at the Nazareth College Arts Center. The show promises to be “a visual work…
ROCK | John Hiatt
Though couched in a sort of self-induced irony, John Hiatt has always made perfect sense. He is a painfully honest, poetic, hysterical, and unparalleled American treasure. Hiatt’s music still chugs along the tracks and dirt roads of classic American music. Before Americana was a term, Hiatt was. And after Americana gets swallowed up in another…
Art Review: “The Opposite of Concrete”
Abstract art is a challenge to approach, and more than once I’ve overheard a frustrated dismissal of the entire genre. But the reward of spending time with a bewildering puzzle can be great. The various reasons that abstract art is important are explored in a fascinating letter by art critic Jerry Saltz. Abstraction is a…
ROCK | Freeman
Freeman marks a new chapter in the life of Aaron Freeman (aka Gene Ween). Arriving at this place in his career meant getting sober and disbanding Ween. Freeman’s new self-titled release is a soul-searching, soul-cleansing, fistful of songs and marks a new beginning for the fiercely popular underground artist. The album still burns with the…
Theater Review: “Wait Until Dark” at Geva
Until fairly recently, genre plays — romantic comedies, murder mysteries, and so on — were a theatrical staple, whether on Broadway or in community theaters. Movies, and especially TV, gradually took them over (without making them any less formulaic). But the best of these plays are tidily written, and when they are well performed, they’re…
ACOUSTIC | Tommy Emmanuel
When one of the greatest guitar players on the planet states that you’re the greatest guitar player on the planet, that’s something. And that’s precisely what the late Chet Atkins said about Aussie acoustic guitarist extraordinaire, Tommy Emmanuel. Dubbed “The guitar wizard of Oz,” Emmanuel’s jaw-dropping style is rhythmically and melodically complex yet still economical.…
Fall Guide 2014
Did we even have a summer?
AMERICANA | Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle has one of those timeless voices. It’s a deep, swaying country drag — with just a bit of pining — that could fit in just as well with the Americana titans of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s as with modern indie folk. A gifted lyricist — a gene passed down from his…
Artists with class
The old adage, “To learn, read. To know, write. To master, teach,” frames the act of professing as the epitome of a person’s own education. The following profile on three Rochester-based artist-professors marks the beginning of a series on teaching artists. Read on to discover why these artists choose to teach, and the impact that…
INDIE SOUL | The Tontons
It’s been a steady rise for Houston-based indie smooth operators The Tontons. With lots of shimmer and groove — and sultry vocals from singer Asli Omar — The Tontons mix up soulful R&B with shifting, swirling indie psychedelic rock. The band just released its second full-length album, “Make Out King and Other Stories of Love,”…
Fall’s palette
Yes, there has been talk of the dreaded polar vortex revisiting Rochester again. But resist the temptation to slip into that cocoon of hibernate-y despair — we’re at the top of the arts season, and there are plenty of engaging exhibits and events to distract us. Here are a baker’s dozen of not-to-be-missed shows to…
Matthew Shipp-Michael Bisio Duo
There is little doubt that Matthew Shipp is among the most brilliant pianists in jazz. But over his three-decade career he has sparked no shortage of controversy due to his embrace of genres outside of jazz. In the 1990’s he put out records on punk rocker Henry Rollins’ 2.13.61 label. He later performed and recorded…
Going alone
One of the most theatrical of theatrical genres is the solo show: 90 minutes or so featuring one actor, and one actor alone. They may be playing a character in the playwright’s imagination, or a historical person, or, if the actor is skilled enough, a stage full of memorable characters. A solo show is one…
CONCERT REVIEW
I was feeling hungry as I headed out to The Mighty Stef show at the Sticky Lips Juke Joint on Thursday night. It would be the final local concert for the Irish rock quartet. The band made Rochester its home base during its North American tour. When I caught The Mighty Stef’s gig at Sheridan’s Pub on…
Stage lights
The 2014-15 theater season is going to be packed, so let’s dive right in: “Curtains” (Pittsford Musicals, October 18, 24, 25) This venerable community theater group continues to try new things, this time with a recent hit combining old-fashioned musical comedy and a murder whodunit, with a very “Broadway” score by John Kander and Fred…
Special Events Guide
Summer may be over, but it’s not time to head indoors just yet. Rochester has plenty of events to keep you busy through the fall. In fact, there are so many that we couldn’t possibly fit them all in one place. This listing of events — running roughly through the holidays — will get you…
