Thursday night’s Atlanta auditions continued the Season 13 trend of being pleasant, uplifting, and largely enjoyable. So that’s nice. But I started to see the downside to this Up With People panel: there were people getting through who I, frankly, thought had no business getting golden tickets. Granted, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick […]
Eric Rezsnyak
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“Looking” Episode 1: Where the boys are
Sunday night HBO debuted its new drama/comedy “Looking,” often referred to as “gay ‘Girls’” or “guy ‘Sex and the City’” or, as I call it, “a younger version of ‘Golden Girls,’ except set in San Francisco, and everyone has penises, not just Dorothy.” (I kid. Lamely.) Although the tone of the series is different from […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“American Idol 2014”: Judging the Season 13 panel
“It’s watchable again!” That’s been the tone of the bulk of the reviews for the 13th season of “American Idol,” which premiered this week. That’s both true and an exaggeration. “Idol” is almost always watchable, even when it’s bad. And yeah, last season was definitely not great (although not the worst – that dishonor still […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
THEATER REVIEW: RBTL’s “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical”
Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s current show is the holiday-themed, kid-oriented “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.” (That is a mouthful.) Since I am not a kid, and I tend to like my holiday programming more subversive (think “Scrooged,” “A John Waters Christmas,” “Gremlins”), I am admittedly not the target audience for this […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
RPO announces travel packages for Carnegie Hall concert
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra today announced additional details of its May 7, 2014, concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The performance – part of the Spring for Music festival – will see 250 local musicians and staff heading to NYC. The RPO is encouraging Rochester fans to make the trip as well. Tickets to […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Video Game Review: Super Mario 3D World
With Sony and Microsoft both unveiling shiny new consoles this month, and their accompanying media blitzes, Nintendo’s struggling Wii U needs a hit this holiday season in the worst way. It needs a console seller, and given that the new editions of Mario Kart and Smash Bros. are still months away (at least), Nintendo has […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“Julius Caesar”
The current production of “Julius Caesar” at MuCCC marks two milestones for Rochester Community Players and its Shakespeare Players shingle. It is the start of the 20th season for the Shakespeare Players. (It’s worth noting that the company’s Shakespeare offerings have only increased in recent years, including the return of its Shakespeare for Young Audiences […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
KIDS | “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”
Theatre Young Kids Enjoy — better known as TYKEs — kicks off its 10th season this weekend with a very special show. “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” is based on the well-known book by Judy Blume. The show will feature professional adult actors bringing to life the first chapter in the “Fudge” line of […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Best of Rochester 2013
Normally I start out the introduction to City Newspaper’s annual Best of Rochester issue by blathering about the awesomeness of Rochester and making terrible puns based around that year’s theme. I’m taking a different tactic this year — although there will probably still be puns. It recently came to our attention that some people might […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“Me and Jezebel”
“Darling, there are no other stars.” That line is ascribed to Bette Davis in “Me and Jezebel,” the opening production in Blackfriars Theatre’s 64th season. The show tells the allegedly true story of what happened when Davis — the legendary movie star who won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, received 10 Oscar nominations, and […]
Posted inCulture
Fringe Fest 2013 Reviews: “Heart and Soul,” “Sun Boxes,” Fringe Fingers, “Spirits Within”
For me the final day of Fringe 2013 started at Writers & Books for “Heart and Soul: Medicine and Life.” This spoken-word program featured poetry and short stories written by five health professionals: family physician Pebble M. Kranz, family medicine resident Natercia Rodrigues, family therapist Tziporah Rosenberg, resident family physician Francesca Decker, and family physician […]
Posted inCulture
Fringe Fest 2013: Merged: A Dance Concert, Dangerous Signs, Bending and Breaking
Merged: A Dance Concert, taking place at the Geva Nextstage, features the work of two locally based but nationally renowned choreographers. Heather Roffe is an assistant professor of dance at Nazareth College, while James Hansen is an associate professor and the undergraduate program director of the Department of Dance at The College at Brockport. This […]
