A Canyon of despair and boredom
Playing like a feature-film continuation of Family Ties, Lisa Cholodenko’s Laurel Canyon (opens Friday, April 11, at the Little) pits a free-spirited mother against her uptight, conservative, and — yes — perpetually embarrassed 21st century version of Alex P. Keaton. Because the mom, and the film itself, is all about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’…
Wilder’s less-than-wild Theophilus North
A well-known, old graybeard is newborn here, thanks to the distinguished work of the folks at Geva Theatre Center, led by artistic director Mark Cuddy. Matthew Burnett’s Theophilus North — based on novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder’s final novel — has made it to the stage for the first time. The world premiere production…
The accomplished and the insufficient
As you may know, April has been christened National Poetry Month by the high priests of American verse. Splashy displays highlighting new collections of poetry can be found in chain and independent bookstores. Libraries and colleges are hosting readings by hundreds of poets, both distinguished and emerging. When we read or listen to a…
Reach out and shoot someone
Joel Schumacher’s new thriller, Phone Booth, illustrates once again the weird and ambiguous relationship between popular cinema and its temporal context. Originally scheduled for release many months ago, the picture disappeared, at least for a while, until the manhunt for the Washington, D.C.-area sniper ended with the apprehension of the suspects. The distributors apparently believed,…
Fun with music
Paul Hofmann is on a mission. He wants to prove that musical creativity is not reserved for a small group of geniuses. In his Community Education classes at the Eastman School of Music, Hofmann’s students enter with a wide variety of musical backgrounds. But, before long, all of them are sitting at the piano…
Reader feedback 4.9.03
The war, bus station doubts, RPO support
Left to his own devices
It took Milton a solid week to get the lipstick just right. The edges can be hard to cover. He traced lips he had decided were quite full, pouty almost, with patience; left them glistening moist without blotting. In the background the message played loudly over stereo speakers: Welcome to the voice messaging service. Please…
Down the drain
If Monroe County’s finances were your home’s water system, you’d have called a plumber, too. By last summer, it was clear the county’s finances were in the crapper. It was estimated that its 2002 budget would fall between $15 and $23 million in the hole, and the deficit for 2003 was predicted to be…
