Whole Foods project gets go ahead
Daniele Family Companies now has all of approvals it needs from the Town of Brighton to build Whole Foods Center. But the project faces lawsuits.
Rochester school district awaits yet another study
I hope the Distinguished Educator will tell us more than just what’s wrong. I hope he’ll be able to tell us why.
City Council releases Police Advisory Board draft proposal; activists cite problems
[UPDATED] City Council is preparing to start public review of draft legislation changing the way Rochester handles complaints about police conduct. The draft legislation calls for the creation of a separate, independent Police Accountability Board with the power to conduct its own investigations into complaints. The draft has been circulated among police-reform activists, the police union,…
Adam reviews ‘Mo-to-the-oncle’ and ‘Black Deaf Male: Who Am I?’
In her acclaimed one-woman show “Mo-to-the-oncle,” actress and writer Melissa Cole dons a bottomless supply of wigs and accents to tell the story of Detroit Prince Jr., a Bronx teen who’s forced to wear a monocle to school after his single father loses his insurance and can no longer afford proper vision care. As Cole…
Adam reviews ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’
My night covering the Fringe involved heading over to the Lyric Theatre’s Cabaret Hall for a sold-out performance of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” from OFC Creations. The rock musical splits the difference between a cabaret-style musical and stand-up comedy routine, as performed by genderbending East German singer, Hedwig, and the show’s a smart choice…
Daniel reviews ‘This Year’s Models’
Rochester Fringe Festival is to be applauded for booking Woody Battaglia’s “This Year’s Models,” a mini-festival featuring local comedians. On the third night of the series, what was a strong showing of comedy became an unmitigated success with headliner Malcolm Whitfield’s set.
Rebecca reviews ‘World Music & Yoga Ballet’ and ‘Aria’
My Sunday on the Fringe left me resolving to see more local dance performances with more frequency throughout the year. I caught two inspiring shows: an afternoon performance of “World Music & Yoga Ballet” and the opening evening performance of “Aria,” both at the Main Stage in the spectacular Lyric Theatre. I wasn’t sure what…
Kathy reviews ‘Lost in the Shuffle,’ ‘Fairy Tale Ending,’ PUSH Physical Theatre & ‘Elemental Guardians’
One of the most respected hoofers in the Rochester area, Cheryl Johnson, is putting her entire tapping career on display at the Lyric Theatre at this year’s Fringe Festival with her show “Lost in the Shuffle.” And the styles are as varied as they are incredible to watch. Johnson shuffles and shim sham shimmies across…
Amanda reviews ‘BirthWrite’
There’s something about a hot day at the end of summer that really makes melanin pop. This first Saturday of Fringe was, for me, a celebration of Black Magic, with spoken word group We All Write presenting “BirthWrite” at Geva Theatre Center. The stage for Birth Write was set like a makeshift living room, with…
Gold Koa will play its first show at Rochester Fringe Festival
Indie-pop trio Gold Koa works even while bandmates are on opposite sides of the country. In January, the group released its first single, “Little Lost.” Almost a year later, the group is about to play their first live set as part of the 2018 Rochester Fringe Festival.
Leah reviews ‘Good Catch’ and ‘Other Peoples’ Shows’
All it takes is a single word for one of New York City’s longest-running musical improv groups, “Good Catch,” to create an (almost) full-length musical theater production, complete with piano instrumentation, lyrics, and (fairly terrible but hilarious) choreography. On Friday, that word was “milk.” For the next 50 minutes, the four-person ensemble (along with pianist…
Kathy reviews ‘Bushwhacked Backyard BBQ’ and ‘Massaoke’
Each year, the Fringe Festival gets bigger. And so have the ladies of the “Bushwhacked” series. First it was a tiny, cramped tent. Then a larger pop-up tent. Now they’ve graduated to a full-on backyard. And still, the show feels intimate. With only 10 tickets per performance, there’s no room to be shy at this…
James reviews Left for Dead Improv
Since 2011, Left for Dead, a troop of local improv actors over the age of 50, have brought sarcasm, snark, and silliness to the stage. Their nearly sold-out Friday night performance was preceded by comedian Dan Mulcahy, who riffed off fake audience comments blended with a slew of absurdist jokes. The brisk half hour of…
Classical review: RPO’s 2018-19 season opener
Music Director Ward Stare kick-started the 2018-19 Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra season last night, with music by three very familiar composers. But when the program includes a powerhouse soloist, and the musicians acquit themselves so well, that familiarity is very satisfying.
Frank reviews ‘The Hooperellas Spectacular’
The guys and dolls in ‘The Hooperellas Spectacular’ were so cool under fire they could get this whole Fringe caper re-named “The Fridge Fest.” Despite what amounted to a shitstorm of technical snafus, the show must go on, and go on it did. Modeled after classic and sideshow burlesque (with a twist), The Hooperellas are…
Amanda reviews ‘Holding On through Song’
“Holding On through Song: A Celebration of the African-American Spiritual” was not typical Fringe Festival fare. There was no spectacle or debauchery. No one set out to create a crazy audience-driven event in a strange and curious space, or see how many flaming swords they could juggle while drunkenly reciting Shakespeare and riding a unicycle.…
Frank reviews ‘Pinch and Squeal’ and ‘Josephine’
The performance by Cleveland-based neo-vaude-villains Pinch and Squeal (Jason and Danielle Tilk) was once again awesome. The music was light blue, humorous, and straight out of Tin Pan Alley, along with some slick magic that still has me cross-eyed — “follow the bouncing lemon” — and we all delighted at the shoving of volunteers up…
Leah reviews ‘Love and Information’
The first thing to understand about playwright Caryl Churchill’s 2012 work “Love and Information” is that there is no linear plotline. Instead, the short play is comprised of more than 60 mini-plots, some as short as one word, sound or sentence. Local St. John Fisher College professor and Theater Apparatus company founder Jeremy Sarachan produces…
Cuomo wins primary against Nixon
Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn’t gotten a lot of good press in the last week or two. His campaign was directly implicated in a Democratic Party mailer meant to smear his primary opponent, Cynthia Nixon. And he faced questions about whether he rushed the opening of new span of the Tappan Zee Bridge downstate to generate…
CLASSICAL | Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
For its 2018-2019 season opener, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra follows the standard “rousing overture/concerto with big-name soloist/favorite Romantic symphony” template. Thankfully, it’s wonderfully curated by Music Director Ward Stare: the overture is Berlioz’s brilliant “Roman Carnival,” and the symphony is definitely a favorite: the “New World Symphony” of Dvorák (a composer who appears several times…
REGGAE | Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
This Sunday’s show at Lincoln Hill Farms in Canandaigua will be your last chance to hear hometown heroes Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad this fall. The reggae quintet always brings the smooth grooves to its live performances. With seven full-length albums to their credit and undeniable, widespread appeal, Giant Panda brings the party wherever it…
Rochester’s role in translating worldwide women authors
Reading contemporary women authors in translation gives us a perspective that diverges from the both European and male-dominated canon. We explore the world of international women writers and the Rochester-based translators and publishers who make their work accessible to an English-reading audience.
Cannabis Cur.es markets flower power
Offering a wide array of smokeable, edible, and topical CBD products at the Rochester Public Market, Cannabis Cur.es owner Michael Iuliucci is focused on helping advance cannabinoids-as-medicine.
ART | ‘ChasingNirvanaClean’
Though reform efforts are perpetually underway, the US is behind other countries in its reduction of stigma about addiction and pursuit of more viable recovery methods. A new exhibit up at Flower City Arts Center, “ChasingNirvanaClean: Photographs by Simone Ochrym,” is a photojournalism and storytelling project that focuses on individuals in recovery from addiction. Ochrym…
Feedback 9/12
Send comments 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 450 words have a greater chance of being published, we edit selections for print, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. The facts about impeachment In his Feedback letter “Impeachment?…
ART | ‘Limbo Lounge’ and ‘On the Side’
Rochester Contemporary Art Center has two shows running concurrently this month. “On the Side,” features rarely-seen work by some of Rochester’s well-known design professionals. It’s an annual opportunity for designers, photographers, graphic artists, and copywriters who are members of the Rochester Advertising Federation (RAF) to exhibit work independent from their nine-to-five gigs. And in the…
Urban Action 9/12
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Reyna Grande returning for lecture Nazareth College will present “The Distance Between Us,” a lecture by Mexican-American author Reyna Grande, on Tuesday, September 18. Grande’s award-winning memoir of the same name tells the…
RECREATION | Family Archaeology Weekend
We’ve still got some beautiful weather left in the season, which is good news for this weekend’s outdoor Family Archaeology Weekend at Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Cumming Nature Center. The outdoor event features a hands-on, guided excavation of an 18th-century farmhouse foundation. Part of the nature center’s property today, the Hall Homestead dig site…
Bello and Republicans spar over DMV document mishandling
County Clerk Adam Bello, a Democrat, and Brian Marianetti, leader of the County Legislature’s Republic caucus, are having a war of words over how clerk’s office employees handled some sensitive documents. The quarrel goes back to May, when WHEC reporter Berkeley Brean got a tip that Bello’s Henrietta DMV branch was improperly disposing of items…
Rochester Fringe 2018: CITY’s Daily Fringe Blogs
CITY Newspaper will offer extensive coverage of the 2018 Rochester Fringe Festival. Look out for daily blogs during the fun of the festival, with photos and reviews, at rochestercitynewspaper.com. And let us know how your Fringe is going on social media with the hashtag #fringeCITY. For up-to-the-minute coverage of the festival follow City on Twitter…
Primary matters
It’s on an unusual day, but there are political party primaries on Thursday, September 13, for several key local and state offices. Although elections are almost always on Tuesday, this one’s on Thursday because Tuesday was the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks (which in 2001 was an election day) and it was the last night…
MUSEUM | ‘Be the Astronaut’
As fascinated as I am by all things outer space, there’s not a thing on this green world you could offer me to actually leave terra firma (the deep sea freaks me out, too. What can I say, I like breathing). So The Strong National Museum of Play’s new interactive exhibit, “Be the Astronaut,” is…
Paley focuses on design
Examples of Albert Paley’s distinctive sculpture are in government and corporate office buildings, and on city sidewalks and bridges. They’re in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, London’s Victoria and Albert. Now, Paley is downsizing: “restructuring,” he says. He’s not renewing the lease on the largest…
Album review: ‘Better Places’
Jesse Sprinkle “Better Places” Bluebrick Recordings jessesprinkle.bandcamp.com It’s been a while since we’ve heard any solo material from the multifaceted multi-instrumentalist Jesse Sprinkle. Thankfully, the man is back with a new record, “Better Places,” and its 17 tracks of modest joy. Sprinkle reveals his melodic thesis early on — track five to be exact —…
City prepares for encampment move
The deadline Spectrum set for residents of an encampment on its property on Mt. Hope Avenue has passed and the people are still there, but not for long. The residents have begun packing up their things and preparing to move to a new site at Industrial Street. Alex Yudelson, chief of staff to Mayor Lovely…
Album review: ‘Stained Glass & Technicolor Grooves’
Misha Piatigorsky Trio “Stained Glass & Technicolor Grooves” Natural Drummer naturaldrummer.bandcamp.com Even though many of the genre’s CD’s are recorded in studios, jazz is still primarily a live art form, with the players reacting to each other in a certain place, at a certain time. Listening to the live recording “Stained Glass & Technicolor Grooves,”…
INDIE | Caroline Rose
In the time between 2014’s “I Will Not Be Afraid” and “LONER,” which came out this year, Caroline Rose went through a transformation. The singer-songwriter has always excelled at crafting whip-smart, energy-packed tunes. But the earlier album was rooted in Americana, while “LONER,” – out on New West Records – explores a wider, zanier pop…
County’s sanction rates are questioned
For years, workers and advocates at some area homeless shelters have said that the county has been too harsh with its sanctions, stripping housing, utility, and emergency food benefits from public-assistance recipients. The county can sanction recipients for any number of reasons. Sometimes it’s because they don’t meet work requirements or because they fail drug…
CLASSICAL | Pegasus Early Music
School’s back in session, and so is Rochester’s 2018-2019 concert season. Pegasus Early Music has established itself as a place where the cool kids of period-performance hang out, and for its opening concert this Sunday afternoon, they’ll bring several of these musicians together to perform “A Baroque Miscellany.” You’ll hear string instruments, flute, harpsichord, and…
ANTI-FOLK | Hieronymus Bogs
The difference between ex-Rochesterian Hieronymus Bogs and his music is like the space between one’s self-consciousness and the ability to truly listen. Your story blends with his, and this will open your mind. Bogs embraces his own weirdness, and his presence is cinematic and arresting. You’ll find yourself looking away, searching the audience to prove…
ALT-COUNTRY | Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore
With Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s reedy tenor and Dave Alvin’s smoky vocal ease throughout, Gilmore and Alvin prove they are the kings of the roadhouse on the duo’s new collab album “Downey to Lubbock.” The record is as rough-and-tumble as these guys are live. The last time Alvin was in Rochester, it was with his flesh-and-blood…
Donald Trump, Congress, and the Constitution
The odds are that Donald Trump will be president at least through 2020. The salvation: the November 6 Congressional election.
John Cusack gave us his heart
John Cusack will be in town on Thursday to do a Q&A after a screening of “Say Anything” at Kodak Center. Get him to talk politics.
Theater review: ‘Anna in the Tropics’
Blackfriars Theatre kicks off their 2018-19 season by working with Rochester Latino Theatre Company to produce “Anna in the Tropics.” Set in 1929 Tampa, the story focuses on an immigrant Latinx family who owns and operates a Cuban cigar factory and the lector who read novels aloud to entertain the workers.
Interview: Pony Hand
Seeing Pony Hand live is like facing a firing squad after flipping it the bird. It’s a white-knuckle ride. It’s a brash slash of crash-and-burn rock ‘n’ roll.
