Cover Story
The case for more black teachers in Rochester and everywhere
Windsor Asamoah-Wade took to teaching immediately. He had a full schedule in the Rochester City School District and jumped at every opportunity to coach. He was visible in the neighborhood, too; his students often called out his name when they saw him walking his dog or riding his bike. But Asamoah-Wade wasn’t certain in those…
Accusations traded over police altercation
A cell-phone video of a police altercation in northeast Rochester has many in the African-American community decrying what they say is another example of police using excessive force against people of color. But the way some members of City Council are trying to quell that outrage is irresponsible and is putting police officers at risk,…
Week ahead: Events for the week of Monday, September 26
The first debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump takes place at 9 p.m. tonight and if you have a TV, computer, smartphone, or tablet, you have no excuse to miss it. The debate will be broadcast live on all four major networks and WXXI – local over-the-air channels 8.1, 10.1, 13.1, and…
Classical review: “Barbara’s Venice”
The best concerts bring genuine discoveries as well as purely musical delights. This was the case with “Barbara’s Venice,” the opener to Pegasus Early Music’s 12th season. The Barbara referred to is Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677), a notable singer and an even more celebrated composer in a time and place that had more than its share…
David reviews ‘The Oboe Show’
If you like the luscious sound of the oboe, you’d like “The Oboe Show.” And if you can actually play this legendarily tricky woodwind instrument, you’d find a lot to identify with in this engagingly silly mix of comedy (handled mostly by three amusing performers) and music (played by two excellent oboists, one of whom…
Rebecca reviews ‘Central Library Sideshow,’ Dangerous Signs, and ROC Bottom Slam Team
Over a couple of hours on Saturday, Central Library hosted a variety of small acts. Members of ROC Bottom Slam Team (who performed later in the evening at TheatreROCS) took turns performing moving poetry about political and social issues in the Teen Center, while a pole dancer wowed a small audience with her strength in…
Adam reviews ‘Spooky Stories in the Stacks’ and ‘The Hatchet Man’
With a chill now in the air, fall has officially arrived, putting me in just the right mood for “Spooky Stories in the Stacks” at the Central Library. Starting in the Rundel Memorial Building, our audience was brought downstairs to take our seats in the secluded stacks, a section of the library the public doesn’t…
Frank reviews Champagne Brown, Castle Creek, and ‘White’
It was a cool, fresh Fringe that assailed my senses as I moved about downtown Saturday night. What a sensational vibe; what a sensational sense of community. I love this festival. With all the venues packed with intrigue, I stuck to the outdoor stage for the most part. First it was Champagne Brown proposing a…
Leah reviews ‘Careless Whispers’
Each year, there are many comedy offerings at Fringe — sketch, improv, stand-up (and yes, there’s a difference). Thank You Kiss, which presented its hour-long show, “Careless Whispers,” at Blackfriars Theatre, is a Rochester-based sketch comedy troupe. Whereas improv isn’t usually scripted and stand-up often addresses the audience directly, sketch relies primarily on scripted scenes…
Adam reviews ‘Grimms’ Mad Tales,’ ‘Ruts!,’ and Pandora Boxx
The rainy weather seemed to keep at least a few people from Friday evening’s performance of the clever “Grimms’ Mad Tales,” but hopefully they’ll catch the show’s second performance, since it’s well worth the time. Staged similarly to 2014’s “Spoon River Rochester” (and also directed by David Henderson), the show is immersive public theater, or…
Frank reviews EstroFest and You’ll Thank Me Later
EstroFest was a blast, I tell ya. You know, I go to these things hoping with all my might to laugh, to be taken out of the doldrums of my day, and allowed to view the world askew for a few. Well, the gals and one dude (as a guest) in EstroFest did not let…
Rebecca reviews ‘Savage Sanctuary’ and ‘Guerrilla Art’
In his artist statement, Denton Crawford says that his latest multimedia exhibition, “Savage Sanctuary,” “investigates the relationship between mysticism and the absurd and how personal experience informs our experience of each.” Through a remix of iconic imagery, Crawford pokes at the relationship between religious belief, political affiliation, and individual rights and freedoms. Several very rad…
A renovated Geva Theatre Center opens
A rededication and ribbon cutting ceremony Friday morning marked the official opening to a renovated Geva Theatre Center, following a seven-year-long process that touched on virtually every part of the 51,832-square-foot space. Geva had closed for the summer in order to finish work on its lobby, cafe, a new members’ lounge, flooring in the Fielding…
David reviews ‘The Eulogy’ and Polite Ink
“The Eulogy” has received a string of awards and rave reviews from Fringe Festivals all over, and it’s about to receive another one. The word “monologue” is much too staid for Michael Burgos’s take on the idea of the funeral eulogy: he tips it on its head, ties it into knots, and sets it spinning…
Film review: “The Hollars”
Directed by “The Office” star John Krasinski, “The Hollars” is a Sundance dramedy about an aspiring New York City artist named John Hollar (Krasinski) facing a crossroads in his life. He’s unhappy professionally and full of anxiety over the impending birth of his child, but he puts those troubles on hold to face all new…
Rebecca reviews ‘Scarred by the Somme’
The Eastman School’s gorgeous Kilbourn Hall was again the backdrop of Table Top Opera’s Fringe production. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of one of the bloodiest engagements in Europe’s Great War, “Scarred by the Somme” echoed the tragic, grim themes of the group’s 2015 program, "Kindertotenlieder" (songs on the death of children). The show’s organizer, Eastman…
The Little and Dryden celebrate Art House Theater Day
It used to be that movie-lovers interested in seeing the latest independent and foreign film titles in a theater had to live in New York or Los Angeles. Everyone else was pretty much out of luck unless they had an art house theater nearby willing to do the legwork involved with bringing these less commercial…
Leah Stacy reviews ‘Dracula’
Producing one Rochester Fringe Festival show is ambitious — but just one show isn’t enough for Virginia Monte and WallByrd Theatre Co. In addition to “The Kiss,” which plays at SOTA for a last time on Saturday, September 24, at 9 p.m., WallByrd teamed up with Syracuse-based actor and playwright Alec Barbour to mount his…
Rebecca reviews ‘Planchette’
Before heading upstairs to view ‘Planchette,’ each audience member was given a numbered sticker badge at the Writers & Books ticket desk. My hunch was proven correct — that these would function as a means of selecting audience participation during the show. The witty production is one part narrative theatre, one part magic show, though…
Rebecca reviews “Seven Windows”
“Seven Windows” was not nearly as straightforwardly narrative as it was billed. But no matter — the brief, seven act dance production is a sweet, effective exploration that cradles the broken heart of our transient nature. Presented by SHARP Dance Company (at RAPA @ SOTA: Allen Main Stage Theatre) and choreographed by Diane Sharp-Nachsin, the…
Comedian Jamie Lissow brings it home
The cliché goes something like this: the aspiring comedian hits the road, crisscrossing the country, playing to tough crowds in dingy clubs for very little money. Then, after a particularly hot set in New York or Los Angeles, a network executive wants to discuss a sitcom. Greece-born comedian Jamie Lissow certainly lived the first part…
David reviews ‘Hearing Ophelia’ and ‘Theater Lieder’
A popular trend nowadays is the vocal recital “plus”: adding a visual or theatrical element, or at the very least a theme, to the performance of a selection of songs or a song cycle. Tuesday night, the Lyric Theater presented a number of Eastman School voice students in two different approaches to lyric theater —…
Saxophonist Jon Irabagon is ready to step out
Jon Irabagon had earned a master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music, he’d studied with top saxophonists Dick Oatts and Victor Goines, and he’d paid his dues gigging around New York. It was 2008 and he was ready for the top contest in American jazz, the Thelonious Monk Competition. The competition, held in Los Angeles,…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Rearview Mirror”
Hanna and the Blue Hearts “Rearview Mirror” Self-released hearhanna.com Here’s a six-song serving of poppy, jazzy goodness in your ear. Hanna and the Blue Hearts’ debut, “Rearview Mirror,” lends itself to a gently irresistible shag, shuffle, and shake. The band — a crack team of Rochester sidemen — is totally in the pocket as it…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Make It Better”
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad “Make It Better” Rootfire Cooperative livepanda.com If there was ever any question where Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad fits in the roots reggae food chain, the band’s new 10-cut album, “Make It Better,” makes it abundantly clear: the top, baby. The Rochester band returns to its trademark deep-dish roots after…
Feedback 9/21
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. Kaepernick is…
Eight great printmakers at Main Street Arts
The thoroughly enjoyable exhibit at Clifton Springs’ Main Street Arts gallery features the work of eight of our region’s most talented printmakers. It’s a fairly straightforward show, offering the chance to get better acquainted with the variety of techniques utilized by this small group, and the diversity of aesthetics that can be achieved with different…
Urban Action 9/21
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Forum examines media and 2016 elections The League of Women Voters and the National Council of Jewish Women will sponsor a public forum, “The Upcoming Elections,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 22.…
ART | “We Felt it Desirable”
Darumas or Dharma dolls are dolls modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism, and are traditionally given as talismans of good luck in Japan. The symbol-rich, hollow, round, papier-mâché objects can be figures or just heads, and are seen as a symbol of perseverance, making them a popular token of encouragement…
EMMA leader vows to fight on
The leader of the East Main, Mustard, and Atlantic Avenue neighborhood association says that the group will take its fight against a controversial housing project to City Council. The City Planning Commission signed-off last week on a rezoning proposal which allows for the construction of the $17 million development between Mustard and Palmer streets in…
KIDS | Kids and Trucks
From school buses to construction vehicles, children will have the opportunity to explore different trucks, climb in the driver’s seat, and beep the horn at Kids and Trucks, a fundraiser hosted by The Children’s Institute. The weekend event will benefit the institute’s programs dedicated to early childhood research and positive development while letting children explore…
Film festival plays matchmaker
The Fast Forward Film Festival wants moviemakers in the Rochester region to make short films about environmental issues that are important to them. And it also tries to encourage laypeople with environmental concerns to produce films on those subjects. But the problem is that some local filmmakers don’t have topics to work with, while some…
ART | “Fashion in Art”
As Fashion Week of Rochester approaches, a new Nan Miller Gallery exhibit will be in the stylish spirit. “Fashion in Art” will include more than 50 works from local, national, and international artists, featuring avant-garde, contemporary, classical styles. Nan Miller will donate 15 percent of all sales from the show to The Center for Youth.…
Plum House Café continues the build-your-own trend
Mark Teng’s Rochester empire continues to expand with the opening of Plum House Café (274 North Goodman Street) in Village Gate. Teng already owns the original Plum House on Monroe Avenue, plus Furoshiki on Park Avenue, Plum House Express in Eastview Mall, and Revolution Karaoke on Jefferson Road. The new café is Teng’s take on…
RECREATION | Rob’s Trail Opening and Inaugural Hike
Rob’s Trail, the first of its kind traveling from Hemlock Lake to Canadice Lake is opening this weekend. Rob van der Stricht, a lover of the Finger Lakes and a dedicated environmentalist who died in 2006, dreamed of a trail connecting the lakes, and this grand opening will finally make it a reality. Trudging through…
THEATER | “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
Following a two-year run on Broadway, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is about to launch its first US tour from right here in Rochester. Based on the novel by Mark Haddon, “Curious Incident” focuses on Christopher Boone — an exceptionally intelligent 15-year-old boy who is “ill-equipped to interpret everyday life” —…
JAZZ | Ensemble of Irreproducible Outcomes
David D. McIntire plays clarinet, ocarina (an ancient type of vessel flute), and electronics. Ryan Oldham provides trumpet, flugelhorn, voice, and whistle. And Brian Padavic is on the bass, tanpura raagini (electronic tanpura), and whistle. If the trio’s instrumentation is not unusual enough, consider the group’s name: EIO — Ensemble of Irreproducible Outcomes. The name…
IRISH FOLK | Aoife Scott Band
Aoife Scott, a Dublin-born singer-songwriter — and member of the legendary Black Family of Irish musicians, lead singer of The Outside Track, and prominent contestant in European music competitions — has got a lot of talent and she is doing remarkable things with it. Her debut album, “Carry the Day,” was recently released, and is…
CLASSICAL | “Barbara’s Venice”
The history of classical music made by women is full of interesting characters, and the 17th century Venetian singer and composer Barbara Strozzi was among the more fascinating musicians in a fascinating place and time (not just for her music, but that’s another story). Strozzi’s original, strikingly expressive secular vocal music is not well-known, but…
ROCK | Wednesday 13
Taking a few pages from the books of Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and the Misfits, former Murderdolls front man Wednesday 13 rages with gruesome bombast and gore. It’s like a haunted hayride on crank. But beyond the horror is an incredibly tight band that’s punk in attitude, sinister in its presentation, and just…
ROCKABILLY | Marti Brom
Born in St. Louis in 1962, Texas rockabilly songstress Marti Brom grew up listening to singers like Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield. But it was when she heard Patsy Cline, and then the way-rockin’ Janis Martin, that she knew she was onto something. There’s a spot in certain female voices — a fence-surfing transitional spot,…
INDIE ROCK | Diet Cig
When Diet Cig frontwoman Alex Luciano bellows “F*** all your romance, I just wanna dance” on “Scene Sick” (from the band’s debut EP, “Over Easy”), it feels just as much like a mission statement as it does a humble request. The New Paltz-based two-piece does a lot with remarkably little, crafting endlessly catchy, fearlessly upbeat…
CLASSICAL | PRISM Quartet
The 2016-17 season of the revered Kilbourn Concert series will kick off with some serious buzz when the intrepid saxophone quartet PRISM brings its forward-thinking program to Eastman on Tuesday. What began in 1984 at the University of Michigan as a student chamber music project has become a veritable clearinghouse for commissioning and performing innovative…
VOTE NOW: Best of Rochester 2016 Final Ballot
The Best of Rochester 2016 final ballot is now closed! Look for the results in print and online Wednesday, October 26.
Film review: “The Magnificent Seven”
If you’re going to pick a film to give the remake treatment, you could do a lot worse than John Sturges’s iconic 1960 western “The Magnificent Seven,” which was itself an Americanized take on Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.” Holding onto the sturdy plotline of the original, the new film’s major change is injecting some diversity…
