Lux Lounge is known as much for its eclectic and outlandish décor as it is for its mixed and open community. Oh, those lady leg tables, the disco ball, the skulls bearing flowers in their teeth, the themed nights, that address! Like many other "alternative art spaces" (read: the main biz is not an art […]
review
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THEATER: “The Wild Party”
In 1928, Joseph Moncure March wrote an epic narrative poem titled "The Wild Party." Set in the Roaring 20’s, it told the story of entertainers Queenie and Burrs, their tempestuous relationship, and a raucous soiree in which it all went to hell. In 2000, two entirely different musicals called "The Wild Party," both based on […]
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ART REVIEW: “American Impressionism: Paintings from the Phillips Collection,” and “In Pursuit of Light and Leisure: Impressionist Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection”
It’s exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for most of us to justify taking the time away from the daily anxious rush to enjoy and reflect upon the fragile beauty and fleetingness of this life, in all its sensual richness. We don’t merely take peaceful moments and stunning corners of nature for granted – our culture […]
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ART REVIEW: David Christiana: “Interior Exterior Beings”
Back in the days of the Brothers Grimm, fairy tales weren’t nearly as tidy and uplifting as their modern translations tend to be. The myths arose from cultures when humans were more mortally vulnerable, and not so comfortably removed from the genuinely dangerous everyday elements. There was so much about nature that we couldn’t categorize, […]
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Theater: “Bad Dates”
"Bad Dates" – currently in its final week – is something of a departure for Geva. It’s a small, cutesy, one-woman show that would seem too intimate for the theater’s main stage. But a big set and a bigger performance do a good job filling the space. Unfortunately, they outshine the play itself, a bizarre […]
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ART: “Family Gathering: A Look Into the World of Eating Disorders”
Eating disorders, along with alcoholism and other addictions, have a precarious place in the realm of disease. The afflicted person is often viewed as selfish, at fault, and the antagonist of the family, rather than a suffering body and mind strongly governed by dependence on substance or ritual. Those who have such a person in […]
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THEATER: “Misery”
Full disclosure: I have never read Stephen King’s "Misery," nor have I seen the film version of it. But I’m familiar with the story, and was excited to hear that Blackfriars would be producing the stage adaptation for its current season. It’s a work custom-made for the theater – two meaty characters, basically one setting, […]
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THEATER: “Frozen”
In honor of its 35th year, Geva Theatre tried something different. In lieu of its usual Nextstage season, it partnered with the Community Foundation for the Rochester TheatreFest. Over the course of its season, TheatreFest is bringing in 14 other local theater groups to use Geva’s smaller, secondary stage to highlight the area’s diverse theater […]
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ART: Herbert Gentry & Rocky Simmons exhibits
The U of R’s Rush Rhees library currently is home to two exhibits featuring the artwork of – and in-depth looks at the lives of – two inspiring African Americans. Trust librarians, ever-amazing at researching and making sense of the world, to go above and beyond the usual scope of an art show. In the […]
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THEATER: “This Is Our Youth”
Kenneth Lonergan’s "This Is Our Youth" is an appropriate choice for the first theatrical project produced by new local art performance troupe Method Machine. The play has become one of the go-to scripts for Gen X/Y actors looking to establish some cred. (Young Hollywood luminaries Matt Damon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Casey Affleck, Hayden Christensen, Anna Paquin, […]
