There’s plenty of onstage action around these parts for those who like to mix their summer heat with short escapes to other worlds created by metro Phoenix artists. This summer’s crop of dance and theater offerings include a classic play about America coming to grips with AIDS, a behind-the-scenes look…
Angels in America Angels in America is one of the best plays ever. Nearly Naked Theatre is a knockout theater company. We could just say, “Go,” and leave room for more ads on this page. But, for a constellation of reasons we’ll leave unexplored for now, we’ll divulge some more…
If you were to compile a list of the greatest sketch comedy shows of all time, there are a few obvious choices that you’d want to include. Naturally, Britain’s influential Monty Python’s Flying Circus would probably top the list, followed closely by the equally iconic Saturday Night Live and SCTV,…
“Super Heroes” Move over Avengers — the real “Super Heroes” are here. The newest Heard Museum art exhibition offers a Native American view point on what makes a super hero. These views, mostly drawings and works on paper, include animals, humans and magical beings who fight “evil” in everyday life,…
Outdoor fitness options are all good and fine during days with double-digit temperatures. But a steady stream of triple digits will soon be upon us, prompting most people to think about indoor alternatives. It’s tough to hike or bike inside, so we figure dance is really where it’s at for…
Phoenix Comicon 2015 The best thing about Phoenix Comicon, the mammoth gathering of comic book, gaming, and entertainment aficianados, is how everyone from cautiously curious folks to hardcore geeks keep an eye out for Wookiees, Klingons, and gender-swapped superheroes to stamp in their games of mental Comicon bingo. Keep your…
There is nothing, I have said publicly and privately for years, that could ever make me enjoy live theater’s odious and ever-growing ritual of audience participation. Calling hapless audience members up out of the audience and humiliating them has always struck me as a particularly low form of humor, gratuitous…
“One-of-a-Kind” In a world of Dubsmash videos, #nomakeup selfies, and misattributed inspirational quotes pinned and re-pinned to infinity, originality isn’t so easily encountered. But the photographic works by artists including David Emitt Adams and Betty Hahn found in Phoenix Art Museum’s “One-of-a-Kind” are not so easily duplicated. By virtue of…
For many decades, major performing arts organizations including ballet companies have followed a fairly predictable path: presenting well-known repertory in large venues, while expecting contemporary audiences to sit through lengthy productions of classic works. For ballet audiences, it’s included a never-ending stream of Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Nutcracker. They’re…
Last fall’s ARTELPHX, the third iteration of the multi-night mash-up of visual and performance art founded in 2013 by Tara Sharpe, was fresh and funky. The event, held at The Clarendon Hotel, even earned our best arts festival praise. Still a relatively new enterprise, its foibles were easily construed as…
Odds are, you know who Chris Tucker is. You probably first saw him in Friday, or maybe Rush Hour, and you’ve almost definitely seen him since then. What you might not have known is that Tucker will be bringing his stand-up to Celebrity Theatre on Saturday, May 16. Like many comedians,…
A lot of comedians get their start because of their love for being on stage or their desire to make the world laugh. Deon Cole didn’t start for either of those reasons. According to the comic, a friend bet him $50 to do stand-up one time, and the rest is…
Memories of last fall’s ARTELPHX installations, from a room filled with suspended paper fish to a soft screen of mouths that made sounds when people poked it, still linger. It might be hard to top the event we dubbed last year’s best art festival, but event director Tara Sharpe is…
If you’re looking for a good laugh on Mother’s Day, you may want to head to the Crescent Ballroom around 8 p.m. An improvisational comedy show called The Switch will be making its Phoenix debut, and its not the kind of thing you’ll want to miss. A few years ago,…
For many seasons, the spring lineup for Ballet Arizona has included a program of all George Balanchine works. It’s a reflection of artistic director Ib Andersen’s roots — which include dancing under Balanchine as a principal with New York City Ballet during the 1980s. This year’s All Balanchine opened Thursday,…
Although Gary Owen might not look like the bulk of his audience (he’s often one of the only white guys in the room at his performances), he connects with his fanbase on a level that few comedians can…
Local artists are putting their creative spin on social justice conversations surrounding immigration, LGBTQ rights, and the Black Lives Matter movement in a collaborative performance piece they’ll present Friday, May 1, at Mesa Arts Center. It’s part of The Social Justice Project, an ongoing enterprise in promoting community awareness and…
Childsplay founder and artistic director David Saar announced in a press release on Wednesday, April 22, that he will retire at the end of the 2015-16 season. Saar started the acclaimed professional children’s theater company in 1977 as a graduate thesis project. Its aim has been to engage children with…
Are you looking to go see a huge production involving costumes, complex special effects, and several musical numbers? Then you should stay away from Stand Up Live on April 24 and 25. If you want to see some old school raunchy comedy, definitely head there to see Dave Attell perform…
Promising a gut-busting, grin-’til-it-hurts good time, the Phoenix Improv Festival returns to Herberger Theater Center this week. Now in its 14th year, the funny fête blends local talent with national names with sketch performances and situational comedy. Boasting 27 improv troupes from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York…
“I slipped and fell, hit my head, and then when I came to, I had a career.” According to Iliza Shlesinger, that’s the short and “less boring” version of how she got into stand-up comedy…
Scorpius Dance Theatre is serving up a smorgasbord of dance this month with a 15-piece repertory showcase being performed April 18 and 19 at Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. The center is best known as the home of Theater Works, which operates the venue and often features productions by…
