Subject matter isn’t one of the generally accepted elements of drama (such as plot, character, theme, and dialogue) that we’ve ticked off on our fingers since classical times — maybe because every play has it, and excellence doesn’t really depend on exactly what it is. But it is an attribute…
If renowned mushroom-picking, multidisciplinary avant-garde composer John Cage were still alive, he’d be 100 this year. If his spirit was reincarnated in another being after his death, that being turns 20 this year. It’s more straightforward to commemorate the former, so that’s what performance collective 7 Ate 9 is doing…
Attendees of the 29th Annual Glendale Blues and Jazz Festival over the weekend weekend received an unexpected blast of interpretive dance, digital art, social commentary and marriageable dogs to accompany the slide guitars and saxophones on stage. Something to Write Home About sent 28 ASU student artists, guided by Herberger…
There are plenty of reasons to like comedian and writer Michael Ian Black. His tweets. His penchant for referring to himself as “very famous.” The fact that he sports Crocs on the cover of his new book, You’re Not Doing It Right. But let’s move on to the more pressing…
The House of the Spirits, now at ASU’s Galvin Playhouse is based on Isabel Allende’s bestselling, first novel, and is a “splendid production” writes New Times contributor Robrt Pela, in this week’s stage review. Pela writes: On a single glorious set that fluidly shifts locations and time, a triumvirate of stunning…
It’s no one’s fault but my own (okay, and maybe that of the design of Actors Theatre’s promo poster below) that I’d really hoped Annie Baker’s Body Awareness would delve deeply into the topic of body acceptance even while being funny, moving, and well-acted. It doesn’t in particular. For example,…
The Bill of Rights Monument Project is not only a celebration of one of the United States’ most important values, it’s also affording Arizonans an opportunity to donate by attending the Phoenix Comedy Festival. On Sunday, May 13, comedians including Lewis Black, Bill Engvall, Bobcat Goldthwait, Dick Gregory, Kathleen Madigan,…
Caridad Svich’s theatrical translation of Isabel Allende’s bestselling The House of the Spirits arrives on the stage as a mere shadow of its former self. Which isn’t to say that the production, now at ASU’s Galvin Playhouse, is anything other than praiseworthy. It’s just that there’s so very little left…
Comedian Jeffery Ross has a killer wit, impeccable timing, a razor-sharp tounge, and no sense of decency whatsoever. All of these attributes have allowed the stand-up comic to become the star of celebrity roasts everywhere and have earned him the title of “roastmaster general.”Anyone who’s watched Comedy Central’s celebrity roasts…
Blogger-turned-comedian Aaron Karo gave up a life of suits and class warfare on Wall Street to pursue funny stuff. On April 12, the comedian will stop by Martini Ranch to entertain a live audience, but we caught up with him over the weekend to talk about the release of his…
Claiming Dane Cook sucks has been in vogue since around 2004. He does, granted, but as many comics will admit, the guy is funny. Unfortunately, the reasons why he’s funny are also the reasons why we hate him. Here’s why:5. The Douche Bag FactorIf you’ve listened to Cook’s comedy album, you’ll…
Some great works of literature are challenging to read, even if you enjoy reading fiction. And sometimes an excellent film or play can introduce you to an enjoyable book or author you might not otherwise have happened upon. But I’m afraid that the effect of Arizona Theatre Company’s production of…
Cringe now or forever hold your peace. Today has been dubbed World Whisky Day, and while there are no official events registered in Phoenix, whisky lovers around the world are encouraged to celebrate by grabbing their best tumbler, knocking a few back, and sending a picture or two to the…
When one writes of her here, she is “Broadway’s Kathy Fitzgerald.” In New York, for which she left us more than a decade ago, she is one among a few: a character actress who’s always in demand; who’s appeared in Broadway shows like Wicked, 9 to 5, and in the…
If you survived the french fry cube, enjoyed the sad farm animals, or totally killed it playing skee ball at the annual Arizona State Fair, we have good news. Frazier Shows, the entertainment group behind large-scale fairs in Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas is hiring for the 2012…
Ignite Collaborative Arts states that their group exists partly to let artists from different disciplines work together and inspire one another, and that is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of The Shadows Inside: Exploring Lust, Fear, Delusion, & Misery, a compilation of dance works they’re presenting at PHX:fringe. The dancers are…
For six years, the ASU Herberger College of Design and the Arts’ School of Theatre and Film has worked with the Tumbleweed Phoenix Youth Resource Center to bring the benefits of the arts into the lives of homeless and at-risk youth. For the past four years, the Center’s clients have…
You should know that the pleated, bejeweled part of Paisley Yankolovich’s costume in this photo is a vibrant, mother-of-the-groom royal blue. The rest of his clothing is black. This combo, in the manner of Proust’s madeleines, will recall the ubiquitous leggings, baggy sweaters, and big hair of 1985 for anyone…
Oakland, California’s AlulA Ensemble proves with their PHX:fringe show, Tight Assets, that you can be kind of up your own ass about your art and still make things that people want to see. For all the crunchy, first-world-problems tweeness of their vision statement and CVs, they’re a solid, hard-working, entertaining…
PHX:fringe update: Phoenix’s own Space 55 production of Night of the Chicken 2: The Rise of Aunt Lulu was added to the Fringe schedule. It’s a live-radio-broadcast-style show by local playwright Carrie Behrens that’s suitable for the whole family. The final performance is tomorrow, Saturday, March 10, at 8:30 p.m…
BlackPoet Ventures is a Valley institution. They present fascinating, quality performance work that frequently mixes the disciplines of poetry, drama, dance, and music to impart a rounded image of African-American culture and its role models. BPV’s Cool Like That: A Tribute to Miles Davis is a painstakingly researched, lovingly presented…
Theatre in My Basement’s PHX:fringe show might not be the same show I saw Sunday, March 4. Or it might be the same. That’s because, according to the company, whether they present Twitch or Eclypse [sic] or Kassandra depends on “the whims of the audience and the performers.” Now, the…
