Dance Alloy’s From Where We Come …
It’s a nice little juxtaposition, celebrating your dance company’s 35th anniversary with the very show where you introduce three brand-new performers (more than half the troupe). But Dance Alloy Theater, under the direction of Greer Reed-Jones, pulled it off with a smart, lively show whose four-performance run ended Sunday. The program was a solid mix…
First Night 2011
The Cultural Trust’s press conference for the annual New Year’s Eve celebration was the first I’ve attended (this year, anyway) to feature giant dancing penguin puppets. There were two on the sidewalk at Liberty Avenue, and three more inside the building at 805 Liberty, The latter were swaying to the Caribbean Vibes steel-drum band, the…
Gist Street Reading Series Finale
The 10-year-old series’ final page was turned Friday night, and it was a happy/sad sort of affair: Unlike arts groups that fold for lack of funding, or just fade from relevance, Gist Street went out under its own steam and at the top of its game. The event made me think about what might take…
PNC digs itself out of mining controversy
Obviously, this past fall has been a tough season for progressive causes. But at least one positive development did take place, though it slipped beneath the radar: PNC Bank has apparently decided to stop funding mountaintop-removal mining. As City Paper has noted before, PNC has reputedly been an increasingly important financial backer of the controversal…
The handwriting is on the chalkboard with Corbett’s education committee
After being elected as governor last month, Tom Corbett pledged to emulate the model of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Judging from roster of his transition teams, Corbett is going to keep that promise — at least as far as putting the screws to public-school teachers goes. Christie is waging a running battle with educators…
Heavyweight Champions
A Pittsburgh doctor and a lawyer may be professional wrestling’s real champions. But why do some people think the fix is in?
Short List: Week of December 2 – 9
Discussing his acclaimed performance work runt, writer and actor Michael Phillip Edwards cites influences from Spalding Gray and Richard Pryor to Whoopi Goldberg and Eric Bogosian. But though he performs runt solo, Edwards doesn’t call this autobiographical piece a “one-man show.” And perhaps its biggest influence isn’t a performer at all, but mythology scholar Joseph…
Mio Pizza
This Aspinwall eatery offers pizza, calzones and hoagies that rise above the humdrum of ordinary storefront fare.
Tamara Drewe
An attractive young woman named Tamara Drewe (Gemma Arterton) moves back to her small village in the English countryside, and causes all manner of domestic strife in Stephen Frears’ comedy of manners. Most of the impact is felt at a local writers’ retreat, run with breezy efficiency by the long-suffering wife (Tamsin Grieg) of a…
Faster
This meaningless death spree from George Tillman Jr. is really complicated only by terrible plotting. An ex-con — known here as “Driver” (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) — sets out to avenge his brother’s death by tracking down the hombres who killed him, and killing them. Meanwhile, “Killer” (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a hitman, is stalking Driver. In…
Enter the Void
I was frequently guarded, bored, impressed, bemused or perplexed. But upon reflection, the audacity of this hyper-sexual, hyper-kinetic vision — glowing genitals, really? — made me laugh.
Burlesque
The actors in Steve Antin’s movie are also beautiful; unfortunately, that’s all singing needs to be. I realize that Antin, a former actor, made Burlesque as an excuse for the music, but would it have killed him not to insult us with the rest of it? Our plucky heroine Ali (Christina Aguilera) leaves Iowa for…
The Saloon
622 Washington Road, Mount Lebanon 412-531-5666 or www.saloonofmtlebanon.com Open Mon.–Thu. 4 p.m.-2 a.m.; Fri. 3 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sat. noon-2 a.m., Sun. noon-2 a.m. Open since: 1976. Crowd: A mix of demographics, from the 20-something “woo girl” to respectable bourgeoisie. On jumping nights, the joint requires an ID-checker, but in its quieter hours, the vibe…
This Just In: December 2 – 9
Highlights from the local TV news: Get Tanked and Give Thanks!
Camino Real
It’s three acts of Tennessee Williams completely lost inside his own head, and I don’t think any production could ever make this script work.
Undocumented Work
Police have anti-profiling policy, but no way to make sure it’s effective
Mural Obligation
Latino youth bringing Dream Act debate to the public spotlight
Welfare Taxed
With more people needing the system, the system is in need of more people
The old and the new mingle as Dance Alloy marks 35 years.
“He had us breaking sticks over another dancer’s head, or trying to shove our own fist into our mouths.”
An aviary renovation is for the birds — and their visitors — in the best sense.
While the appropriate placement of wings may always be obvious on birds, the same cannot necessarily be said for buildings.
The Wood Brothers share a musical identity, while giving a nod to their pasts
A shuffling, gritty folk-blues, navigating a ragged soul-ache reminiscent of The Band.
Nellie McKay brings her music — and Doris Day’s — to the Warhol
McKay combines the lyrical charm of a cabaret performer with the sass normally heard from coffeehouse singer-songwriters.
Girl Talk opens Stage AE this weekend, kicking off a month heavy on local talent
Stage AE’s opening programming couldn’t be more different from CONSOL’s: Instead of global stars, the venue is loading up on homegrown talent.
Raw Blow’s single, “Purple Haze,” samples without so much as a “‘scuse me”
Though T. Glitter is conceptually influenced by the copious amounts of hip-hop he listens to, the record sounds like it belongs at a really wild sock-hop.
Savage Love
I’m a 21-year-old woman with bi-curious tendencies who’s been in a committed relationship for four years. He’s sweet and kind. We share a lot of interests and get along very well. Thing is, for the past year and a half, I’ve been thinking about what things would be like with another man. I also frequently…
