The renowned Hubbard Street Dance Chicago continues pushing the envelope.
This divine comedy is filled with highly stylized gesture, sight gags, a bit of gender-bending and, throughout, a delicious chain of bodies forming patterns of musical notes on a page.
Benjamin Bagby reanimates Beowulf
There’s no absolute way of knowing how a Dark Ages bard really sounded while spinning his web of meter and verse.
The Good German
The Good German is so intent on imitating classical film style that it pays no attention to the internal workings of the piece.
Manfred Honeck to direct the Pittsburgh Symphony
I saw my precious tickets to Elysium float away on the wings of a dream.
Out of Africa
“When people in America have seen what’s going on in Sudan,” a former “Lost Boy” says, “then there’s a way we can make peace.”
The Skin of Our Teeth
In The Skin of Our Teeth, the theatrical conceits Wilder uses are probably as dazzling as when the show debuted, in 1942.
Man Push Cart
Bahrani employs a deceptively loose documentary style; only upon reflection do you realize how carefully constructed his film is.
The Muckle Man
I don’t know whether The Muckle Man has been workshopped too much or not enough. I do think that what’s onstage probably isn’t what anyone had in mind.
A spoon inspector and head-banger Barbie highlight Film Kitchen.
“When I go to make movies, I can’t seem to make anything dramatic or scary, but I can do ridiculous,” says Douglas.
Bug
Everybody in Bug is really messed up and everything’s really sick — a typical Saturday night around my house.
Dynamo Sound Collective: Edinboro’s haven for experimental music
“If there are little points of light everywhere, at least it’s better than the enveloping darkness.”
Vinegar Tom
Caryl Churchill is one of my favorite playwrights, but after seeing the University of Pittsburgh production of Vinegar Tom I spent the rest of the night reminding myself why.
The Carnegie’s Gritty Brits offers keen architectural minds at work.
David Adjaye’s Dirty House exemplifies the works that install refinement into rough streets in transition.
Quantum Theatre laces up a revisionist The Red Shoes.
To emphasize the absurdity of the fable, Boos wanted the dancing to define the show — by being even more sinful.
Letters To The Editor: Feb 7 – 14
Opposing the war machine … Bill Dorsey is due
Unwelcome Contributions in Mayor’s Race
This year’s mayoral campaign is shaping up to be ugly. But there may be at least some common ground between the candidates. Backers of City Councilor Bill Peduto say the incumbent, Luke Ravenstahl, has little support outside the local Democratic Party machine. Backers of Ravenstahl, meanwhile, sneer that Peduto has little support outside the affluent…
Smallman Street Deli
A blackboard offers a dizzying array of offerings, including butcher-cut meats and cold cuts to go, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you show up without a specific item in mind, be prepared to spend some time taking it all in.
Savage Love
I’ve been married to my husband for two years and have been with him for four. I’m a little dominant, but beyond that nothing too out there. My husband, on the other hand, is a diaper-loving, transvestite adult baby. I’ve done everything I can to make him realize that while I’m not into his kink,…
Silver Eye’s photo exhibit Multiple Entry Visa takes a knowing tourist’s view of Vietnam.
The tour that Chen chooses to guide us through is one of attractions: a package excursion to parks and beaches and venues safe, clean and artificial.
Because I Said So
Nothing about this silly outing, with its coy little sex jokes, editorializing dogs and huge frosted cakes always on the move, rings true. (Capsule review.)
Farce of the Penguins
Depending on your tastes, Bob Saget’s full-length, pervasively profane parody of the award-winning nature film is either comic genius or ornithological sacrilege.
North Side Death Still Mourned — and Mysterious
Family and friends believe the five-year-old case is an unsolved homicide — and say they continue to miss Jamie Stickle.
God Grew Tired Of Us
Christopher Quinn’s straightforward documentary follows the latter-day journeys of three orphaned Sudanese “Lost Boys” granted new lives in the U.S. (Capsule review.)
Warming Trend for Pitt Basketball
It happens every year: On the coldest day of a Western Pennsylvania winter, some wiseacre will ask, “Cold enough for you?” I always want to respond, “No, I’d like it to reach absolute zero so my kidneys shrink to the size of stale JuJuBe’s on the way to my car.” Instead, I nod politely and…
Building Green To Get Push — But How?
What incentive is needed, and what will work, to encourage green developments?
The Last Sin Eater
Somewhere between the pretty scenery and the mish-mash of bad accents, there’s the bones of a better story. (Capsule review.)
Local Politics Goes to the Blogs
Ready or not, bloggers have begun to shape the mayor’s race and beyond
God and Country Clash at Gitmo
Islam was abused for detainees, says former Army chaplain once jailed himself.
The Messengers
Co-directors Oxide and Danny Pang manage a few nervy moments, but mostly reach for cheap jump-out scares and hokey misdirection. (Capsule review.)
Ill Defined
Blogs aren’t the only front in the online wars. Since late December, multiple people have been changing Luke Ravenstahl’s Wikipedia entry to disparage his political connections — or even claim that he died. “It looks like somebody is working through some personal issues,” says Chris Griswold of Friendship, a 27-year-old administrator of the Internet encyclopedia.…
Pittsburgh N’@
From http://homepage.mac.com/chadhermann/iblog/index.html (Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman): Even though the great Boston Lite Brite Scare turned out to be a big, stupid hoax, we must all still be vigilant. If we relax, or if we allow ourselves to become too complacent, then we will increase the chances that the terrorists will win. So if we see, let’s…
This Just In: Feb 7 – Feb 14
Highlights from the local TV news.
Discourse Without the Dis
“Well, it has been an interesting blog week here for sure, and I have kept a promise to myself to stay out of blog-topic #1, as funny or sad as it is. I am sure I will have more thoughts on public transit soon.” — post by Chris Briem on his blog Null Space, Feb.…
J.James brings the Lovesexy back
What’s he supposed to sing about — global politics and contemporary philosophy?
A Conversation with Salvatore Patitucci
Born in Calabria, the south of Italy, Sal Patitucci came to the U.S. in 1960, at age 24. Though he worked on flood-plain projects for the Army Corps of Engineers, his real avocation was in the air — or, rather, on the air. “Radio Italia,” his Italian-language music and news program, has been aired on…
Singer-songwriter Mark Weakland reflects on the Golden Age
A country-rock groove and a rural, Western Pennsylvanian ethos.
Local jam band Jazzam steps onto the big stage
“I believe ‘jam band’ is a group of fans, a group of people who want to hear that kind of music.”
