Friday, November 20, 2009
There are several life lessons to be absorbed while enjoying the annual Scrooge vs. Marley saga, but the key to Dickens's holiday jewel is the process of showing compassion to fellow humans. Remember that old New Orleans barroom advice: Be Nice Or Go Home. Trinity Rep's take on A Christmas Carol will remind its audiences of such sentiments. "No one has written a better Christmas story that resonates on a basic human level - and does so with universal appeal," says director Birgitta Victorson. "I think there's so much about this that people need to see, especially in these economic times, to be reminded that life isn't about having money or not having money. At the end of the day, it's just about being the most loving, caring, compassionate person that you can be." It's said that the production is going to include a blizzard or two, as well as a "spectacle of light and sound." Timothy Crowe is at center stage this year, bringing Scrooge's guilt, horror, and redemption to the fore. The show is at 201 Washington Street, Providence, through December 27 | $65-$40 | 401.351.4242
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ARTS
Friday, November 20, 2009
The prospects for local pup-petry entertainment have become much wider since the Blood From A Turnip sessions began. Perishable Theatre, 95 Empire Street, Providence, makes a space for the productions each month, and this time around Emmy Bean brings an array of ideas to the downcity stage. The teacher and performer lives in Western Massachusetts, and she has received accolades for previous pieces such as "War Bride," "The Snow Queen," and "Stiles Under Sky." The evening's fare is rounded out with presentations by Zach Dorn and Karen Klimovsky, and musical interludes by Baby Oil. Showtime is 10 pm | $5 | 401.331.2695
Filed under:
ARTS
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Lucy Kaplansky always creates a few goosepimples when she strides onto a local stage. Whether interpreting Johnny Cash or Roxy Music, her rather meticulous modern tunes are geared to bring poignancy to the foreground. She'll return to Stone Soup Coffeehouse, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 50 Park Place, Pawtucket. Patrick Fitzsimmons opens at 8 pm | $20 | 401.921.5115
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MUSIC
Saturday, November 21, 2009
If a record shows up and it sports two of your favorite songs ever, you might be predisposed to digging it. That's the case with the latest disc by the Sweetback Sisters, a trio of singers that works the western side of the street. On Chicken Ain't Chicken (Signature Sounds), the ladies harmonize on Roger Miller's "My Uncle Used To Love Me but She Died" and J.B. Coats's "The Sweetest Gift." These nuggets are essayed between songs about swinging lariats, roosting poles, trashy bars, and trains coming down the line. There's something a tad too cutesy about the twang they create, but there's also something fun about that cutesiness. Get ready for some rootsy pleasure pop at the Common Fence Point Community Hall, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth at 8 pm | $20 | 401.683.5085
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MUSIC
Sunday, November 22, 2009
There's still some debate over the Ethel and Julius Rosenberg case, as well as the final, damning testimony of Ethel's brother, David Greenglass. Robert Meeropol, the Rosenberg's son, and his daughter Jenn, put their energies toward turning the family tragedy around; at the Rosenberg Fund For Children, they support the offspring of any social justice worker who has lost his or her livelihood due to their politics. The Meeropols will come to the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence, to explain their ongoing work and to screen The Brother Who Sent His Sister To The Electric Chair, a French doc about the 1953 execution. David will also speak about and sign his memoir of the tragedy at 1:30 pm | 401.861.8800
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FILM
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Enjoying the greenest buds, searching for his inner Captain (Morgan), flaunting his Mario Kart skills and making out with baby sitters - Asher Roth doesn't waste much time explaining himself on the giggle-inducing Asleep In the Bread Aisle (SRC), a CD that helped kick off the summer of '09 in a big way but scurried off into the shadows rather quickly. Maybe the vivid rhymes of the much-ballyhooed "I Love College" weren't enough to keep the ball rolling. Flaunting the party boy persona of digging Thirsty Thursdays, naked girls, and non-stop beer pong, Roth avoided academia and stressed the social scene. This twentysomething from the Philly burbs just loves to fight for his right to party. I bet he has a few fans that can flow along to the entire set when he gets to the University of Rhode Island's Edwards Auditorium, Upper College Road, Kingston, at 8 pm | $17 | ticketmaster.com
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MUSIC
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Karan Casey made the right move with last year's Ships In the Forest. The Irish singer, whose star has been on the rise since leaving Solas several years ago, put her voice up front on a number of ballads. The result was stark, but rich - Casey's quiver is chock-full with sentiment, and her lilting emotions were made quite obvious with the program's minimal instrumental background. She is unitingn with an ensemble called Buille for a handful of US dates; her stop at the Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad Street, Cumberland, is her only New England date on this tour | 8 pm | $24 | 401.725.9272 | riverfolk.org
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MUSIC
Monday, November 23, 2009
Pop music fiends know that Girl Talk, aka radical remix specialist Gregg Gillis, has not only brought pleasure to innumerable sets of headphones, but controversy to the sampling conversation. Deconstructing various tracks to build a new one is not only the Girl Talk signature, but a process scrutinized by filmmaker Brett Gaylor in his film RiP: a remix manifesto. The celebrated doc looks into the issue of copyright infringement, and wonders whether "the copyright law has become an outdated model that profits big entertainment businesses that own the art rather than to the artists themselves," according to the University of Rhode Island. RiP uses Gillis's provocative art as one of its talking points. "The film is both fun and provocative for anyone interested in music, cinema, contemporary culture, copyright law, and larger issues of who owns cultural history or intellectual property," says Jean Walton, a URI professor of English who teaches a course on movie manifestos. The director, who urges participants to remix the film itself (head to opensourcecinema.org for the specifics), will screen the doc and speak about his work at Swan Hall, 60 Upper College Road, Kingston, at 7 pm | Free | uri.edu/news
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FILM
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
You might recall him as Cactus Jack or Dude Love. Some fans surely regard him as "The Hardcore Legend." Mick Foley is known to wear many hats. Several larger-than-life guys have that going for 'em; that's how their reputations grow so extensively. The famed ex-wrestler and best-selling author is a witty jamoke who designed stunt after stunt to make a mark in the sweaty world of TV rasslin'. Perhaps you recall his commercial for Chef Boyardee or his slot on the celeb run of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? He's an expounder who happens to be an ex-pounder, and when he and his sock puppet pal arrive at the Comedy Connection, 39 Warren Ave, East Providence, silliness will be in the air for sure. Shows are at 8 and 10:15 pm | $50 | 401.438.8383 | ricomedyconnection.com
Filed under:
THEATER
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A wealth of golden wishbones hanging together as if their cumulative power could fulfill one massive request. A blackboard filled with an artist's name, as if the answers to any problem could be found by merely declaring one's existence. Claudia Flynn readjusts common items to help them resonate anew. "Transforming their use and meaning into a broader context" is how the Community College of Rhode Island's Knight Campus Art Gallery puts it. Flynn's recent work hangs in an exhibit titled "Mythos + Pathos," which includes portraits made with nail polish and an array of mixed-media sculptures. "Making art comes from a primal need for creative expression in a modern world, the integration of self in a fractured society, and a need for a resurgence of storytelling," she says. The show runs through the 28th in Room 3500, 400 East Avenue, Warwick | ccri.edu
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ART
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Like many other interested parties, I've been roaming through the new Beatles collections, trying to see where the differences between the original LPs and the latest remasters lie. There are many OMG moments - the clarity and presence of a John lead vocal or a George and Paul background harmony can generate a jaw drop or two. No question: there's a rich payoff when you take the Beatles ultra-seriously. Tribute shows like Rain have been doing this for years. Hit their Web site and you'll hear that from "Can't Buy Me Love" to "When I'm Sixty Four," their echoes are damned close to the real deal. All hopped up on Beatlemania part deux? Here's an intriguing way to dive in deeper. Spin Sgt. Pepper's on Turkey Day to get psyched for their performances at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street, from November 27-29 | $60-$33 | 401.421.ARTS | ppacri.org
Filed under:
MUSIC
