3/294/19 The Herberger Theater’s got a mouse in the house, but there’s no need to break out the traps. Not only is this rodent a well-regarded literary figure, but she’s got a knack for accessorizing. Childsplay’s stage adaptation of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, based on Kevin Henkes’ popular children’s book,…
4/14/10 The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the end of many forms of human suffering from the dark veil of communism to the comedy of Yakov Smirnoff. Unfortunately, it also marked the end of one of the most fascinating eras of art in the 20th century: the…
3/273/30 Like so many inspirational success stories, José Jalapeño has turned liability into laughter. A beloved character of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, the pepper has been stuck “on a stick” his comic catch phrase since his county fair pogo routine took a turn for the tragic.”Señor Dunham tinks I am funny,”…
I couldn’t help but scoff. A friend had forwarded me a notice about “Art & Society,” a new lecture series taking place at Arizona State University, and the kickoff event sounded too precious by half. For one thing, there was the setting: brunch at a posh resort, the Grayhawk Golf…
If there’s a flaw in August Wilson’s Jitney, it’s that it bends the rule that says there are no easy resolutions in modern drama. Wilson, in his desire to present proactive plays about black solidarity, ties up too neatly the heartbreak and calamity in the lives of the cab drivers…
War, as it turns out, is good for absolutely nothing when it comes to anti-war songs. At the risk of sounding like Bill O’Reilly (who, no doubt, listens only to Wagner), it’s time to protest the protesters, most of whom are blowin’, all right, just not in the wind. The…
She’s talented. She’s hopeful. She’s from Phoenix. And she might very well be the next voice you hear in country music, if the USA Network has anything to say about it. Tasha Valentine, Phoenix’s very own honky-tonk gal, has landed a role on Nashville Star, the latest in the parade…
In the hit Armageddon, our planet big mother, source of life and self is threatened by Ben Affleck and other calamitous horrors, with the movie commanding attention through fear. The converse now arrives in The Core, wherein the mama herself goes terminally nasty on the inside because of the careless…
It’s hard to believe they were originally going to release Basic before bombs started falling over Baghdad; if it isn’t the worst movie of 2003 so far, it’s only because I haven’t seen Boat Trip. Now, in the shadow of smoke rising from the rubble in Iraq, it’s even more…
People in different parts of the world take pride in their local specialties, especially if they have a high alcohol content. So in the Southwest, with our proximity to Mexico, it’s practically patriotic to knock back some mighty fine tequila, which takes its place in the pantheon of world libations…
Thursday, March 27 Seductive silver-screen siren Mae West is the obsession at the heart of Dirty Blonde, the latest production from Arizona Theatre Company, which begins previews with an 8 p.m. show on Thursday, March 27. Snippets of the Hollywood bombshell’s career are interspersed with the tale of a budding…
Because April is National Poetry Month, it seems only appropriate to look to our poet laureate, Billy Collins, for thoughts on poetry and art in general: Then I blinked and moved on to other American scenes of haystacks, water whitening over rocks, even one of a brown hare who seemed…
I’ve often admired playwright Michael Grady’s work, and Nearly Naked Theatre has staged some of the best theater I’ve seen in the last couple of years. Imagine my surprise and disappointment to discover a subpar production of Grady’s Baylin’s Monster at Nearly Naked last weekend. It seemed like a perfect…
You can’t take it with you, but you can have it made into a sparkly hat pin and Scottsdale businessman Bill Sefton can prove it. After his 27-year-old daughter Valerie died last September of Hodgkin’s disease, Sefton had her ashes converted into diamonds by a Chicago-based company called LifeGem, which…
Lawrence Kasdan directs and co-writes (with William Goldman) Dreamcatcher, the latest addition to the Stephen King adaptation genre, currently at 74, including film and TV, and counting. Taking the Internet Movie Database as a source, this puts King handily ahead of Michael Crichton (23) and Bram Stoker (38), closing in…
He’s charming, yes. Humble and loyal. But who is Piglet, really? As the modern world violently shifts beneath our feet, it’s time to reexamine this diminutive representative of “the other white meat” and all the archetypal denizens of classic children’s author A.A. Milne’s Hundred-Acre Wood. The release of Piglet’s BIG…
One of the biggest problems a dance troupe faces is financial support. When funding does come through, artistic content for the troupe’s season can be dictated by the sponsoring patrons, leaving little room for new and experimental work. But Michael Uthoff, former director of Ballet Arizona, has formed a new…
Thursday, March 20Phoenix International Raceway throws a huge party in honor of this weekend’s IRL IndyCar Series races Thursday, March 20, when it hosts the Tempe Speedfest at Tempe Beach Park. Motor on over to this free festival starting at 5 p.m., when Valley gear heads will gather for live…
Carlton Enoch, executive producer and creative force behind the locally filmed cable variety show Off the Hook, is a man of big dreams and stalwart confidence. “A whole lot of faith,” he laughs, is what motivates a visionary with grand plans for his entertainment product to launch from of all…
“There are moments at these events where you get the feeling that the world just couldn’t get any more perfect,” says Lon Austin, a principal organizer of the Folk Traditions Music Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, March 22 and 23, at Encanto Park. The festival is the 13th such…
Sun 3/23Some people are so set in their ways. For example, there are those who still believe that football, baseball, basketball and hockey are the four major sports in America. But if we were to vote on a national pastime today, it likely would have nothing to do with baseball…
Sat 3/22 Having trouble getting the little ones into learning mode? The Deer Valley Rock Art Center is making Arizona Archaeology Month accessible for kids. The Children’s Rock Art Expo on Saturday, March 22, explains rock art and archeological discoveries while showcasing Sonoran Desert vegetation and wildlife. Kids (and their…
