Everybody has a soft spot (pun intended) for the floppy, colorful characters in the “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” exhibit, a traveling show that begins its Southwestern première engagement on Saturday, December 15, at Arizona Museum for Youth, 35 North Robson Street in Mesa. The exhibition combines fascinating fun with reverence…
Everybody has a soft spot (pun intended) for the floppy, colorful characters in the “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” exhibit, a traveling show that begins its Southwestern première engagement on Saturday, December 15, at Arizona Museum for Youth, 35 North Robson Street in Mesa. The exhibition combines fascinating fun with reverence…
We were changed forever by Stevie Wonder’s 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. The romantic nostalgia that evoked our personal stuff. The social commentary that wedded hope to despair. The music — mmmm. Black Poet Ventures celebrates Wonder’s wonder with Conversations in the Key of Life. Arizona poets…
Mmm, December in the Valley: The distinctive aroma of brown cloud. Holiday shoppers bundled up in T-shirts and flip-flops. The rumble, rumble, clack of festive skateboards at the “Sk8 Deck the Halls” art show. “There’s going to be a huge mixture of people showing there, from all different types of…
Had enough of Tiny Tim and that crazy Nutcracker? Get back to basics with American Pastorela: The Shepherds’ Odyssey, presented by Colores Actors-Writers Workshop. “The pastorela in Mexico evolved to comment on the power structure and the events of the day,” says playwright James Garcia. “I used to do a…
When we were kids, we’d stare closely at newspaper photos until we saw the uniform black-and-white dots pop out. Or approach the TV screen to admire the beensy red, green, and blue rectangles. Artist Devorah Sperber specializes in the eye-brain miracle that makes images out of dots and pixels –…
Jesus was born, some other stuff happened, and we wound up with Sister, the feisty, habit-clad heroine of Late Nite Catechism, Late Nite Catechism II: Sometimes We Feel Guilty Because We Are Guilty, and, yes, Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold. “You get to know Sister more…
If your inner Cindy Lou Who is craving an electric parade, Santa’s arrival, fireworks, and a massive tree, then donate a can of food for parking and be in place for opening night of the annual APS Fantasy of Lights. The Mill Avenue District, a sparkly, sometimes-crazed wonderland from now…
Amid feverish preparations for the Arizona Derby Dames League Championship, a few of the rollergirls speak to a cautiously adoring public:Sally Whacker of the Brutal Beauties: “We’re good enough friends that we can really mess with each other, and the crowd loves it.”Ginger Mortis, Coffin Draggers: “We’re like the bad…
Yes! in my backyard. That’s the message behind the third annual Certified Local! Fall Festival, an activist fair highlighting local entrepreneurs who are doing it for themselves. So what’s in store? Stacy Bertinelli of the event’s organizer, Local First Arizona, says: “You can get a jump on your holiday shopping…
If your Netflix queue is woefully lacking in Russian constructivist takes on American expressionist high-technophobic allegories, here’s ASU Theatre to the rescue with Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal. The play is based on the true story of Ruth Snyder, the calculating killer who conspired to murder her husband in 1927 — providing…
Those show-biz types — writers, performers, carnies — they just plain make up a lot of stuff. Shameful! So when Citrus Valley Playhouse creator Brian Nissen mentions LOCUBTZPIVVL (Lack of Connection und Belonging to Ze Place in Vich Ve Live) Syndrome — a sociological phenomenon first observed by Dr. Dieter…
Tawni Shuler’s childhood on a Wyoming farm laid the foundation for her way of seeing and painting. “It’s very empty,” says the artist, “and you think that it’s very still, and yet there are all these small things occurring, all these decompositions, and things are growing — this huge place…
Okkervil River’s new release, The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar), was created with an eye to fun and frivolity (per notes from songwriting frontman Will Sheff). Lucky us! ‘Cause the lyrics — featuring suicidal poets and porn stars, burned-out man-children and their shut-down lovers — could really harsh one’s mellow otherwise. Musically,…
Even world-class artists have to pay bills, especially if they choose to be grown-ups with families and stuff. David Borders served in the Army, got his master’s, and spent decades teaching others. “The contact with students is both stimulating and frustrating, from the point of view that my studio is…
“I picked it up, sat down on my couch, and didn’t put it down until I finished.” A pint of Cherry Garcia? No; Random House editor Michelle Frey is referring to Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature, whose high school heroine is plunged into a science-versus-faith controversy. Arizona author…
You know us. We gotta snark that SpaceFest 2007 features not only autograph opportunities with Apollo/Gemini astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Scott Carpenter, but also a meet-and-greet with Richard Hatch (not the winner of the first season of Survivor) from Battlestar Galactica (not a real spaceship). That’s right, Richard freaking Hatch…
Book of Days may be many things, including “society’s fear of the truth,” according to director Jack White, but it’s not about our nation’s current geezer-blasting, secret-keeping veep, because Lanford Wilson wrote it a while ago, okay? The production sheds light on the circumstances of a small-town hunting accident through…
May we channel your mom for a sec? You’re hmmmty-hmm years old, and it’s time to say goodbye to those slimy reptiles, filthy warthogs, and poo-flinging primates — at least until next year. This is your last chance ´til summer ´08 to cool off at Phoenix Zoo’s Starry Safari, an…
Coupla weeks back, the Arizona Diamondbacks broadcast team coined the moniker “Bratstock” for a four-day series in Milwaukee. When Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, and the Atlanta Braves visit our snakemen for a three-game series, maybe they should call it “Taco Stand.” Want a nice, cold Mexican beer to wash that…
Humor is like beer. You could slam the same brew day after day — but new flavors, though scary, can rock. Such are the pleasures of “Blar Lar Lar,” an evening of comedy and music presented by Light Rail Pirates. “The idea,” says LRP’s Jacque Arend, “is to incorporate music…
When U.S. Marine Jason Santa Maria returned to Iraq for a second tour of duty, his brother Chris “felt that the chance of losing him or of him getting hurt had increased tenfold. I’m used to being able to protect him.” Fraternal anxiety led to a bonding haircut: “I had…
