Nicholas Stoller’s hilarious Neighbors splashes into summer with the satisfying swish-plop-hooray of a winning beer pong serve, making the director, who also wrote March’s Muppets Most Wanted, the first filmmaker in history to simultaneously have in theaters both a kiddie flick and an R-rated comedy where two men sword-fight with…
Although it’s based on the true story of the illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy captain and an enslaved African woman, Amma Asante’s Belle’s richest inspiration comes from a painting. A 1779 double portrait hanging at Scone Palace in Scotland, it shows a pretty blond teenager decked out in typical…
Dear Trio of People Sitting on the Aisle of the Third Row on Opening Night of Arizona Theater Company’s Venus in Fur, Fuck you. I’m certain you don’t care, but you very nearly destroyed what would have otherwise been a rare evening of theater for those of us seated near…
Jason Baldwin had already been in prison for several years when his friend Mojo shook him awake at 2:30 one morning. “My first thought was, ‘I hope he’s not taking me for an escape, because I don’t want to get killed,'” Baldwin recalls. Instead, Mojo led him without explanation to…
Until Beyoncé comes out with a premium cerveza of her own, we have AZ Girls’ Pint Out getting the word out to the ladies about the finer points of ales, lagers, and porters. The brew crew celebrates four years of gathering gals to quaff craft beer throughout the Valley on…
Calm down, gurl. Yes, this year Kathy Griffin won a long-awaited Grammy for a comedy album, which has a title quite similar to the advice we’ve just given you. But that doesn’t mean she’s taking a load off with a box of wine. Although, we’re sure her mom, lovable and…
It’s going to be big year for Big Brain Award winner Orange Theatre. The experimental performing troupe that won a Best Of Award for its 2013 production of Blood Wedding is taking on new multimedia projects in a new performance space. To kick things off it’s throwing its Second Annual…
Some places just look better at night. Vegas, for instance — the flashing bulbs and neon, gaudy and impotent during the day, turn the city into a luminous playground once the sun sets. The Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza, too, is more lovely at night, and has the added benefit of…
If you can imagine a sport that combines the brutality of the NHL with the recklessness of NASCAR, only with more fisticuffs, more collisions, and a lot more mascara, you might be imagining the Arizona Rollergirls. Somehow these flat-track speed demons package all that brutish beauty into each of their…
Thanks to Mother’s Day, we get an annual reminder of where we came from but where did we all come from? The Encyclopedia Show AZ tackles creation myths on Sunday, May 11.Whether your preferred origin of humankind starts in complete darkness like in Genesis or involves, say, the world as…
Presenting Shakespeare is always a tricky thing. Does the famous bard’s centuries-old work get updated, or is a prim and proper approach best? In the case of Class 6 Theatre’s vision, Shakespeare merely acts as guide and jumping off place. Believed to have been written in 1599, Julius Caesar gets…
David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, A Devil Inside, Fuddy Meers, Wonder of the World) might be the darling of Phoenix theaters and audiences alike because his absurd works and his heart-wrenching dramas alike feature hypernatural dialogue and distinctive, complex characters, all of which illustrate how life is simultaneously a bitch and…
Dave Coulier might not be as handsome as Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) or as put together as Bob Saget’s Danny Turner, but his portrayal of Uncle Joey on the 1990s sitcom Full House is not too far from his stand-up: family-friendly, goofy, and slightly all over the place.The 55-year-old comedian…
He probably didn’t plan it, but Matt Williams picked a great time to leave Arizona. Williams was part of the Arizona Diamondbacks — as either a player, partial owner, or coach — for every year of the franchise’s existence up until last October when he took the job as manager…
Public speaking takes a lot of balls, we’ll admit. It can be emotional, rewarding, and nausea inducing all at once. First timers and practiced hands alike, Practical Art is giving you a chance to speak your mind.The gallery-store hybrid features more than 100 statewide artists of all media. On Tuesday,…
The fast-rising, hard-charging, 20-something, North Carolina born-and-bred singer Nikki Hill has more than earned her evocative “Southern Fireball” moniker. This African-American rock & roll sister trades in resolutely old-school soul and R&B, and she does so with stunning measures of heat, grace and impressively flawless vocal technique. Hill’s vivid atmospherics,…
Phoenix artists and art lovers, take note: The 2014 Contemporary Forum artist grant recipients and the mid-career artist award winner will be announced at Phoenix Art Museum during An Evening with Colin Chillag on Wednesday, May 14. But not before the arts organization, which works with PAM to support contemporary…
Although citrus season has come and gone, one of the most exciting season for picking your own produce is just starting. That’s right, peach season is back, and Schnepf Farms is kicking off the juicy affair with a Peach Festival on Saturday, May 10.As if in a scene from Forrest…
People who’d never enjoy pornography (or admit it, anyway) proudly consume erotica with an intellectual sheen. Hence the sophisticated crowds flocking to the first week of Arizona Theatre Company’s Venus in Fur, continuing through Sunday, May 18. Wonder what some of ’em had on under those nice suits and gowns.David…
School may be out, but the summer exhibitions are just getting started. As the academic year comes to a close, artistic hopefuls will be showing off their higher-learning art skills for a chance to feature their work at R. Pela Gallery in Phoenix. The “Summer Juried Graduate Exhibition” will offer…
Perhaps you know the difference between a bat-wing and a bishop sleeve, but you’ve got nothing on Dennita Sewell. Phoenix Art Museum’s curator of fashion design will host a summertime series covering the history of fashion from the 18th century’s intricate pieces to today’s most notable designers…
Phoenix native Kendra Szabo is a woman of many talents, with a style to match. The 21-year-old journalism and justice studies is set to graduate from Arizona State University this month, and she’s well on her way to turning her hobbies into a career…
