The spirit of our age walks on prosthetic limbs. Of course, humanity has always been fascinated by amputees. But whereas prosthetics were once a sign of creepiness, from Captain Ahab […]
Arts & Entertainment
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On The Beat: Old school’s back in session
By the time that you are reading this column, the annual Mission Creek Festival will be less than a month away, a sign that spring is beginning to rear its head and musicians are getting back on the road. This is a benefit to everyone and means that many artists with a wide variety of backgrounds and approaches to music will be making visits over the coming weeks.
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The Stage: The month in theatre
For fans of the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde that can’t be satisfied by merely watching it on cable practically every day, the only remedy is to “bend and snap” their way to see Theatre Cedar Rapids’ production of Legally Blonde: The Musical. This live version incorporates songs into the story of how sorority girl Elle Woods tries to win back her ex-boyfriend by attending Harvard Law School. Along the way she finds a purpose in life, makes new friends and proves that an encyclopedic knowledge of hair care products might come in handy someday. The show runs March 1-23. Tickets are available online at theatrecr.org. Just sit back, relax and try not to think about how Elle from the original movie is almost ready to celebrate her 10-year law school reunion.
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Watch: Megan Buick on Little Village Live
Megan Buick performing during a special Valentines Day episode of Little Village Live.
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Interview with Iris DeMent
In October of 2012, Iris DeMent released her first new album of original songs after 16 years. The album—Sing the Delta, which DeMent maintained complete creative control over by releasing on her own record label—is an utterly personal work, drawing influence from her upbringing with gospel music and telling stories with her distinctive literary voice. It is a masterpiece of American literature as much as a timeless album of country folk. DeMent sat down with Little Village to talk about her career, her new album, songwriting, moving to Iowa and her upcoming Mission Creek Fetival show at the Englert Theatre.
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The Final Haulin’ Ass: Rule Number 3
The lady was my kind of damsel, with the only distress showing in her skinny jeans. She wore black hair chopped at the shoulders over a smart cut of leather jacket. Lady also wore on her married finger a glasscutter big as a hummingbird. A mom with tweens, I casually guessed, but by all appearances still built for speed.
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Iowa City Weekender: March 14-16
(To be read in a deep radio voice.) Looking for something different to do this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out the work of an accomplished local filmmaker, try some sumptuous scotch and witness world-class comedy. Come on in.
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The Tube: Social television connects us to content, but not each other
A couple weeks ago, a professor said to me, “Since you’re a TV person, you are used to watching stuff alone.” For a few minutes I freaked out about potentially being this sad loner screening television shows on Saturday nights without anyone to talk to. But more important than this statement inspiring ridiculous neurosis, I began to wonder whether this was actually the case about television watching.
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Screenshot: Revelations from the Abyss
To my mind, the best director in contemporary Hollywood—for our purposes, let’s say post-Star Wars (1977)—is the Dutch import Paul Verhoeven. While Verhoeven was working in the United States he gave us trashy, excessive Hollywood films we could sink our teeth into. More than that, if you look closely at these ostensibly paradigmatic examples of Hollywood’s deleterious product (e.g. Showgirls (1995)), Verhoeven was also the most subversive of genre auteurs, directing the spectacle back in at itself, parodying the absurdity of U.S. culture.
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University program creates groundbreaking plays via live stream technology
“Five American dollars will cure you of your ANGER! I am your Punching Bag!”
So begins Subway, a humorous short play by Qian Jue wherein two street hustlers–one Chinese; the other Japanese–squabble over how to best procure cash from distracted subway-goers, and with their status as immigrants in America.
Qian Jue is one of the many young playwrights commissioned by the International Writing Program (IWP) for Book Wings 2013 a collaborative theatre project which aims to connect theaters in America, China, and Russia through state-of-the-art videoconferencing software.
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Mission Creek Festival Spotlight: Pallbearer
Pallbearer brings their crushing brand of doom-metal to this year’s Mission Creek Festival for a show at Gabe’s on Thursday, April 4. Since the release last year of their first full-length studio album, Sorrow and Extinction, they have become one of the most well-respected metal acts in the country
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Show Preview: Valgeir Sigurðsson playing Englert Theatre on March 13
Valgeir Sigurðsson is an Icelandic composer, musician, producer and studio engineer. A lot of Americans will, like me, see his last name and think ‘Sigur Rós’ but that is probably one of the few Icelandic bands he hasn’t worked with. He has collaborated with Björk extensively, beginning with the Selmasongs, her album of songs for the soundtrack of the movie Dancer In The Dark.
