Category Archives: Entertainment

Dr. Jane Goodall Speaking At The Landmark Theater Tonight

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The last speaker for the 2013 season of the Richmond Forum is a good one.

In July 1960, at the age of 26, Jane Goodall traveled from England to what is today Tanzania and bravely entered the little-known world of wild chimpanzees. In the more than 50 years since, she has become an international icon, a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and a tireless advocate for environmental stewardship. Dr. Goodall will take us into the world of the Gombe chimpanzees, discuss the current threats facing the planet, and share her reasons for hope in these complex times.

Richmond Hostel Benefit Show Saturday

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If you have enjoyed the Vicarious Travelers Series at the Main Library, this may a good way to give back and check out some new local music:


From the Facebook event page:

$5 | 7PM Doors\\ 8PM music | ALL AGES

All proceeds go towards funding the Richmond Hostel and supporting the Richmond community.

HOSTELS ARE THE PLACE TO ROCK!!!! Come be a part of the FIRST EVER Richmond International Hostel at our FIRST EVER Benefit show!!

Enjoy local music talents, share your travel and hostel experiences, and mingle with the Richmond Hostel community! Most importantly, have fun while bringing the world to Richmond!!! Show your support because we need all the love and momentum RVA has to help this Hostel grow!!!!

Special Guests providing opening music @ 7:30

DIMPLES – (Kevin Parme)
http://dimples.bandcamp.com/
WOLF//GOAT
http://wolfgoatpride.bandcamp.com/album/in-watermelon-sugar
TIME MACHINES
http://timemachines.bandcamp.com/album/carpe-tm
NEGATIVE GEMINI
https://soundcloud.com/negativegemini
DAVE WATKINS
http://davewatkins.bandcamp.com/album/the-late-set-with-dave-watkins-and-matt-klimas

GALLERY 5: Inspire Creativity!
http://gallery5arts.org/newsitedesign/

Venture Richmond To Release Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday Cheers Schedule

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In exciting local entertainment news, the public/private partnership Venture Richmond announced plans to release their schedule for a new concert series that would take place every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday summer evening at their proposed new amphitheater.

While a full listing will not be available until Friday of this week, some of the bigger names that rumored to be part of this series include metal band Trixter, American Idol country singer Danny Gokey, rapper Machine Gun Kelly, goth rocker Marilyn Manson, hip hop’s Keyshia Cole, Nickelodeon’s Fresh Beat Band, and megastar David Bowie (supporting his new album). There were also hints that there would be multiple performances by ‘Center Stage Stars’, subsets of the Richmond Symphony that play at reduced rates (minimum wage). Local band “Six Sheets to the Wind”, which plays yacht rock’ from the ’70’s as well as ’90’s ‘skacore’ has been suggested as one of the opening bands, with more to be announced.

Oregon Hill residents were both enthralled and disturbed by the news. “WoooooHoooooo!” exclaimed VCU sophomore Rich Berry. In contrast, the Overlook Condo Association immediately released a statement in protest, mainly due to sound concerns. “This goes against the deal”, said one Overlook resident who wished to remain anonymous. In response, a Venture Richmond said that “While it is true we told Overlook residents we would not host Friday Cheers at the amphitheater, that was before the Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday Cheers series was developed.”

In other news, the City government announced a plan to raise admission taxes and release new nightclub restrictions.

Oregon Hill Featured In ‘Deleted Scenes’ On ‘Lincoln’ DVD

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The movie ‘Lincoln’ continues to spark conversation. While many Oregon Hill residents were delighted to see their neighbor Silver Persinger portray a statesman in the Congressional scenes of the movie ‘Lincoln’ (including clips seen during the televised Academy Awards), some were were surprised to see the neighborhood itself featured in the ‘Deleted Scenes’ portion of the recently-released, best-selling ‘Lincoln’ DVD.

Oregon Hill resident Silver Persinger as Congressman listening to Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens

The 2 1/2 minute scene happens outside of 324 S. Pine Street (where Vinyl Conflict record store is today). In it, Union spies are briefly exchanging information on the sidewalk before entering the storefront/house structure, which in the movie represents a bordello. Of course, in real life, 324 S. Pine Street has had an interesting history as a dry-goods store.

In the ‘Director’s Commentary’, Spielberg does not say too much about the scene, other than it was a relatively quick shot at night. Along with the Bread Riot scene, and Lincoln looking over the captured Tredeger Iron Works, the Pine Street scene was not considered vital to the plot and cut. In the DVD liner notes, there is mention that these cut scenes might be recycled for the upcoming bio-pic “Jeff Davis”.

‘Les Mis’

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“Les Misérables” runs March 26-31 at the Landmark Theater.

Style magazine featured an interview with actor Andrew Varela this past week. An excerpt:

Based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, the popular musical follows the lives of the proletariat in post-Napoleonic France. Weaving through uprisings, tuberculosis and poverty, Claude-Michel Schönberg’s emotive and melodious score has entertained American audiences since it first crossed the pond in 1987. The show comes to the Landmark Theater next week.

Though audiences may be familiar with the show through last year’s film adaptation, Varela says there’s nothing like seeing the musical as it was meant to be performed. And for those familiar with the stage version, this production is quite different from the original ’87 staging.

“We had a meeting with Cameron [Mackintosh, the musical’s producer] about doing the show in a much more modern way,” director Laurence Connor says. “I think the original production was quite an eclectic sort of production. It was very theatrical, and it was quite romantic in many ways. We took a slightly more realistic approach. [It’s] a bit grittier in places.”

This production eschews the minimalist sets and features new costumes and orchestrations. It also does away with the show’s signature rotating stage, a revolutionary set piece in all senses of the word in 1987. Instead, today’s musical uses high-definition projectors and plays off some of Hugo’s illustrations.

“It is every bit as powerful musically as the original,” Connor says, “it’s just a different way of telling the story.”

Crisis of a Country: A U.S. Civil War Musical Retrospective This Friday

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From event description:

March 14, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. This work by student composer Allen Wittig will be performed by the combined forces of the VCU Orchestra and Commonwealth Singers at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts. The concert will be conducted by Maestro Daniel Myssyk, augmented by the Williamsburg Choral Guild and narrated by Christy Coleman, president of the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar. Free to VCU students with ID; $7 in advance, $10 on the day of performance for non-VCU students. For tickets, visit www.showclix.com/events/1320.