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The 1992 telling of this anti-holiday tale on National Public Radio launched the career of author and commentator David Sedaris. His look at Christmas from the perspective of a verbally abused adult, one wearing the curly-toed shoes and green tights of a Macy’s Christmas Elf in New York City, is hilarious and uniquely Sedaris. Bryant-Lake … Read more

True life is the stuff of great art—an axiom put to great use in Inherit the Wind, a play loosely based upon the infamous Scopes “monkey trial.” Written in 1955, the script re-imagines the plight of John Scopes, the high school biology teacher who, in 1925, was famously prosecuted for teaching evolution theory. Both the … Read more

So maybe some of us do want sparkle and magic at the theater this time of year—and that’s OK! Especially if it’s done by Dolls frontman and master choreographer Myron Johnson, who playfully integrates old-fashioned ballroom dance and avant-garde compositions, giving his work an off-kilter texture. His throwback charms are well-suited for revitalizing a familiar … Read more

According to Japanese folklore, Taiko drums can carry the prayers of their players to heaven. As disciples of this tradition, this collection of drummers use enough force to wake the Samurai spirits who initiated this ritual. The annual Taiko Blizzard festival—featuring Mu Performing Arts’ Daiko drum core and the renowned Winnipeg-based Fubuki Daiko squad—blends pulsating … Read more

A welcome Christmas gift from Wes.If you measured the success of a film director by the number of cool actors who stand in line to work with him, Wes Anderson would surely win by a long shot. And why not? If you pay close attention, you quickly understand why a film like Rushmore or The … Read more

That eight-hundred-page bulge in many a geek’s stocking this year is Clarke’s first novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, whose titular characters are magicians who decide to redirect British history. Clarke’s incredibly detailed and ambitious work weaves real and imagined history, mythology, and period manners into a sly, often humorous narrative. Her book has been … Read more

Boehlke, the Jungle Theater’s artistic director, is currently hard at work reprising Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas’ radio play that takes place in Llareggub, a fictional Welch fishing village. Despite its name, which happens to be “bugger all” spelled backwards, Llareggub is a quaint, charming place where everyday folks just happen to speak in Thomas’ … Read more

My blood is just slightly tainted. I’ve never tried to hide my HIV-positive status, and I am, if anything, a little embarrassed by how useful I’ve found it. In my defense, one works with what is at hand—it’s not as if I sero-converted simply to get some good material. But then what? What can I … Read more

Though we usually tend toward the testosterone, we’ve been getting in touch with our feminine side around here lately. Manicures and massages, girl-power nights—we even broke in our new “Smart Women Make Changes” eraser by rubbing out the groveling ex. So we’re eager to see this theatrical take on the sexual revolution, blending fact and … Read more