The Last Five Years. This intimate two-person musical involves the breakup of a marriage. When Jamie and Cathy met in New York, he was an aspiring writer and she an actress. Success came for him fast, while she continued to inhabit the dreary, ego-pummeling world of auditions and summer stock —…
Fort Collins is somewhat off my beaten path. Like Colorado Springs, it’s more than an hour away, but Fort Collins doesn’t have a major art-exhibition venue comparable to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Last week, however, I made my way up there to be a juror for the 2008…
The name Walter Netsch isn’t a household one, but it should be, especially in Colorado, because he’s the man who designed the 1954-1964 Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, unquestionably among the most significant cycle of buildings in the country. At the time, Netsch was a partner at the prestigious…
Abstraction. A group of untitled abstracts by Ania Gola-Kumor launches this exhibit, which was organized by Sally Perisho. Gola-Kumor is little known around here; in fact, she could be called the best unknown artist in Denver, though she had her first show in town back in 1982. She’s represented here…
Trilogy Wine Bar and Lounge, a Boulder institution for eight years, changed ownership a couple of months ago, became the b.side lounge and underwent a renovation. So it’s appropriate that Fast Forward Press, known for its literary renovations, will release its annual collection of flash — or very short —…
The filmography of director Julie Taymor isn’t especially lengthy — just three features that played in cinemas (1999’s Titus, 2002’s Frida and 2007’s Across the Universe) plus a trio of made-for-TV projects released in the ’80s and early ’90s. However, Aspen Film executive director Laura Thielen feels that Taymor is…
There’s a lot of love on Colfax Avenue, especially inside the Neopolitan Gallery, where the Colfax Cruise Picture Show is currently on display. Brought to you by Taj Moore — the same guy who created ColfaxLove.com — this exhibit covers a day in the life of the very special place…
The dead will walk tonight when Film on the Rocks presents Shaun of the Dead, one of the finest zombie movies ever made. The film takes the standard tropes of zombie filmdom — the chaos that ensues when dead people start inexplicably walking around, hungry for human flesh — and…
According to Judah Friedlander, who begins a four-night comedy run here tonight, there are some similarities between his standup stylings and Frank Rossitano, the trucker-cap-wearing character he portrays on 30 Rock, the funniest sitcom on television — but there are important differences, too. He concedes that his on-stage material is…
If you feel more at home in cowboy boots than dress shoes, then rustle up your posse and mosey down to the Colorado Rifle Club and May Farms for a weekend of Wild West fun. Today starting at 8 a.m., the High Plains Showdown rides into Byers for four days…
Freeze! No, this isn’t a stick-up, and we’re not playing freeze tag, but if you’re good at freezing in one place and you’re up for some lighthearted fun with a performance-art element, go to Civic Center Park today at 2:30 p.m. to learn about and participate in Freeze Denver with…
The 1975 War song “Low Rider” is so popular that it’s been covered by dozens of musicians, including Blues Traveler, George Clinton, Korn, Cypress Hill, Phish and Barry White. It was Eric and Donna’s song in That ’70s Show. George Lopez has even dubbed it the “Chicano National Anthem.” Why…
The Classic Crime is perfect for those who prefer their rock slightly edgy and perfectly groomed, with soaring, uber-melodic choruses. In this way, the Seattle-based band is nearly indistinguishable from the hordes of pretty-boy MySpace acts currently littering the modern-rock landscape. If you can make it past surface-level aesthetics, though,…
Enjoy Tango Music and Dancing With the Just Desserts tonight at the Mercury Cafe. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Lisa Shawley and Michael Shay of the Just Desserts will bring their cello-and-accordion duet to the Merc, along with a sound that fuses the folk traditions of Argentina, Romania, Serbia, Italy and…
The yo-yos will be out in force today in front of the Wizard’s Chest, 230 Fillmore Street in Cherry Creek North, their discs a-spinning, their strings woven into endless permutations. That’s right: The twelfth annual Rocky Mountain and Colorado State Yo-Yo Championships rock the sidewalk today, beginning with registration at…
“It seems as though all the new authors, the hip ones with the big book deals and best agents, have exotic names and exotic backgrounds.” So says a character in Denver author Rayo Casablanca’s debut novel, 6 Sick Hipsters. We don’t know much about Casablanca’s background, his book deal or…
The longest day of the year may have passed a week ago, but that’s no reason to pass up a celebration. Estes Park’s Scandinavian Midsummer Festival is a traditional festival of light, flowers, food and music; the history of this tradition dates back to pre-Christianity, when people gathered midsummer plants…
After a year’s hiatus, the Fat Tire Classic is back with a weekend of mountain biking, live music and, of course, beer. “It’s not a race,” says media contact Rachel Hirt. “It’s just about getting up and riding the trails. We see that active people like to see their money…
Today, a walk through the cheerful and elegant shops and restaurants of Larimer Square and environs divulges little of the area’s seedier past, when brick storefronts from the Belle Epoque era either sat boarded up or served as fleabag hotels, cheap bars and homeless missions. But Denver’s Skid Row —…
The Stone Temple Pilots’ choice of Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV, aka Black Francis, as an opening act for their comeback tour is mighty telling. Despite the Pilots’ success during the ’90s, the cognoscenti always saw the players as grunge-rock pretenders no matter how many times lead singer Scott Weiland…
“Crazy,” the lead single from Gnarls Barkley’s first long-player, St. Elsewhere, wasn’t just 2006’s biggest pop song. It’s likely to be a signature track for the entire decade — a demographic-crossing, radio-format-busting phenomenon that singer Cee-Lo Green never saw coming. “‘Crazy’ is no different than any of the other things…
Gary Pera had been whitewater sledging for several years near his home in New Zealand when he met a girl from Aspen, Colorado. “A woman enticed me over here, and we decided to check out the rivers,” Pera explains. “I didn’t even know there was a ski resort, but I…
