University Theatre head David Furumoto mixes and matches global influences Mashup artist Jennifer A. Smith on Friday 11/13/2009 "The theater is our laboratory. It's where our students do their work, where they learn. Our audiences are doubly important in that regard." So says David Furumoto, the new head of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's University Theatre, and a tenured associate professor of acting in the department of theater and drama. >MoreWill the Aaron Bohrod mural at the downtown Madison library survive? Painting's future in doubt amid plans for new library Jay Rath on Friday 11/13/2009, (1) Recommendation Murals by two internationally famous artists-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin have recently been threatened. One, by John Steuart Curry, is being preserved by heroic measures. The fate of the other, by Aaron Bohrod, is unknown. >More
Kathie Rasmussen Women's Theatre stages strong debut Smart Women Project is as smart as its name Josh Wimmer on Saturday 10/17/2009 9:00 am, (2) Comments, (8) Recommendations As debuts go, The Smart Women Project -- the first-ever production from the new Kathie Rasmussen Women's Theatre company -- is, well, awfully smart. The production's nine short plays run the gamut from sober realism to out-there experiments to frenetic zaniness, and while some work better than others, all of them work, and none talk down to the audience. >MoreSouvenir's soprano can't sing, but she thinks she can Foster Jenkins believed she had a perfect pitch Josh Wimmer on Friday 10/16/2009, (1) Recommendation There was nothing pretty about Florence Foster Jenkins' singing. But there might be something beautiful about it. Foster Jenkins is one of the two characters in Madison Theatre Guild's Souvenir, which opened Oct. 14 at the Bartell Theatre. She's odd, compelling -- and utterly real. >More
WWII in HD brings the battles into sharper focus Old war, new view Dean Robbins on Friday 11/13/2009 WWII in HD presents rare footage of World War II, found during a two-year global search through basements and archives. The footage was translated into high definition, then artfully edited to convey the sense that we're experiencing the events of 1939-45 as they happened. >MoreSpongeBob SquarePants celebrates 10 surreal years God of the sea Dean Robbins on Friday 11/06/2009 It's official: Everybody loves SpongeBob SquarePants. You can tell by all the stars who line up for cameo appearances in the cartoon's 10th anniversary special, including Robin Williams, Pink, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Craig Ferguson, LeBron James and Rosario Dawson. >More
Forza 3 and Tekken 6 are so simplistic, my mind drifts while playing them Forza Motorsport 3, XBox 360, Rated Everyone; Tekken 6, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Rated Teen Doug Elfman on Friday 11/13/2009 I've got two somewhat disappointing video games this week. Or as I declared on Facebook, "meh." Of the two, the better game is the racing simulator Forza Motorsport 3. It's a pretty good racer for those of you who enjoy car simulators. >MoreRatchet and Borderlands: Good, but not for me Doug Elfman on Friday 11/06/2009 Just because I don't want to play a certain video game very much doesn't mean I hate it. To the contrary, two new video games are quite good, objectively speaking (they're entertaining and impressive), but simply aren't my cup of coffee. >More
Madison Etsy explorations: The Fairy Garden Megan Larson on Wednesday 11/04/2009 12:00 pm, (2) Recommendations Halloween may have come and gone but that doesn't mean the little ones have to stop playing dress up. Playing princess has never been easier or more adorable than with a tutu from The Fairy Garden. With only a little tulle and a little sparkle, shop owner Heidi Duss has created an invitation to the magical world of make-believe for your child. >MoreMadison Etsy explorations: A Handmade Portland Shopping locally online Megan Larson on Wednesday 10/07/2009 12:00 pm, (2) Recommendations I have a fairly large jewelry collection; consequently if I am going to expand my collection the piece needs to be unusual. Ordinary just won't do. Classic hoops are not going to excite me, neither are plain gold studs. Luckily, Etsy is ripe with unique shops and A Handmade Portland is no exception. >More
A Book A Week: Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner Becky Holmes on Thursday 11/19/2009 6:00 pm Popular fiction is a genre that is distinct from literary fiction, though the boundaries are fluid. I like to think of these categories as either ends of a ruler, with most books falling somewhere between the two ends. A lot of the books I read fall right around the middle of the continuum between popular and literary fiction. >MoreHandful of standout pieces in Kanopy Dance Company's fall concert Autumn Heart Susan Kepecs on Monday 11/16/2009 10:47 am, (1) Comment Autumn Heart, the late fall concert by Kanopy Dance Company at Overture's Promenade Hall last weekend, was predictably inconsistent. Three standouts rescued the eight-piece program from the dustbin of unmemorable Madison dance performances. >MoreUniversity Theatre's Blood Wedding is sheer poetry Amelia Cook on Sunday 11/15/2009 10:54 am, (5) Recommendations Going to the theater is risky. Theater tickets are investments in the unknown. So often we leave our seats disappointed, thinking that a few pints would have been a better use of the night. Saturday night, as I headed into the strangely balmy air after University Theatre production of Blood Wedding, I felt just the opposite. >MoreBroom Street Theater's McBeth brings Shakespeare's king to the corporate world Katie Reiser on Saturday 11/14/2009 9:21 am, (1) Recommendation Broom Street Theater brings its 40th anniversary season to an end with an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which artistic director Callen Harty has twisted and turned into McBeth, an allegory of corporate greed. >MoreA Book A Week: A Long Finish by Michael Didbin Becky Holmes on Friday 11/13/2009 6:00 pm When I heard in 2007 that Michael Dibdin had died, I remember thinking, "Oh darn, I never got around to reading any of his books." What a weird thought, as if the Head Librarian would now be taking all his books off the shelves. >MoreAll About Eve is a promising start by the Forward Theater Company Jennifer A. Smith on Sunday 11/08/2009 10:47 am, (2) Recommendations If Saturday night's near-capacity crowd for All About Eve is a reliable indicator, there's definitely an appetite for professional theater in Madison. >More
Two premieres in Li Chiao Ping's eastern-themed Pagoda Susan Kepecs on Monday 10/26/2009 10:55 am I saw Li Chiao Ping's Pagoda, a repertory evening with two premieres, at the Wisconsin Union Theater Saturday night. Li conceived the program as a structure to house eight of her eastern-themed works -- six repertory repeats and two premieres. >MoreMadison makes 'em laugh After a rebuilding season, local comedy is hitting its stride Emily Mills on Friday 10/16/2009, (1) Comment, (3) Recommendations Madison has always had its fair share of sketch, improv and standup acts -- not to mention being the hometown of comedic titan Chris Farley. And these days, there's a flourishing scene taking shape here, one that offers a supportive community for those wishing to flex their funny muscles. >More
A visit by Cuban painter Orestes Larios Zaaka and sculptor Gregorio Perez Escobar Guest artists Susan Kepecs on Friday 10/30/2009 Finally, here's some change we can believe in. The U.S. blockade on Cuba is alive and well, but Obama's given us wiggle room. For the first time since the start of W's second term, Cuban artists can get visas to visit the States. Thanks to impressive efforts by the Madison-Camagüey Sister City Association, with support from Edgewood College, the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, and the Overture and Pleasant T. Rowland Foundations, painter Orestes Larios Zaak and sculptor Gregorio Pérez Escobar will be our guests. It's part of the Madison-Camagüey association's 15th anniversary celebration. >More
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