Cabaret comeback

Since I first started writing about arts in Indianapolis in the mid-90s, I’ve been baffled as to why the American Cabaret Theatre offered so little traditional cabaret.

The format of cabaret is fairly simple: A singer and an accompanist (sometimes a…

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Still reading magazines?

Even with talk of the demise of print journalism, many of us still turn to magazines not just for information, but for pleasure. After all, you don’t see any Kindles being sold at supermarket check-out lines.

And so while they don’t…

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IBJ movie night: ‘Adventureland’

Maybe I’m just being nostalgic, but having spent my formative years working at a roller coaster/bumping cards/knock-down-the-milk-bottles summer resort, I’m looking forward to seeing “Adventureland,” the upcoming comedy about amusement park workers in 1987.

It…

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You-review-it Monday

Friday night at the opera. Saturday triple-header at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville. Sunday night catching up on back episodes of “How I Met Your Mother.” (Okay, so I’m about three years behind, but the sitcom…

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Timberlake fiasco at Indiana Live!

3/17 update: Barbara Coles of Coles Marketing Communications announced this afternoon that she is terminating her company’s relationship with Indiana Live! Casino. For more details, click here.

Update: For more on the story, click here.

Replying to a request for…

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Justin Timberlake at Indiana Live?

UPDATE: Still working to confirm that Timberlake and company were actually there. Anyone with information, please e-mail lharry@ibj.com.

Justin Timberlake is on the guest list for the opening of the Indian Live casino tonight. But so far, the new…

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‘Arts Day’ at the State House

Arts advocates are used to having trouble getting attention. But today’s Arts Day at the Indiana State House is being double teamed by a downtown fire and the Big 10 tournament. (The fire already bumped my Fox 59 weekend A&E preview segment off…

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After-show receiving lines

There’s a lively–to say the least–discussion going on over at www.indianaauditions.com (primarily frequented by those in the local theater community). And I thought I’d drag the topic over here, where most of our readers aren’t in the business, for…

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You-review-it Monday

My weekend included the “European Design Since 1985” show at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, “The Ladies Man” at the IRT, and “Mauritius” at the Phoenix. Plus, semi-related to the later, I finally saw the film version of David Mamet’s…

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ISO drops popular park concerts

Turning over the blog for this item to reporters Kathleen McLaughlin and Scott Olson:

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is bowing out of the free summer concert series at Garfield and Holliday parks.

Symphony CEO Simon Crookall said he decided last fall, after…

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Dave Wilson: Farewell to the King

News came last night (see story here) that Dave Wilson was among 105 full and part-time Emmis employees caught in the most recent round of layoffs.

When I arrived in Indy nearly 15 years ago, Dave “The King” Wilson was…

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‘Watchmen”: Your thoughts

Some of you got to the midnight screening of “The Watchmen” Thursday evening/Friday morning. Others may be catching it today. What did you think?

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How the recession is hitting artists

Here’s some of the info pulled from the National Endowment for the Arts study, released yesterday, titled “Artists in a Year of Recession: Impact on Jobs in 2008.” For the full document, click here.

— “The artist unemployment rate grew…

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Review: BodyVox at Pike

Chances are, only a handful of people in attendance when Oregon-based BodyVox visited Pike Performing Arts Center on Feb. 28 had ever seen the group before.

Think about that.

Think about the faith exhibited by the act of buying tickets and showing…

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Help solve an art crime

Welcome to the first (and I hope last) edition of Lou Harry’s A&E Most Wanted. 

Artist Emma Overman had this painting lifted from outside her Harrison Center for the Arts studio in…

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What if you ran the NEA?

An interesting piece in the LA Times asks a range of high-profile folks (including, at the extremes, Bill Maher and Ann Coulter) what they would do if they ran the NEA.

Some interesting thoughts (Warning: If you click on the story,…

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You-review-it Monday

For me, the weekend included a visit to Pike Performing Arts Center to see BodyVox (more on that in an upcoming review), finishing Dennis Lehane’s epic Boston police novel “The Given Day” (the first big book in a long while that…

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Friday Freebies

Recipe for a cheap date tonight:

Start off at FringeFriday, held in the new Fringe Building at 719 E. St. Clair. Complementary hors d’oeuvres start at 5:30 followed by a 6:15 showcase including sketch comedy group Three Dollar Bill Comedy Co….

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