Amy Ray, left, and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls.
Since bursting onto the music scene more than 20 years ago, the Indigo Girls have inspired many imitators. But few of them have achieved the songwriting success or harmonic perfection of lesbian duo Emily Saliers and Amy Ray. Individually and collectively, the two lifelong friends have created some of American folk rock’s most unforgettable tunes. Their signature classics, including “Closer to Fine,” “Galileo,” “Power of Two” and “Get Out the Map,” still have devoted followers singing along, swaying in their seats and dancing in the grass.
Milwaukee’s Skylight Music Theatre closes its current season with a production of “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” but artistic director Bill Theisen wants the city to know this isn’t the version that caused a stir on Broadway last year.
The winners of the coveted James Beard Foundation national chef awards for 2013 include the Blue Hill Restaurant in New York City for Outstanding Restaurant. Tied for Outstanding Chef were David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City and Paul Kahan of Blackbird in Chicago.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has reopened after a seven-month renovation, kicking off with “Van Gogh At Work,” an exhibition that shows the famously tortured artist’s working methods right down to his paints, brushes and other tools.
Appropriately, the final painting curators hung this week was a self-portrait in which Vincent Van Gogh painted himself behind a canvas, brushes and palette in hand. Nearby, on loan from the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, are an actual palette and paints that Van Gogh used.
Food is an art form to Ana Docta, president of the Kasana Group, a collection of culinary enterprises promoting a rich mélange of fine, nutritious and sustainable dining for Milwaukee foodies. Docta hopes to make Kasana’s adjoining bistro, gallery and commercial kitchen at 241 N. Broadway into the city’s premier gastro-hub and culinary incubator for budding chefs.
Docta has a strong culinary background on which to base her ambitions. A native of Argentina, she formerly served as a corporate food and beverage consultant and owned a restaurant in Porto Allegre, Brazil, before moving to the United States. In addition to Latin American influences, Docta’s food exhibits a strong commitment to health and nutrition, an appreciation gained during her formal training as a ballet dancer.
There doesn’t seem to be anything that John Waters, America’s queer Renaissance man, can’t do. He’s a filmmaker, an author, a journalist, a visual artist, an obscure music aficionado and monologist. He practically invented (and later perfected) the indie film genre with such classic cinematic works as “Pink Flamingos,” “Polyester” and “Hairspray,” which was later adapted as a musical for both the stage and screen. A raconteur of the highest order, Waters has been touring his one-man show “This Filthy World” around this filthy world for several years, revising and refining the show with each performance.
It’s not a “Star Trek” tricorder, but by hooking a variety of gadgets onto a smartphone you could almost get a complete physical – without the paper gown or even a visit to the doctor’s office.
Blood pressure? Just plug the arm cuff into the phone for a quick reading.
Milwaukee Ballet’s Valerie Harmon as the Black Swan. -Photo: Jessica Kaminski
When it comes to producing “Swan Lake,” the size of your bevy matters.
At one point in his life, Bill Theisen thought he might become a priest. But the universe had other plans for him.
The Milwaukee native and Milwaukee Technical High School graduate was pursuing a career as a metallurgist when he saw a newspaper notice announcing an audition for “Man of La Mancha.” He tried out, got the part and soon left his other career aspirations behind.
Life lived out of balance is difficult at best, but a life lacking purpose is destined to end quickly.
That’s the sort of existential message at the heart of “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” says Dale Gutzman, whose Off the Wall Theatre is mounting a production of the John Kander/Fred Ebb musical this month. The plot follows the unlikely love that blossoms between two men sharing the horrors of an Argentine prison.
No trendy restaurants. No fancy equipment. No hard-to-find hipster ingredients.
The pages of this year’s top food publication don’t read like your average gourmet glossy. That’s because the only trend ChopChop magazine – named publication of the year by the James Beard Foundation – cares about is how to get America’s children eating healthier.
Chicago lesbian novelist Anne Laughlin has added another honor to her distinguished career. Her novel “Runaway” (Bold Strokes Books) was selected recently as a 2012 Lambda Literary Award finalist.
“Runaway” is a mystery with romantic elements. It follows Chicago-based private investigator Jan as she searches for Maddy, a suburban teenage runaway. What begins as a seemingly ordinary case soon develops into something more. Maddy’s possible connection to a radical group echoes something from Jan’s past that she had hoped to leave behind her. To make matters worse, a passionate workplace romance with Jan’s new boss Catherine threatens to derail not only her investigation, but also the life she has worked so hard to keep concealed.
