The Powerful Play Goes On

Jonathan Thompson and Liv Burns in OCT’s I and You

As perhaps Eugene’s foremost purveyor of new theatrical works, artistic director Craig Willis at Oregon Contemporary Theatre (OCT) is a tireless advocate of the hidden gem, the offbeat barnburner, the unfamiliar fandango. For Willis, the hunt is always on. He spends many a weekend traveling hither and yon along the coast — to Portland, to Seattle — attending table reads and walk-throughs of new plays, all in dogged pursuit of something fresh and lively for audiences here in town. Continue reading 

Behold Old Yeller

America’s favorite hot-tempered comedian and social critic Lewis Black returns to Eugene Oct. 30 and he’s madder than ever, in a clever, “LMFAO” sort of way. EW caught up with Black to yell about everything from voter suppression and being a socialist to Oregon’s efforts to legalize recreational marijuana and the downfalls of the 21st century. Under Black’s flame, no topic, politician or village idiot walks away unscathed. To read the full interview, visit eugeneweekly.com.   Continue reading 

She’s A Maniac!

Catching up with the star of Flashdance: The Musical, coming to the Hult

Karli Dinardo as Alex Owens photo by Denise Truscello

The 1983 film Flashdance shook up American culture. Racy and sweet, the movie defined fashion at the time, introduced what seemed like very new, edgy street dance, and taught a generation of young women how to take their bras off underneath their sweatshirts.  Based on the phenomenally successful film, Flashdance: The Musical adapts to the stage the story of Alex Owens, a welder by day and bar dancer by night, who has big dreams of one day becoming a professional ballet dancer.  Continue reading 

Citizens United

Let us now praise the British ensemble cast, for it is a thing of beauty and magic. The current example of this cinematic alchemy is on display in Pride, in which the likes of Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton share the screen with a whole handful of fresh young faces. Nighy stands tall and reserved; Staunton is a loving force of nature, the polar opposite of her best-known role as Harry Potter’s Dolores Umbridge. But if this movie has a star, it’s the American-born Ben Schnetzer, who plays activist Mark Ashton with a compelling mix of charisma and anger. Continue reading 

Que Sera Sera

La Sera

Katie Goodman looks the part of the cool kid next door, but she’s a bona fide nerd. Her song “Storm’s End” is a Game of Thrones reference, as revealed in a recent “Ask Me Anything” Q&A on Reddit. “When we made that song, I thought it sounded like an evil surf song, which would be perfect for the Ironborn,” Goodman writes. In the Reddit session, Goodman also tells a fan who’s a physicist that she has a physics education masters and “wrote a physics-related love song called ‘Space Time.’”  Continue reading 

Old Friends

Peter Buck and Alejandro Escovedo

I’ve never been to Austin, Texas, or Athens, Georgia. But one day I hope to, and when I do I think the music of Alejandro Escovedo and Peter Buck — two musicians closely associated with these cities — will soundtrack my trip.  Alejandro Escovedo embodies Austin’s reputation as the indie-est of indie music havens. Building a career around a Texan take on punk-edged three-chord bar rock, Escovedo is a rock ‘n’ roll survivor with a loyal following, a songwriter whose work recalls greats like Dave Alvin or Elvis Costello.  Continue reading 

Purveyors of dark folk, O’Death

Chromeo

Purveyors of dark folk, O’Death, were shacking up in Brooklyn and playing frenetic Americana stomp before either made hipsters drool. You may know them from their ethereal 2011 hit “Bugs,” but now you’ll remember them for the band’s haunting and beautiful fourth album, Out of Hands We Go, released in early October. “We wanted to explore a grittier sound but continue on this path of doing melodic music,” lead singer and guitarist Greg Jamie tells EW. Continue reading