At the beginning of each school year, it can be difficult to keep your head above water. With the inundation of new people, new classes, new credit card debt (going online for your textbooks will ease the pain considerably) and, of course, the huge demands of your social calendar, it can be difficult to find time to flex your artistic muscle. One tip to avoid drowning under the weight of academia — explore Charlottesville. We at tableau feel it is important to take some time to see a play, go to a concert or dive into an art gallery — even if it is just for a few hours. After all, everyone needs a little escapism once in a while. To celebrate the beginning of a new semester and new artistic season, we’d like to make it easy for you by laying out a fall arts preview.
Easy on the eyes
Charlottesville is a leader in the Virginia arts scene, as evidenced by the numerous downtown galleries and local artists; however, it’s hardly necessary to leave Grounds. The U.Va. Art Museum will feature two new exhibitions this fall. Until Oct. 12, the museum is housing the work of Brooklyn-based artist Gabriel Laderman. Titled “Unconventional Realist,” the exhibit shows off Laderman’s fusion of abstract structure and perceptual representation.
Starting Sept. 26 and lasting until Dec. 28, the museum will play host to “Futurist Portfolios,” a collection of works by abstract artist El Morduchovitch Lissitzky. The exhibition is in conjunction with the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and will also feature the work of contemporary artist Hideyo Okamura, who designed the collection.
Play that funky music, Capshaw
It’s no secret that the Charlottesville music scene has suffered a few setbacks in the last few years. After the closings of Starr Hill and Satellite Ballroom, Charlottesville is missing a mid-size venue (hipsters everywhere are now desperately searching for meaning in their lives). Though Dave Matthews Band manager and Charlottesville real estate mogul Coran Capshaw promises an appropriate substitute, only time (and money) will tell. In the meantime, we must satisfy ourselves with a new CVS and the venues that are left — which include John Paul Jones Arena, Gravity Lounge, Miller’s, the Pavilion and the Paramount theater. (Also, check the U.Va. music department for end-of-semester entertainment.)
JPJ will bring in country music duo Brooks & Dunn and rockers ZZ Top Sept. 7, kicking off JPJ’s fall lineup with their rock-infused country tunes. Gravity Lounge presents Old School Freight Train Sept. 5, Charlottesville’s favorite “newgrass” band. Elsewhere, the Downtown Mall’s Charlottesville Pavilion will feature Alanis Morissette Sept. 18 in a benefit concert for the Charlottesville Free Clinic. Managed by Charlottesville’s own Red Light Management, O.A.R. will play as part of the Budweiser Concert Series at the Charlottesville Pavillion Sept. 23. Natalie Cole will stop by The Paramount Oct. 12 while on tour to promote her newest album, Still Unforgettable, (featuring a duet with her late father, Nat King Cole). In an unexpected musical partnership, country singer Reba McIntire and American Idol powerhouse Kelly Clarkson will pair up for a concert at JPJ Oct. 30.
All U.Va.’s a stage, and all
the students merely players
To the chagrin of all theatre lovers out there, it must be acknowledged that Hollywood is stealing a bit from the stage. Charlottesville’s Live Arts Theatre is performing three shows this fall, two of which have recently been translated to film (Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd and this fall’s highly anticipated Doubt, starring Meryl Streep). This fall features a remarkably strong theatre season, in community theaters and at U.Va., so please trust us: The films can’t even compare (especially because Charlottesville theaters offer so many discounts for students that it would cost more to see it in cinemas).
From Sept. 19 to 21, “Menopause the Musical”, comes to the Paramount theater. From Sept. 19 to Oct. 11, Live Arts will stage “Doubt: A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley. The U.Va. drama department kicks off its fall season will “Some Girl(s)” by Neil LaBute, running Sept. 25 to Oct. 4. For Broadway buffs, JPJ is bringing traveling Broadway shows to Charlottesville for the first time, beginning with “Chicago” Oct. 6. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein revolutionized musical theatre with their 1943 musical, “Oklahoma!” From Nov. 20-2 and Dec. 3-5, catch the show at U.Va.’s Culbreth Theatre. From Dec. 12 to Jan. 10, Live Arts will stage “Sweeney Todd,” a musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. Isn’t it worth it to stick around Charlottesville when you get to see a demon barber making meat pies out of his customers?
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