Fear And PityWhat would happen if you took the camera in a typical crime movie and refocused it on the faceless mobster in the back? The brutish thug who's in and out of the movie in a flash, his blunt features and …
When Every Choice Is OpenIn a way, Neil LaBute's "The Mercy Seat" resembles an R. Crumb comic strip. In the 1960s, Robert Crumb appropriated the comic strip, a medium whose "Golden Age" was marked by Superman and other noble superheroes, for his own pornographic …
Theater Round-UpLegend has it that Charles Dickens, author of "A Christmas Carol," wrote the tale to make money to pay off some huge debts. If its popularity means anything, his debts were paid.
Theater Round-Up!It's 1962, and Tracy Turnblad is the girl to know. She's a big girl with big hair, a soft heart and a passion for dancing. She's not a closet dancer, though. Her dream is to dance on the Corny Collins …
Let The Witches BurnFor political dissidents, Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible," rings as true today as it did in 1953 when the play first appeared on Broadway. Written as an allegory of McCarthyism and the "Red Scare," the play portrays the hysteria of …
Theater Round-UpWhy's a conversation about prison called kites? Kite is a slang term for communications from prison. "Thousand Kites," a stage reading and theater screening, prepares audience members for a discussion about the prison industrial complex and its effect on urban …
The Fall Arts Preview: The Better AngelsI get so bored when I hear people say, "There's nothing to do in Jackson." What's even more annoying is when those same people make claims that if they were "in … [insert larger city name here] …" they would …
Stripping Down and Dressing UpLaura Hastings, 25, likes to have the best of both worlds—music and acting. Musical theater is her true home. "The combination of acting and singing is great," Hastings says.
Problems of The SpiritYou may have read all of William Faulkner's novels, or maybe his tangled, modernist prose was too much. No one ever said Faulkner was easy. But the truth is that Faulkner is one of our great Southern and American writers. …
Art SmartSo long as Frank Melton isn't accosting you with a firearm in a church when you're just innocently trying to discuss the state of the arts in Jackson with the Arts Council, it's a great time to be an art …
Off Their RockersTheater enthusiasts in Jackson have seen improvisational groups come and go. There was Capital City Improv and Glue. Then there was no one.
Summer Arts PreviewWe were in denial for a bit there, but now that the thermometer has reached an official 100 degrees, we're not going to keep it from you any longer: This is your summer arts preview.
Jewels In My Crown - Hurry! Ends SundayRegina Taylor's "Crowns" is an adaptation of the eponymous coffee table book written by Michael Cunningham and Craig Murberry. The protagonist of the stage play is a young woman, Yolanda, who experiences a tragedy and goes to live with her …
No Payne, No GainPlaywright and sometime-actor Topher Payne returns to Mississippi from Atlanta next weekend to see the Clinton Brick Street Players perform his play "Beached Wails" at Clinton's Old Junior High School Auditorium June 9-11 and 15-17.
Damn It, MametDavid Mamet's "American Buffalo" is a story of miscommunication, betrayal and alliances. The play takes place at a junk shop in Chicago, where Donnie (Patterson) sells a nickel for a decent price to a coin collector. He feels he could …