What do you get when you combine Tom Waits, Robert Wilson and William S. Burroughs? According to Playbill News: one hell of a cool theatrical performance.
In this darkly stylized version of the traditional German tale, a stern and unrelenting father (Ashley Wright) sets the terms for his daughter Katchen’s (Rachael Johnston) marriage: he will not yield her to anyone other than an accomplished hunter,” according to Tarragon. “This presents a problem to the young and feckless clerk, Wilhelm (Kevin Corey), who is besotted by Katchen. Help arrives in the form of the devilish Peg Leg (Michael Scholar Jr.), a mysterious and sinister visitor. He offers Wilhelm magic bullets with this one proviso: ‘Six are yours and hit the mark; one is mine, and hits the dark.’ Wilhelm ignores this ominous warning with dire consequences.
The Black Rider opens Oct. 15 and runs through Nov. 16 at November Theatre in Toronto. Directed by Ron Jenkins. 416-531-1827. www.tarragontheatre.com.
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(photo by marklarson)
In light of the fact that I just added a lot of new material to his page—with at least twice as much still in the queue—and the fact that our presidential election is now less than a month away, I thought it only prudent to find out a little bit about what Amiri Baraka might think about our generation’s theoretical shoe-in, Barack Obama.
In a piece entitled “The McKinney Choice,” Kevin Alexander Gray very succinctly explains a lot of what I think Obama is doing with his campaign. From calling him a “status quo politician” to suggesting that he’s trying to align himself more closely with white voters. Baraka is quoted as saying that ”all those not supporting Obama are ‘rascals.’”
Over at the Washington Post, there’s a quote from Baraka saying that the only choice in our election is between Barack Obama or “that patient from the Vietnam War.” Unfortunately, this isn’t so much pro-Obama as it is anti-McCain, which seems to follow the rhetorical lesser-of-two-evils line of thought.
To conclude: it’s clear that Baraka does not like McCain. But what’s a little muddled is what (if anything) he actually supports about Barack Obama. So…
In other news, Amiri will be speaking at Slave Routes: Resistance, Abolition and Creative Progress, a symposium being held Oct. 9-11 at Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
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I found some more information worth sharing about the Kerouac exhibits that I mentioned yesterday.
From now until the end of November, there are several events being held in and around the city of Chicago:
If anyone attends these and takes photos or feels like writing about it, please contact me to have your work included here.
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(photo by JimmyOKelly)
Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be in New York City this weekend for the Howl! Festival. From theatre events to art shows, live music to late night parties, it looks like they’ve got it all covered. I found the full rundown over at The Gothamist:
EVENT: It’s a return of the Beats this weekend, as the annual Howl! Festival returns. The celebration runs for five days, so check out the details, man.
All Weekend // Various Locations // Free
FAIR: Before the weather ruins everything this weekend, head over to Governors Island for sound installations, outdoor sculptures, and portraits created on site as part of the4heads Collective’s First Annual Governors Island Art Fair. The fair will be running every weekend, starting today and lasting through October 12th. “The fair unites more than 40 of New York City’s best independent artists under one roof, showcasing hundreds of new works.”
All Weekend // Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. // Governors Island // Free
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