It’s not music or beer that makes a great party — that’s 97 percent of it, tops — but the variety of people assembled under one roof. You’ve got your bright and happy party girls; your conversationalists, who can talk about anything to anyone; your cerebral folks, who often take…

So many things happen at the dining room table: Marriages are made and broken; families are dreamed of, then nourished; decisions are agonized over, then set in motion. It’s the central hub of our homes — the place where the mail is piled, the dinner is eaten and the important…

There’s a little freak in all of us — and not, like, the American Horror Story kind. We all have a part that’s unsettled, that wants more, that burns for a crazy experience. Some of us manage to tame that flame, while others let their freak flag fly. Why Things…

Want to add a bit of a bang to your weekend? Or rattle? Or gong, even? Then you should spend some time in the company of Scottish percussionist Colin Currie, who zips between drums, cymbals, marimbas, bells, and anything else that elicits a jangle or tremor, during his insanely athletic…

Love Ain’t Cheap Christmas has officially vacated store shelves, and that means the trappings of Valentine’s Day have flown in and claimed their place in the bright and shiny halls of holiday consumerism. That’s right — it’s time to bid adieu to the Christmas spirit and start welcoming looooove (and…

I’ve been to one book club meeting. It was a diverse group of ladies, some professionals, some artists, some stay-at-home moms. There was wine, there were introductions, there was a tacit understanding that it was supposed to be fun. And when it was time to discuss the book at hand…

You can spend all day at the museum looking at art that soothes and makes you happy. When most of us want an art fix, we’re hoping for something that’s frothy and fun, but not without substance — pieces that challenge us, but don’t provoke negative feelings. Still, there’s important…

Way back in our late teens and early twenties, we all had that job that was a boring pain in the ass. And yet, we gave it our all, taking seriously the mundane tasks and associated workplace drama like it was all that mattered in the world. It was a…

After a full season of big, flashy films large on hype but small on substance, the folks at pop-up film series Family Movie Night have a refreshing antidote to your holiday, cinematic hangover. Their presentation of Sabbatical brings a mighty little indie sleeper to The Texas Theatre (231 West Jefferson…

A Play With A Body Count Harry Hunsacker is one of those people who leaves a body trail in his wake. Like dear old Jessica Fletcher of Murder, She Wrote fame or Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. Hunsacker is something of a buzzkill. Think you’re going for an ordinary night at…

It’s time to inject a bit of blue into the bright lights and sparkling colors that characterize the merrymaking this holiday season. Red and green has had its time to shine — it’s decked all the halls and festooned the trees for over a month now — and our eyes…

You’ve spent some New Year’s Eves in less-than-ideal situations. There’s the year you talked to the cops in your front yard while hiding a 12-piece band in the living room. Then there’s the year you were prostrate in the stall of a dive-bar bathroom after a few too many champagne…

We’re all casting an eye to the future for 2a15, hoping for bigger, better things. But there’s still value in looking to the past–particularly when that past consists of gilded, jazzy parties that evoke a free-wheeling, glittery spirit. The Singapore Slingers bring all the sounds and sights of pre-swing America…

You know what you’re missing? The smooooooth sounds of jazz. For the last month, you’ve been surrounded by jarring renditions of “Santa Baby” and resurrected Wham! Songs. Now your poor nerves are inflamed and the opening notes of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” have started to feel like…

Holiday stories have been done many different ways. There are comforting storybooks, quaint cartoons, heartwarming movies, frothy ballets and even sparse Christmas plays. In so many of these, the cheery holiday message takes center stage, while the medium takes a backseat. Not so with Lightwire Theater’s A Very Electric Christmas…

There’s nothing quite like the holidays to make you feel like a kid again, even if you’re a bona fide grownup with a career and a 401k and your very own medical debt. Because when you walk into your parents’ home for holiday celebrations, all those adult things just kind…

There’s nothing quite like the holidays to make you feel like a kid again, even if you’re a bona fide grownup with a career and a 401k and your very own medical debt. Because when you walk into your parents’ home for holiday celebrations, all those adult things just kind…

It’s kind of a foul one, that Jim Carrey Grinch movie. At least, you think it is. Your kids don’t care about your reasons for hating these Whos, they don’t care a bit that you aren’t a fan of all the noise, noise, noise in the movie, nor are they…

We love our e-readers because they are convenient and because we’re never stuck without reading material while delayed in a waiting room, carpool line, or lame conference call. But despite the convenience of the digital versions, we’ll never give up our paper tomes. We love the smell of crisp new…

Among all the brassy Broadway numbers, loud and glitzy productions, and over-the-top musicals, there’s this little gem of a sleeper that eschews the usual bombast and goes straight to the heartstrings. Once is the quietest of Broadway hits, enlisting an ensemble of musicians playing their own instruments on stage to…

The Island of Misfit Toys, per the beloved Rankin/Bass cartoon “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, hits way close to home for anyone who has ever found themselves on the fringes of “normal” society. Whether you just didn’t dress in an expected manner (like the spotted elephant), didn’t play into rigid…

Let’s face it: all those Pinterest projects you thought you were going to turn into twee little Christmas gifts are not going to happen at this point. Your house is buried in craft supplies, you’re super stressed, and you need a drink. Also, you probably need to do some last-minute…