A&E

'Isn't it Romantic' witty outlook on gender roles

"Isn't it Romantic," began as a simple stream of messages left on Janie Blumberg's answering machine and wove its way into a emotional discourse on friendship, gender roles and the small, intimate details of life Wednesday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.

Play replicates dialect, costumes with care

The University Theatre audience erupted with applause at the conclusion of the opening night's production of "Translations." But that was only after more than a month of practicing four hours a day, five days a week.

Play deals with balance of careers, search for love

"Sometimes I want to clean up my desk and go out and say, 'Respect me, I'm a respectable grown-up,' and other times I just want to jump into a paper bag and shake and bake myself to death." According to the Princeton Language Institute, those words were spoken by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who wrote "Isn't It Romantic," which will be performed today and tomorrow at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre.

Pianist seeks to inspire

Graduate student Ji-hye Chang is the most recent success story to emerge from the famed School of Music. Chang, who will receive her masters degree in piano performance in May, gave her graduate recital Sunday at Recital Hall.

Cooking easy with preparation, practice

People frequently ask me where I learned to cook, and by their expressions, I imagine they envision a cavern hidden deep under the city. There, a secret, benevolent cabal of home cooks preside, practicing the ancient rites of both spice mingling and time juggling.

Jazz Fables pays tribute to music legend Miles Davis

All jazzed-up and nowhere to go? If an aversion to the swanky atmosphere typically associated with jazz is discouraging to you, try the casual mood of Jazz Fables at Bear's Place, 1316 E. Third St.

Sexpert

Ladies First wins 2nd at local vocal competition

The Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., came alive Saturday night with voices of a capella groups from universities across the Midwest. Sponsored by IU, the semifinal round of the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella ended with one group continuing to the final step of the competition -- New York City's Lincoln Center in April.

Von Lee Theater's future undecided

In May, Kerasotes closed the Von Lee Theater, 517 E. Kirkwood Ave., a long-time home to art and indie films and their fans. Now, people are speculating about the future of the building, which has been thrusting unique films into Bloomington's limelight since the 1920s. One of the best future homes for the deserted theater is IU, some professors say.

Play explores identity, power of language

It doesn't always take guns, airplanes, armies or brute force to win a war. In the case of Great Britain's occupation and overtaking of Ireland in the 19th century, it took words. Irish playwright Brian Friel's "Translations" explores the destructive and healing powers of language, and how one's native tongue shapes one's identity. "Translations" opens at 8 p.m. today at the University Theatre.

Amnesty sponsors concert to raise funds

To raise money for Amnesty International's campaign to strop torture, the IU chapter is sponsoring a free concert 7 p.m. Saturday at Collins Center's Cheshire Cafe. Some of the featured bands include Indiana Trip Factory, Level 9, Manik, Maleeq and the Milwaukee Playboys.

Texas Festival features independent artists, films

What do Quentin Tarantino, Jurassic 5 and the Black Crowes have in common? Right now, absolutely nothing -- but in two weeks, they will all be in Austin, Texas as a part of the South By Southwest Festival.

Institute unites different art forms

The African American Arts Institute has all the components of a good musical. Singers, dancers and musicians from three troupes unite under this title and create performances unlike any other.

Exhibit opening features culture

The exhibition of two new photographic galleries at the Mathers Museum created a scene of feast, culture and celebration Tuesday.

Orchestra to feature classics

German composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Strauss never had the chance to perform together, but their music will be performed together tonight at the Musical Arts Center.

Mardi Gras jubilee ignores 2 centuries of history, tradition

Mardi Gras is known in college circles as an excuse for drinking and a chance to bare breasts for beads (or take pictures of someone else doing so), risking it all for 10-cent trinkets. But behind the madness that is sensationalized by the media, there is more than two centuries of history and tradition that is often ignored.

Orgy plays to small crowd at Murat

With the big bearded guy playing air guitar, the girl in the annoying pink sweater who danced like Charlie Brown, the flasher and the girl who couldn't have weighed more than 75 pounds and crowd surfed several times only to be thrown around like a rag doll, Monday night was full of moments at the Murat Egyptian Room in Indianapolis.

Musical 'Beowulf' has debut tonight

"Beowulf," the medieval classic, will be sung tonight in Old English by Benjamin Bagby as part of this year's Patten Lecture Series.

Jazz pioneer to provide unique blend

It's easy to think of such a musical innovator as John Abercrombie in the role of the iconoclast, breaking rules with radical abandon. While it is true that he sometimes does (he was one of the first jazz guitarists to use rock sounds and techniques), he also sees himself as a torchbearer.

Rock band Orgy to play Murat

The electro-grunge band Orgy will hit the Egyptian Room in Indianapolis tonight for a show that promises to provide plenty of high-energy music. The show is set to begin at 7:30. Orgy is touring in support of their second release, Vapor Transmission. The album had a strong opening week, debuting at the No. 16 spot on Billboard's Top 200 last October. The release drew varying responses -- Billboard praised the album as a science fiction epic while Wall of Sound brushed them off for resembling stuck-in-the-80s glam rockers.