ktru top 35 – 01/19/2020

1 – brockhampton – ginger – rca
2 – blood orange – angel’s pulse – domino
3 – kishi bashi – omoiyari – joyful noise
4 – angel olsen – all mirrors – jagjaguwar
5 – gong gong gong – phantom rhythm – wharf cat
6 – levitation room – headspace – greenway
7 – big thief – two hands – 4ad
8 – swans – leaving meaning – young god
9 – lucille furs – another land – rput
10 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
11 – laurie anderson, tenzin choegyal, jesse paris smith – songs from the bardo – smithsonian folkways
12 – land of kush – sand enigma – constellation
13 – bleu nuit – le jardin des memoires – michel
14 – black midi – schlagenheim – rough trade
15 – bon iver – i,i – jagjaguwar
16 – m83 – dsvii – mute
17 – bodywash – comforter – luminelle
18 – (sandy) alex g – house of sugar – domino
19 – diiv – deceiver – captured tracks
20 – great grandpa – four of arrows – double double whammy
21 – girl in red – beginnings (chapter 1 +2) – s/r
22 – baroness – gold & grey – abraxan hymns
23 – steel blossoms – steel blossoms – billy jam records
24 – spiegel, laurie – unseen worlds – unseen worlds
25 – pinky pinky – turkey dinner – innovative leisure
26 – bridal party – too much – kingfisher bluez
27 – belle and sebastian – days of the bagnold summer – matador
28 – hecker, tim – anoyo – kranky
29 – national, the – i am easy to find – 4ad
30 – hot chip – a bathful of ecstasy – domino
31 – y la bamba – entre los dos – tender loving empire
32 – dead neighbors – without – s/r
33 – square peg round hole – branches – national sawdust tracks
34 – richard dawson – 2020 – weird world
35 – local natives – violet street – loma vista

SEWA International 501 3(c) non-profit presents: SEWA Dancing Stars 2020 on Sat. 2/29, 12:30-6pm.

SEWA International 501 3(c) non-profit presents: SEWA Dancing Stars 2020 on Sat. 2/29, 12:30-6pm.

Sewa (Say-wa) Houston is a 501 (3)c non-profit.
Fundraiser on Saturday Feb 29, 2020, 12:30 – 6pm, 13944 Schiller Rd., Houston, TX 77082
Donation of only $15 / person. All are welcome to attend. Participation: Age 5+ years.
For more info contact: [email protected] or call the #’s on the flier.
Click here for Facebook event page.
Sewa Dancing Stars is a yearly, performance-based fundraiser held in support of ASPIRE, a free after-school program held in low-income Southwest Houston communities that serves immigrant and refugee families. For more information, click here.
Calling all dance schools! Group registration for dance academies is now open! Registration for individuals not participating through a school will open on January 27th. Email [email protected] for more information.

Spring Theater in Houston

By: Harrison Lorenzen

Houston has numerous wonderful musicals being performed this spring. From Broadway national tours to a world premiere, there is something for everyone. For those of you looking to start planning spring shows or others who did not get the theater tickets they hoped for this holiday season, maybe this list can help steer you in the right direction.

Hello, Dolly! (National Tour), Broadway at the Hobby Center, Jan. 7 – Jan. 12

The Fantasticks, Stages Repertory Theatre, Jan. 24 – Mar. 15

The Band’s Visit (National Tour), Broadway at the Hobby Center, Jan. 28 – Feb. 2

Jersey Boys (National Tour), Broadway at the Hobby Center, Feb. 7 – Feb. 9

Once On This Island (National Tour), Theatre Under The Stars, Feb. 18 – Mar. 1

Come From Away (National Tour), Broadway at the Hobby Center, Mar. 3 – Mar. 8

Fiddler on the Roof (National Tour), Broadway at the Hobby Center, Mar. 24 – Mar. 29

Pure Country – The Musical (World Premiere), Theatre Under The Stars, Apr. 14 – Apr. 26

Disney’s Newsies , Theatre Under The Stars, May 19 – May 31

 

 

“Elf” Brings Christmas Magic to TUTS

“Elf” Brings Christmas Magic to TUTS

Quinn Vantantwerp in “Elf” at TUTS. Photo by Melissa Taylor 2019.

By: Harrison Lorenzen

Theater Under the Stars wows audiences again with this year’s holiday production of “Elf – The Musical”. As is tradition for most theater companies, their productions of family-favorite holiday shows always bring in full audiences of all ages and TUTS’ “Elf” is no different. On-stage through December 22nd, this show is a must-see. The crowd was buzzing from the moment the doors opened, and people continued to hum along to the songs on the way back to their cars.

Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan’s book sticks very close to the original “Elf” Movie, with many of the same jokes as Will Ferrell’s Buddy. Along with the dialogue, Quinn Vanantwerp plays Buddy with the same youthful, aloof innocence as Will Ferrell originated. Vanantwerp joyously bounded across the stage, exuding more happiness and energy than the children on stage at many times. He made the audience cringe with his oblivious attitude towards everything going on around him yet tug at their heartstrings as he yearns for the love of his father.

TUTS filled the ensemble and elves roles with students from their two youth acting programs, The River and Humphreys School of Musical Theater, of which the former is specifically for students with disabilities and their siblings. It was great to see children of all sizes and ages getting to take part in this main stage production, being featured in various scenes throughout the production.

With memorable songs and Christmas magic, the cast kept the audience engaged for the duration of the performance. Each twist and turn in Buddy’s story keeps the audience on the edge of their seat, anxiously awaiting the ending to see how he fixes everything he’s caused. As usual, with a bit of Christmas magic, Buddy can wrap up every loose end and then some to delight every member of the audience.

Don’t miss your chance to see this wonderful production of “Elf – The Musical”, on-stage at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts through December 22nd. For more information visit TUTS.com.

MFAH Core Program: Lecture by Anand Patwardhan on Thu 12/12 @ 7 pm; Film Screening on Fri 12/13 @ 6:30pm and Sat 12/14, 1 pm. This is a Free event, open to all.

MFAH Core Program: Lecture by Anand Patwardhan on Thu 12/12 @ 7 pm; Film Screening on Fri 12/13 @ 6:30pm and Sat 12/14, 1 pm. This is a Free event, open to all.

Anand Patwardhan: Ways of Struggle

December 13, 2019–February 16, 2020
Leslie and Brad Bucher Gallery, Glassell School of Art

• Core Program Lecture: Anand Patwardhan
​Thursday, December 12, 7 p.m.
Favrot Auditorium, Glassell School of Art
• Opening Reception + Film Screening: “In the Name of God” / Q&A with Anand Patwardhan
Friday, December 13, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Favrot Auditorium, Glassell School of Art
• Film Screening: “Reason” / Introduction by Anand Patwardhan
Saturday, December 14, 1 p.m.
Brown Auditorium Theater, MFAH
For more info: MFAH – Anand Patwardhan
Anand Patwardhan: Ways of Struggle surveys four decades of filmmaking by one of the world’s foremost documentarians and one of contemporary cinema’s most singular voices. Since the 1970s, Anand Patwardhan has been making committed, intimate portraits of Indian movements for social justice.

Following the destruction of Ayodhya’s Babri Mosque in 1992, Patwardhan (born 1950) began chronicling the rise of Hindu nationalism, which has attained global relevance. Patwardhan’s films offer an invaluable portrait of this moment, which Indian writer Pankaj Mishra has dubbed “the age of anger.” By bringing together the full scope of Patwardhan’s work—rarely seen in the United States—Ways of Struggle contrasts the worlds of left and right political feeling, offering an oblique history of the present.

ktru top 35 – 11/24/2019

1 – brockhampton – ginger – rca
2 – angel olsen – all mirrors – jagjaguwar
3 – swans – leaving meaning – young god
4 – big thief – two hands – 4ad
5 – blood orange – angel’s pulse – domino
6 – diiv – deceiver – captured tracks
7 – girl in red – beginnings (chapter 1 +2) – s/r
8 – levitation room – headspace – greenway
9 – kishi bashi – omoiyari – joyful noise
10 – bon iver – i,i – jagjaguwar
11 – (sandy) alex g – house of sugar – domino
12 – lucille furs – another land – rput
13 – gong gong gong – phantom rhythm – wharf cat
14 – bleu nuit – le jardin des memoires – michel
15 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
16 – spiegel, laurie – unseen worlds – unseen worlds
17 – black midi – schlagenheim – rough trade
18 – bridal party – too much – kingfisher bluez
19 – bodywash – comforter – luminelle
20 – m83 – dsvii – mute
21 – belle and sebastian – days of the bagnold summer – matador
22 – cfm – soundtrack to an empty room – in the red
23 – laurie anderson, tenzin choegyal, jesse paris smith – songs from the bardo – smithsonian folkways
24 – various – luk thung gems from the 1960s-80s – em
25 – national, the – i am easy to find – 4ad
26 – hot chip – a bathful of ecstasy – domino
27 – tropical fuck storm – braindrops – joyful noise
28 – y la bamba – entre los dos – tender loving empire
29 – woods, jamila – legacy! legacy! – jagjaguwar
30 – palehound – black friday – polyvinyl
31 – grand vapids – eat the shadow – s/r
32 – various – reggae gold 2019 – vp
33 – richard dawson – 2020 – weird world
34 – hansard, glen – this wild willing – plateau
35 – lahey, alex – the best of luck club – dead oceans

ASTROWORLD FEST: WE’RE ALL IN THIS (MUD) TOGETHER

ASTROWORLD FEST: WE’RE ALL IN THIS (MUD) TOGETHER

Written by Samantha Ding and Dalia Gulca

Photo by Kirby Gladstein

The enthusiasm was palpable at Travis Scott’s second annual Astroworld festival in
NRG Park this past weekend—energy which prompted many to leap over the fallen barricades
before the gates even officially opened, shown swarming and leaping over puddles on a video
via Scott’s Instagram. “EVERYONE HAVE FUN,” Travis advises in the comments, along with
the more cautionary “BE SAFE RAGE HARD.” The unconventional mix of carnival rides, winding
lines for merch, and varied performances from both hometown heroes and up-and-coming
artists serves both as a nod to Houston and long-departed Six Flags AstroWorld. Over 50,000
people showed up to the festival-amusement park mashup to revel in the energy of the carefully
curated lineup and enjoy the attractions of Scott’s homage to the AstroWorld theme park, both
the namesake for his most popular album and the festival itself.

(more…)

ktru top 35 – 11/17/19

1 – brockhampton – ginger – rca
2 – angel olsen – all mirrors – jagjaguwar
3 – swans – leaving meaning – young god
4 – big thief – two hands – 4ad
5 – weyes blood – titanic rising – sub pop
6 – diiv – deceiver – captured tracks
7 – blood orange – angel’s pulse – domino
8 – girl in red – beginnings (chapter 1 +2) – s/r
9 – pup – morbid stuff – rise
10 – bon iver – i,i – jagjaguwar
11 – levitation room – headspace – greenway
12 – bleu nuit – le jardin des memoires – michel
13 – spiegel, laurie – unseen worlds – unseen worlds
14 – bridal party – too much – kingfisher bluez
15 – gong gong gong – phantom rhythm – wharf cat
16 – belle and sebastian – days of the bagnold summer – matador
17 – lucille furs – another land – rput
18 – charly bliss – young enough – barsuk
19 – woods, jamila – legacy! legacy! – jagjaguwar
20 – national, the – i am easy to find – 4ad
21 – kishi bashi – omoiyari – joyful noise
22 – black midi – schlagenheim – rough trade
23 – hot chip – a bathful of ecstasy – domino
24 – cfm – soundtrack to an empty room – in the red
25 – hansard, glen – this wild willing – plateau
26 – palehound – black friday – polyvinyl
27 – grand vapids – eat the shadow – s/r
28 – tropical fuck storm – braindrops – joyful noise
29 – bodywash – comforter – luminelle
30 – laurie anderson, tenzin choegyal, jesse paris smith – songs from the bardo – smithsonian folkways
31 – y la bamba – entre los dos – tender loving empire
32 – various – reggae gold 2019 – vp
33 – (sandy) alex g – house of sugar – domino
34 – clipping. – there existed an addiction to blood – sub pop
35 – matana roberts – coin coin chapter four: memphis – constellation

You Will Be Found at Dear Evan Hansen

You Will Be Found at Dear Evan Hansen

Stephen Christopher Anthony as ‘Evan Hansen’ and the North American touring company of DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Photo by Matthew Murphy, 2019.

By: Harrison Lorenzen

It is not often you can find such an elegant balance between comedy, love, and a heart-wrenching story of a community grieving in the aftermath of suicide. Dear Evan Hansen, stopping in Houston along its 50-city national tour, opened Tuesday to a sold-out house at the Hobby Center. The cast, working with quite intense subject matter, brought such emotion to the stage that they held the attention of the entire audience throughout the performance. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote beautiful songs to accentuate the emotions of the characters throughout, and the book by Steven Levenson helped to alleviate the sadness with expertly placed comedy. The actors delivered this constantly shifting material with ease and flair. The set is minimal, with a variety of pieces being brought on and off to create the spaces, but the possibilities are endless with the assortment of projections and screens utilized throughout. (more…)