IBJ Daily Arts & Entertainment

THURSDAY, 7/26/07

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The Colin Hay Band at Radio Radio. The leader of Men at Work is still working. >>>   "Top 40 From the Last 400 Years" at Conner Prairie Amphitheatre. You know more classical music than you might think. >>>  The Pretenders/The Stray Cats/ZZ Top at Verizon Wireless Music Center. An all-star lineup rocks out. >>>  "The Spitfire Grill" at the Red Barn Theatre/"Plain and Fancy" at the Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres. There's no business like show-in-a-barn business. >>>  "The Elixir of Love" at the IU Musical Arts Center. Opera on a summer night. >>>

Midsummer means most of Indianapolis' arts companies are on performance hiatus. But there's still plenty to do this week. Here are some events at the top of my priority list. The Colin Hay Band, July 28 at Radio Radio It's very possible that part of the crowd—the younger part of the crowd—that catches The Colin Hay Band in concert here may know him exclusively as the singer of "Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over Hay You" on the popular "Garden State" soundtrack. The rest of the crowd, though, will recall Hay as the leader of '80s pop band Men at Work, creators of such infectious singles as "Who Can It Be Now" and "Down Under." Since then, he's cut solo discs, joined Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band, reformed Men at Work (including an appearance during the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics), and had six of his songs used on the TV series "Scrubs." He even had a fun cameo on the show as a relentless troubadour. Visit L.A., and you can often find Hay playing at Largo, a talent-hub club soon to be the subject of a feature documentary. Now seemingly unconcerned with hitmaking and more focused on satisfying songwriting, Hay is touring in support of his latest disc. "Are You Lookin' at Me?" comes from a man who seems confident and comfortable with himself. It may have a confrontational title, but the songs belie a man at work not for fame, but for his and his audience's pleasure. For more details, click here. "Top 40 From the Last 400 Years," July 27-28 at Conner Prairie Amphitheatre Benedetti If one of the things that makes you resistant to attending a symphonic music concert is that you are concerned you won't recognize any of the tunes, here's the perfect show for you. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has put together a program of "Oh, I've heard that before" music, including Wagner's "The Ride of the Valkyries" (think: "Apocalypse Now"), and the finale from Rossini's "William Tell Overture" (yes, that's the Lone Ranger music). Rather than just coast on the familiarity of the tunes, though, the ISO is upping the musical ante by featuring up-and-coming violin soloist Nicola Benedetti. At age 12, Bendetti was discovered by legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin, but before she could perform for him, he passed away. Instead of the regularly scheduled gig, she was called upon to solo at Menuhin's memorial concert. Now, at 20, she's visiting Indy after a tour of her native Scotland promoting her latest CD on the Universal Classics and Jazz label. For more details on her ISO concert, click here.  The Pretenders/The Stray Cats/ZZ Top, July 26 at Verizon Wireless Music Center Five movies in which you hear the voice of The Pretenders' lead singer Chrissie Hynde: 1. "The King of Comedy" ("Back on the Chain Gang") 2. "Bridget Jones's Diary" ("Don't Get Me Wrong") 3. "Lost in Translation" ("Brass in Pocket") 4. "Prozac Nation" ("Mystery Achievement") 5. "Happy Feat" ("Everything I Own") Five movies in which you hear the music of The Stray Cats: 1. "Private School" ("Rock this Town") 2. "Mike's Murder" ("Rebels Rule") 3. "The Slugger's Wife" ("Stray Cat Strut") 4. "Riding Giants" ("Rumble in Brighton") 5. "Coyote Ugly" ("Rock This Town") Five movies in which you hear the music of ZZ Top: 1. "An Officer and a Gentleman" ("Tush") 2. "Dazed and Confused" ("Tush") 3. "Sgt. Bilko" ("Tush") 4. "The Perfect Storm" ("Tush") 5. "Ghost Rider" ("Tush") All three bands will be together here in concert. For more details on the concert, click here. "The Spitfire Grill," July 26 through Aug. 11 at the Red Barn Theatre in Frankfort "Plain and Fancy," through Oct. 27 at the Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres in Nappannee Indiana offers not one, but two places where you can experience summer theater in a barn. For complete preview, click here. "The Elixir of Love," July 27-Aug. 4 at the IU Musical Arts Center in Bloomington Bloomington may be quiet in the summer, but not if you're an opera or classical music fan. For full preview, click here. THIS WEEK'S CONTEST: You could win four tickets to see the comedy duo Dos Fallopia in their latest show, "Desperate Spuddwives," at the Phoenix Theatre (or for any Phoenix show between now and the end of the year). For more details, click here. And congratulations to last week's winner, Joe Loughmiller, who won four tickets—plus parking and concessions—for the American Cabaret Theatre's production of "Heartbreak Hotel."

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