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|  Thursday, March 13, 2008 |
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"Tosca"
March 14, 16
Clowes Hall
I'm going to make an assumption here.
I'm going to assume that you don't know what happens in "Tosca."
I don't think this is an unreasonable assumption for most of you. For while the plot of this and other most-performed operas ("Tosca" recently made No. 6 on that particular chart) is ingrained in the hearts of music aficionados, for the rest who will fill Clowes Hall this weekend, what happens next will be nearly as important as what notes get hit.
Let me just tell you, it's a romantic thriller that puts "Fatal Attraction" to shame. I'll be envying those in the audience who don't know what happens next.
Leads Stella Zambalis, William Joyner, and Victor Benedetti and the musicians in the pit have the task of delivering the goose bumps that should accompany the Puccini-penned musical.
For more information, click here.
 Monterey Jazz Fest
March 13
Madame Walker Theatre
If you can't get to the actual festival (which celebrated its 50th birthday last September), then take advantage of this concert, at which a taste of the festival will come to you.
The lineup includes, on trumpet, Terence Blanchard, who wrote the score for just about every Spike Lee movie (excuse me, every Spike Lee Joint). There's also 82-year-old jazz legend James Moody on sax, Benny Green on piano, Kendrick Scott on drums and Derrick Hodge on bass.
Need more incentive? Providing vocals is Nnenna Freelon. To give a listen to this underappreciated jazz great, click here.
For more details on the concert, click here.
"Breaking the Mode"
March 16-June 1
Indianapolis Museum of Art
More than 40 international designers are featured in this exhibition organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It's the latest big show at the IMA. Tickets are $12.
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Before you go, you can click here, make like Tim Gunn, and pass judgment on some of the frocks in the collection. Of course, your opinions may be tempered by the fact that these pieces carry such names as Thierry Mugler and Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Make sure to come back on April 4 for the Museum's own "Project IMA" runway show featuring 16 area designers - and in mid-April when the IMA adds a concurrent exhibition, "Simply Halston," celebrating the work of the Indiana-raised fashion pioneer.
For more details, click here.
Bill McKibben
March 15
Herron School of Art
When his name surfaced in discussions about Al Gore and the environment, I was sure I had heard of Bill McKibben before.
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| Yes, I finally realized, he's the guy who wrote "The Age of Missing Information" back in 1992. In that, his second book, McKibben taped everything that aired on his cable system in a day. Then he spent a year watching it. The book was his effort to process that which we process without thinking about it. Gimmicky, yes, but well written and with sharp nuggets of insight.
Now McKibben is a high-profile guru of green so well established that he even has a retrospective book, "The Bill McKibben Reader: Pieces from an Active Life" due out this month.
Whether you agree with his world view or not, his talk should be a lively one. The topic: "Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future."
For more details, click here.
"High School Musical"
March 18-23
Murat Theatre
I'm fascinated by how this musical evolved.
First, there was the through-the-roof successful made-for-TV movie.
Then there were the concert tours.
Then the made-for-TV sequel.
Oddly, Disney didn't see this property as the next in line for major theatrical treatment a la "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast." Instead, it freed up amateur and small theater rights - which normally are held for years while the big guys get their shot.
Only after having amateur productions appear all over the country did it bow to pressure and grant license to five professional regional theaters to have a go at this cash cow.
The powers that be at the Mouse liked what Atlanta's Theatre of the Stars did with the show, and that sparked what's now the professional national tour - a tour that's sharing the universe with dozens, if not hundreds, of smaller productions (there's a good chance your local high school will stage it soon if it hasn't already). And conventional theatrical wisdom aside, it doesn't seem to matter at all to the box office.
For a generation of teens, this show's appeal goes beyond cultish. For parents dragged along, you could do a lot worse. (For me, it's a major notch above "Grease," the appeal of which still escapes me.)
For more details, click here.
Gladys Knight
March 15
Hilbert Circle Theatre
You may know all the words to "Midnight Train to Georgia," but here are some things you probably don't know about Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gladys Knight, who will be singing with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra this weekend.
- She is co-owner of Gladys Knight and Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles, with locations in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
- She's a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and directs the Saints Unified Choir.
- Although often thought of as a Motown act, Gladys Knight and the Pips left that record label in 1973 and scored their monster hits "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" for Buddha Records.
- According to the song's writer, Jim Weatherly, "Midnight Train to Georgia" was originally called "Midnight Plane to Houston" - and it was sparked by a comment by Farrah Fawcett, who was dating Weatherly's pal Lee Majors.
For more details on the ISO concert, click here.
 This week's contest
This week, win a family pack of tickets to the Indy Monthly Magic Show. It's good for admission for up to five people (at least one child and two adults) to this new multi-magician show, which kicks off April 1 at Theatre on the Square and will be held the first Tuesday of every month. For more info on the show, call 431-1320. To enter the contest, just fill out the form here. We'll pull one winner at random.
While you are filling it out, share a magical moment with us. You can interpret that any way you want.
Last week, we offered up an Indianapolis Museum of Art "Breaking the Mode" VIP package, which includes four exhibition passes to the show, a catalogue of the exhibition and a $25 gift certificate to Puck's restaurant.
The winner was Bill Dorner. We also asked you to play fashion police and tell us the most embarrassing garment in your (or your significant other's) personal collection. Your responses are here.
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"Tosca." Big emotions. Big voices. 
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