The Lyric Theatre Blog

Another great concert at the Lyric.  Planned Parenthood of the New River Valley brought John McCutcheon to Blacksburg for a night of songs and stories for all ages.  As McCutcheon made several references, there were many AARP eligible members of the audience. 

McCutcheon is an old school folk musician following in the footsteps of Pete Seegar, the Weavers and Woody Guthrie.  In fact, the Guthrie family has made McCutcheon the keeper of Woody’s papers and he is working on adding music to hundreds of lyrics left behind at Woody’s death. 

A multi instrumentalist, McCutcheon played 6 and 12 string guitars, 5 string banjo, autoharp, piano, hammer dulcimer and for his encore, fiddle.  All was done well with vibrant gusto.   A highlight was when he sang the Birthday Cake song.  He counted to three for the audience to blow out the candles and the theatre went black.  A child in the audience wondered aloud “how’d he do that?” as the lights came back up. 

It was a night for group singing and tall tale telling that put everyone in a happy, mellow mood before we all trudged out into the cold, blowing snow.  A fine time was had by all.

Juxtaposition was here last night and they were fantastic, as usual.  We had wonderful crowds for both 7:00 and the 9:30 shows; folks really seemed to enjoy the shows.  This is a young group, with only one graduating senior so look for the shows to get better and better during the coming years!

The Junebug center is setting up for their show this morning, as I write this.  I spoke with the director, Mary Souder, who described the the production group as “black box,” meaning, in my experience, minimal and flexible in regards to space, lighting, and set.  I just peeked in on them, looks to be true, the on the stage is a Christmas tree, bookcases, and a few other pieces of furniture. Their production is called “How Scrooge the Goat Almost Ended Christmas.”  Should be entertaining!

This afternoon is the final film in the Japanese Film Festival.  At 3:00, Nobody Knows will play.  Phenominal movie, if you haven’t seen it.

Don’t forget about Superbad, playing after Nick and Norah at midnight.  I saw the movie in the theater (at a not-to-be-named chain) and loved it.  It’s not for everyone, but if you’re up for a midnight movie, it’s 100% worth the watch!

I have been  slowly on the learning curve of this blog, but here is the first actual posting!

Monday night the Lyric hosted the Roanoke Opera and Symphony.  The performance was flawless and inspiring.  Then it was a magic night at the Lyric Friday.  The Escovedo Trio filled the Lyric with one of the best concerts I’ve seen and heard. 

A few years back, the Lyric brought together David Wilcox and Darryl Scott.  Both of these artists are giants and have large followings.  Darryl Scott won many new fans that night.  David Wilcox’s performance was about the artist and his work.  The audience was there to appreciate his artistry – and as I am a David Wilcox fan, I appreciated it.  Darryl Scott’s performance was to please the audience.  He read the audience’s collective minds and gave his all to make them satisfied. 

Monday the Roanoke Opera performed their best with soloists that are world class.  The audience was there to appreciate the Opera’s work.  And the audience did just that.  They were respectful of the performers and gave a standing ovation to their fine singing and playing.

Friday night, the Escovedo Trio played to the base – the audience.  Although billed as Alejandro Escovedo,  it was truly a trio with all three performers equally sharing the load at wowing and pleasing the audience.  The timing and harmonies were flawless.  The encores, played out in the aisles with no electronic augmentation, brought the audience to its feet again and again. 

Two different approaches and two different ways to relate to an audience – Blacksburg and Montgomery County should count themselves lucky that a jewel such as the Lyric Theatre can bring such grand and diverse entertainment. 

I look forward to the many varied performances in the coming months, but it will be hard to top the Roanoke Opera and the Escovedo Trio! 

It’s been a while since the last post, so let me get you up to speed on what’s been going on and what’s coming up!

On the 7th of October, in conjunction with the AARP, we hosted a presidential debate viewing party.  The debate was interesting, as the entire race has turned out to be, and a great time was had by all.  Look for us to do this sort of thing again next year.  We really enjoyed having the AARP here (and their mascot Champ) and are looking forward to doing it again!

New River Stage was here on the weekend of October 18th.  They performed three shows of I Hate Hamlet to a great crowd.  NR Stage will be here again in December to preform The Best Christmas Pageant Ever on the 6th and 7th.  When they performed the play last year they had three shows and three packed houses, so if you want tickets, you’d better start thinking about them now!

On Thursday last week (October 23rd), former Governor (and Senate candidate) Mark Warner and Google CEO Eric Schmidt came to the theatre to speak about government investment in technology and how that investment affects America’s future in the global marketplace.  We had a fantastic crowd (477 seats filled in 30 minutes!) and there was quite a bit of energy in the auditorium as Warner and Schmidt spoke.  Check out the blog entry on Mark Warner’s website here.

Community Opportunities held their 3rd Annual Mountain Music Festival here on October 24th.  The Carolina Chocolate Drops played and were amazing.  They had a fantastic sound and apparently enjoyed playing at the theatre so, with any luck, they’ll be back soon to play again in case you missed them.

On Thursday this week (October 30), the Choices and Challenges program will host a panel discussion which will talk about the role that the internet plays with regards to political participation.  The discussion begins at 11 am and is free.  For more information about Choices and Challenges, visit their website here.

We had a sell-out crowd and a good time was had by all!  Thank you to everyone who came!

I had a great time, thought the group that performed was hilarious.  The show may have been a tad ribald for some, tame for others.  I personally have a favorite part, but it’s a little…risque for this blog.

What’d you think?

If you haven’t seen it yet, Tell No One is a great film, flat out.  I was thinking today about the other French films we’ve shown recently and I began to wonder, what’s the best foreign film we’ve shown here?

So I put the question to you: What’s been your favorite foreign film you’ve seen here?  Dig deep for this one; we’ve had a lot: Princess Mononoke to Zatoichi to Paris, Je t’aime and I know I could go back further than a couple years and name a lot more. I want to know not only what your favorite film, but WHY as well.  I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Peter Velz, from the Collegiate Times, called me a few weeks back and asked if he and fellow reporter Bryce Stucki would be able to check out the films at the Lyric and review them for a series hosted by the Collegiate Times.  And thus, At the Lyric was born!

Peter and Bryce’s reviews are highly entertaining and insightful; check out their work on the last three films, Brick Lane, Brideshead Revisited, and Gonzo and make sure to keep up with their future film reviews.

You can find Peter and Bryce’s reviews here at the Collegiate Times website.  In the future, you’ll be able to find this link in the (aptly named) “Links” section on the right-hand side of this page.

What, indeed!

Let’s see, on October 3, Second City will be performing on stage at the Lyric.  If you havn’t made it to a live event here, do yourself a favor and head down for this one.  A LOT of comedians are Second City alum; ever hear of Stephen Colbert, Horatio Sanz, Bill Murray, John Candy, Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch?  Not that I would resort to name dropping…well, yes I would.  See the next generation of brilliant comedians at the Lyric!  Tickets are selling quickly, so get yours ASAP!  You can get them here or by calling 951-4771.

Also in October, the AARP will be hosting a Presidential Debate Watch Party here at the theater.  The debate is on Tuesday, October 7 at 9:00 PM but will be preceded by a short discussion beginning at 8:00.  Admission is free (but remember that seating is limited so arrive early), as is popcorn and fountain drinks (courtesy of the AARP).

Or are both of those descriptors too limiting?  This week you’ll have the opportunity to make the decision for yourselves.  Gonzo starts Friday, September 12.  Show times are 7:00 and 9:15.

Thompson was clearly an intense personality, given our present fascination with him.  I haven’t seen the film yet, but what I’m curious about is: what exactly drove Thompson?  Was he a genius, knowing full well that we’d pay attention to a lunatic, or was he just plain nuts?  Or, do I have him completely wrong?

I’m looking forward to seeing what you have to say!

Welcome to the new Lyric Theatre blog!  I’ll be updating and posting here regularly with the hope that I can keep you as up-to-date as possible on all the goings ons here at the theater.  Check back soon or subscribe to the blog for more information soon!