Runaways MSE exhibit prompts tough discussion

When was the last time you paid attention to the art in the library? The last time I did, perhaps one of the only few times, was when it was pointed out to me by an enraged security guard. This was a piece called Runaways by Glenn Ligon.

Indian Summer garners praise for two-week run

Indian Summer, Gregory S. Moss’ play, opens on a beach setting to soft sounds of birds and the ocean in the background. The mid-July Rhode Island beach is slowly populated. The first person there is Daniel (played by junior Sebastian Durfee), a teen dropped at his grandparents’ house by his wayward mother for the summer. Bored and nervous about his mother’s delayed return, his summer takes a turn when he meets Izzy (played by senior Rachel Underweiser), a brash, Rhode-Island accented local. The pair’s feisty first encounters develop into an unlikely relationship that softens into something the audience can’t help but root for.

Throat Culture performs the comedy show “Existential Crisis”

One look at the title of Throat Culture’s most recent show on Saturday, Nov. 3, “A Not-Quite Halloween, Not-Quite Thanksgiving, Not-Quite Christmas Existential Crisis,” explains basically everything that you need to know about the performance. The comedy was as eclectic as usual, and it was never absolutely clear what the group would bring to the stage next. 

Kathleen Hellen reads from her newest poetry collection

I returned to the Ivy Bookshop this past Saturday, Nov. 5 to see Kathleen Hellen read from her new poetry collection, The Only Country Was the Color of My Skin. Born in Tokyo, Kathleen Hellen is the half-Japanese author of the award-winning collection Umberto’s Night and two chapbooks, The Girl Who Loved Mothra and Pentimento. Her poems have won the Thomas Merton and James Still poetry prizes, as well as prizes from the H.O.W. Journal and Washington Square Review. 

TV adaptation of “Angel of Death” flops

With the recent trend in films and TV shows to have as dark a plot as possible (in order to appeal to the group of angsty teens that gush whenever blood or death comes on screen), it’s no surprise that Satsuriku no Tenshi, an anime literally called the Angel of Death, has been released.

London artist Tom Misch tours his newest album

I first discovered Tom Misch in my junior year of high school while perusing through Soundcloud on a Saturday afternoon.  I remember it like it was yesterday — there I was in my newly purchased Keith Haring shirt from Uniqlo, sitting on my bed as I nonchalantly clicked on one of his tracks. After a few seconds into his classic bass guitar beat drop, I stood up, closed my room door and proceeded to dance, a memory that still makes me cringe on the inside. 

Three new hip-hop albums drop unique sounds

This week has been a fruitful one for hip-hop. There were a ton of big releases and great projects that dropped in a quick span. One of the best projects of this week, and possibly the year, is the collaboration between super producer The Alchemist, gangster rapper Freddie Gibbs and Bay Area legend Curren$y, with their new project, Fetti.

Alumna Rena Rossner shares new novel

I always feel a sense of escape and freedom when I read fantasies. Curious to discover the underlying secret of a book covered in embellished golden details of forests, fruits, villages, a swan and a bear, I attended the book reading event of The Sisters of the Winter Wood, held by the author Rena Rossner at Barnes & Noble on Thursday, Nov. 1.

Professor Jason Eisner discusses his role in My Fair Lady

In an interesting case of art mimicking life, Jason Eisner, a professor in the Computer Science Department and the Language and Speech Processing Center, will costar as the linguistics Professor Henry Higgins in Third Wall’s production of My Fair Lady. The play debuts on Friday, Nov. 9. 

Bohemian Rhapsody highlights the genius of Queen

I went to the Senator Theatre in Baltimore’s Belvedere Square on Friday, Nov. 2 to watch Bohemian Rhapsody, the recent musical biopic of the epically famous rock band Queen. The film, as expected, focused on the most well-known aspect of the band: the incredible, exuberant and creative life and mind of the lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Rami Malek, most famous for his lead role in the TV show Mr. Robot, portrayed Mercury to well-deserved critical praise. Malek gave an absolutely compelling performance as Mercury, whose complicated life intersected inevitably with his musical genius in Queen. 

Walters exhibit showcases Native American art

The Walters Art Museum in Mount Vernon opened their newest exhibition, Transformation: Art of the Americas, on Sunday, Oct. 27. As described on the installation’s webpage, Transformation spotlights roughly 20 objects from indigenous American cultures that display the metamorphosis of body and spirit. Name a more wholesome Halloweekend activity than attending a gallery on its first day, I dare you.

Catholic nuns reconcile their faith and identities

I attended a reading at the Ivy Bookshop Saturday, Oct. 27 led by current and former Catholic nuns. They and their editors were promoting a new book called Unruly Catholic Nuns, a collection of poetry, autobiography and short fiction.

The Kennedy Center wows audiences with Little Shop of Horrors

In order to understand Little Shop of Horrors, you really only have to look at its main villain: a sentient, bloodthirsty plant named Audrey II. Despite its desire to eat as much human flesh as it can possibly get its hands on, Audrey II is also the show’s campiest character, just as likely to petulantly throw a tantrum as it is swallow a person whole. It never stops cracking jokes, even as it threatens to consume the entire human race. 

Peabody celebrates the musical history of Maryland

Climbing down the magnificent staircase embellished with an intricate pattern, I set foot in the masterpiece situated in the heart of Mount Vernon. My eyes spiraled upward to admire the crystal-like glowing emerald skylight. Being part of the Walters Art Museum, 1 West Mount Vernon Place is a work of art on its own. 

Hasan Minhaj brings a new type of late show to Netflix

Netflix released the third season of Marvel’s Daredevil, the second season of Castlevania and the debut of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina this week in a slew of new shows. Among them was an unexpected surprise — Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.

MICA hosts fourth annual haunted house in a suburban hellscape

I have never been a fan of the haunted house. Something about paying strangers to scream at you in the dark as your body threatens cardiac arrest doesn’t appeal to me. However, I was intrigued by the Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) unique take on the Halloween tradition and was impressed that the production was staged by students alone. After hearing friends testify to its relatively-tame-yet-still-spooky nature, I agreed to check it out. 

Shirkers documents the recovery of a lost film

A shirker is someone who runs away from responsibilities, something I consequently became when I experienced an otherworldly form of escape in Sandi Tan’s mind blowing documentary film, Shirkers. The one hour, 36 minute documentary, labeled a “punk feminist documentary gem” by Vox Media, unfolds into a gripping story of Tan’s journey as she recovers 70 film cans that were taken from her possession.

Barnstormers shine in fall play The Laramie Project

This fall, the Barnstormers are celebrating their 100th anniversary with a production of The Laramie Project, the true story of the 1998 hate-crime murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. 

The Wombats show off musical prowess at Rams Head Live!