RISE ABOVE IT
As a response to the civic disturbances that rocked Baltimore in April 2015, the city, collectively, has attempted to heal itself through a handful of meaningful initiatives, including the Close Up Baltimore photography/storytelling project and the youth-driven This Is Baltimore book, both featured in STYLE’s September issue. MICA lends its voice to this effort with Baltimore Rising, for which 15 artists familiar with the city have contributed works that, according to exhibit curator/MICA Painting Department Chair Tony Shore, “encourage the viewer to engage in a thought-provoking visual dialogue with the systemic issues that led to the political and social unrest following the death of Freddie Gray.” Participants include: 2016 MacArthur Fellow Joyce Scott, Lauren Adams, J. M. Giordano, Paul Rucker, Shore and Susan Waters-Eller (profiled in “Portfolio” on p. 44). Additionally, MICA has created a catalog for the show with a foreword by Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson. Nov. 2-22 at MICA’s Fred Lazarus IV Center. Free. 410-669-9200, events. mica.edu —MICHAEL YOCKEL
IF THE SHOE FITS
In the Grimm Brothers’ take on the classic tale of Cinderella, the titular heroine’s stepsisters lop off a toe and a chunk of heel in pursuit of a perfect fit in Cinderella’s lost slipper (this version’s golden rather than glass), revealing themselves as frauds only when blood drips from the shoe. We promise you: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is nothing like that. Instead, the made-for-TV musical made famous by Julie Andrews (and, later, Brandy and Whitney Houston) offers lush fairytale imagery, laughs and memorable melodies as it sweeps the Hippodrome Broadway stage for what promises to be “A Lovely Night.” Nov. 1-6 at the Hippodrome. Tickets: $49-$147. 800-343-3103, baltimore.broadway .com —KIMBERLY USLIN
SOUNDS LIKE THIS
Singer-songwriter (and, not incidentally, Montgomery County native) Eric Hutchinson has reeled off a steady stream of good-natured, soul-inflected pop hits over the past 13 years, notably “Rock & Roll,” “Watching You Watch Him” and “Tell the World” (the latter used in a Microsoft ad!). This past August, Hutchinson released Easy Street, which he also produced, and which, no doubt, he’ll feature in concert along with his fave raves. Nov. 1 at Rams Head Live. Tickets: $19.50-$23. 410-244-1131, ramsheadlive.com —JULIETH MEDINA-CICI
GLASS ACTION
Take a shot at fun—hey, take several. The Baltimore Whiskey Festival is ready to fill your glass from an exclusive selection of 60-plus whiskies, including single malt and blended Scotch, Irish, Japanese, bourbon, rye and craft-distilled varieties. Mingle with whiskey aficionados, attend free seminars by distillers and experts and sip your stuff—this event is sure to bring (and keep) your spirits up, up, up. Tickets include a glass to hold the liquid memories. Nov. 3 at the Engineers Club of Baltimore. A portion of proceeds benefits Spirit of Hope Children’s Foundation. Tickets: $79 (adv.), $99 (door). 800-830-3976, bmore whiskey.com —MICAH CASTELO
KIND OF BLUES
Beat the November blues and tune out the rest of the world with Grammy-nominated blues-rock singer-songwriter/guitar hero Joe Bonamassa, on tour with a full band in support of his most recent studio album, Blues of Desperation. Expect to hear multiple tracks from the new record, as well as favorites such as “The Ballad of John Henry,” “Sloe Gin” and “Mountain Time,” plus tributes to three Kings of the blues guitar: Freddie, Albert and B.B. (for whom Bonamassa opened when he was 12). Nov. 26 at the Lyric. Tickets: $79-$125+. 410-900-1150, lyricbaltimore.com —M.C.
CREATURE FEATURE
Since Animal Collective got together—in Baltimore County, circa 2003—the band has taken on something of a mad scientist role on the indie music scene, inventing and reinventing its sound, sometimes on a song-to-song basis. From psychedelic synths and eclectic harmonies to dreamy, hypnotic vocals, the group’s music resists strict genre pigeonholing. This tour features AC’s 10th album, Painting With, described notably by Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear) as the band’s “Ramones record.” Nov. 3 at Rams Head Live. Tickets: $25 (adv.), $28 (door). 410-244-1131, ramsheadlive.com —M.C.
ON THE FRINGE
All things alt-theater return to Hampden and Station North for the fifth annual Charm City Fringe Festival. Featuring nearly 20 new (or newish) productions from “slapstick-dance-puppetry” to “multimedia-theater-cum-film,” the eclectic collection of shows is sure to delight those who find traditional stage fare a bit of a drag. Not sure where to start? The 2014 breakout hit “Sex, Drugs, and Audience Participation” will make its triumphant return, and “Piper Bidet: Bathroom Detective” sounds particularly promising. As always, the drama continues into late night with comedy and music at venues that include Joe Squared, The Crown and The Windup Space. Nov. 3-13 across Hampden and Station North. Ticket prices vary. charmcityfringe.com —K.U.
BEYOND THE BARD
When discussion of Shakespeare’s contemporaries arises, it’s often in the context of the “contested Will” theory: Was William truly the man behind his host of iconic works, or were “Hamlet” and “Henry V” actually the products of Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere or someone else? Rarely are such writers considered in their own right, but the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory aims to change that by presenting, each season, the work of a lesser-known playwright from the Bard-dominated Elizabethan era. Cue The Shoemaker’s Holiday by Thomas Dekker. We’re eager to see what happens when the canon is fired. Nov. 4-20 at the Great Hall Theatre. Tickets: $15-20; kids free. 410-921-9455, shakespearefactory.org —K.U.
MUSICAL ALCHEMY
Aided by his band, Baltimore-based singer-songwriter/guitarist Cris Jacobs adroitly melds bluegrass, folk, funk, country, blues, soul and rock to produce a fetching brand of Americana music that he matches with unselfconscious lyrics, all sung in a husky, melodious baritone and heard to winsome effect on his just- released second album, Dust to Gold. Fittingly, singer-songwriter/ mandolinist Amy Helm (daughter of Levon, vocalist/drummer for The Band) explores similar musical terrain along with her band, The Handsome Strangers. They share the bill Nov. 5 at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts. Tickets: $26 (adv.), $31 (door). 410-356-SHOW, jcc.org —J.M.C.
ROCKING THE VOTE
Quintus Cicero was the original James Carville, Mary Matalin or Karl Rove, spinning out sage advice on how to clinch a major election back in, geez, 64 B.C. To jibe with the 2012 election cycle, classics professor and popular author Philip Freeman translated Cicero’s timeless Latin pamphlet How to Win an Election, and now, two days before the final Clinton vs. Trump showdown, he discusses how the tactics it enumerates apply to contemporary politics. Nov. 6 at the Walters Art Museum. Free. 410-547-9000, thewalters.org —M.Y.
I.S.O.: SELF
Katharine Noel, the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of 2007’s Halfway House (her first novel), returns to exploring complex relationships and self-discovery with her new Meantime, wherein 30-something Clare Hood deals with her stepsister’s pregnancy, her husband’s lingering relationship with his ex and her family’s own eccentric history. (Maybe you can relate.) Noel, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, convincingly creates real and raw characters while diving into the realms of marriage, sisterhood, parenthood and selfhood with humor and honesty. Nov. 10 at Ivy Bookshop. Free. 410-377-2966, theivybookshop.com —M.C.
SIX-STRING SLINGER
Acclaimed guitarist David Burgess, who at one time studied with the instrument’s unrivaled 20th-century master Andres Segovia, boasts a resume that brims with prestigious solo, orchestral and chamber music appearances. For this concert, he will perform alone, showcasing the works of a handful of contemporary Spanish and Latin American composers, among them Cuba’s prolific Ernesto Lecuona. Nov. 13 at Second Presbyterian Church. Free. 433-759-3309, communityconcertsatsecond .org —M.Y.
Q IS 4 U
Now in its 101st season, Vagabond Players stages the totally irreverent and Tony Award-winning Avenue Q, an edgy, coming-of-age parody featuring a cast of humans and cute Muppet-reminiscent puppets that might be right up your ironic/adult alley. With sing-along-style songs such as “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “The Internet Is for Porn,” the show unpacks life lessons in a more, well, outspoken style than, say, “Sesame Street.” Oct. 21-Nov. 20 at the Vagabond. Tickets: $16-$24. 410-563-9135, vagabondplayers.org —M.C.
CRUDE AWAKENING
It seems Amy Schumer has been making headlines frequently of late—and not always to flattering effect. But whether she’s being called to task for off-color remarks about former colleagues or accepting GQ’s Woman of the Year Award with plenty of raunchy asides, the “Trainwreck” and “Inside Amy Schumer” writer/actress remains unapologetic. Such is the central conceit behind her occasionally offensive—but often insightful—brand of comedy, on display most recently in her new book, The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo. Fun(ny) fact: Schumer is a Towson U. alum, making her an automatic hit with hometown crowds. (Just don’t heckle her—the fierce feminist has proven she has no problem ejecting disruptive audience members.) Nov. 12 at Royal Farms Arena. Tickets: $42-$112. 410-347-2020, royalfarmsarena.com —K.U.
FRENCH KISSING
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 18th-century epistolary novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses packs more intrigue and betrayal than an entire season of “House of Cards.” Adapted for the stage by Christopher Hampton, this production, directed by Hana S. Sharif, gleefully revels in the salacious machinations of the Marquise de Merteuil and her ex-lover, the Vicomte de Valmont, who, out of boredom, challenge each other to seduce innocents. Ah, but their comeuppance will come. Nov. 26-Dec. 23 at Center Stage. Tickets: $20-$64. 410-332-0033, centerstage.org —J.M.C.
GODS AND MONSTERS
Tibetan Buddhism holds that praying to fearsome divinities protects the cosmos—and our minds—from evil spirits. Better to have those bold souls on your side. Ferocious Beauty: Wrathful Deities from Tibet and Nepal puts on display an array of beautiful-yet-unsettling sculptures, paintings and ritual objects, many on loan from the University of Michigan’s Museum of Anthropology’s Ford Collection. Nov. 13-Apr. 16, 2017 at the Walters Art Museum. Free. 410-547-9000, thewalters.org —J.M.C.
BEET GENERATION
“Oh, bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh.” So sayeth Alex, your humble narrator, as he listened to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film “A Clockwork Orange.” For its Beethoven Weekend bliss-a-thon, the BSO, under maestra Marin Alsop, will perform the Ninth, along with works by John Adams and TJ Cole (a Centennial Celebration world-premiere commission), plus present the St. Lawrence String Quartet doing two pieces by the old Ludwig van and a pre-gig Beethoven lecture. “Viddy well.” Nov. 18 and 20 at Meyerhoff Hall and Johns Hopkins’ Shriver Hall. Tickets: $33-$99. 410-783-8000, bsomusic.org —M.Y.
MERRY AND BRIGHT
These days, the second the leftover turkey goes into the Tupperware, it’s officially the holiday season. Forge right ahead into the festivities with Symphony of Lights, a drive-through light show featuring a mile of holiday-themed LED displays presented by the Howard County General Hospital. Also on the agenda: an ice skating rink, Dazzle Dash 5K, Twinkling Tots children’s walk and Tail Lights pet parade and costume contest. How very holly-jolly. Nov. 20-Jan.1, 2017. Tickets: $20 per car; additional fee for events and ice skating. 410-740-7666, hcgh.org/symphonyoflights —K.U.
THE MIRROR CRACK’D
Growing up in East Baltimore, D. Watkins learned the hard way what the drug trade can do to young African-American men, and how those who want to escape its grip often fail to survive long enough to do so. Watkins’ well-received The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir, published earlier this year, chronicles his struggle to free himself from the city’s most tenacious scourge. Hear him discuss his experience Nov. 5 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. The event is included with an $8 admission. 443-263-1800, lewismuseum.org —J.M.C.
PLAYING FORTISSIMO
One generally associates sex and drugs with, natch, rock ‘n’ roll. With her 2005 memoir, Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, professional oboist turned writer and journalist Blair Tindall documented an unexpected context for the trio. The memoir, in turn, spawned a 2014 web series adaptation that won a Golden Globes Award for Best Television Series in Comedy. Tindall’s ability to expose a different perspective on orchestral life registered with classical music aficionados and newbies alike. Find out what she’s all about at Johns Hopkins’ Dean’s Symposium on Nov. 28 at Peabody Institute. Free. 667-208-6620, hub.jhu.edu/events —M.C.
INQUIRING MIND
Chilean-born painter Robinson Munoz served as a practicing psychiatrist, treating mostly kids and teens, until he retired and earned a postbaccalaureate certificate from MICA in 2001. Since then, he has devoted his energies to making art full-time, resulting in works that betray a probing intellect bent on discovery (not surprising, given his background). In fact, his new solo show, In Praise of Love, features colorful pieces that exude a certain Rorschach test effect. Nov. 3-27 at The Alchemy of Art. Free. 805-705-2305, alchemy-of-art.squarespace.com —M.Y.
