On Nov. 3, the Valley Light Opera (VLO) opened their fall opera “Iolanthe” by Gilbert and Sullivan at the Academy of Music, marking the organization’s sixth staging of the comic operetta since 1976. The production boasts delightful performances from Valley Light Opera veterans Elaine Crane and Thom Griffin, and captivating ensemble numbers that kept the audience laughing.
Posts published in “Arts and Culture”
On Nov. 3, singer-songwriter Amelia Day released her sophomore EP (Extended Play), “Little One.” Coming off the heels of her 2022 folk EP “Eastward of Eden,” “Little One” is a love letter to the stages of growing up, wrapped up in a 6-track eclectic patchwork of genres.
“It’s been a long time coming.” These aren’t only the first words on Taylor Swift’s lips as she rises onto the stage of her Eras Tour — but a message to her fans.
“I guess you wonder how you got to where you are?” That is the first line of the introduction to Blair Sorrel’s (ʼ77) memoir, “A…
The literary world of Roald Dahl is eccentric, humorous and often mischievous; naturally, the cinematic universe of Wes Anderson is its perfect match. Yes, Anderson’s latest Dahl adaptation, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” (Netflix, 2023), is every bit as charming as his last, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009). Despite a seemingly never-ending influx of movie adaptations, Anderson claims “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” as his own by combining his eccentric aesthetic and Dahl’s authorial wisdom in this 41-minute short.
When comedian Ashely Gavin announced a Northampton stop on her tour on Oct. 1, I knew I had to go. I first saw Gavin scrolling on my TikTok “For You” page a few months ago. In this first short clip, Gavin describes a conversation with a contestant on The Bachelor who slid into her Instagram DMs (Direct Messages). It led me on a deep dive into her TikTok page, building my excitement for her stop at the Academy of Music. Her performance offered not only two hours of laughs but also unique insights on recently having a changed reputation in the world of social media cancel culture.
In her debut album, Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? 23-year-old Smith alum Kara Jackson grapples with colossal concepts of love, death, and self-worth, delivered with delicate hands and an eternally powerful voice. The prior Youth Poet Laureate has incorporated her skillful penmanship into a new medium, her hard-hitting lyrics underscored by smooth acoustics and flourishing arrangements of guitar, piano, and banjo. Pitchfork awarded her “Best New Album” with a whopping overall score of 8.2, a testament to her impressive musical abilities.
On April 22, a rainy Saturday evening, the concert of a lifetime was about to take place. Three
different groups were expected to perform that night: Siggy and the Futz, Father Koi, and Kilo
Kish. I truly had no idea what I was in for.
“Emulate,” Smith’s latest literary magazine, has undergone a series of instrumental changes over the past few years to become a prominent fixture of the school’s arts scene. Its evolution, and the grounds upon which it was necessitated, have brought into question both the role of literary magazines at Smith and where “Emulate”’s future lies.
Attending a two-hour concert for a band when you only know one of their songs could be a letdown. However, if that band is Houndmouth, you won't be disappointed. The American alternative rock band played a nineteen-song set at Northampton’s own Academy of Music on April 27, 2023. Though the theater only holds 800 concertgoers, Houndmouth brought the audience to their feet, and me to their Spotify “This Is Houndmouth” page.