Results tagged “stephensondheim”

WORDS: Let's be honest. Book launches can be a bit dry. Sometimes not even some free wine can spice up an event that's, more often than not, only interesting to industry types who want to network. And then there's This Is Not A Reading Series. They take each of their literary events to a level that any above-average book-lover can enjoy. Tonight, TINARS outdoes itself with the launch of Lisa Pasold's first novel, Rats of Las Vegas at the Gladstone. The book follows a poker prodigy who learns to play poker in Vancouver during the Depression. She starts working her way through high-stakes games on the railroad, eventually making her way to Las Vegas and the Flamingo Hotel. For the launch tonight, singers Alejandra Ribera and Bremner Duthie will start off the Vegas-themed party with some lounge singing, followed by a discussion between Pasold and writer (and sometimes poker player) Craig Davidson. The night really gets interesting when Skin Tight Outta Sight members CoCo La Creme and Sauci Calla Horra put on a burlesque performance, and then you can ante in for the night's biggest event, a "legal points-run poker tournament" hosted by Davidson. Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), 7:30 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), $15 (free with book purchase).

PERFORMANCE: The Royal Ontario Museum presents two back-to-back events that couldn't be more different from one another. First, Tafelmusik offers museum-goers the "Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres," an “out of this world” multimedia classical concert. Then, dance artist Claudia Moore performs two short solos, and presents her own dance creation, a duet realized by MOonhORsE Dance Theatre artists Tom Brouillette and Jennifer Lynn Dick. Royal Ontario Museum, Level 1 (100 Queen’s Park), Tafelmusik at 2 p.m., Claudia Moore at 3 p.m., FREE with ROM Admission ($22 for adults, $19 for students/seniors, $15 for children).

This Friday night, Allie Hughes has a concert at the El Mocambo. You might not have heard of this homegrown singer-songwriter yet, but maybe you will sometime soon. Hughes has a dynamite voice that she can effortlessly shift from a gentle coo to an operatic cry while she sits at her keyboard, presiding over her rockin' little band. Her songs bridge an adorable gap between sassy and poignant, and the general vibe is along the lines of a better-dressed and somewhat less crazy Sarah Slean. (Just kidding, Sleaners! Sarah has some good outfits.)

with a stunning score by Leonard Bernstein, marked the beginning of Stephen Sondheim's career as a Broadway lyricist known for his clever, catchy rhymes ("Everything free in America/For a small fee in America..."). In this New York, gang warfare is balletic, accompanied by Bernstein's haunting tunes, and grande jetés have never looked more macho. We dare you to walk away without imitating that signature whistle and finger-snap.