Arts/Culture

There is a memorial on the waterfront for Flight 3407 victim Alison des Forges, perhaps the only public monument to a woman other than in a local cemetery. A local group plans to change that and has three candidates for new statues of women.

Anthony remembers Zoe (say "Zo") Caldwell, winner of four Tony Awards (the last for portraying the opera star Maria Callas in MASTER CLASS) who passed away Tuesday at 86, at home, due to complications from Parkinson's. On a recent trip to NYC, he saw Jane Alexander (age 80) in GRAND HORIZONS, Charles Busch (only 65) in THE LEGEND OF LILY DARE, and very much enjoyed the new, more true to life book for THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN.  SCOTCH AND MADNESS opened at the Alleyway did last night while many more plays are about to (see listings).

It’s the third year of Black Restaurant Week sponsored by the Buffalo Urban League Young Professionals. Its President, Mark Glasgow, is hoping the event will draw people from all across Buffalo to experience what the African American community has to offer.

Mary Magdalene along with Jesus, Judas, Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod et. al. sing in the 50th anniversary tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Shea's, while Josie DiVincenzo plays 40 different roles in the one-woman WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW about late-in-life pregnancy at Jewish Repertory. And two singers, one glorious, Alberta Hunter, is portrayed by Zoe Scruggs and Ember Tate in COOKIN' AT THE COOKERY at MusicalFare, while the worse singer in the world, Florence Foster Jenkins, is portrayed by Mary Kate O'Connell at her new theater in Kenmore.

Across the world, movie fans and moviegoers watched Sunday's Academy Awards to see who the movie industry saw as the best of the best. Film and TV students gathered in Buffalo State College's Student Union for the college's 13th "Night at the Oscars."

Alexis Oltmer recalls how her current exhibition at CEPA Gallery originated three years ago on a visit to Emerald Beach on Lake Erie. "I started to notice tiny, little  (plastic) particles that were every single color in the rainbow. I was just really overwhelmed by them," Oltmer recalled. "When I got home I felt really bad about the fact that I hadn't done anything about that." For Oltmer, it's been angst turned into art.

History is being made at the Oscars this weekend. The first ever woman conductor, Eimear Noone, will lead the orchestra. Her instrument of choice to lead the group? A baton made by Buffalo’s Phil Aguglia. WBFO’s Nick Lippa visited Aguglia in his workshop where he put on the finishing touches of a baton now on its way to Los Angeles and explained how making a baton for Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra music director JoAnn Falletta played a major role in developing his craft.

Agnes Bain spent 41 of her 78 years overseeing the growth of Buffalo's African American Cultural Center on Masten Avenue, the home of the Paul Robeson Theatre (the play JUMP is wrapping there this Sunday afternoon) where she was beloved and is sadly missed. Meanwhile a celebration of blues singer Alberta Hunter in COOKIN' AT THE COOKERY is on stage at MusicalFare, FACTORY FOR MURDERERS is back on stage, and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is coming to Shea's.

A vivid picture comes to mind when we hear the phrase “Women’s Movement,” but the protests of today in Washington, D.C. had their roots in the women’s suffrage movement, a protest that lasted for decades and resulted in the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote 100 years ago.

With its expanding array of contributors, Buffalo Rising spreads the spotlight on many of the city's newest trends and businesses. Cole Hastings is among those who have been sampling what's happening. He's tasted what he says are Buffalo's best vegan wings, kept close tabs on the city's hip-hop scene and explored the newest entries into a revived business community in Riverside. Hastings shared some of  his perspective during WBFO's Press Pass.

It's so "meta" and hilarious when Buffalo's radical feminist troupe, The Brazen-Faced Varlets, puts on a very funny play by Carolyn Gage, THE ANASTASIA TRIALS IN THE COURT OF WOMEN, about a radical feminist troupe putting on a play. The young cast and director of MERCURY FUR also present great ensemble work in an "in yer face" production. While the  flu got the better of FACTORY FOR MURDERERS (think Jack The Ripper), but they're back at the Alleyway. And we remember Buffalo's Mary Loftus (click here for a detailed bio by Anthony).

Michelle Gigante’s heart belongs to the West Side of Buffalo. For years she owned and operated yoga studios in different Buffalo neighborhoods and the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Celtic influenced blues guitarist Davy Knowles is playing Iron Works Sunday night in Buffalo. In the past, he’s toured with Jeff Beck and Joe Satriani. He’s performing new solo album material and spoke with WBFO’s Nick Lippa about what blues lovers can expect next from the Isle of Man native.

A dozen different shows now into February give present a wide variety of genres, from exposing our hidden motivations in THE ANASTASIA TRIALS, THE ANTIPODES, and JUMP to "detective shows" MISS NELSON IS MISSING or THE MOUSETRAP to plays that portend violence such as COPS AND FRIENDS OF COPS, FACTORY FOR MURDERERS, and MERCURY FUR.

Dipson Amherst Theatre's monthly cult-horror movie series is back for its eighth season starting with John Carpenter's 1987 film Prince of Darkness. Thursday Night Terrors, created by local horror fanatic Peter Vullo, has been going strong for almost four years now. He spoke with WBFO about the future of Terrors and shared his favorite horror films of 2019.

Billed as a "play-within-a-play," the Brazen-Faced Varlets' production of THE ANATASIA TRIALS IN THE COURT OF WOMEN continues through February 2 at Alleyway's Caberet Theater. The play was written by Carolyn Gage. "She's very close to her plays," said Lara Haberberger, Artistic/Executive Director. So close, in fact, that Gage connected via Skype for a recent rehearsal to offer her insights.

Less than a mile separates two of Buffalo’s premier spots to hear live jazz. The Historic Colored Musicians Club and Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center on Tuesday announced a partnership to bring top level international talent to the region.