Author: sandra williams gordon

THE BASICS: This domestic drama by Catherine Hayes is the very first production of the new Red Thread Theatre, in residence at the New Phoenix. Performances Thursday-Saturday nights, through February 27th. The show runs about 75 minutes, with no intermission.THUMBNAIL SKETCH: England, present day. Sisters Jean and Rita share a final hour with their moribund mother in her home. Jean, who lives with Mom, and is her round-the-clock caretaker, is hoping to be “spelled off” for a bit, but the newly arrived Rita is uncomfortable in the situation, and eager to return to her family out-of-town. Accusation and recrimination are…

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Beili Liu / One, AnotherTom Hughes / The Shotgun MethodThis delightful show at Buffalo Arts Studio is small in scope, holding only a couple of installations from each artist, but big in vision.Tom Hughes’ sculptural work has a raw, urgent energy, much like thoughts that float around in his head that he wants to get down as soon as possible. Like sticky notes one posts on a wall, only to have them jumbled. Language for Tom is both where his artistic vision begins and the anchor for his often rough-hewn sculptures. There is a duality of lightness, words floating in the…

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When compared to other venues in downtown Buffalo, or anywhere in the city for that matter, Soundlab is clearly cut from a different cloth.  It’s evident the second you walk down the stairs and into the basement space. The low, stylized lighting and brick walls give the club an upscale, streamlined-yet-simple vibe, demonstrating right away just how different this club aims to be. Craig Reynolds has been the director of Soundlab since “the late 90s,” and has spent considerable time building the venue into the space it is, with the help of his partner Michael Baumann.  What was once an…

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