Leisure

Reviews and think pieces on music, movies, art, and theater.

Leisure

Fun Home Remembers the Joy and Pain of Looking Back

I had my qualms about Fun Home. The national touring production of the five-time Tony winning musical was coming to D.C.’s National Theatre and my expectations were stratospheric despite my... Read more

By April 28, 2017

Leisure

Concert Preview: Rostam, May 2, 9:30 Club

D.C. native Rostam Batmanglij will be returning to his hometown on May 2 for a concert at the 9:30 Club. The former Vampire Weekend band member has been slowly releasing... Read more

By April 27, 2017

Leisure

Stranger in a Strange Land: Discover The Lost City of Z

The Lost City of Z understands one very important part of filmmaking: settings matter. Based on the David Grann novel of the same name, the film tells the story of... Read more

By April 27, 2017

Leisure

Concert Preview: The Maine, May 3, 9:30 Club

On May 3 the Arizona alt-rock outfit The Maine will take the stage at the 9:30 Club to promote Lovely Little Lonely, their sixth studio album. A holdover from the... Read more

By April 26, 2017

Leisure

Arena Stage’s A Raisin in the Sun Captivates All Around

There is a dangerous magic about theatre-in-the-round—and a heightened sense of communal experience. At Arena Stage’s 2017 production of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun, the actors... Read more

By April 26, 2017

Leisure

Concert Preview: Jazz Cartier, April 29, U Street Music Hall

Jazz Cartier, Toronto’s latest rap export, has an upward trajectory as steep and sudden as any rap success story: after dropping his 2016 mixtape Hotel Paranoia, Cartier received nods from... Read more

By April 25, 2017

Leisure

Concert Preview: COIN, May 1, U Street Music Hall

Nashville-based indie rockers COIN are back with the April 21 release of their album How Will You Know If You Never Try. HWYKIYNT is the band’s sophomore album and features... Read more

By April 25, 2017

Leisure

Critical Voices: Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.

DAMN., Kendrick Lamar’s latest project, continues his trend of creating exceptional, politically-charged rap that forges a distinct sound. While DAMN. is difficult to characterize stylistically, it is a clear departure... Read more

By April 24, 2017

Leisure

Concert Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Verizon Center, April 12

Performing in an arena and engaging a 20,000 person audience is no easy task, but at the Verizon Center on Wednesday, April 12, the Red Hot Chili Peppers made it... Read more

By April 21, 2017

Leisure

Graduation Cleverly Contemplates Mortality in Adversity

Graduation, a Romanian film directed, produced, and written by Cristian Mungiu, grapples with ethical dilemmas, heartbreaks, and the pitfalls of cyclical corruption. Set in a small city in Romania, Graduation... Read more

By April 19, 2017

Leisure

Critical Voices: Arca, Arca

Arca, Venezuelan electronic producer, DJ, and songwriter, opened his recent self-titled project with haunting humming, rich bass, and ethereal ringing. This sound so severely defies expectations that one finds it... Read more

By April 18, 2017

Leisure

The Promise: A Love Affair Overshadowed by Atrocity

Over a million and a half Armenian men, women, and children were killed between 1915 and 1923. Distracted by the atrocities of World War I, the world turned a blind... Read more

By April 17, 2017

Leisure

Despite Clichés, Their Finest Inspires in the Face of Darkness

With the recently-released film The Zookeeper’s Wife and the anticipated summer release of  Dunkirk, World War II films are proving to be all the rage this year. Although the war... Read more

By April 17, 2017

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Chainsmokers, Memories…Do Not Open

Will The Chainsmokers (Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart) ever come out with a song that matches the success of “Closer?” That question is left unanswered even with the release of... Read more

By April 14, 2017

Leisure

A World that Needs Changing in Stupid F**king Bird

The lights dim. An actor steps forward and scowls at the still-settling audience. “The play will begin when someone says, ‘Start the f**king play,’” he says. There’s silence, hesitation, and... Read more

By April 12, 2017

Leisure

Critical Voices: Depeche Mode, Spirit

At first, it seemed like there was a mistake. This was supposed to be the new Depeche Mode album, but it sounded like my mother’s Depeche Mode. It turns out this... Read more

By April 10, 2017

Leisure

Critical Voices: Raekwon, The Wild

Raekwon the Chef delivers another strong installment in his solo career with his seventh studio album, The Wild. Coming 24 years after his debut as a member of the Wu-Tang... Read more

By April 10, 2017

Leisure

Smurfs: The Lost Village Lacks Plot Development and Ingenuity

The Wikipedia description of the premise for Smurfs: The Lost Village is only two sentences long, and for good reason. The newest movie of the Smurfs franchise is the least... Read more

By April 10, 2017

Leisure

A Small Step for Man: Life Frightens Without Inspiring

In recent years, the moviegoing masses have been blessed with a varied and compelling assortment of space movies—the expansiveness of Interstellar, the claustrophobic survivalism of Gravity, the mere presence of... Read more

By April 7, 2017

Leisure

Developing An Argument is an Ambitious, Disjointed Realization

Christian Benefiel makes art that’s not meant to last. Not only does he use the natural supportive structure of his sculptures to keep them together, foregoing glue, nails, or any... Read more

By April 7, 2017