Ben Wilson at Visual Arts Collective

I love Ben Wilson's art. His comic style is fantastic. His stuff appears on Boise Weekly covers a lot, and I've seen it a few times at the Basement Gallery, but this is the first time I've taken a stab at sketching one. This one was up at the Visual Arts Collective, and the boy in the costume reminded me vaguely of Max from Where the Wild Things Are. Granted, it's more of a pink fox costume, and the boy in the costume appears to be aiding some smaller creatures in green squirrel costumes while being menaced by a puppet, instead of terrorizing monsters far larger than himself. Wilson's inking style is a lot more spare than Maurice Sendak's, and it's one of the things that makes his art so recognizable. (I wish that came out better in my drawing; I think my original black and white pencil drawing captured it fairly well, but when I added the color it overwhelmed those lines.) And Wilson seems to favor elongated faces out of proportion with the rest of the body he's drawing, again unlike Sendak. But this picture nonetheless reminded me of that book for some reason, which is why a) I sketched it, and b) I feel totally justified in linking to the trailer for the Where the Wild Things Are movie coming out this October. Not sure how you stretch a story that short into a feature length film, but I guess we'll know then.

The Absence of a Cello

The description in the program notes that Absence of a Cello is a "refreshingly literate comedy" that starts out targeting "individuality versus conformity" but evolves into "an ingeniously conceived comical discussion of honesty and truth."

Don't be scared.

I know, it sounds highbrow. Intellectual. Maybe a little too smart for a fun night out (I sometimes think this is the same reason I don't get too many dates). But you're missing out if you miss this hilarious and well-acted show.

Yes, the main character, Andrew Pilgrim (Kevin Labrum) is a brilliant scientist applying for a job at a major corporation. Yes, his wife Celia Pilgrim, played by Jennifer Bertino Polidori, is a brilliant scholar of medieval literature. But they both do an excellent job of keeping their characters relatable; it may help that the plot of the play involves these two geniuses trying to pass themselves off as average Joes. Moreover, the other characters keep the show down to earth -- most notably Andrew's sister, Marian Jellicoe (Karen Holcomb), the wild child of the family, and jovial, rhyming company man Otis Clifton (Kevin Tuck), who comes to check out the family and see if they fit the corporate mold. The Pilgrims' kleptomaniac neighbor, Emma Littlewood (Kathleen Bailey), keeps everyone on their toes. And Ben Ulmen draws real sympathy as Littlewood's son Perry, who is hopelessly in love with the Pilgrims' daughter Joanna (Amanda Jacob).

The show is impeccably cast, and it's amazing to watch the interactions between the actors. Labrum and Bertino Polidori establish some excellent marital tension, while the witty flirtation between Holcomb and Tuck is absolutely delightful. The show's pacing is tight, and the comic delivery of its many one-liners is beautiful. And while the laughs come mainly from the dialogue, director Anthony Polidori and the cast paid plenty of attention to the potential for physical humor; Ulmen, Labrum, Tuck and Holcomb all have some nice moments where simple gestures and expressions garnered a lot of laughs because their movements betrayed what they were really thinking.

Absence of a Cello is smart, funny, clever and moving. It would be deceptive to leave out "smart," "clever," and "moving." But it would be a shame to miss out on how funny it is because you fear you're not up for something smart or clever. Take it from me -- the show is also very accessible. And it's definitely worth seeing.

John Killmaster at the Basement Gallery

I'm not sure landscapes are really my thing, so I'm not sure my sketch does this justice. But they are definitely John Killmaster's thing. He's got a great use of color and texture for fleshing out masses of rock, stubbly underbrush and soft pink clouds. This is Aspen Gulch -- City of Rocks. It's one of several of Killmaster's landscapes on display at the Basement Gallery right now.

Also on display at the Basement Gallery are some pictures by Tarmo Watia. I sketched one of his pictures during BOSCO's Open Studios Weekend. The one I sketched then is not among those that were at the Basement Gallery, but like I said then, there are literally thousands of paintings in his house.

Roundup

July

• July 6: Alley Repertory Theater presents Head by local playwright Oliver Russell Stoddard at 7:30 at the Visual Arts Collective behind the Woman of Steel Gallery on Chinden. The show is part of Alley Rep's Plays from the Alley series, in which local playwrights are offered the opportunity to produce their work and get feedback from the audience.
  
• July 10: Stage Coach Theatre opens Absence of a Cello, a comedy about the hilarious lengths a scientist goes to to land a job at a large corporation. The show runs July 10-11, 16-19 and 23-25 at 7:30 Thursdays, 8:15 Friday-Saturday and 2:00 Sunday in the Hillcrest Shopping Center.
  
• July 10: The Idaho Shakespeare Festival opens The Mystery of Edwin Drood, an interactive musical mystery in which the audience gets to decide who killed the title character. The show runs July 10-12, 16-17, 21-22, and 25-26 and Aug. 4-5, 8-9, 13-14, 18-19, 22-23 and 27-28 at 7:00 Sundays and 8:00 Tuesday-Saturday at the theater on Warm Springs in Boise.
• July 13: Alley Repertory Theater presents Catherine by local playwright June Daniels at 7:30 at the Visual Arts Collective behind the Woman of Steel Gallery on Chinden. The show is part of Alley Rep's Plays from the Alley series, in which local playwrights are offered the opportunity to produce their work and get feedback from the audience.
• July 16: Author Mitch Wieland will read from his latest novel, God's Dogs, at 7:30 at the Log Cabin Literary Center next to the Boise Public Library.
  
• July 18: Salsa Celtica, a Scottish group that performs salsa music with bagpipes, fiddles, brass and congas, performs at 7:00 at Hop Porter Park in Hailey.
• July 20: Alley Repertory Theater presents Inflection Point: A Timeless Love Story by local playwright Greg Hampikian at 7:30 at the Visual Arts Collective behind the Woman of Steel Gallery on Chinden. The show is part of Alley Rep's Plays from the Alley series, in which local playwrights are offered the opportunity to produce their work and get feedback from the audience.
• July 23: Boise Little Theater opens Annie, Junior -- an all-children production of the musical Annie, based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie. The show runs at 7:30 July 23-25 and 30-31 and 2:00 July 26 and Aug. 1 at the theater on Fort Street.
  
• Now through July 24: The Idaho Shakespeare Festival presents The Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare's tale of twin brothers who are reunited after 30 years, and the hijinks that ensue due to the mistaken identities. The show runs at 8:00 July 14-15, 18, and 23-24, and 7:00 July 19 at the theater on Warm Springs in Boise.
• July 27: Alley Repertory Theater presents Cocktails at the Fisher's by local playwright Kelly Broich at 7:30 at the Visual Arts Collective behind the Woman of Steel Gallery on Chinden. The show is part of Alley Rep's Plays from the Alley series, in which local playwrights are offered the opportunity to produce their work and get feedback from the audience.
• July 30: Music Theatre of Idaho presents Les Miserables, the musical about petty thief Jean Valjean, who becomes an honest man and the mayor of a town, is pursued relentlessly by Inspector Valjean, participates in an uprising and saves the life of a young man in love with Valjean's daughter. The show runs July 30, 31 and Aug. 1 at 7:30 and Aug. 1 at 1:30.
• July 31: The Idaho Shakespeare Festival opens Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's comedy about Sebastian and Viola, twins who are separated in a storm at sea, and the misplaced affections and mistaken intentions that ensue. The show runs July 31, Aug. 1-2, 6-7, 11-12, 15-16, 20-21, 25-26, and 29-30 at the theater on Warm Springs in Boise.
  
• Now through Aug. 1: Company of Fools presents 110 in the Shade, a musical about a drought-stricken community in the Western U.S. during the 1930s where residents learn to find their own truth and beauty by overcoming fears and misperceptions about one another. The show runs July 9, 14, 23 and 29 at 7:00, July 26 at 2:00 and July 10 and 17 and Aug. 1 at 8:00 at The Liberty Theatre on Main Street in Hailey.
  
• Now through Aug. 2: Company of Fools presents Welcome Home Jenny Sutter, the story of a wounded Marine Sergeant, just returned from Iraq, who finds herself lost in the California desert but gets the homecoming she needs from a community there. The show runs July 11 and 25 at 8:00, July 16, 19, 22, 28, 31 and Aug. 2 at 7:00, and July 12 at 2:00 atthe Liberty Theatre on Main Street in Hailey.
  
• Now through Aug. 2: Company of Fools presents Steel Magnolias, the story of the lives of six women whose lives intersect in a beauty salon in rural Louisiana. The show runs July 7, 8, 12, 15, 26 and 30 at 7:00, July 19 and Aug. 2 at 2:00, and July 18 and 24 at 8:00 at The Liberty Theatre on Main Street in Hailey.
  
• Now through Aug. 14: Starlight Mountain Theatre presents The Boyfriend, a musical romantic comedy about an heiress who poses as a secretary and falls in love with a delivery boy who happens to be the missing son of the wealthy Lord Brockhurst. The show runs at 8:00 July 6, 9, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30, and Aug. 5, 8, 11 and 14 at Starlight Amphitheater in Garden Valley.
  
• Now through Aug. 15: Starlight Mountain Theatre presents Annie Get Your Gun, Irving Berlin's musical about Annie Oakley and her romance with the trick shooter in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The show runs at 8:00 July 7, 10, 13, 16, 22, 25, 28 and 31, and Aug. 3, 6, 12 and 15 at Starlight Amphitheater in Garden Valley.
• Now through Aug. 22: Starlight Mountain Theatre presents Footloose: The Musical, based on the hit movie from 1984. The show runs July 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23 and 29 and Aug. 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 18, 20 and 22 at 8:00 at Starlight Amphitheater in Garden Valley.
• Now through Aug. 28: Glenns Ferry Theatre presents Let Him Sleep 'til it's Time for His Funeral July 10, 17, 24 and 31 and Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 7:45 (dinner starts at 6:30) at 128 E. Idaho Ave. in Glenns Ferry.
• Now through Aug. 29: Glenns Ferry Theatre presents Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch July 11, 18, and 25 and Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 7:45 (dinner starts at 6:30) at 128 E. Idaho Ave. in Glenns Ferry.
• Now through Sept. 20: Boise Art Museum opens an exhibit called Devorah Sperber: Threads of Perception. Sperber arranges spools of colored thread in such a way that, when viewed through an optical device, recreates a famous work of art.
• Now through Oct. 11: Tying It Together, an exhibition of drawings by Garden Valley artist James Castle, opens at the Boise Art Museum along with a short documentary about Castle, who was born deaf, never learned to read and write, and prefers to make his drawings on discarded scraps of paper and cardboard.
• Now through Nov. 8: Boise Art Museum opens an exhibition of sculpture by Ann Weber called Corrugated. The pieces are made from cardboard, are woven into giant gourd-like spires, and are up to 16 feet tall.
• Now through Nov. 15: Boise Art Museum presents Kid Stuff, an exhibit of art geared toward children by artists Deborah Barrett, Alexander Calder, Michael Corney, Benjamin Jones, Marianne Kolb, Marilyn Lanfear, David Gillhooley, Marilyn Lysohir, Renda Palmer and others.