'Wedding Singer' is a nonstop '80s party

Notes from the arts beat:

* For some of us, ahem, it seems as if the 1980s were just a flashdance away. For 23-year-old Courtney Washington, an ensemble member in the national tour of "The Wedding Singer," the decade of acid-washed jeans and saddle pants is a little more abstract. Read more →

When it comes to music, just remember the passion

NEW YORK — When the London Symphony Orchestra finished playing Mahler’s 4th Symphony, I felt the tears well up. Live performance can do that to me.

Part of it was the sheer drama of Mahler interpreted in Avery Fisher Hall by the veteran conductor Bernard Haitink — who, with his tousled gray locks and knowing baton, exuded the gravitas of a wise cleric — someone who’d been around long enough to build on the mysteries of Mahler, not just cram him down our throats. Read more →

Arts draw audiences despite economy

The economy might be in the toilet, but as the fall performing arts season gets under way, at least a few local arts organizations are drawing impressive audiences:

Good Company Players doesn't often extend runs because of the repertory nature of the company's season, but sales have been so good for "Hairspray" that it couldn't resist. The show, which originally was scheduled to run through Nov. 15 at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater, will now play through Nov. 29. In addition, there will be added evening performances on Oct. 28, Nov. 1, 8, 11, 15, and 22. (There will be no show Nov. 25 and 26 for Thanksgiving.) Read more →

'Yonkers' brings us a glimpse of greatness

In Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers," we hear about Aunt Bella before we meet her. Onstage, her nephews watch her through the window of her upstairs apartment as she approaches her building.

She walks right by the front door. Read more →

Photographer stirs an awed audience

Longtime readers of this column know that I'm big on experiencing art, not just observing it. Yes, it can be exquisite to bask in the presence of a world-class artist.

I enjoy going to spectacularly produced Broadway musicals, looking at the work of master visual artists and listening to musical virtuosos. Only a tiny percentage of artists reach the top, and there's a reason why we flock to them. Read more →

'Locker' brings you into war's addiction

This and that from the culture beat:

Defying the conventional wisdom that small/serious films in Fresno wither in the hot summer months for one or (at the most) two weeks before flitting off to greener pastures, “The Hurt Locker” is holding strong at Regal Manchester. Read more →

His Broadway tour debut spells out lots of fun

A is for “accommodate.”

That’s the word I imagine having to spell as I look into my bathroom mirror. I practice saying the letters slowly and clearly: a-c-c-o-m-m-o-d-a-t-e. Yes! The audience murmurs its approval. I am a double-letter king. Bring ’em on, baby. Read more →