REVIEW: “Bitter Wine, Sweet Melons”
By Montague Gammon III The recently released memoir, “Bitter Wine, Sweet Melons,” very appropriately subtitled “Suffering Loss & Savoring Life,” by my VEER, and formerly “Hampton Roads Magazine,” co-worker Betsy DiJulio, is a series of “largely chronological”...
ESSAY: A Message to My Students
By Tom Robotham As the fall semester approaches, I find myself thinking about what I want to say to my students on the first day of class. Typically, that first meeting is brief. I review the syllabus, talk a bit about the purpose of the course, then let them go....
ESSAY: The Geography of Intimacy
By Tom Robotham Recently, I mentioned to a close friend that I would characterize myself as an introvert, and he was surprised. Like a lot of people, he seemed to equate introversion with shyness, and I can be quite outgoing at times. To Carl Jung, who coined the...
Wasserhund NFK
Get ready Norfolk, Wasserhund Brewing Company is coming to town and plans to bed-down at the former District Pizza location on Granby Street in the Railroad District. “If everything works in our favor, Wasserhund will open in autumn,” shared Aaron Holley, co-founder...
Blending Art and Life
(Artist Hunter Thomas) By Staff After some 43 years as a nationally acclaimed folk art institution, the Nancy Thomas Gallery has rebranded as aht ARTS with a tagline “Blending Art and Life.” “I have wanted to do it for a while but I just hadn’t had the nerve,” said...
New President and CEO for Virginia Symphony
Shannon Kelly succeeds Dr. Andrea Warren as President and CEO of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO). Kelly joined the VSO in 2023 as its Vice President of Development. Previously, she worked in leadership at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. “It is a...
Virginia Opera Inks Schaefer and Turner
After serving six months as Interim General Director, John-Paul Schaefer has been officially appointed General Director and CEO of Virginia Opera. “I am honored to be entrusted with this role at such an important moment for Virginia Opera,” said Schaefer. “Our...
Threatened by Rising Waters, Norfolk Museum Fights Back
The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, sits at the culmination of The Hague, an inlet of the Elizabeth River. (Photo by Jim Morrison for the Virginia Mercury) By Jim Morrison When Erik Neil moved to Norfolk to become president of the Chrysler Museum of Art,...
ESSAY: Power
By Tom Robotham The one prudence in life is concentration; the one evil is dissipation:… You must elect your work; you shall take what your brain can, and drop all the rest. – Ralph Waldo Emerson. Lately, I’ve been feeling powerless. One reason, no doubt, is that...
REVIEW: Black Sabbath The Ballet Thrills in American Debut
(Now, in darkness, world stops turning…Hand of God has struck the hour. Photo by David Polston) Review by Jeff Maisey Photos by David Polston Fucking brilliant! These are words I spoke from the heart as the blood red curtain closed at the end of Act I of the...
Discovering the Art of Samuel Kahn
Samuel Kahn. Raining Cats and Dogs. 2006-2007. Felt-tip pen on paper. ODU Gordon Art Galleries Self-Taught Art Collection. 2013.208.02 By Betsy DiJulio To say that Samuel Kahn (1927-2007) was a self-taught artist is accurate, but somewhat akin to saying Emily...
Muscarelle Museum Made Over
By Betsy DiJulio Ten months ago, a twenty-year vision came to fruition on the campus of The College of William & Mary (W&M). There, the original Muscarelle Museum of Art, designed by Carlton Abbott—opened in 1983 and expanded in 1987—boasted five galleries...
A Merry Little Christmas Carol
(Actor Beatty Barnes Jr. will reprise the role of Ebenezer Scrooge) By Jerome Langston "I’m a therapist by day, and a theater director by night,” says Maryanne Kiley, very early in our recent phone chat, about her job as director of Virginia Stage Company’s A Merry...
An Enchanting Christmas with Sarah Brightman
By Jim Morrison Sarah Brightman's journey through dance, Broadway, international stardom and selling tens of millions of records began with singing at three with her family in England. So, her winter symphony Christmas tours take her back to that time decades ago....
Smooth Jazz Christmas with Dave Koz & Friends
By Jeff Maisey Smooth jazz saxophonist Dave Koz has made a successful seasonal career hitting the road for the past 27 years in the month leading up to Christmas Eve with his critically acclaimed Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour. When the 28th tour makes a stop...
The Hurrah Players prepare two holiday shows on consecutive weekends
(Santa and the starring cast of Hurrah for the Holidays. Photo by Elena Grace Photography courtesy of Hurrah Players.) By Jim Roberts Hugh Copeland has a simple piece of advice for anyone considering producing back-to-back theatrical performances: “Don’t do it.” Yet...
Nuts for Nutcracker Ballets
Ballet Virginia’s “Nutcracker” performance by professional dancers. By Jeff Maisey If you can’t get enough of the holiday season “Nutcracker” ballet, you’re in for a treat in Hampton Roads with several productions scheduled, each with its own unique...
Get Down with KC and the Sunshine Band
By Jeff Maisey The mid 1970s experienced a new pop culture fad that exploded in big city dance clubs and on the airwaves — disco was all the rage. Men wore extravagant outfits, silky big collar jackets, tight fitting spandex jeans, and unbuttoned shirts to show off...
Laughter Divides Sorrow, Not People, on the Palace Theatre Stage
Tony and Karla Robinson as George and Judy Kimball in Arts Enter Cape Charles' production of Send Me No Flowers. Photo credit: Chris Roll By Sheila Vera “Especially during a time when we’re so divided, we strive to find plays that draw the community together,”...
ART REVIEW: Intersections in Abstract Paintings
James Williams, “On the Other Side of the Bridge No. 3,” Mixed Media on Canvas, 40” x 60" By Betsy DiJulio In our digital world, in which comparisons are often linked with the negative emotions around FOMO, here you are expressly invited to compare. Intentionally...
The (Ice Cream) Flavors of Summer
(Randy Windley says vanilla is most popular at Doumar’s.) By Marisa Marsey Call it a double-dip. In 1984, Ronald Reagan proclaimed July to be National Ice Cream Month and designated the third Sunday of the month (July 21 this year) as National Ice Cream Day. Good...
Roast Rider Still Riding High
(Coffee mates: Wayne and Lisa Richmon partner only with roasters who lead the industry in social and environmental responsibility including Equator. Photo by Tyler Kahlil.) By Marisa Marsey Cha-ca-cha-ca-cha-ca. Is there any sound more titillating than your favorite...
Ghent Burger Week
(Pixels Technotronic Burger) By Jeremy Bender Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the best burger of all? From May 27 through June 2, 13 restaurants will compete in the inaugural Ghent Burger Week. Loyal patrons and hamburger fanatics alike are encouraged to visit...
Pronounced New Eateries
By Marisa Marsey Restaurant names, like baby names, come in waves. Remember the address age (Bistro 210; useful, pre-GPS, for recalling locations)? And the monosyllabic era (here’s looking at you, Stove)? Now restaurateurs are spurning marketing gurus who advise...
Chef Close to Open ILO Bistro
(Chef Zack Close. Photo courtesy of Glass Light Hotel.) By Jeff Maisey Zack Close, who spent a decade in New York City and worked with Daniel Boulud at his Michelin- starred restaurant, Café Boulud, before returning to his hometown of Norfolk to become the Executive...
Vegan Korean
By Betsy DiJulio Vegan Korean fried chicken may be the tastiest oxymoron on the planet. Korean Fried Chicken—which someone cleverly dubbed “the other KFC”—emerged as a “thing” in the US long after I no longer consumed meat. So, I had never experienced this...
Backstories Vol. 1
(Dylan & Jason of Waters Edge Winery Norfolk) By Joel Rubin If you have seen the weekly newsletter I publish (generally to promote the offshore wind industry Dominion Energy is bringing to the region), you know that many of the articles feature small businesses,...
Voodoo Brewing Co. opens pub in Virginia Beach
(Alex and Chrissy Bergren have opened a Voodoo Brewing location in Virginia Beach. Photo by Jim Roberts.) By Jim Roberts Voodoo Brewing Co., the newest entry into Hampton Roads’ beer scene, opened on January 13 in Virginia Beach. It’s a locally owned and...
DINING: A Tale of Two Italians
(Something for every Italian taste at Sorella’s. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.) By Marisa Marsey Hibernation season, for me, means hunkering down beneath a mountain of blankets and gorging on classic movies à la “Casablanca” and latter-day faves like “Moonstruck”...
Going to the Dogs
(DOGGONE GOOD: Larry Sauger and Karl Neumann have Pittie Dog Grill sizzlin’) By Marisa Marsey Since adopting a puppy last year, my ears prick up at any mention of the word “dog” as avidly as Sheepish, my Miniature Sheepadoodle, sniffs out squirrels. So when I heard...
ADVERTISEMENTS