Neighborhoods

The Alhambra Theatre opened Alfred Uhry’s popular and Pulitzer Prize winning play, Driving Miss Daisy and it will run through March 17th. It stars Emmy Award winning actress MICHAEL LEARNED of The Waltons and LANCE NICHOLS of HBO’s currently running drama “Treme.” Set in Atlanta in 1948, the plot revolves around a 72 year old cantankerous and independent Jewish widow, Daisy Werthan, who is at odds with her son Boolie (MICHAEL EDWARD HODGE) over his advice about her driving. Despite recently hitting a building and totaling her automobile, Daisy refuses to give up driving. Over her objections he hires a full-time black …

My grandmother made what I considered to be the best food–always from scratch. My mother has some recipes she developed herself, which I still think are fabulous, but we both know nothing compares to Grandmother’s cooking. Grandmother’s liver and onions, meatloaf and fried chicken still top my list of food for which I have not found an acceptable substitute. During the significant portions of my youth I spent living with Grandmother, I came to anticipate morning breakfasts of scrambled eggs, real bacon, toast and often her locally-famous biscuits and gravy. None of this was on my mind as I made …

Landreth performs on Thursday, January 17th at the  in support of his new album newest “ELEMENTAL JOURNEY”  is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. When he is not touring and performing, he resides in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Landreth is best known for his slide playing, having developed a technique where he also frets notes and plays chords and chord fragments behind the slide while he plays. Landreth plays with the slide on his little finger, so that his other fingers have more room to fret behind the slide. He’s also …

The Alhambra Theatre kicked off its 2013 season on December 28th with the North Florida premier of the Richard Maltby Jr. musical Ring of Fire – The Music of Johnny Cash. The show opened on the 28th so the Alhambra could feature it for the annual New Year’s Eve event. The official gala opening is January 4th, and this is a rare opportunity to read a review and make gala reservations. (Galas are lots of fun, with free champagne and hors d’oeuvres offered by the roving wait staff before the show and some goodies after the show along with a …

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? A Christmas that includes softly falling snow? Not much chance of that in Jacksonville, although we came close in 1989. Does anyone remember? If you’re dreaming of a theatrical White Christmas, then the musical stage version of the 1954 Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye movie is now at the Alhambra and will remain until December 24. However, even experiencing the fluffy stuff vicariously may remain a dream unless you already have reserved seats, as the show has been sold out since Halloween. You can ask to be put a waiting list; perhaps you’ll …

Traditional good old country music is alive and well on the stage of the Alhambra Theatre and Dining in the hands of country music star Jason Petty and his show Hank & My Honky Tonk Heroes. Originally scheduled to run through August 19, it has been extended until August 26. In this tribute to Hank Williams, one of the most popular shows to ever come to the Alhambra, Petty recreates Hank’s iconic stage presence. A terrific four-piece backup band includes Mark Baczynski (fiddle), Rory Hoffman (electric guitar), Eric Lewis (steel guitar) and David Martin, who is the bandleader and on …

Some early results are in for the 2012 election year. The Alhambra Theatre decided to choose its summer play based on the votes of its fans and patrons, and The Wizard of Oz was the winner of the popular vote. The musical has now opened and will be playing through July 23rd. It’s not a surprise that it won; the novel by L. Frank Baum that inspired the play has had a strong following since it was first published in 1900, 112 years ago. In 1939, an Academy Award nominated film starring Judy Garland was made. The Wizard of Oz film …