The premise of the UC follies latest production, is mostly clear from its name. Urinetown is a comedic musical about a drought so severe it’s lasted twenty years. Originally written by Greg Kotis, the play was inspired by those pesky European toilets, which command a fee for use.

Urine Good Company (a Wal Mart type monolith,) controls the public toilets and holds peeing as a privilege. Those who ignore the public bathroom rules, are sent into exile in Urinetown. The musical follows Bobby Strong as he champions his town’s cause –the right to urinate freely. While hiding from the police, he rouses a crowd of rebels and has a brush with romance when he encounters Hope Caldwell, the daughter of Urine Good Company’s CEO. (more…)

“The greatest threat facing the world today is war”. Dr. Samantha Nutt is petit and far younger than anticipated, and when she speaks, she speaks with conviction. The whole room grows silent when she mentions that her outwardly exciting career has on several occasions nearly cost her life. As she gives this year’s Hancock lecture entitled The World is Our Backyard: Individual Responsibility for a Global Society, it is clear that Dr. Nutt has seen more than almost anyone in the room.

In 2001, two students along with Hart House’s previous Warden, Margaret Hancock, began the yearly Hancock Lecture Series. This year the Hancock lecture planning committee invited the founder of WarChild Canada, Samantha Nutt. She confessed that prior to the mid-nineties she knew little of the details of war. After finishing medical school and doing some fieldwork in the developing world; her mentor the late Pierce Gerety, contracted her to work alongside his team in Somalia. The contract listed her salary at one dollar. The most shocking aspect of life in her region of Somalia, to the 24 year-old Nutt, was the sheer amount of guns and weaponry. At that point it was a failed state with gangs of young men ruling with impunity. They ran the streets killing, raping and pillaging anyone who stood in their way. The AK-47’s these boys dealt with were for the most part manufactured in the 1950’s and sold to them for about six dollars a piece. When Dr. Nutt asks the audience to guess just how many AK-47’s there are floating around in the world today, no one estimates the roughly 200 million she states. (more…)

Anyone who doesn’t already believe that “Trapped in the Closet” is R.Kelly’s greatest creative feat, hasn’t seen all 22 parts (yes, there are that many). Fortunately, the Royal has decided to present the entire saga in theatre this Wednesday. This may be the perfect pre-Valentine present for the one you love!

Time: 9:30-11:30
Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Place: The Royal (608 College St. West)

Or, check out the Facebook invite here!

Inside Tattoo Rock Parlour

Someone once told me that a review is supposed to be unbiased and impartial. I remember disagreeing with them, because it seems that the very idea is to infuse the piece with your own opinion.

In my growing quest to become a pretentious Queen West hipster, I jumped at the chance to review Drowning Girl and Tara Slone playing at Tattoo Rock Parlour this past Wednesday.

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Image taken from the funky Nada Surf website

I’m not sure why Nada Surf -a band that has been touring for over a decade, is playing a free show this week. However, when someone hands you a gift you don’t ask why, you just tear it open. (Well, sometimes you ask why, but that’s just to be polite).

Location: Sonic Boom on Bloor
Date: January 9, 2008
Time: 7:15

Here’s the thing…New Years Eve is almost entirely over-hyped and as a result sometimes a very big letdown. Somewhere out there your brother’s duechy friend has gotten a keg and a bunch of his uber cool friends together for a sweet time and you really won’t want to go. So, here is a list of non-lame things to do on New Years that are guaranteed not to let you down. However, if they do, it’s not blogUT’s fault and we are entirely not to blame!

Dragonette@Tattoo
A flashy new bar with flashy headlining entertainment. They’ll probably play “I get Around” which is such a good jam that it will single handedly save your night. Tickets are $40 and rumored to be going oh so fast.

IN FLAGRANTI@Sneaky Dee’s
A good option for anyone who wanted to get out of the city for NYE but was too broke. The New York dance infused beats of IN FLAGRANTI will have you forgetting that you’re only on college street, mere steps and days away from your next lecture.

CITY TV BASH@Nathan Phillips Square
Gone are the days of Sean Desmond bopping his way into our young hearts. We’ve all grown up and so has CITY. This year they’ve invited The Plain White T’s who may be a few steps up from Desmond; they even have a Grammy or something! The big selling point here is it’s FREE!

Midnight Cabaret@The Drake Hotel
Hey big spender! If elegance and a plated dinner are what you seek then the Drake is hosting a cocktail type party. Tickets range from $25 to $225.

The Sadies@The Horseshoe Tavern
The Toronto band put out an outstanding album this year and they played the same New Years gig last year so they must’ve done something right. Tickets are $25 at the door.

If all else fails, you could always share a bottle of Spumante Bambino with some friends. Laugh about the name, laugh about ’07 and enjoy the good company!

It is extremely difficult to put CirCa into words. If you haven’t had the chance to party there yet I’m sure you’ve at least heard about it. At once it is intense and whimisical, underground and commercial. The problem they have been facing to date is that their Friday night party always features the same two or three DJs and though it’s called Randomland, it was all starting to become a little predictable. Recently, they have opened up their venue to more acts. This Friday CirCa is featuring over nine, count em, NINE acts as part of their Tropical Holiday on Friday December 28th. Including live performances from The Carps and Jake Fairly and 3-D movies in their Skyy Cinema.

Cover is $20 and guestlist is $10.
Check out their website for directions and contact info.