By Bob Hicks
Mr. Scatter has a theory: William Shakespeare wrote the plays of William Shakespeare. Not that it matters all that much — the play, not the playwright, really is the thing — but there you are.
The subject comes up now for a couple of reasons.
First, Mr. Scatter has been talking of late with the [...]
The royal whatzis
The Cherry Orchard at Artists Repertory Theatre
Noble Viola on Opus at Portland Center Stage
Brian Libby on the failed Columbia River Crossing
Portland Taiko tells a tale
James E. McWilliams on eating locally and globally
Portland Taiko. Rich Iwasaki/2009
By Bob Hicks
We’re given to understand some sort of white-tie wedding is taking place [...]
Two significant figures in Portland arts and culture have died, and we express our appreciation to them and our condolences to their friends and families.
Harold Schnitzer, the prominent businessman who was a major supporter of the Portland Art Museum and many other organizations, died early this morning at age 87. In the past several years [...]
By Laura Grimes
Quick. Mr. Scatter is on the road, so let’s post while he’s not looking.
Some people call. Some people text. I believe in the more sneaky form of communication — surprise blog posts broadcast to the world. Consider them entertainment and information all scrolled into one.
Dear Mr. Scatter,
What’s news since you left this morning?
Holy [...]
Kerry Davis/12×16 Gallery
By Bob Hicks
Quit fooling around with Photo Booth stretchy faces on your new iPad: time to get serious about this shutterbug thing. April is Portland Photo Month, aligning itself with the biannual Photolucida portfolio extravaganza, and high-quality photo shows are all over town.
On Saturday, a big handful of Pearl District galleries will be [...]
Japanese American storefront, 1942. Dorothea Lange
By Bob Hicks
In 1935 Sinclair Lewis published his novel It Can’t Happen Here, about the Hitler-style takeover of the United States by a power-grabbing populist president. The book’s title was satiric. Lewis meant that it very much could happen here, and if we didn’t pay attention, it just might.
On February [...]
By Bob Hicks
A few Friday hot links to go with your early-weekend bagel and eggs:
Leave ‘em hanging: In this morning’s A&E section of The Oregonian I reviewed Laurie Herrick: Weaving Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, the new show at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. Herrick was a prominent loom weaver in Portland beginning in the late [...]
By Bob Hicks
While Mrs. Scatter is off in the creeping undergrowth of the northern rainforest hunting gnomes, Mr. Scatter is sitting at home pondering the plausibility of the electric bicycle.
Nay, nay, not just a bicycle. An electric three-wheeler, with neat little wire basket in the rear, a vehicle fit for the odd grocery trek and [...]
UPDATE: On OregonLive, Ryan White has just posted this announcement of a big-name benefit for Japanese disaster relief at the Aladdin Theatre on March 27. So far, the list of performers includes pianist/bandleader Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini, singers Holcombe Waller and Storm Large, dancers from Oregon Ballet Theatre, new-music adventurers fEARnoMUSIC, the Pacific Youth [...]
By Bob Hicks
It’s astounding to remember, but there was a time not too many years ago when seeing almost any sort of theater in Portland was a west-side-only affair.
Mr. Scatter recalls an east side cabaret space on Northeast Broadway between 14th and 15th, on the block where Peet’s Coffee is, and another cabaret on lower [...]