5 Things

I had to leave out some Things this week, as there can be only five! JK, there’s six this week, because I felt like it. And all this live classical music, comedy, weird frigging interactive theater, and #ramsramsrams could not be ignored.

November 13, 2014; 7:40 AM • by Susan Howson

1. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 and The Richmond Pops Band Free Concert

All Beethoven symphonies are worth your time, as they are simply the best. The reason why they are better than all the rest is their mix of fieriness, sweetness, and sometimes even fun. I’m a huge fan of the Richmond Symphony’s Rush Hour series, which is my equivalent of getting a quick massage after work. You go, you sit, you drink a glass of wine, and you listen to live music that wraps all around you because you’re in a fairly small room with professional people playing very impressive-looking instruments. Simply the best! The second symphony is a great one but maybe not the best, simply. OR IS IT?

Sunday, check out more live, beautiful music at the Richmond Pops Band’s periodical free concert, with special guests United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and radio personality Tim Timberlake. It’s our community band! And whether you knew or didn’t know that we had one of those, free music by talented people is a hard thing to resist.

Beethoven

Thursday, November 13th • 6:30 PM
Gottwald Playhouse at CenterStage, 600 E. Grace Street
$20 (includes one drink!)

Pops

Sunday, November 16th • 6:30 PM
Altria Theater, 6 N. Laurel Street
Free!

2. VCU vs. Tennessee

Enough playing around with these scrimmages and exhibitions! Let’s get a real Rams game going! This Friday, our dudes play some dudes from Tennessee, and it seems like the freshmen class is so VERY fresh (in, like, a way that means “rad”) that they may just dominate the entire world by way of putting basketballs into basketball nets. The season really REALLY officially begins now, and if you feel the ground vibrating this week, it is the hum of a city that is fully accepting Ram fever into their very bones.

Friday, November 14th • 6:30 PM
CBS Sports Network (or drive up to Annapolis!)
The cost of bringing a pizza to your friend who has cable (does anyone have cable anymore?)

3. The Pumpkin Pie Show

I saw Clay McLeod Chapman’s “Pumpkin Pie Show” several years ago, and I vividly remember it. Sometimes I want to just belt out “THE PUMP. KIN. PIESHOW!” while I walk around. It’s a mix of story and vaudeville and weirdness that you won’t get anywhere else. A Richmond native, Chapman refuses to disappoint his magical hometown. And you, the magical hometown itself, should not disappoint him by staying home.

Friday, November 14th & Saturday, November 15th • 8:00 PM
Theatre Gym at the Virginia Rep Center, 114 W. Broad Street
$22 with discounts available.

4. Cider Week Begins!

My love for good cider tends to explode out of my heart via things I write and exclamations I bark at those unfortunate enough to bring up the subject. Good cider is SO good, and we have all been struggling under the iron first of awful cider for too long. Discard thy Woodchucks, set them all on fire, and choose your Cider Week event, as it kicks off this Friday. Cider events, cider specials, and Franklin Street turning into a canal full of cider are all things I have envisioned. What shall come to pass??