Tapestry

Local Music

Other Music and Stories

Cast & Crew

WBHM Interviews

From January 12, 2006...

SouthCity Theatre turns a Broadway classic on its ear...
Also, they're at it again --meeting secretly in elementary school classrooms and church basements plotting world domination! And, from the depths of Birmingham's long-forgotten past, the Shame Idols! After a long hiatus, the band has reunited. I'm Greg Bass and this is Tapestry.

Here's the scenario: a group of women friends are engaged in their weekly game of Trivial Pursuit. Olive Madison is the host, and a self-proclaimed slob. Her friend, Florence Unger, announces she's separating from her husband and asks if she can move in with Olive. Chaos ensues as Olive's sloppiness and Florence's obsessive fastidiousness clash head-on. Eventually, the women are forced to agree on one thing - sometimes, even the best of friends make the worst of roommates! Sound familiar? It should -- it's the remake of Neil Simon's long-running Broadway comedy, The Odd Couple, re-versioned for a female cast and it opens this weekend at South City Theatre in Alabaster. Director Billy Ray Brewton spoke with WBHM's Tanya Ott.

Billy Ray Brewton on "The Odd Couple"

Billy Ray Brewton directs the all-female version of the Odd Couple at South City Theatre in Alabaster. The show opens tomorrow night and runs through the end of the month

Tomorrow night, in a conference room at St. Vincent's Hospital and in a meeting room at Gadsden Colonial Mall - a group of seemingly sweet little girls will gather - to plot your dietary downfall! That's right! The girls scouts are getting ready to kick off their annual cookie sale and any day now they'll be darkening your front door with offers of thin mints and trefoils. WBHM's Francesca Rosko says - beware!

Francesca Rosko's commentary

You can enjoy more of Francesca's commentaries on our website, wbhm.org.

If you think quality artwork can only be displayed in a museum or gallery, then you are soooo prehistoric. Artists are finding venues where people go. and in Birmingham, this year, that includes hotels and banks and other businesses that you might not suspect would have such pieces of art. That artist exposure is part of a program started by the Birmingham Art Association called "Roving Galleries of Art" and WBHM's Steve Chiotakis spoke with the association's president Geoff Langdon.

Geoff Langdon on "Roving Galleries of Art"

"Roving Galleries of Art" currently has exhibits throughout the city center -- in the Tutwiler Hotel, the AmSouth-Harbert Plaza and the Little Market Antique store. There's more information inside the Tapestry section at WBHM.org.

To hear the audio portion of the Community Calendar from Tapestry, click here.

Want to know more? Activeculture.info is a one-stop source for finding out what's going on in the Birmingham metro area.

Back in the day - okay, back in the mid 90s - the Shame Idols set Birmingham's music scene on fire. Critics praised their hook-laden lyrics, slashing chords and barreling drums. "The best combination of pop and punk that you're likely to hear anytime soon", wrote one reviewer. The band was "discovered", sent to Seattle and eventually signed a record deal. Then, the charmed life came unhinged and the band dissolved. The group is back together now and bandmates Tim Boykin and Mikey Williams say they're optimistic.

The Shame Idols have been writing a lot of new material and performing around town. This tune is one of their oldies - called "Picture of a Clown" from the CD "RocketCat". (AUDIO MONTAGE)

The tune is "Picture of a Clown" from the CD "Rocket Cat", which was released in 1996. The Shame Idols broke up shortly after the release of the album. They've recently reunited and will play Cave 9 later this month. We've got details on their performance schedule and downloads of their music - on the Tapestry section of our website.

Tapestry is produced by Tanya Ott and Michael Krall. Hunter Bell produces our musician profiles and Francesca Rosko prepares the community calendar - and keeps tabs on the Girl Scouts! Additional reporting this week from Steve Chiotakis. I'm Greg Bass. Next week on Tapestry - a local children's theatre troupe tackles some pretty tough subjects.