Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3

The last time Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3 came through town, they performed the landmark Dream Syndicate Days of Wine and Roses album in its entirety, in front of an audience small enough that they could have fit inside the band’s van . . . with the band already inside . . . and all of their gear . . . and an entire NBA team. We’re exaggerating a little—OK, a lot—but seriously, people need to represent ’round here. When a songwriter of Wynn’s quality hitches his wagon at Valentine’s and nobody shows up, it’s a wonder they don’t swear us off altogether.

To add some extra punch to the bill, the Silos will make their first area appearance in quite some time. Their When the Telephone Rings was among the top Americana releases of last year, and one of the best of the band’s long career. Odds are you’ll never get a shot at catching at a bill like this again. We’re not joking.

Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3, and the Silos, will perform at Valentine’s (17 New Scotland Ave., Albany) tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 21). Tickets for the 7:30 PM show are $8, and can be purchased at the club. For more information, call 432-6572.

A Walk in the Woods, Times Like These

Since it’s really gotten far too depressing to think about politics in its current American manifestation, we’ll propose an alternative to sitting around the house fearing what will happen when we saddle up and go all cowboy on Iran or Syria or Canada or Northampton, or wherever. Don’t worry, we’re not advising the bury-your-head-in-the-sand approach. Instead, we suggest you take in one, or both, of the plays currently being offered in rotating rep by Capital Repertory, and get a bit of dramatic historical perspective.

A Walk in the Woods tells the story of two diplomats—an American and a Russian—engaged in Cold War-era arms-reductions talks. The pair’s differing temperaments, as much as their specific political agendas, make for slow going at the bargaining table; but on one of many titular walks in the woods, the two find they have more in common and more similar goals than was at first apparent. Hmm, humanity? Hmm, diplomacy? Anyone? Bueller?

In Times Like These, the real-life story of two married actors in Hitler’s Berlin is dramatized. The celebrated duo find their livelihood and their relationship—not to mention their safety—threatened as the wife, a Jew, falls from favor while, at the same time, her Aryan husband experiences a meteoric surge in popularity. In 2003, the play was named the L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle Best Play. Remember, those who forget history’s lessons, and all that.

The plays continue at Capital Repertory Theatre (111 N. Pearl St., Albany) through Feb. 20. Tickets are $31-$39. For specific show times or more information, call 445-7469.

The Thin Edge of Fate

Chatham-based Ed Smith is the sole artist in the new show at the Lake George Arts Project. In an exhibit called The Thin Edge of Fate; Tragedy and Redemption: Works on Paper by Ed Smith, Smith has works grouped together under series titles; one, titled The White Suite, includes etchings that depict hooded figures that look like they are going to perform gruesome acts. Another, Disaster Suite, shows burning buildings. A third, Attention Drawings, suggests rebellion. Many of his works are preludes to his sculptures, but Smith says of drawing, “What I like best is the clarity of it all. It is you and the idea, with the barest means between the two.” Smith also has exhibited in prestigious museums like the Queens Museum, Hollywood Art and Cultural Center, and Katharine Rich Perlow Gallery.

The Thin Edge of Fate will open at the Lake George Arts Project (1 Amherst St., Lake George) on Saturday (Jan. 22) and run through March 4. There will be a gallery talk with the artist on Saturday at 3:30 PM with a reception to follow from 4 to 6 PM. For more information, call the gallery at 668-2616.