Did you know that this Saturday, Jan. 27, marks National Fruitcake Toss Day? As you root out those leftover candied fruit-and-nut concoctions from the back of the fridge, swap them for some palate-cleansing plant-based fare during Richmond’s annual celebration of vegan restaurants. Also in the days ahead, we have college basketball on tap, an inspiring art symposium and the screening of a Japanese epic. Enjoy!
Power to the Plants
Whether you’re a dedicated veg-fueled diner, dabble in plant-based bites or never miss a Meatless Monday, Richmond’s unofficial vegan restaurant week is around the corner, and you don’t want to miss it. Dubbed Vegan 72 — originally a weekend-long affair but extended in recent years — the 2024 event promises six days of vegan cuisine. From Jan. 23-28, restaurants across the region will be serving up plant-based specials ranging from birria ramen to sticky toffee pudding sundaes. The lineup includes veteran participants such as 821 Cafe, Ruby Scoops and Cobra Cabana alongside fresh additions including Elegant Cuizines, Get Tight Lounge, Charm School Study Hall, Gold Lion Community Cafe, And Dim Sum and Timber Pizza. Bonus: Diners can get competitive and cast votes for their favorite nosh.
—Eileen Mellon, Food Editor
A Fine Foreign Flick
The Byrd Theatre is one of Richmond’s best spots to broaden your horizons in the realm of international film, and one of the finest examples is “Ran,” Akira Kurosawa’s 1985 classic, screening this Wednesday, Jan. 24. Set in 16th-century Japan, the film follows the framework of Shakespeare’s drama “King Lear,” with a patriarch igniting a familial power struggle, and adds stunning visuals, epic battles and dynamic performances throughout. The showing starts at 7 p.m. (strap in for a nearly three-hour experience), and tickets are $9.
—Kevin Johnson, Lifestyle Editor
Memory and Myth
Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, as sculpted by Richmond’s Edward V. Valentine, is bare chested and mustachioed and resembles a bare-fisted boxing champ. The hagiography in plaster is but one of the more than 80 works displayed in the remade Valentine studio building during “Sculpting History at the Valentine Studio: Art, Power, and the ‘Lost Cause’ American Myth.” The dynamic multimedia exhibit is an important reevaluation of the sculptor’s artistic legacy and his support of the mythology of heroic Confederate leaders while rendering Black subjects as racial caricatures. The exhibit opens with a free event at The Valentine from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 (registration is required). The contemporary transformation of the studio space took three years and is one component of an ongoing reorganization of the museum’s 1.5 million items and the spaces that hold them. As you navigate through the exhibition, ask yourself: What was something you once held true that turned out to be false?
—Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
The Intersection of Art and Experience
Inspired by “Dawoud Bey: Elegy,” its current exhibition of photos taken along the Virginia slave trail and other historic sites, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is hosting a symposium titled “Picturing the Black Racial Imaginary.” During the keynote lecture on Friday, Jan. 26, author Clint Smith will describe how the history of enslavement has shaped the present; the in-person lecture is sold out, but a free livestream is available. The daylong symposium on Saturday, Jan. 27, includes opening and closing remarks by VMFA curator Valerie Cassel Oliver and photographer Dawoud Bey, and a series of lectures and panel discussions featuring local and national experts will explore the intersection of history, art and contemporary Black experiences. Tickets to the symposium are $8, and a free livestream is also available.
—Mindy Kinsey, Editorial Director
Hoop It Up
The college basketball season is well underway, but Saturday, Jan. 27, offers a battle of the best of the Atlantic 10 as the Richmond Spiders men’s team hosts No. 21 (as of press time) Dayton at 6 p.m. at the University of Richmond’s Robins Center. Both teams have been ferocious on their home courts, and this matchup will help determine who leads the conference. Ticket prices for that game and Wednesday’s matchup against George Washington both start at $10, and CBS Sports Network is airing the game for those who can’t make it. Across town, the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s team hosts Loyola Chicago at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Both of the city’s A-10 women’s teams will be out of town.
—Mark Newton, News Editor
Other Suggestions
- Although tickets to the Modlin Center for the Arts’ presentation of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performing the “Max Roach Centennial” have sold out, there are still opportunities to register for in-person and online lectures about the bebop pioneer Jan. 23 and 25.
- Richmond Shakespeare’s production of “Born With Teeth” opens Jan. 25 at the Dominion Energy Center’s Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse and continues through Feb. 11.
- As part of its Metro Series, the Richmond Symphony presents “The Four Seasons” at the Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education on Jan. 26.
- Enjoy a night where “Anything Goes” as Virginia Repertory Theatre presents A Night in New Orleans at The Jefferson Hotel, a benefit gala for the performing arts organization on Jan. 27.
- Nonprofit Victims and Villains presents the Winter Horrorland Film Festival at Richmond Public Library’s Main branch on Jan. 27.
- The Weinstein JCC’s 15th annual Israeli & Jewish Film Festival continues through Jan. 28.
River City Roundup is Richmond magazine’s weekly compilation of the best things to see, do and experience in the region, compiled by our editors. Get each week’s installment directly in your inbox every Monday by subscribing to our e-newsletter.
