A village maiden falls in love with a princewho's betrothed to someone else in 'Giselle.' DANCE: The mid-19th century French composer Adolphe Adam is best-known in this country for two pieces: the Christmas carol O Holy Night and the score to the ballet Giselle, which premiered in 1841. Giselle is the timeless tale of a village maiden who falls for a prince-in-disguise who's … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2008
Art preview: Exhibit honors Holocaust survivors
Forty-seven painted portraits by Wilma Bulkin Siegel are featured in the exhibition Survivors and Liberators at Whitespace – The Mordes Collection.(Photos by Katie Deits) By Katie DeitsThe general public now has the opportunity to see the collection of one of Palm Beach County’s most outstanding collectors of contemporary art.Elayne and Marvin Mordes are offering tours of their … [Read more...]
Bests of 2008: Theater
Nanique Gheridian (center) stole the show inPalm Beach Dramaworks' production of 'Benefactors.'By Hap Erstein 1. Master Class (Maltz Jupiter Theatre) — The interweaving of the life of opera great Maria Callas, her tempestuous public coaching sessions and Terrence McNally’s musings on the nature of art makes for exciting theater, but it needs a powerful actress in the … [Read more...]
Music 2008: A look back at classical’s most memorable
Violinist Vadim Gluzman.By Greg StepanichThe pressure of work earlier this year being what it was, I can't really offer a true "best of" list for 2008. I didn't get to enough of the concerts I wanted to see, and the ones I missed I heard good things about.So allow me to offer this list instead of some memorable performances from 2008:Vadim Gluzman, violin: Earlier this month, … [Read more...]
The Best of 2008: Films
'Milk': Timely, and Hap's pick for No. 1 film of the year.By Hap Erstein After viewing some 300 movies last year, it all comes down to these: 1. Milk (dir. Gus Van Sant; w/ Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin) Beyond a biography of rising and eventually slain San Francisco politico Harvey Milk, this film tells a parallel tale of the rise of the gay right movement in … [Read more...]
Writers Needed
A good arts critic is a wonderful thing to be, as well as to read and listen to, but a good arts critic also is hard to find. Think you can write something for us on the local arts scene? We can't pay much, but if you want to try your hand at telling us about the local world of theater, film, art, music, dance and letters, we'd like to hear from you. Send your CV and contact … [Read more...]
Who We Are
Palm Beach ArtsPaper provides news and critiques of the arts community in and around Palm Beach County, Florida. Your suggestions and criticisms of our work are always welcome, and the e-mail addresses of each of our staffers can be found on their individual articles.You can also reach us by writing to themailbox@pbartspaper.com.We believe coverage of the area's lively arts … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: Upcoming music events
Mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor.By Greg StepanichArtsPaper has been around only a little longer than a month, but the e-mails are starting to pile up. Here are three recent notes from my musical inbox about upcoming events:Walter Salas-Humara, solo: The frontman for the band The Silos, which has gotten a bunch of good press in the past from outfits such as Spin magazine, returns … [Read more...]
Commentary: Looking back on 2008 theater, with a wink and a wince
By Hap Erstein Some traditions die hard, like The Hapsters, those annual dubious achievement awards that celebrate the past year in theater.It turns out they did not die with my exit from The Palm Beach Post, but were lurking nearby in limbo, waiting to go electronic. So here, for the 15th straight year, are the slightly bent Hapster Awards, looking back on 2008: The … [Read more...]
Film review: ‘Benjamin Button’ is curious — but sublimely so
By Hap ErsteinDirector David Fincher has built a career on such dark, disquieting dramas as Seven, Fight Club and Zodiac. So it is surprising to find him at the helm of a thoughtful, but fanciful romantic epic like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a triumph of special effects in service to solid storytelling.Based very loosely on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story of the … [Read more...]