Pianist Lydia Artymiw. By Greg StepanichBOCA RATON --- Area concertgoers haven't had enough opportunities in the past 10 years or so to hear live performances hereabouts of the symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich, an important group of works whose best examples are likely to swell in stature as the years go by.Now they can add another one to that small list, as Alexander Platt … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2009
Theater review: ‘Evita’– The same old Argentine song-and-dance
Jodie Langel is compelling as the title characterin Evita, though the Maltz production never getsinside her head.By Hap Erstein British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has gotten increasingly involved in the production of his musicals, which unfortunately means emphasizing the spectacle — the crashing chandeliers, the hydraulic ornate staircases, the roller skating train … [Read more...]
Theater reviews: ‘Defiance’ and ‘Dead Man’s Cell Phone’
Paul Tei, left, and Reiss Gaspard in Defiance.By Hap ErsteinDoubt: It is both the title of John Patrick Shanley’s 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama and the theatrical element that he has been exploring of late.Its shadow can be seen hovering over Defiance, his follow-up play and second part of a projected trilogy, currently on at GableStage.While it is not up to its predecessor … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: Fine Craft Show a lure for collectors
Artist Nancy Kubale. (Photo by Katie Deits)By Katie DeitsWEST PALM BEACH -- Contemporary art has been the best investment of any category since the end of World War II, local artist Bruce Helander told an audience Friday at the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show.Helander, a maker of collages who sported his trademark orange bowler Friday, was a last-minute replacement for a speaker who … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: Ballet Florida cancels rest of season
A scene from the Ballet Florida staging of The Nutcracker.WEST PALM BEACH -- Citing the failure of a proposed partnership with the city of West Palm Beach and "unforeseen financial challenges," Ballet Florida this afternoon canceled the remainder of its 2008-09 season.The troupe had been scheduled to present performances at the Broward Center on April 4-5, the Duncan Theater at … [Read more...]
Music review: Salzburg Chamber Soloists astonish at Four Arts
The Salzburg Chamber Soloists.By Greg StepanichPALM BEACH -- Somewhere in between the middle of a Haydn symphony and the first of what turned out to be six tangos by Astor Piazzolla, the Salzburg Chamber Soloists sailed Wednesday night from the realms of the exceptional into the extraordinary.In a concert at the Society of the Four Arts that was as stunning for its perfection … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: March 20-24
Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in Duplicity.Film: With the Cold War over, governmental spies need to re-direct their efforts and that is what the CIA’s Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) and MI6’s Ray Koval (Clive Owen) intend to do in Tony Gilroy’s smart and smart-mouthed trust-no-one comedy, Duplicity.The two occasional lovers move into industrial espionage, spying and … [Read more...]
Music review: Prazak Quartet masterful in Duncan closer
The Prazak Quartet, from left: Michal Kanka, Vlastimil Holek, Vaclav Remes and Josef Kluson.By Greg StepanichLAKE WORTH -- In all the classical music world's excitement over the anniversaries of Haydn and Mozart this year, we have apparently forgotten to take the tricentenary measure of Franz Xaver Richter.But a performance Wednesday afternoon by a quartet of musicians from … [Read more...]
Film review: “The Great Buck Howard” is cheesy in the nicest sense
John Malkovich in 'The Great Buck Howard.'By Hap Erstein Those with a taste for whimsy should appreciate a small sleeper comedy called The Great Buck Howard, opening locally on Friday, a satirical jab and affectionate celebration of B-list show biz types who persevere long after their time in the limelight has run out. The best thing about the film is the wondrously … [Read more...]
Theater review: ‘Legally Blonde’ is pretty in pink, but dull as dishwater
Becky Gulsving as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.By Hap ErsteinMovies have long been geared to the teen market, and now so are Broadway musicals.Female teens in search of sing-along tales of empowerment, such as Wicked and now Legally Blonde, the not-very-good, but wildly-popular-with-its-target-audience show at the Kravis Center this week.I recall the 2001 movie from which this … [Read more...]