Antonio Amadeo, left, and William McNulty in Yankee Tavern. By Hap ErsteinA guy walks into a bar and orders two beers, one for himself and one for his absent buddy.Yes, it sounds like the set-up for a joke, but with his chilling new play, Yankee Tavern, the prolific Steven Dietz has something darker and more sobering in mind. Chances are he would be pleased if his paranoid yarn … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2009
Music review: Coldplay sluggish at first, then gets some edge
Chris Martin, left, and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay in concert Friday night at the Cruzan Amphitheatre.(Photo by Tom Craig)By Thom SmithWEST PALM BEACH -- "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about," Oscar Wilde wrote back in 1891.Fast forward to 2009, and another product of the British Isles is in the midst of a … [Read more...]
Art feature: Exhibit at Trump golf club targets homelessness
Your Work Is My Play, by Ryan Toth.(Photo by Durga Garcia)By Marya SummersFor a few hours in April, a hobo shack constructed of wooden pallets overlooked the pristine vistas of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.As the sun set over rolling greens and tropical waterfalls and well-heeled Trump guests filled themselves with some of finest foods top chefs had to … [Read more...]
Music review: Don Henley, steady as he goes
Don Henley in concert Thursday night at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. (Photo by Tom Craig/Seminole Hard Rock)By Thom SmithHOLLYWOOD -- Plaid flannel shirt over and black T and jeans. Short reddish brown hair with touches of gray. No flash. No wild gyrations. No bizarre makeup. No scandal. No gossip. The biggest news he’s made lately is complaining that a U.S. Senate … [Read more...]
Music review: Seraphic Fire’s ‘Jew and the Gentile’ a compelling voyage of discovery
The title page of Salamone Rossi's Songs of Solomon (1622).By Greg StepanichWEST PALM BEACH -- The moment of true cultural collision for Seraphic Fire's latest concert came in the middle of a hot Thursday afternoon, as a cantor rolled melismatically over words of praise to the Most High while choristers in the balconies above held a drone and let him have his say.But the music … [Read more...]
Film review: ‘Angels and Demons’ has less content, more action than ‘Da Vinci Code’
Tom Hanks works on behalf of the Vaticanin Angels and Demons.By Hap Erstein Although critically maligned, Ron Howard’s film version of The Da Vinci Code did pull in over $750 million worldwide, enough to get Hollywood interested in cranking out a sequel.And they found it in author Dan Brown’s screen worthy earlier yarn, Angels and Demons, now turned into a follow-up … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: May 14-17
A scene from Every Little Step.Film: A documentary about any Broadway show’s auditions would be an interesting look at the lives of performers and what they have to put themselves through to gain a job, but James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo apply that notion to the ultimate backstage musical, A Chorus Line, in their must-see film, Every Little Step. The subject is ostensibly the … [Read more...]
Theater review: With this ‘Wizard,’ you’re better off with the movie
Noah Aberlin, Cassie Okenka, Jason Simon and Chris Kind in The Wizard of Oz.By Hap ErsteinWhen critics complain about the preponderance of musicals today based on movies, what irks us the most are shows like The Wizard of Oz, which is slavishly faithful to the celluloid footprint, with a minimum of originality in its adaptation to the stage. The non-union touring production at … [Read more...]
TV review: Human drama enriches ‘In Plain Sight’
Mary McCormick as Mary Shannon in In Plain Sight.By John ThomasonMary Shannon, the ball-busting U.S. marshal played by Mary McCormick on In Plain Sight, is a definitive post-House TV antihero – brilliant at her job but with a personal life in shambles.She does contempt well, but the word love makes her puke. She can emasculate the most aggressive mobster with a penetrating … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: St. Paul’s music series explores Bach, plans Baroque mini-festival
By Greg StepanichDELRAY BEACH -- It's one thing to do a concert of music by J.S. Bach, but it's even more interesting to do one in which the Leipzig master's music is heard in the context of his time.So says Keith Paulson-Thorp, director of music ministries at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Delray Beach, who runs the church's year-round monthly concert series. This Sunday, … [Read more...]