After these many decades as an elegant magazine of literature, politics, and culture, The New Yorker harbors one vestige of its origin as a humor magazine. That, of course, is the New Yorker cartoon. Droll and wry rather than laugh-out-loud funny, The New Yorker cartoon is not for every taste. Once that taste is acquired, however, the cartoons lurk amid the gray columns of text … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2017
ArtsBuzz: Carbonell nominations, Oliveira contest, new PBG theater
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre again dominated the nominations for South Florida’s Carbonell Awards, recognizing excellence in resident professional theater, with 18 nods going to the company in northern Palm Beach County. Ten of those went to the Depression-era music hall show, Me and My Girl and another four went to the musical The Will Rogers Follies. The Maltz’s other four … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Jan. 28-29
Film: Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey has come a long way from his lightweight romantic comedy days, taking on increasingly challenging roles and no longer concerned about how handsome he looks on screen. Take his performance in Gold as contemporary prospector Kenny Wells, a pot-bellied, balding, snaggle-toothed schemer who bets everything he has — and everything he can steal … [Read more...]
PB Symphony sparkles in Borodin, Brahms-Schoenberg
Under the leadership of Ramón Tebar, there is no doubt that the Palm Beach Symphony has become the worthy successor to the late lamented Florida Philharmonic. But the public is woefully ignorant of this sparkling gem in its midst due to the private nature of its past. Happily, there are forces at work to help it become the orchestra for all of Palm Beach County. High … [Read more...]
‘Alone in Berlin’: Postcard from the non-edgy
The major turning point in Alone in Berlin involves a man in a wide-brimmed hat and a shifty gaze, slinking through a place he shouldn’t be, in World War II-era Berlin. It’s a government building, and he’s there to deposit a postcard on which he’s written an anti-Hitler message. He is to leave it on a staircase and disappear unnoticed, leaving its fate to chance. Wartime … [Read more...]
‘Motherland,’ at FAU, takes Brechtian look at War on Poverty
Allison Gregory set out to write a play inspired by Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, generally considered one of the great stage works of the 20th century. The only thing is she knew almost nothing about it. “I had never read it or seen it. I knew zero about Brecht, really,” concedes Gregory. “I’ve never even seen a Brecht play. I’ve never studied Brecht. … [Read more...]
MCB’s new repertory pieces fall shy of troupe’s fresh commissions
Under the enterprising leadership of Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, Miami City Ballet has pressed forward by adding three company premieres to the 2017 season. But the program at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on Friday night made one wonder if adding these old works — albeit new to the company — has merit, especially when Miami City Ballet unequivocally excels … [Read more...]
‘La La Land’ ties record for most Oscar nominations
When the movie musical La La Land went seven for seven earlier this month at the Golden Globes, naysayers predicted the sweep would result in a backlash. Well, not exactly. This morning, the Damien Chazelle-directed contemporary song-and-dance romance received 14 Oscar nominations, tying the all-time record high held by Titanic and All About Eve. The Los Angeles-based … [Read more...]
Seraphic Fire’s 15th anniversary concert masterful, eclectic
The South Florida classical music scene was rather different 15 years ago than it is today, and while in some aspects of those pre-recession days it was more robust, in one thing in particular there is no comparison. Today, there has been substantial growth in the appearance of smaller arts organizations, with chamber orchestras, chamber music series and even opera companies … [Read more...]
Jasper SQ offers staples, new works in Duncan appearance
By Dennis D. Rooney Jasper is the name of a gemstone and also a national park in Alberta, Canada, from which the Jasper String Quartet takes its name. The Jaspers are current artists-in-residence at Temple University in Philadelphia. Previously quartet-in-residence at Oberlin College, where it was founded in 2006, it has won many awards, including the Cleveland Institute … [Read more...]