Before the shutdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, my life and free time were largely consumed by viewing and covering the latest theater openings and film releases. So when I would hear glowing reactions to long-form dramatic television series, I would make mental note of them, wondering when in the world I would ever have time to catch up and view them. … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2020
Area’s theater directors vow to focus on diversity
With the COVID virus so pervasive in Palm Beach County, surviving the shutdown dictated by the pandemic is foremost on the minds of area theaters. But the next priority, artistic directors say, is putting an added emphasis on diversity – in their programming and casting. Most theaters think they have done a pretty good job at diversity, but agree there is still room … [Read more...]
FAU teacher enjoys second career as country songbird
By Janis Fontaine Rhea Francani isn’t a tough-talking Texan or a boot-scooting Okie but she loves country music like one. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., the youngest of three sisters in a close-knit Italian family that put on “full-blown concerts” in the living room of their modest home, Francani, 28, now of Boca Raton, just released the first single from her soon-to-be released … [Read more...]
‘Unfit’ unpacks psyche, not policies, of Trump
When Michael Moore released his anti-Trump screed Fahrenheit 11/9, in 2018, I was still in a mood of electoral shellshock. I was very much seeking an answer to the question the director posed in voice-over at the beginning of the film: “How the f--- did this happen?” It’s amazing how time has made armchair pundits out of all of us. Hindsight being what it is, Trump’s … [Read more...]
Opinion: Unite against cuts to WPB library, parks budget
By Chloe Elder Ahead of the 2021 fiscal year, the city of West Palm Beach addresses the economic shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in its annual budget. Not unlike any other municipality, business or individual, cuts must be made to reckon with a revenue stream impacted by lockdowns and uncertainty. What is exceptional, however, is that the current proposal balances … [Read more...]
‘Burning Ghost’: Go toward the (Hollywood) light
Eschatology is at the heart of French director Stéphane Batut’s Burning Ghost, but to this viewer’s mind, so is capitalism, a concept as eternal as the soul. That’s because even his premature death can’t keep young Juste (Thimotée Robart) out of the labor force. Juste opens the movie in an earthbound purgatory. Newly freed from his dying body but not yet adjusted to the … [Read more...]
Maltz cancels 2020-21 season, will concentrate on expansion project
While most area theater companies are still mulling the possibility of producing live theater in some form in the upcoming season, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has announced a firm postponement of its 2020/2021 shows. Instead, it will begin construction this month to complete the expansion of its playhouse complex, previously reported to have a $32 million price tag. The … [Read more...]
‘The Rental’: Sharing the time with horror
If you’ve seen The Rental and were at all affected by it, you may never vacation the same way again. Specifically, if you check into a rental property — an idyllic, too-good-to-be-true, cliff-hugging property on the Pacific Coast, perhaps — the first thing you will do is inspect the showerheads. You will be looking for hidden cameras. Voyeurism is a central theme of Dave … [Read more...]