It all begins unassumingly with a purchase and sale of cotton. That is how three immigrant brothers — German Jews Henry. Emanuel and Mayer Lehman — arrive in the United States penniless in the 1840s and build a renowned investment empire. Collectively known as Lehman Brothers, their business model evolved from commodities trading to pure finance, money making … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2024
‘Six’ may not be accurate history, but it sure is fun
At a brisk 80 minutes running time, Six: The Musical may not feel like a full evening’s meal, but it packs more entertainment value than any show in less than an hour and a half. Perhaps you might think of it as the appetizer before next month’s main course, Hamilton, for they have much in common. Both, of course, relate history lessons – English for Six and American for … [Read more...]
Vienna Phil’s Mahler 9 brought Kravis audience to the sublime
By Márcio Bezerra Sublime. Nothing short of sublime. That sums up the concert presented by the Vienna Philharmonic for the Classical Concert Series at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Playing for a nearly sold-out audience, the venerable ensemble, in its first-ever appearance in South Florida, gave a heart-wrenching performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, his … [Read more...]
At the Duncan: Grupo Corpo, Brazil’s astonishing gift to dance
One doesn’t go and see Grupo Corpo — one goes and experiences Grupo Corpo. The recent performance of this unique contemporary dance company from the interior state of Minas Gerais in Brazil was a total theatrical event that left me feeling enriched and more connected to the vibrant cultural diversity that is Brazil. As the third installment of the popular Modern Dance … [Read more...]
Big, beautiful ’42nd Street’ at Maltz is dazzling triumph for local theater
At one point in 42nd Street, the production number-heavy backstage musical about a Depression-era Broadway tryout, Julian Marsh, the director of Pretty Lady — the fictional show-within-the-show — calls it “the biggest musical this town has seen in two decades.” While that is true, he could also be referring to what the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has lovingly assembled on a … [Read more...]
Multi-genre guitar virtuoso Steve Vai living link to alt-rock history
If you asked fans of 63-year-old guitarist Steve Vai (www.vai.com) what he’s best-known for, you might get a variety of answers. One might be the Long Island, N.Y., native’s recording and touring run within the fusion of styles created by Frank Zappa (1940-1993). Those seeds were sown when Vai — still a student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston — sent him exacting … [Read more...]
Seraphic Fire brings Haydn mass to glorious life
By Robert Croan Haydn’s six late-in-life settings of the Catholic Mass are outpourings of joy, reflecting the composer’s optimism and attitude towards life – even when, as in 1798, he labeled his Mass in D minor, “Mass in Troubled Times.” The “trouble” was Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, designed to interfere with his enemies’ trade routes, directly or indirectly … [Read more...]
The View From Home: Jean-Luc Godard’s final film — and a celebration of his complicated legacy
Released a year after Jean-Luc Godard’s death at age 91 in September 2022, writer-director Cyril Leuthy’s 2022 documentary Godard Cinema (Kino, $29.99 Blu-ray, $19.99 DVD) is an informative and engrossing endeavor to unravel the mysteries and contradictions behind the movies’ most disruptive trailblazer. Leuthy interviewed subjects from in and outside of Godard’s circle, … [Read more...]
Kips Bay 2024 house is a knockout of color
Set foot into the foyer of this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House at 230 Miramar Way in the “SoSo” neighborhood of West Palm Beach, and be greeted by a kaleidoscope of color. Nadia Watts Interior Design created the “Lively Loggia and Jeweled Gallery,” a jewel-toned foyer accented with hand-painted turquoise Porter Teleo wallpaper, a mix of antique and contemporary styles … [Read more...]
Artist Wynne makes poetry with poured glass
By Sandra Schulman Hand-poured glass spells poetic words, while embroidered photos tell stories. In a genre he has created and perfected, Rob Wynne is having a survey exhibit at Gavlak Palm Beach, The Underside of a Leaf, of new and historical works. A selection of Wynne’s iconic poured glass pieces is shown alongside his archival “photograms,” and text-based works from … [Read more...]