So much time has passed since the curtains on stages were drawn closed and the doors of theaters were shut tight. Needless to say, those of us who thrive on the live performances of the local dance seasons have been in a state of dismayed withdrawal. So, how to survive this cavernous gap that we have been enduring since shutdown in early 2020? And how to bridge the … [Read more...]
‘Putting It Together’: How Sondheim and Lapine painted their masterpiece
When encountering a fully satisfying musical, it is hard to imagine the difficulties it endured on its way to Broadway. Think of Fiddler on the Roof or Hello, Dolly! – both a shambles in their out-of-town tryouts – or virtually every show by Stephen Sondheim, the musical theater’s pre-eminent composer-lyricist, notoriously slow in completing each score. Such is certainly … [Read more...]
Florida thriller writer finds past has dark resonance for today
By Sharon Geltner One of the world’s best-selling thriller writers recently moved to Orlando, does most of his research in Jacksonville and has raised money for the Palm Beach County Library System and the Delray Beach City Library, as well as a dozen other in-state libraries. Steve Berry also spoke to Palm Beach donors about Smithsonian Libraries. He ultimately raised … [Read more...]
Magisterial (and literally weighty) bio explores life of playwright Stoppard
One of the most memorable days I ever spent in a theater was when I saw all three parts of Tom Stoppard’s The Coast of Utopia at New York’s Lincoln Center, a cumulative 8-1/2 hours of pre-revolution Russian history and philosophy. As the audience left the Beaumont Theatre late that night, ushers were passing out buttons that said, “I survived 'The Coast of Utopia.'” … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Book Festival to be virtual, features Saunders, Loftis, Harmel
The Palm Beach Book Festival, now in its seventh year, returns for the second year as a virtual event later this month. New York Times bestselling authors Larry Loftis, Kristin Harmel and George Saunders are in the lineup for the festival, which is set for March 19 and 20. Added last week was another guest, Keisha N. Blain, co-editor with Ibram X. Kendi of Four Hundred … [Read more...]
Associated Press writer debuts Florida-based mystery caper
By Sharon Geltner It was witnessing 13 executions at Florida State Prison that persuaded Tampa-based Associated Press reporter Tamara Lush to write romances and cozy mysteries in her free time. “At first I considered dark police procedurals, but I get a mental break from daily crime reporting by writing something happy,” she said. Writing as “Tara Lush,” she has launched … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2020-21: Book, literary fests go virtual
Despite the dearth of live events during the winter of COVID-19, there are enough virtual literary events to keep one’s mind engaged. From poetry to fiction to children’s literature and books with local themes and authors, this year’s offerings, while reduced, offer enough stimulation and diversion to almost make you forget our altered state of collective reality. Palm … [Read more...]
JCCs team up for virtual Jewish Book Fest
Along with other iconic institutions such as the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Palace of Versailles and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Florida JCC Jewish Book Fest has gone online. Proving that there is strength in numbers, this year the Fest partnered with its neighboring Jewish Communty Centers (The Adolph & Rose Levis JCC Sandler Center, … [Read more...]
Allen’s memoir, like many of his films, is a cut-and-paste job
It seems unlikely that the employees of Hachette Book Group that walked out in protest of that company’s effort to publish Woody Allen’s new memoir, Apropos of Nothing, actually read the manuscript before taking umbrage that the firm would be associated with such an innocuous, albeit entertaining, tome. Cries of censorship could be heard beyond the insular publishing … [Read more...]
Delray author’s debut thriller aims for ‘Homeland’ territory
By Sharon Geltner Goodbye, Homeland. Hello, Sandblast. Showtime’s hit series Homeland ends in May. But covert ops fans can now turn to Sandblast, the first book in an action, adventure and suspense trilogy by Al Pessin, a local author who has covered the world’s hot spots from Afghanistan to Washington, D.C. The plot: after terrorists blow up a plane carrying the … [Read more...]