Tina Fabrique in Ella, which was scheduled to open June 16.By Hap ErsteinYou’ll always remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard about JFK’s assassination. The attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11. Or Florida Stage declaring bankruptcy, closing its doors and ceasing operations forever.OK, that third one is not as momentous as the other two, but … [Read more...]
Music review: Masterful Bach opens Stringendo series
James Buswell.By Greg StepanichPerhaps it was Johannes Brahms who said it best:“Using the technique adapted to a small instrument the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings,” he wrote to Clara Schumann, describing the celebrated Chaconne of J.S. Bach. “If I could picture myself writing, or even conceiving, such a … [Read more...]
Masterful Bach opens Stringendo series
Perhaps it was Johannes Brahms who said it best: “Using the technique adapted to a small instrument the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings,” he wrote to Clara Schumann, describing the celebrated Chaconne of J.S. Bach. “If I could picture myself writing, or even conceiving, such a piece, I am certain that the extreme excitement and … [Read more...]
Music feature: Delray’s new Arts Garage offers regular home for jazz
The Arts Garage performance space.(Photo by Bill Meredith)By Bill MeredithIf you've parked your car in the Old School Square parking garage recently to go to one of Delray Beach's multiple clubs, theaters, galleries or restaurants, you were in close proximity of a major new downtown arts venue whether you knew it or not.The Arts Garage (www.delraybeacharts.org) was … [Read more...]
Theater news: Florida Stage files bankruptcy, shuts its doors
Eric Mendenhall and Elizabeth Birkenmeier in The Cha-Cha of a Camel Spider,the final production at Florida Stage.By Hap ErsteinNext week, Florida Stage was supposed to launch its 25th anniversary season, beginning with the return of the musical biography Ella and continuing with a slate of world and regional premieres.But the operative words are “was supposed to,” … [Read more...]
Theater review: Asner’s ‘FDR’ is a date that will live in boredom
Ed Asner as Franklin Delano Roosevelt.By Hap ErsteinLet’s start with the stipulation that I really do not care for one-person shows, which are almost invariably undramatic recitations of facts, delivered to unseen characters in a series of phone calls, often with no theatrical context.There are a few exceptions -- Hal Holbrook’s Mark Twain, Vincent Price’s Oscar … [Read more...]
Film review: Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ hints at return to mastery
Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams in Midnight in Paris.By Hap ErsteinNeil Simon, in his heyday, used to churn out a Broadway play every season, whether he really had a worthy idea for a play or not.The same could be said of Woody Allen over the past decade -- from 2000’s Small Time Crooks to last year’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger -- he has written … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks June 3-7
A photo taken in Jackson, Mont.,from Alan Winslow and Morrigan McCarthy’s Project Tandem. Art: Two photographers – Alan Winslow and Morrigan McCarthy – traveled 11,000 miles by bicycle across the United States beginning in 2008 to gather opinions about the environment, get to know their fellow Americans, and, of course, take pictures of them.They … [Read more...]
Theater feature: Asner as FDR: From one liberal icon to another
Ed Asner as Franklin Delano Roosevelt.By Hap ErsteinHe has played a slave ship captain in Roots, Pope John XXIII, adventurer Carl Fredericksen in Pixar’s Up and, of course, Lou Grant, the role that earned him five of his seven Emmy Awards. But for Ed Asner, 81, the opportunity to become Franklin Delano Roosevelt for a couple of hours each night was too good to … [Read more...]
Theater review: Controversial comic Maher pushes all the buttons at Kravis
Bill Maher.By Bill MeredithBill Maher can be -- and undoubtedly has been -- called many things, including the accurate (and printable) tags of talk show host, social critic, actor, author, and documentary filmmaker.But the 54-year-old Maher started out as a stand-up comic while attending Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in … [Read more...]