On the verge of an eighth season that will include a new recording and a world premiere, the Delray String Quartet sounded confident, polished and vibrant as it finished up its seventh season Sunday afternoon in Miami. Closing its fifth and final series of programs at St. Stephen’s Espicopal Church in Coconut Grove, where the competition from the Taste of the Grove festival … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 15-17
Robin Wright as Mary Surratt in The Conspirator.Film: Sure, he won an Oscar 30 years ago for making Ordinary People, but Robert Redford remains an underrated director. To see how he can bring history alive, involving and even a little instructive, check out The Conspirator, his take on the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, as seen through the … [Read more...]
Theater preview: ‘God of Carnage’ exposes the beasts within
Kim Ostrenko, Nick Santa Maria, Kim Cozortand Michael Serratore in God of Carnage.By Hap ErsteinThere is a lot more carnage then there are signs of God in Yasmina Reza’s 2009 Tony Award-winning best play, God of Carnage, which opens this evening at the Caldwell Theatre Company in Boca Raton.As she did with her earlier acclaimed comedy Art, Reza enjoys … [Read more...]
Opera review: Baritones win the day at PB Opera’s vocal competition
Joo Won Kang won first place in the advanced division.By Greg StepanichFor the Grand Finals of the Palm Beach Opera’s annual vocal competition this year, technical accomplishment appeared to matter most to the panel of four judges.Baritone Joo Won Kang of Seoul, South Korea, won the top prize in the advanced division (for ages 24-30), and bass-baritone Brandon … [Read more...]
Baritones win the day at PB Opera’s vocal finals
For the Grand Finals of the Palm Beach Opera’s annual vocal competition this year, technical accomplishment appeared to matter most to the panel of four judges. Baritone Joo Won Kang of Seoul, South Korea, won the top prize in the advanced division (for ages 24-30), and bass-baritone Brandon Cedel, of Hershey, Pa., won the top prize in the junior division (ages 18-23). Both … [Read more...]
The View from Home 23: New releases on DVD
By John ThomasonThe Father of My Children (IFC)Release date: March 29Standard list price: $18.99At just 28, French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Love has shown an Orson Welles-like prodigiousness, already with a short and two features completed and one more in post-production. Given that she’s engaged to established French director Olivier Assayas, has acted in a … [Read more...]
Dance review: ‘Monger’ danced amazingly, but needs more weight
A scene from Monger, by Barak Marshall.(Photo by Gadi Dagon)By Tara Mitton CataoWhat resonates in your mind’s eye after watching Monger, the evening-length work by choreographer Barak Marshall, is the astonishingly original movement.With the fusion of highly arresting visual images, an extremely diverse music score and such powerfully athletic and gestural … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 8-12
The Arrival (2008), by Jose Alvarez.Art: The Norton Museum of Art has opened an exhibit of contemporary art featuring works by artists whose perception of the world around is refracted in unusual but precise ways. Altered States, which opened Saturday and runs through July 17, shows work by four artists – Jose Alvarez, Yayoi Kusama, Fred Tomaselli and Leo … [Read more...]
Film feature: Women’s film saluted in first-ever Palm Beach festival
Rachel Weisz in The Whistleblower.By Hap ErsteinLast year, when Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker, that marked the first Oscar to go to a woman for Best Director. Women have made strides in the film industry, however slowly, but to see the range of movies -- from deadly serious to downright frivolous -- that female directors and screenwriters are … [Read more...]
Music feature: Steep Canyon Rangers reach new bluegrass fans, with Martin’s help
From left: Mike Guggino, Graham Sharp, Woody Platt,Nicky Sanders and Charles Humphrey III of Steep Canyon Rangers. By Bill MeredithMost bands don't become successful overnight, especially in a niche musical sub-genre like bluegrass.Take the Steep Canyon Rangers, for example, the quintet of guitarist Woody Platt, mandolinist Mike Guggino, banjo player Graham … [Read more...]