By Dale King Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the author’s legendary tale of a wretched money-hoarding soul who finds lifesaving redemption with help from ghostly apparitions who appear to him on a fateful Christmas Eve in 1840s London, is back in Palm Beach County, offering a spirited lift to folks looking forward to the arriving holiday season. The famed fable opened … [Read more...]
Seraphic Fire renders French Baroque superbly
By Robert Croan Welcome to Paris in the 1730s, during the reign of Louis XV. To open its 2023-24 season, Seraphic Fire, directed by Patrick Dupré Quigley, presented two rarely heard works from the period --- a sacred motet followed by extracts from an opera, each evoking the alleged splendors of the French court while providing a tantalizing glimpse into music that was … [Read more...]
Mexico’s Minería orchestra, pianist Montero get Kravis classical season off to fine start
By Márcio Bezerra The Classical Concert Series at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach opened its season Monday with a concert by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería of Mexico. Founded in 1978, the OSM is unusual as its main season runs in the summer in Mexico City (for the rest of the year, the orchestra, according to its website, “performs special … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season in Palm Beach County Art: Major collections, diverse exhibits mark art season
By Sandra Schulman It’s been a long hot summer, so the cool breeze of a new art season is a welcome relief. Major collections figure in shows at the Norton, while the Boca Museum conjures up a little mystery. Bicycles, natural flora, fiber art and art fairs all make appearances. Norton Museum of Art With a new director and curators, the Norton has a new energy going … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season Preview: Metropolitan Opera in HD
By Robert Croan Three operas composed in the last five decades, all Metropolitan Opera premieres, will be featured in the coming season’s The Met: Live in HD’s 2023-24 season, live simulcasts in high-definition cinemas nationwide and abroad. The series is a valuable adjunct to live performances available in South Florida, offered by Florida Grand Opera in Miami’s … [Read more...]
First-class ‘Rent’ opens LW Playhouse’s 71st season in high-energy style
By Dale King Lake Worth Playhouse brings forth a Broadway blockbuster — the breakthrough musical Rent — as its official 71st season opener at the venerable showhouse in downtown Lake Worth Beach. LWP already presented a special performance of West Side Story to get the audience juiced for its autumnal theatrical kickoff. Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is … [Read more...]
At Delray Playhouse, ‘Grease’ is still the one that you want
By Dale King For a rock ‘n’ roll good time, Grease is still the word. Delray Beach Playhouse has thrown open the doors of Rydell High School, circa 1959, for a mid-summer theatrical stint powered with teen-generated energy that shakes the rafters of the venerable playhouse on the east shore of Lake Ida. With book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, Grease … [Read more...]
Arts buzz: Boca Stage relocates, Cultural Council seeks ‘ambassadors’
Palm Beach ArtsPaper staff DELRAY BEACH — Boca Stage, the independent theater company founded by Keith Garsson, will relocate to the black box theater at the Delray Beach Playhouse in October. Boca Stage, formerly known as Primal Forces, has been notable for bringing offbeat, little-known plays to South Florida. Its past four seasons have been presented at the Sol … [Read more...]
Marren finds better Palm Beach groove in ‘Maribelle’s Shadow’
By Sharon Geltner Maribelle is the eldest of three rich and beautiful sisters, from a family that started poor east of Panama City and made a fortune with a nationwide chain of convenience stores. Then they moved to the Island. Maribelle is also editorial director of Palm Beach Confidential magazine and gets invited to a lot of charity balls, fashion shows and lunches. … [Read more...]
Beethoven, Schubert quartets dazzle at SoFla Symphony chamber concert
By Robert Croan Among the entire chamber music repertoire, the Andante movement from Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, known as the “Death and the Maiden” Quartet, is one of the most sublime moments. A highlight of Western classical music in its emotional impact and veracity, this series of variations on an earlier Schubert song that gives the work its … [Read more...]