By Sharon Geltner It took a former book reviewer for the New York Times to cleverly update Henry James’s best and, at 600 pages, longest novel, The Golden Bowl. Dinitia Smith has just launched The Prince, cutting 300 pages and speeding the pace — thereby catapulting the Gilded Age into the modern age. “I don’t write in Henry James’ style!” Smith exclaimed recently, … [Read more...]
Haydn trio proves highlight for Lysander Trio at Duncan
By Dennis D. Rooney The Lysander Piano Trio was founded at New York’s Juilliard School in 2009. Their performance at the Duncan Theatre’s Stage West on Feb. 2, part of the Classical Café matinee concerts, featured cellist Alice Yoo deputizing for regular cellist Michael Katz. She and pianist Liza Stepanova opened the program with Gaspar Cassadó’s arrangement of the … [Read more...]
PB Opera’s ‘Carmen’ a study in strong women
By Rosie Rogers What kind of woman is Carmen? Since the premiere of Georges Bizet’s Carmen in 1875 she has been many different things. She can be a dangerous femme fatale, a proto feminist icon, or just another operatic woman doomed to die. In Palm Beach Opera’s Jan. 28 performance of Carmen, J’Nai Bridges’ Carmen fits none of these archetypes. She was fully human — … [Read more...]
Artist-prankster Banksy subject of major Miami exhibition
By Sandra Schulman It’s bizarre that in this modern world with a camera and a snitch on every corner that we still don’t really know who Banksy is. Lots of theories abound, though at this point it’s better to not know who he — we are pretty sure it’s a he – is. Embraced by collectors and sections of the art world, he sells for millions while thumbing his nose at the … [Read more...]
DB Playhouse’s ‘Respect’ a delightful tribute to the journey of women
By Dale King As the undisputed Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, has sung repeatedly with deep sisterly inspiration, all women want “is a little respect.” Eight ladies have taken to the stage at the Delray Beach Playhouse this month to “tell it like it is” — the history of women in America, that is, in a finely tuned, thought-provoking and often humorous story of how women … [Read more...]
Rolston String Quartet brilliant but too aggressive
By Dennis D. Rooney The Rolston String Quartet is a foursome of young Canadians and Americans who play under a name honoring the distinguished Canadian pedagogue, Thomas Rolston (1932-2010), longtime director of music (1979-2004) at the Banff School of the Arts. The members, who played a concert Jan. 19 at the Duncan Theatre’s Stage West, boast an impressive list of … [Read more...]
LW Playhouse’s ‘9 to 5’ a bright revival of workplace classic
By Dale King Lake Worth Playhouse flips the calendar page on its 2021-22 season, opening the new year with a lively and entertaining revival of the comic workplace improvement saga, 9 to 5. The 2008 stage production inspired by the 1980 film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton (who wrote the tunes and lyrics for the show’s mainly up-tempo soundtrack) … [Read more...]
Cárdenes leads Symphonia in substantive string concert
By Dennis D. Rooney A modest audience, socially distanced, heard a program Jan. 8 of Paganini, Vivaldi and Schubert played by 25 members of The Symphonia under the direction of Andrés Cárdenes, the co-founder and artistic and music director of the Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival of Miami, a program geared toward educating young musicians. He is also on the faculty of … [Read more...]
COVID shelves more shows: ‘Sweet Charity,’ ‘Last Night in Inwood’
Two more theater troupes have postponed or canceled shows as the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus continues its spread across the country. “Due to the recent surge of Omicron,” the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has announced further changes to its grand reopening season. The COVID-19 variant has delayed the completion of the $36 million building renovation, causing the … [Read more...]
COVID cancellations: Detroit and Cleveland orchestras, GableStage
Cancellations and rescheduling from the COVID-19 pandemic continue to alter South Florida’s art season. Two major American symphonic ensembles that had planned appearances at the Kravis Center have canceled their concerts. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which was to have played the Kravis on Jan. 15 and 17, called off their concerts last week, citing COVID. Cellist … [Read more...]