A scene from Les Miserables at The Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Palm Beach County residents did not have far to drive to see the best professional resident theater in South Florida last year. Of the 20 Carbonell Awards for theater excellence given out at the Broward Center on Monday evening, 13 went to companies in the county. And of those 13 awards, seven were picked up by the … [Read more...]
High-energy pieces do best for Lula Washington Dance Theatre
A scene from Global Village, choreographed by Lula Washington. (Photo by Eric McGinnis) By Tara Mitton Catao Could there have been a better way to start off the Lula Washington Dance Theatre’s show at the Rinker Theatre on Jan. 22 than with Michael Tomlin III tipping the brim of his hat to us and proceeding to dance to the music of Terence Blanchard? It wasn’t long before … [Read more...]
The year in review: Film’s top 10
Having compiled my ten favorite films of 2015 — and therefore, by subjective definition, the best of the year — I realized a decided bias towards films about writers, writing and filmmaking. My number one film centers on the investigative reporting team for The Boston Globe and, in addition, I have great affection for one about a prominent blacklisted screenwriter, an aged film … [Read more...]
Arts preview 2015-16: The season in theater
The season, in geographic order, from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade, kicks off at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre with that Agatha Christie chestnut The Mousetrap, based on her Ten Little Indians, the serial murder mystery that had a record-breaking run in London’s West End (Oct. 25-Nov. 8). Then, with most of its audience back in the area, it rolls out a pair of mega-musicals, … [Read more...]
‘Best of Enemies’ chronicles a turning point in the media
The year was 1968, a turning point for American politics as well as for the way the three television networks covered politics and the political party conventions. ABC News, invariably third in the ratings, took the bold move of not broadcasting gavel-to-gavel coverage, in favor of a 90-minute summary of the Republican and Democratic confabs, plus a half-hour nightly analysis … [Read more...]
Flagler series saves best for last with Auryn Quartet
After three decades of performing together in the world’s best venues, the Auryn Quartet was chosen to close the Flagler Museum Music Series on March 3. Intentional or not, John Blades, executive director of the Flagler, left the best to last. Perhaps I ought to say the very best to last, as this was a blue-ribbon performance from beginning to end. The Auryn, consisting of … [Read more...]
Hap’s Oscar predictions: ‘Birdman,’ Keaton, Moore and Iñárritu
This is the year to dive into the office Oscar pool, because what looked murky in December has since become clear with a distinct consensus from the preliminary awards. Now watch me be wrong, but here are my fearless predictions for Sunday’s Academy Awards: * Best Picture: Birdman — It’s a two-horse race between Birdman and Boyhood, with the former getting a late boost from … [Read more...]
‘The best of the best’: Art and antique show returns for 12th year
Palm Beach ArtsPaper staff This Presidents Day weekend, more than 160 exhibitors will descend on West Palm Beach, bringing with them the best in art, antiques and jewelry from all over the world, attracting tens of thousands of private collectors, museum curators, investors and interior designers. The 12th annual Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show will assemble from … [Read more...]
Looking back: 2014’s best in film
After another summer of superheroes, sequels and special effects, Hollywood got serious and released enough films of quality for adults to fill a 10-best list. You have to wonder how the industry can churn out so many exceptional movies in November and December, and so much junk in the first 10 months of the year. To land on the list, a film has to open in South Florida during … [Read more...]
Looking back: 2014’s best in theater
On balance, 2014 was not a bad year at the theater in South Florida, with a couple of blockbuster touring shows, two startling takes on classic musicals at the Maltz Jupiter and a few worthy productions from many of the area’s other resident companies. Here is my undeniably subjective list of the 10 shows I enjoyed the most during the year. Fiddler on the Roof (Maltz … [Read more...]