A scene from the Limón Dance Company’s The Moor’s Pavane. (Photo by Bill Hebert) By Tara Mitton Catao While out on its 70th anniversary national tour, the Limón Dance Company made a stop here in South Florida as part of the Duncan Theatre’s Modern Dance Series. The program celebrated the creative essence of its founder/creator José Limón and gave us the opportunity to see … [Read more...]
Rioult Dance: Fine execution, middling material
By Tara Mitton Catao One could sense the integrity of the tight-knit artistic ensemble that is Rioult Dance NY, the small modern dance company that performed at the intimate Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center on Thursday night. Proficient in what they do, Rioult Dance presented a well-balanced program of works choreographed by Artistic Director Pascal Rioult. In Views of … [Read more...]
Martha Graham Company outstanding at Duncan
By Tara Mitton Catao After performing last year at the Kravis Center, the Martha Graham Company returned to South Florida on Friday night to launch the popular modern dance series at the Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth. The company was very good when it performed in the large Dreyfoos Hall at the Kravis, but here in the smaller and more intimate … [Read more...]
New opera company triumphs with ‘Bluebeard’
All Hallow’s Eve gave birth to a new opera company for South Florida. Oct. 31 saw the launch of Opera Fusion at Lake Worth Playhouse in a well- presented, well-sung mounting of Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle. The group’s mission is to get opera to the people; it’s an artist-driven startup offering a new approach. Less stodgy, as proven by the very young audience who came … [Read more...]
PB Opera opens season with a grand afternoon of singing
The weather gods looked favorably upon Saturday’s festive gathering at the Meyer Amphitheatre on Flagler Drive. The sun shone behind clouds, and cool breezes from Lake Worth fanned across the gladed greenery. Even better, the Palm Beach Opera’s 2013-14 group of seven Young Artists made a positive impression, breathing new life into old arias. Distinguished tenor James … [Read more...]
Opera on the Road: An astonishing rarity at Bard Summerscape
Forget Kirov, forget Bolshoi: We may one day have our own Russian opera company in New York state. Bard Summerscape, now in its 10th year delivered a magnificent performance of Sergey Taneyev’s Oresteia, premiered in 1895, which I saw on Aug. 4. The Annandale-on-Hudson festival is fast becoming a rival to Wagner’s Bayreuth as the place to be. Production values are very … [Read more...]
Dramaworks offers ‘Company’ worth keeping
There’s good news and bad news at Palm Beach Dramaworks. The good news is a confident, polished concert of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, now playing through Sunday. The bad news? After this very satisfying evening and the previous, even better semi-staged Man of La Mancha, we may never see a fully produced musical at this West Palm Beach playhouse again. Company was not even … [Read more...]
Paul Taylor Company masterful in Duncan show
The Paul Taylor Dance Company graced the stage of the Duncan Theatre on Friday night, presenting three works from one of the nation’s best and most prolific choreographer. Fortunately for us, the company was able to fill in for the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, which was unable to make it here for the Duncan Theatre’s 25th anniversary season. Paul Taylor (b. 1930) has choreographed … [Read more...]
Ballet Memphis show celebrates togetherness
If it’s true, as Sartre said, that Hell is other people, it isn’t a message that will find much support at Ballet Memphis. The dance company, now celebrating its 25th year, brought four dances to the Duncan Theatre on Friday night in the first of two performances (the show is repeated tonight). Twelve members of the 23-person troupe from the blues capital were on stage for a … [Read more...]
Theater roundup: Romance and its aftermath, on three stages
A former musician turned playwright, Michael Hollinger is clearly fascinated with the music of words. Such an interest was evident in his earlier play, Opus, about the search for harmony among the members of a string quartet. A similar verbal playfulness is present in his latest work, Ghost-Writer, a look at the creative process of a fastidious novelist, who dictates his prose … [Read more...]