Published almost 160 years ago, Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has captured a special place in nearly everyone’s heart. Its tale, which is brimming with delightful characters and entertaining imagery, plays with our sense of logic. The book, which is loved the world over by children and adults alike, served as the perfect fodder to ignite the inventiveness … [Read more...]
The Trocks return in fabulous form to the Duncan Theatre
The Trocks were in town for one night only and — as always — they quickly won the audience over with just a bat of a gigantic false eyelash. Presenting classical ballet in parody form and en travesti, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has been keeping audiences from all over the world thoroughly entertained since its inception almost 50 years ago. One doesn’t go to the … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2022-23: The season in dance
This past summer was particularly hot and grueling everywhere, but the gradually arriving change in the weather will also usher in a very cool South Florida season of dance. Here are the details: Miami City Ballet: The ballet company has big plans for its 2022/23 season of dance. Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, who has been leading the organization for the past 10 seasons, … [Read more...]
Graham company impresses at Duncan in works classic and new
“Something old, something new” was once again the theme at the Duncan Theatre as the Martha Graham Dance Company closed out the 2022 Modern Dance Series at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth Beach. Straddling the lifespan of the company from 1926 to 2022, the program March 25 presented was both historical and very current. Opening and closing the program, like covers of … [Read more...]
Pilobolus’s 50th, at Duncan, was a mish-mash rather than a celebration
The renowned creative collective known as Pilobolus had been scheduled to return to Palm Beach County in April 2020 after a four-year absence. Unfortunately, they ended up being the first show to be canceled at the Duncan Theatre because of COVID-19. They were booked to return in February 2021, but once again their performances had to be canceled. Finally, this year on … [Read more...]
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance show, at Duncan, sizzles in second half
The choice of companies for this year’s Modern Dance Series at the Duncan Theatre in Lake Worth Beach is a celebration, not just of the modern dance companies that made it through the pandemic, but of those that have been around for decades and are on the verge of becoming historic institutions. Parsons Dance (which opened the series) is 40 years old, and Cleo Parker … [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...]
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...]
Season Preview 2021-22: The season in classical music
The classical season looks mostly normal this year, with COVID protocols in place and venues opening back up. There are a host of major artists and groups coming to the county this year, from established veterans to exciting new talents. Although some usual season players are missing as of this writing (the Flagler Museum has not yet said whether its chamber music series … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2020-21: Classical shows shrink, but concerts still plentiful
South Florida’s classical music community is surely one of the nation’s most vibrant, with at least seven regularly appearing orchestras playing from Key West to Fort Pierce, two opera companies, three chamber music series, a nationally known concert choir, and a season that in the winter months sees many of the touring stars of the Northeast come down to shake off the … [Read more...]