At one point during Weiner, Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s documentary about the man with the most unfortunate surname in modern political history, Kriegman is in the backseat of Anthony Weiner’s car, his camera trained on the former congressman. Kriegman, off-camera but ever-present, asks one of many pesky questions about the then mayoral candidate’s sexting scandal and … [Read more...]
Jason Alexander finds much to love about directing ‘When You’re Jewish’
It is kind of a cliché: Jason Alexander is a Tony Award-winning and seven-time Emmy-nominated actor, but what he really wants to do is direct. And because of a little sitcom called Seinfeld, he can indulge his affection for directing, because he really doesn’t have to work another day in his life. “No, not financially, but I need to work emotionally. I don’t need to make a … [Read more...]
Natalie Merchant finds magic in singing with orchestra
By Hilary Saunders Natalie Merchant says she feels like Wonder Woman. At 50 years old, the singer-songwriter has already helped define a genre through her first band 10,000 Maniacs, reinvented herself as a solo artist and sold millions of records, but it’s her current multiple roles that make her feel so empowered. Because now, Merchant’s (on average) tri-monthly … [Read more...]
Saxman Garrett finds new worlds with stint at piano
If 53-year-old Kenny Garrett wasn’t already well-known as one of the leading alto saxophonists of his generation, evidence might otherwise suggest he was a jazz pianist. “My main inspirations are Art Tatum and McCoy Tyner,” he says of the blind virtuoso pianist Tatum (1909-1956), who dominated jazz in the first half of the 20th century, and the 75-year-old Tyner, who rose to … [Read more...]
Kornbluth finds career — and religion — in monologues
Josh Kornbluth is the original Red Diaper baby, a fact that’s given him much material for his work as a monologuist. Raised in New York by Communist parents, Kornbluth moved to Boston in his early 20s and took a job as a copy editor for the alternative newspaper The Boston Phoenix. He briefly attended Princeton University but dropped out before graduating, and only recently … [Read more...]
Singer-songwriter Haas finds inspiration everywhere
Crazy Is, the independent debut CD by fledgling recording artist Anna Haas, might well have been called A Tale of Two Cities. That’s because the Nashville-born and raised vocalist and pianist has split time between her hometown of Music City and another music city, New York, over the past decade. Crazy Is was even recorded in various studios within each locale. “I’m back and … [Read more...]