Theater: Thanks to the business savvy of the Gershwin Estate, George and Ira Gershwin have written a few musicals after their deaths. Or rather, their vast song trunk has been made available to those who would reuse their familiar and obscure compositions in new settings, such as Crazy for You, a “new” show from 1992 that harkens back in style and score to the 1930s. The story … [Read more...]
Hudson River painters captured glory of a rising nation
In the final room of the exhibit Hudson River School Masterpieces from the New-York Historical Society, now on view at The Society of the Four Arts through Sunday, there are two striking portraits of the men considered to be the fathers of the movement: Thomas Cole and Asher Durand. One could also pronounce them the fathers of American art because, during their lifetimes, they … [Read more...]
Violinist Ehnes, Toronto SO begin Florida tour
The promoters of this week’s Toronto Symphony concerts might not have noticed it, but the program and its presenters make up something of an international accord between the two big federal republics of North America. So says James Ehnes, a violinist from Manitoba and a dual citizen of Canada and the United States who now calls Brandenton home. “It’s kind of a nice, friendly … [Read more...]
Jazz bassist Parrott, trio show creativity, surprise in JAMS show
Singing bassist Nicki Parrott's trio walked on to the stage at the Harriet Himmel Theater in West Palm Beach on Tuesday while still getting used to dry land. Parrott, Italian pianist Rossano Sportiello and drummer Ed Metz Jr. had just exited a Crystal Cruise line ship earlier in the day after playing a 10-day jazz-themed sail from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean. And while a … [Read more...]
Account of nun’s death while fleeing Tibet proves riveting
Each year thousands of Tibetans attempt to flee their homeland by embarking on a perilous journey over snow-covered mountains. Some die along the way, and others are captured, jailed and tortured by Chinese soldiers. Most often their plight receives little international attention. But the case of Kelsang Namtso, a 17-year-old nun, was different because mountain climbers … [Read more...]
Alert the Squid Squad! The kraken is (lamely) on the loose!
Why is it that genre writers, just when they are about to step onto a wider stage of literature, tend to lose heart – or nerve? I first noticed this in 1998 when Stephen King, after almost a decade of increasing critical acceptance, retreated to the comforts of Bag of Bones, an overlong, overstuffed supernatural thriller of the kind that made him famous earlier in his career. … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: May 14-16
Film: The big noise this weekend comes from Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, a far better movie than we expected, but if you are in the mood for something smaller and more low-key, head to Emerging Cinemas in Lake Worth or Mos’Art Theatre in Lake Park to see Handsome Harry, a drama about looking back over one’s life, about regrets, guilt, making amends and redemption. Directed in an … [Read more...]
The View From Home 6: New releases on DVD
Tokyo Sonata (E1) Release date: May 4 Standard list price: $21.49 Tokyo Sonata, the latest from Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa, is seemingly a departure from the director’s preferred forte of cerebral horror and science fiction. At least that’s how it begins, with a focus on the lives of a middle-class Japanese family of four that echoes Yasujiro Ozu’s gentle domestic … [Read more...]
Bulletin from Broadway No. 8: ‘Race’
I had a 6:30 p.m. flight home Saturday, so I wasn’t going to see a matinee, the first time a play would be on that I was not in a theater seat. But a press agent recommended I see David Mamet’s latest play, Race. It’s only 100 minutes long including intermission and I’d heard good things about it, so why not, I figured. Well, one reason is Mamet’s most recent output, a couple … [Read more...]
Bulletin from Broadway No. 7: ‘Fela!’
My season-end Broadway visit is coming to a close, and it is fair to say it has been a surprisingly strong year for plays and a pretty disappointing one for musicals. Tony Award nominations get announced Tuesday and the committee is going to have to be pretty creative to fill some of the musical categories. (There are only two musicals with original scores, so the eligibility … [Read more...]