By Hilary Saunders Greg Holden sounds like he still has a little chip on his shoulder. The young British singer/songwriter has found great success in the music industry since 2012, just not in ways that he expected, or perhaps wanted. That year, a song he wrote called “Home” debuted on the American Idol season finale, as contestant Phillip Phillips used it as his “coronation … [Read more...]
‘Just Mercy’ chilling look at American injustice system
Just Mercy is timely in view of two recent cases in which grand juries declined to indict white policemen involved in the deaths of black suspects in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City. Bryan Stevenson has written a chilling book about miscarriages of justice in the criminal justice system, particularly when blacks are prosecuted. Descended from slaves, Stevenson grew up in a … [Read more...]
At Dramaworks, an Ionesco of thought more than laughter
Just as the rich and famous have to put on their pants one leg at a time, just like the rest of us, even kings have to face mortality, just as we all do. So it goes for King Berenger I, the title character of Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist tragicomedy, Exit the King, on view currently at Palm Beach Dramaworks. Berenger, a character who also shows up in Rhinoceros, is the alter ego … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: July 27-30
Theater: Musicals rarely attract the major money they need for full production these days without developmental workshops and staged readings. This Monday evening or Tuesday afternoon at The Plaza Theatre in Manalapan, a new show called Borscht Belt Bistro (music and lyrics by Ken Mazur) gets a tryout, prior to what playwright Carrol Mendelson hopes will be a production here, … [Read more...]
‘Just Go With It’ has eye candy, but little else, to offer
Like Tracy and Hepburn, or Charlie Sheen and blow, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are the most unsurprising of pairings. They are the master and mistress of middlebrow mirth, for whom the three-star review is an unattainable plateau. In fact, it’s hard to believe these two forces of rom-com mediocrity haven’t met-cute over some 15 years of shepherding penis jokes and … [Read more...]