Having been raised in the drudgery of our non-airbrushed public school system and not in the Hollywood fantasy of a freewheeling private school, I couldn’t relate much to the milieu of Words and Pictures, a rival-teachers dramedy set in a mythical world of privileged academia. It’s the kind of environment where syllabi, curricula and sensible grades are jettisoned, if they ever … [Read more...]
MCB’s ‘Don Quixote’ falls a little short of satisfying
By Tara Mitton Catao Of all the full-length classical ballets, it is Don Quixote that continually delights audiences, and Miami City Ballet’s production was selected to be a crowd-pleaser as well as a natural fit for the largely Hispanic company. The popular ballet has all the ingredients that make it easy for audiences to enjoy. The lavish costumes and sets by Santo Loquasto, … [Read more...]
‘Side Effects’ a lazy comedown for Soderbergh
“If I see another over-the-shoulder shot, I’m going to blow my brains out.” -- Steven Soderbergh, as quoted by Matt Damon in the Los Angeles Times, December 2010 Lo and behold, Steven Soderbergh, rebel in spirit more than in practice, has given us Side Effects, a film rife with over-the-shoulder shot-reverse-shots, constructed virtually the same way every director-for-hire … [Read more...]
Conductor Schwarz advocates for American music, cellist son
You can forgive Gerard Schwarz some special fatherly pride when he talks about his youngest son, Julian. They are, after all, in the same business. “He’s got tremendous gifts, and he’s had quite a bit of success already,” said Schwarz, an eminent American conductor who led the Seattle Symphony to major-league status over a 26-year directorship before stepping down in 2011. … [Read more...]
‘Distracted’ probes ADD issue expertly, but writer’s homily simplistic
With two parts wisecracks and one part wisdom, Lisa Loomer has aimed her word processor at some of contemporary life’s intriguing social issues. She has illuminated our views on employing Third World nannies (Living Out), body modification rituals (The Waiting Room) and efforts to become parents (Expecting Isabel) with highly theatrical humor. Belonging unmistakably to that … [Read more...]
Chorale’s Mozart Requiem solid, but too cautious
One of the more tantalizing aspects of the career of Mozart is his work in sacred music, and that’s primarily because it feels somewhat unfulfilled. There is much great music in the Coronation Mass and even in the epistle sonatas, and choral ensembles across the land would be lost without the motet Ave verum corpus, but the finest of his sacred music was unfinished: The Mass … [Read more...]