Matthew Desmond was in college when he learned that a bank had taken his boyhood home, forcing his parents to move. “I remember being deeply sad and embarrassed,” he writes. He began building houses with Habitat for Humanity, while studying poverty and visiting homeless people. In 2008 he moved into a trailer park in a poor Milwaukee neighborhood to learn more about landlords, … [Read more...]
Once a film flop, ‘Newsies’ reborn as Broadway sensation
When the 1992 Disney movie musical Newsies tanked at the box office, few expected the title to ever resurface in any form. But this real-life David vs. Goliath tale of exploited young newsboys who fought back against the rich, ruthless New York City publishers with the 1899 newspaper strike would not be silenced. “It was becoming the number-one requested title to Disney from … [Read more...]
Historian Goodwin takes audience back to Progressive Era
By Dale King Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin doesn’t just talk about history. She takes her audience on a word picture journey through time, giving wings to funny facts and deep insight into many of this nation’s presidents. Her lecture Thursday night at the Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton, part of Festival of the Arts Boca, touched on her latest … [Read more...]
Theater roundup: ‘Once’ far more than enough; ‘Wiesenthal’ lacks drama
There used to be a skit in the parody show Forbidden Broadway that declared the show Thoroughly Modern Millie to be the worst best musical in Tony Award history. But that was before Once. Winner of the top Tony in 2012 — a weak season for musicals by any measure — this simple love story between a Dublin vacuum cleaner repairman/rock star wannabe and an angelic Czech immigrant … [Read more...]
‘Camelot’: A once and future good idea
The void created by the demise of the Caldwell Theatre Company is still felt on the local arts scene, but at least artistic director Clive Cholerton’s concerts of musicals have found a home at Palm Beach Dramaworks. Newly dubbed the Musical Theatre Masters Series, it launched this weekend with Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Camelot and other selections appear to be … [Read more...]
‘Once,’ ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ lead Tony nominations
As with all awards programs, but probably more so with Broadway’s Tony Awards, the announcement of nominations says more about who was snubbed than who got the nod. In a so-so season on Broadway -- particularly for new musicals -- the good news is that there were enough productions to fill the categories and still leave enough major names off the nominations lists to get … [Read more...]