Cut down to five days, and minus the glitzy gala that always seemed more important to its organizers than the movies themselves, the Palm Beach International Film Festival at 15 is reportedly on its last legs. After a decade and a half, the event never really caught on with the local public and has become a financial drain on the county as recession-strapped corporate sponsors … [Read more...]
Carbonell haul is light for Palm Beach County theaters
If you are looking for Carbonell statuettes today, look southward. Monday evening’s 34th annual Carbonell Awards ceremony was a low-key, well-produced event that tilted strongly towards theaters in Miami-Dade County. In fact, to two theater companies in Coral Gables -- Actors’ Playhouse and Gable Stage -- which walked off with most of the booty: six and five awards, … [Read more...]
Second cast of PBO’s ‘Carmen’ features auspicious debuts
I’ve seen Georges Bizet’s Carmen many times, but the second cast of the recent Palm Beach Opera production offered even a veteran operagoer fresh delights. Chief among them Saturday night was the Polish-born mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wór, who made a magnificent debut with this company, with her rich, seductive mezzo sound, perfectly suited to the role. And her acting as the … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: March 12-16
Art: From capturing firework-like sprays of red lava in Hawaii to the cool icebergs of Iceland, Lewis Kemper’s masterful photographs are some of the best that can be captured of the natural world. An exhibit of his dramatic landscape photographs, Capturing the Light, opens Saturday night (5:30-7 p.m.) at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre and runs through June 5. The show’s … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: March 5-9
Art: The Palm Beach Fine Craft Show opened today at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach for a three-day run that features artists from 28 states offering museum-quality art objects, couture art-to-wear, and handcrafted furniture. Clothing designers are also attending the show, which runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Feb. 5-10
Art: On Tuesday at the Norton Museum of Art, an exhibit opens featuring the work of fashion photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004). Avedon revolutionized the look of fashion photography, and did much to turn photographers and models into celebrities. His innovative and imaginative photographs appeared in all the major magazines, especially Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. The … [Read more...]
Second cast outstanding in PB Opera’s ‘Otello’
Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello was the basis for the libretto Arrigo Boito wrote for Giuseppe Verdi, who at the time Boito approached him about the opera was 71 years old and considered himself retired. But three years later, in February 1887, Otello had its triumphant premiere at La Scala, and this work plus Verdi's final opera, Falstaff, are considered the pinnacle of the … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Poetry Festival bigger than ever
Miles Coon did not build the Palm Beach Poetry Festival into one of Florida’s top literary events in five short years by being cautious. After last year’s economically troubled festival, when one workshop had to be canceled for lack of enrollment, he knew prudence dictated a smaller, less ambitious plan for 2010. Instead, Coon chose a bolder path, increasing the … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Oct. 23-25
This weekend, the south end of Palm Beach County has what you need for your art fix. Opening Friday night at the Urs Art Studio Gallery in Boynton Beach is an exhibit featuring eight artists: George Cheskes, Portland Jastram, Vera Rekstad, Naomie St. Amand, Maxine and Herman Schreiber, Stella White and Suzette Urs. Maxine Schreiber’s tropical landscapes are oils on canvas, … [Read more...]
ArtsPreview 2009-10: The season in books
Readers rejoice! The show will go on, sputtering economy notwithstanding. The book show, that is. All five major South Florida literary festivals – Miami Book Fair International, the Key West Literary Seminar, the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, the Boca Festival of the Arts, and Broward’s Lit/Live! – are scheduled to take place over the next five months in more or less their … [Read more...]