The third free opera concert at the waterfront given by Palm Beach Opera was an artistic success. But who were the artists? Getting off to a good start with the national anthem and Bernstein’s Candide overture, conductor Greg Ritchey then introduced the wonderful Metropolitan Opera baritone Michael Chioldi and the next singer, Robert Watson, but forgot to name the other … [Read more...]
Two views of beauty in Rubinstein, Plumb exhibits at Boca Museum
Fresh off its successful run at the Jewish Museum in New York City, the exhibit, Helena Rubinstein: Beauty Is Power opened April 21 at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, running through July 12 and organized by the Jewish Museum and curator Mason Klein. Although not on the shelves these days, the Helena Rubinstein cosmetic brand was legendary until 1988 when it was bought out by … [Read more...]
‘Equalizer’ wastes a lot of people, including its star
When we first encounter Denzel Washington in the new action vehicle The Equalizer, he’s living an awfully un-Denzel-like life. He works in a home-repair big-box store, where he spends his lunch breaks advising a coworker on how to eat healthy and lose weight. He takes the bus to work, he lives alone in a modest Boston walkup, and in his downtime, he reads masterpieces (The Old … [Read more...]
‘Good People’ skillfully examines the what-ifs
The vagaries of fate often determine whether or not we escape our circumstances to rise above our economic surroundings. But perhaps our own actions can affect that fate. That is the issue at the heart of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Tony Award-nominated play from 2011, Good People, which weaves that thought-provoking notion around an entertaining tale of haves and have-nots and … [Read more...]
‘The Ides of March’: Political treachery, but without togas
During the Bush administration, people would sigh and say they wished Martin Sheen’s character on The West Wing were really the president. Expect a similar response to the new political intrigue drama, The Ides of March, with its iconic liberal candidate played with cunning charm by George Clooney. Clooney not only stars as Democratic Gov. Mike Morris, with perfectly polished … [Read more...]
Theater roundup: Poetic ‘Buffalo,’ sharp ‘Song,’ shocking ‘Blasted’
After some of playwright David Mamet’s recent anemic attempts at whimsy (Romance, November), it is a pleasure to be reminded by his 1977 Broadway breakthrough, American Buffalo, how visceral and, yes, poetic he can be. The poetry is of the fragmentary, high-profanity, elliptical street type, but at Palm Beach Dramaworks, a trio of capable actors are demonstrating that the … [Read more...]