Palm Beach Opera was working out some kinks Friday night as it tried on the theatrical clothes of a new production, but in the end, it achieved a satisfying and reasonably compelling telling of a classic love story. Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, a tuneful, sentimental example of French Romantic opera at its most endearing, is the third production in the West Palm … [Read more...]
Tacita Dean show offers artist’s more predictable work
An artist considers found images as important as the images she creates, and now we do not know when and where to give her credit. From now through May 6, the Norton Museum of Art is presenting a rare exhibit with such characteristics. Tacita Dean, which opened last week, focuses on the photographic work of this British artist, now living in Berlin, who is perhaps best known … [Read more...]
Szot’s cabaret show lovely and well-planned, but a little distant
Although the boundary between the opera and musical theater worlds can be ambiguous, few opera singers have crossed over to success in musicals. One who certainly has is Brazilian-born baritone Paulo Szot, 2008 Tony Award winner in the expansive revival of South Pacific. With one crossover under his belt, he has been afforded the opportunity to make a similar mark in the … [Read more...]
Luna Negra show sometimes baffling, but artistry shines through
Luna Negra Dance Theater is a contemporary dance company from Chicago that is making a name for itself by exclusively presenting the works of acclaimed contemporary Latino choreographers. The works are bold departures from traditional Latino folkloric themes and together with the talent of the 10 dancers in the company, a very dynamic synergy has been created. This creative … [Read more...]
Trey McIntyre show spectacular at Duncan
The Trey McIntyre Project reinvented itself Friday night with an evening of fabulous dancing to the music of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Roy Orbison. What made the high-speed and energetic dancing in Friday’s performance at the Duncan Theatre in Lake Worth so engaging is something subtle and quiet. Perhaps it’s all captured in the word “project”: This company does not … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Jan. 28-30
Art: As it did a few years back, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art is host this weekend to a major show of Catholic artwork, this one called Vatican Splendors: A Journey Through Faith and Art. Fort Lauderdale is one of only three cities nationwide to host the exhibit, which contains about 200 pieces of art and sacred objects from the home of the papacy, and publicists say many … [Read more...]
Oscars show still overlong, but much more entertaining
Leave it to Steve Martin to sum up Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony with a final ad-lib, calling the broadcast so long that “Avatar now takes place in the past.” At three-and-a-half-hours, it actually ran longer than James Cameron’s bloated, 3-D science fiction epic, which got left in the dust by the documentary-like The Hurt Locker, directed by Cameron’s ex-wife, Kathryn … [Read more...]
Expect ‘Hurt Locker,’ Bullock, Bridges to take Oscars
And then there were 10. No, not by a process of elimination, but by inflation. I’m talking about the new, probably not improved, look for the Academy Awards, with its revised voting dynamic for best picture. Not only are there 10 nominees for the top Oscar, but members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be ranking their 10 choices, with number one choices … [Read more...]
‘Grease’ co-creator marvels at show’s enduring appeal
Grease was never supposed to make it to Broadway. Let alone play 3,388 performances (the longest-running Broadway show at one time), let alone become a mega-successful film starring John Travolta (the highest-grossing movie musical ever, a record that still stands), let alone receive major revivals at regular intervals (as it did in 2006, the production that led to the tour … [Read more...]
Erbe show offers reminders – good and bad – of bygone America
Anyone who has ever tried to paint knows that it isn’t easy to realistically portray the world around us. Realism, as a style, necessitates a rare combination of inherent artistic talent, learned draftsmanship, and a distinctive patient observance of the banal. So it’s sort of energizing to marvel at an artist whose work exhibits this visually stunning combination. And it … [Read more...]