Greenacres playwright Elliott Taubenslag knows how to write roles that attract major names. More than 20 years ago, he wrote a bittersweet romantic comedy called Millions of Miles for Kay Medford, the late character actress who originated memorable mothers in Bye Bye Birdie and Funny Girl. Although she toured in Taubenslag’s play and it was booked into a theater on Broadway, … [Read more...]
Cleveland Orchestra talks stall on eve of Miami stay; Palm Beach Opera goes to iPhone
Cleveland Orchestra could strike as early as Jan. 18 Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect new developments. The Cleveland Orchestra, which is less than three weeks away from its Miami residency, could go on strike as early as Jan. 18, union officials said late Wednesday, according to the orchestra. That would be four days before the start of its … [Read more...]
‘The Maid’: Compelling portrait of a breakdown
Severe mental illness or run-of-the-mill midlife crisis? This is the debate posed by Sebastian Silva’s The Maid, which opens Friday in Lake Worth and Lake Park. This compelling Chilean drama, which won a jury prize at Sundance last year, explores a character of complex interiority: a dowdy, middle-aged, live-in maid for an upper-crust family of five, whose mental and physical … [Read more...]
Tommy Tune takes audience on easygoing shuffle through his career
Bigger, or at least taller, than life, 6-foot-6-inch Tommy Tune made a one-night stop on the Kravis Center Dreyfoos Hall stage Tuesday evening with an amiable shuffle-ball-change through his career, appropriately titled Steps in Time. The nine-time Tony Award-winning director-choreographer-performer celebrated his 50th year in show business in 2009, which was excuse enough … [Read more...]
The Hapster Awards, 2009 edition
Producers, who will accept any award, covet them. Actors, who probably do not realize they are rarely complimentary, list them in their program bios. What are they? The annual Hapster Awards, given for achievement -- usually “dubious’ -- in theater during the past year. So here are the 2009 Hapsters (Sorry, times are tough and we couldn’t afford envelopes): Best Play about … [Read more...]
Jazz world remembers pianist Higgins
Drummer Art Blakey (1919-1990) took many a young, future jazz star on the road for seasoning with his group The Jazz Messengers between the 1950s and the 1980s. The list included Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Keith Jarrett, Jackie McLean, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Joanne Brackeen, Benny Golson, Chuck Mangione and Cedar Walton. It might have also included … [Read more...]
Southeast film critics cheer ‘Up in the Air,’ ‘Hurt Locker’
See, I told you Up in the Air was the best picture of 2009, and now I have two critics’ groups -- the two that Palm Beach ArtsPaper just happens to be a voting member of -- to back me up. Both the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA), representing reviewers in nine states in this region, and the Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC), representing reviewers in our state, … [Read more...]
Inert ‘Young Victoria’ a bloodless non-drama
Martin Scorsese clearly has enough of a soft spot for arch period pieces that he offered to gamely produce Jean-Marc Valee’s The Young Victoria. But his masterful guidance is generally absent from this inert account of the years surrounding Queen Victoria’s coronation. Before going further, I have to admit a bias here: I view Victorian costume dramas the way a sugar-addicted … [Read more...]
Hap’s top 10 films of 2009
As a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association as well as the Florida Film Critics Circle, I have spent the last few weeks watching new movies about to be released that the studios made available either at special screenings or -- even better -- on “For Your Consideration” DVDs that arrived at my home almost daily from FedEx or UPS. Why? Because we vote on year-end … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Dec. 4-7
Art: Some people may believe that all the art action is happening in Miami this week, but there’s plenty to see on the art scene in Palm Beach and Martin counties: At the Lake Park Library, S. Bart Barchat is the featured artist for December 2009. A New York native, Barchat has traveled the world with his watercolor palette capturing vistas and seasons. Barchat will be at … [Read more...]