There may be no better way to tee off an evangelical conservative than to emblazon the bumper of your Prius with one of those “Jesus was a liberal” stickers. The politicization of the Son of God is a perennially popular topic, with both sides picking and choosing to support their theses. But in Martin Scorsese’s still-controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (Blu-ray, … [Read more...]
Handsome ‘Romeo’ largely successful at PB Opera
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...]
Tyrrell returns to the field with new Arts Garage series
Do not expect the high level of production values that Lou Tyrrell, founding producing director of the late, lamented Florida Stage, delivered with regularity at Manalapan and at the Kravis Center, when he unveils his new venture -- The Theatre at Arts Garage -- this Tuesday night. Still, his commitment to American playwrights and to developing new work for the stage will be … [Read more...]
Letter From Los Angeles 3: How I learned to stop hurting myself and get the win-win
Among my friends is a woman who moved here from Boston. Twenty-five years later, she still makes a point of putting Long Beach in her prayers. Our route to lunch often takes us along Alamitos Bay, where snow-capped peaks of purple mountains are a backdrop for the recreational waterway and its iconic red swim buoys. Before anyone picks up a fish taco, my friend thanks God for … [Read more...]
The 2011-12 season in books: PB Poetry Fest now a prestige draw
It’s amusing now to think that a mere generation ago South Florida was considered a cultural wasteland were people did not read. Today the region is blessed with several of the most influential – and fun! – book festivals in the nation, if not the world. Take the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, for example. The youngest of the region’s literary events, in only eight years it has … [Read more...]
With Gosling behind the wheel, ‘Drive’ is neo-noir masterpiece
It is perhaps becoming a cliché to say that the latest performance by Ryan Gosling is a revelation, because he’s already had at least two revelatory performances – in Half Nelson and Blue Valentine – in his relatively short tenure as a leading man. How many times can somebody, uh, revelate over such a brief career? But it seems like the more we’re exposed to Gosling, the more … [Read more...]
Strong debut by young thespian makes ‘Secret Garden’ worth cultivating
![poster_SecretGarden[1]](https://palmbeachartspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/poster_SecretGarden1_thumb-100x100.jpg)
More interested in spiritual rebirth than the usual romance that fuels musicals, with a score more attuned to British folk melodies than Tin Pan Alley hits, you can understand why 1991’s underrated The Secret Garden is rarely revived these days. And then there is the casting challenge of its main character, 12-year-old Mary Lennox, the suddenly orphaned tot saddled with … [Read more...]
Guitar master Beck’s SunFest set fights sound problems
Set to turn 67 next month, Jeff Beck is one of three famed British lead guitarists who played with 1960s pop/rock group the Yardbirds, the others being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. And each followed that stint by diving into heavy blues-rock: Clapton with Cream; Page with Led Zeppelin, and Beck with his self-titled group. But while Clapton left Cream to pursue simpler pop … [Read more...]
Broadway Postcard No. 1: Scratch the dim sum brunch
Whatever you’re doing today, you’re having a better day than I am, I assure you. Today was my travel day, heading to New York for my annual end-of-season Broadway show trip. For the past month, I have been combing through the listings, strategizing, negotiating with press agents, planning eight days of theatergoing. And because I was starting with a Sunday matinee (Sister … [Read more...]
Miami City Ballet’s ‘Romeo’ to open at Kravis
Following impressive performances at the Arsht Center, the Miami City Ballet’s production of Romeo and Juliet, which opens tomorrow at the Kravis Center, is quickly establishing itself as the company’s newest, and biggest, hit. The company is mounting legendary South African choreographer John Cranko’s setting of the story, to the 1940 score by Sergei Prokofiev. Part of the … [Read more...]