Arts Reviews: Theater, Dance, Film, Books, etc.
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BILLIE’S SPIRIT, STELLA’S VOICE Stella Heath honors Billie Holiday not through imitation, but through the rhythmic freedom and emotional intimacy that made Lady Day singular Stella Heath is the sort of singer old-school jazz aficionados ought to know, but her phenomenal debut album, For Billie, deserves an audience far beyond that circle. Rather than imitate… The post Album Review: FOR BILLIE —…
TARTUFFE GETS A REMIX Mark Rylance meets Molière in a Nigerian-Jamaican reimagining of the classic comedy Molière is getting quite the makeover in London this fall. Oscar and Olivier Award winner Mark Rylance stars as Pastor Terrance Blake in the world premiere of Tartuffe (Remixed), Darren Raymond’s new adaptation of the 17th-century comedy, opening 4… The post Theater Preview: TARTUFFE (REMIXED)…
HANG ON TO YOUR SEATS Gallows humor meets murder and mystery in Martin McDonagh’s wicked comedy I saw this play on Broadway and it rocked my world! Fun, intrigue, mystery and some jolts that only Martin McDonagh can provide. So I’m particularly excited that Long Beach Playhouse is bringing McDonagh’s Hangmen to its intimate Studio… The post Theater Preview: HANGMEN (by Martin McDonagh / Long Beach…
A FINALE WITH A BRIGHT FUTURE Merola’s newest generation of opera artists brings plenty of promise to the War Memorial Opera House The Merola Opera Program’s 2026 Summer Festival came to a celebratory close with its annual Merola Grand Finale at the War Memorial Opera House. Conducted by William Long and directed with aplomb by… The post Opera Review: MEROLA GRAND FINALE (War Memorial Opera House…
KNOCK, KNOCK. WHO’S THERE? TOC TOC. Six strangers, one missing psychiatrist, and a waiting room full of compulsions Six patients walk into a psychiatrist’s waiting room. No, that’s not the setup for a joke—although in Laurent Baffie’s international hit comedy TOC TOC, it certainly becomes one. Repertorio Español brings the play to New York in… The post Off-Broadway Preview: TOC TOC (Repertorio…
A THRILLER THAT TAKES A WHILE TO FLUSH OUT A perfectly matched cast and Andrew Block’s resourceful staging eventually ignite Tom Kelly’s pitch-black thriller, but the promised comedy rarely surfaces No, The Bathroom Attendant doesn’t take place in a public bathroom. The title refers to how far into indigence its protagonist has fallen—a condition made… The post Off-Broadway Review: THE BATHROOM…
EVERY BREATH WAS BREATHTAKING Cécile McLorin Salvant, Sullivan Fortner and The Knights turn a night of ballads into the greatest concert I have ever seen I thought I knew Cécile McLorin Salvant. I had seen this extraordinary singer in different incarnations, from the intimacy of a trio to the sweep of a big band, and… The post Concert Review: CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT: WITH EVERY BREATH I TAKE…
RIGHT, LEFT AND NO WAY OUT Faith, politics and generational divides collide in a provocative portrait of an America at war with itself Will Arbery’s haunting Pulitzer Prize finalist Heroes of the Fourth Turning, now playing at The Broadwater by Catharsis Theatre Collective, speaks to the heart of a country at war with itself, offering… The post Theater Review: HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING…
MAMMA MIA! WHAT A NIGHT A terrific cast and irresistible ABBA score turn Sonoma’s Field of Dreams into a joyous summer dance party Several Broadway stars have escaped New York’s scorching heat to show up on the bucolic Sonoma stage under the stars in Transcendence Theatre Company’s Mamma Mia! They are part of a sensational… The post Theater Review: MAMMA MIA! (Transcendence Theatre Co. / Broadway…
AGING GRACELESSLY A superb cast can’t keep David Lindsay-Abaire’s dark comedy from showing its age in a production that never finds its pulse There’s a very good reason Kimberly Akimbo became a better musical than it is a play. David Lindsay-Abaire’s original dark comedy, now revived by Theatre Palisades at the Odyssey Theatre, has a… The post Theater Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO (Theatre Palisades /…
AMERICA, ORCHESTRATED Bernstein and Gershwin soar, Renée Fleming enchants, and even the Virginia wildlife gets into the act Saturday night’s National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) concert at Wolf Trap is part of the nation’s America250 celebrations, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, the wide-ranging program offers several perspectives on……
