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A special relationship: Stillman and Abramovic (photo by (Vanessa Briceño-Scherzer)

Stillman and Abramovic; Prism Quartet; Bengtson

CDs featuring Philly-area performers

Three recent CDs highlight performances by Philadelphia area musicians.

Articles 4 minute read
Putting a single human face on a story. (© 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.)

Ridley Scott's 'The Martian' (second review)

When science gets sentimental

A space castaway epic demonstrates our psychological habit of crystallizing our empathy within individual stories, as if we can’t comprehend a crisis until it has a single human face.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Articles 5 minute read
Pedestrian aesthetic: De Keersmaeker and Charmatz (Photo © Herman Sorgeloos)

De Keersmaeker's 'Partita 2' at FringeArts

Who is the dance for?

Partita 2 left me with two questions: “Is dance just for dancers?” and “Is accessibility important in dance?” With no definite answers, I am left with Bach on my mind and the image of a running duo that went on for way too long.
Gregory King

Gregory King

Articles 2 minute read
Ontologically distinctive: Andy Warhol, “Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn)”, 1967. (© The Andy Warhol Foundation)

An artist considers Instagram again

Trapped in the hall of mirrors

What is the context that defines art in social media, where anyone doing anything can post something and call it art? Does art seek a context beyond Instagram for its validation, or does Instagram create the context?
Treacy Ziegler

Treacy Ziegler

Articles 5 minute read
Stimulating, sensationalistic: Wysocka atop the silenced piano. (Photo via Fringe Arts)

'Chopin without Piano' at Fringe Arts

A perverse concept

Some of Barbara Wysocka's theatricality crossed the line into sensationalism, but the overall effect of the performance was highly stimulating, as she revealed a vivid sense of history and also a deep love for the music of Chopin.

Articles 3 minute read
“Twinkle, twinkle …” Loreena McKennitt in 2008. (Photo by johan.abit via Creative Commons/Flickr)

Loreena McKennitt at the Keswick

A musical odyssey

Over a career now spanning three decades, Loreena McKennitt remains a singular artist who resists easy categorization.
Mark Wolverton

Mark Wolverton

Articles 3 minute read
A Russian stamp honoring Shostakovich

Marin Alsop Conducts the Shostakovich Fifth

'This game may end badly'

The Philadelphia Orchestra stepped through its paces as a chamber ensemble, a jazz band, and a full symphonic ensemble in its program with guest conductor Marin Alsop.
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 5 minute read
Presenting a plausible alternative: Hodge, Lawton, and Hissom. (Photo by Mark Garvin)

Bill Cain's 'Equivocation' at the Arden (second review)

Mixed feelings about 'Equivocation'

My reaction swayed back and forth during different parts of this extravagantly ambitious work. In the end, I was frustrated and annoyed by the play while admiring the acting and staging.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 4 minute read
A work that will last at least 50 years. (Photo by Mark Garvin)

Bill Cain's 'Equivocation' at the Arden

Revising Shakespearean history

Witty, smart, fast-paced, and overly long, with some gratuitous full-frontal nudity, Equivocation shows off the writer’s genius and the actors’ abilities, and a lot of pallid male skin. Even though it’s brilliant, a play about guys, starring guys — semi-naked guys — has a bit too much testosterone for my taste.
Naomi Orwin

Naomi Orwin

Articles 3 minute read
More method than madness: Cumberbatch as Hamlet. (Both photos by Johan Persson)

Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Hamlet'

Sherlock Holmes does Hamlet

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the sanest Dane you’ll ever see in Shakespeare’s most celebrated tragedy.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 4 minute read