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Cox (left), Maroulis: Rational insanity.

"Jekyll and Hyde' at the Forrest

Why Dr. Jekyll cracked

Robert Louis Stevenson's original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde introduced the concept of schizophrenia without providing much plot or motivation. That deficiency has been remedied by an inventive musical that offers a soaring, hummable score, to boot.

Steve Cohen

Dec 29, 2012 Articles 3 minute read

Freeman and his best friend: What can swords do that dwarfs can't?

Gun control lessons from "The Hobbit'

Can swords kill people? Oh my yes (and all by themselves, too)

When the characters in The Hobbit aren't waging battle against the masses of Mordor, they're delivering worshipful paeans to weaponry. But if you stick with this film to the bitter end, you'll discover that the rallying cry of the National Rifle Association wouldn't fly in Middle Earth.

Alaina Johns

Dec 29, 2012 Articles 4 minute read

A trio of new poetry translations

Nabokov meets his match

The great novelist Vladimir Nabokov was a poet too, as his latest collection reminds us. Two other late European poets, also blessed with recent translations, may be worth even more of your attention.

Andrew Mangravite

Dec 29, 2012 Articles 3 minute read

Do they take off their halos at bedtime?

Impertinent questions about halos

Who qualifies for a halo?

The “halo effect” in paintings of the Medieval and Early Renaissance periods raises many intriguing questions, all of them blasphemous.

Perry Block

Dec 29, 2012 Articles 3 minute read

Deservedly or not, the 'Man of the Monkey' became an object of veneration.

Artistic freedom and Brazil's "Man of the Monkey'

The artist, the fascists and the jungle: A Brazilian mystery

On a Brazilian jungle island that housed a prison for political dissidents, inhabitants told tales of a shadowy "Man of the Monkey" who possessed multiple talents and exercised awesome powers. Was he real, or a figment of superstition? Under a government bent on driving its subjects crazy, who could say for sure?

Caroline Dunlop Millett

Dec 28, 2012 Articles 4 minute read

Piffaro's German holiday concert

A pre-industrial Christmas
(before folks gave gifts)

Piffaro devoted its annual holiday concert to the music of the German tradition that gave us some of our best-loved holiday music— a throwback to a more austere time when Christmas was celebrated with song rather than gifts. Piffaro: Christmas music by Praetorius, Jacob Handl et al. Laura Heimes, soprano. Joan Kimball and Bob Weimken, artistic co-directors. December 22, 2012 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.

Tom Purdom

Dec 25, 2012 Articles 4 minute read

Murray: Who's that in the front seat with FDR?

"Hyde Park on Hudson' (1st review)

Hands across the cartoon sea

It's role reversal time, as Britain's king and queen visit President Franklin D. Roosevelt, crowns in hand, to beg for his military support. Only in a Hollywood film would FDR's paramour wind up stealing the show.

David Woods

Dec 25, 2012 Articles 2 minute read

"Glengarry Glen Ross' in NY revival

The rat race, from Miller to Mamet

The current superb revival of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross raises a curious question: Has nothing changed in American business ethics since Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman?

Carol Rocamora

Dec 25, 2012 Articles 6 minute read

What child wouldn't want to be part of this scene?

How kids see "The Nutcracker' (3rd helping)

‘Can I be in the ballet?' My Nutracker experiment continues

Precisely how do young children develop an appreciation for great art? Our annual visit to The Nutcracker with our grandchildren provides an ideal laboratory.