In Anthony Lawton's vision, heaven welcomes even murderers as long as they display good manners at the pearly gates. Is this really what C.S. Lewis had in mind?

Israel's struggling kibbutz movement, once a utopian communal ideal of the left, is struggling for survival today. But with a little imagination and flexibility, it could provide a potent counterweight to Israel's increasingly violent right-wing settler movement.

Mahler the traditionalist and Schoenberg the atonal apostate actually liked and respected each other. But at this concert, Shulamit Ran's Moon Songs spoke to me above all.

Tempesta di Mare's “Italians in Vienna” raises an interesting question: Who was greater— Vivaldi, or the Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I? Tempesta di Mare: “Italians in Vienna.” Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Flutes in C, and Perche son molli; Caldara, Concerto for Cello in D Minor; Parsile, Le sofferte; Jommelli, Trio No. 6 for Two Flutes and Cello in D; Fux, Trio Sonata in A; Badia, La Fenice. Michael Maniaci, soprano; Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. February 4, 2012 at Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.

Clybourne Park deals with changing racial attitudes in a Chicago neighborhood. Unfortunately, playwright Bruce Norris opts for easy wit over genuine substance— and his wit isn't all that witty.

When I first saw this tribute to the Beatles in 2008 I was bothered by its inconsistencies. Now I see that being many things to different people is what Rain is all about.

Verdi demonstrated amazing talent in this first effort, staged when he was 26 years old. Credit AVA's Christofer Macatsoris for beating Muti and Levine to the punch.

Race prejudice drove Henry Tanner from America to France, to his benefit and ours: In Europe his art became more expressive and individualized, but he always kept a foot in both continents.

The theatrical power of the minstrel show framing worked successfully on many levels in The Scottsboro Boys. My criticism with the minstrelsy device here is that it was often too tame, and the play didn't push it much further to heighten the impact of racism's destructiveness and inherent tragedy. The Scottsboro Boys. Music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb; book by David Thompson; Susan Stroman's original direction and choreography recreated by Jeff Whiting. Philadelphia Theater Company production through February 19, 2012 at Suzanne Roberts Theater, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatercompany.org.

Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park is in some respects a sequel to A Raisin in the Sun, set in the same Chicago neighborhood 50 years later. But you don't need knowledge of that play to appreciate this excellent drama about how racial attitudes have changed over the past 50 years, and how they haven't.