"Health for Sale' at the Art Museum

Queen Victoria's cough drops, or: The art of the sell

William Helfand has been collecting medical posters for decades, and he has a fine eye for the beautiful and/or arresting image. Some score political points, but others are really magnificent works of art.

Andrew Mangravite

Apr 04, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Concert Operetta's "Carp' and "Galatea'

Here come the waltzes

Who introduced the waltz to 19th-Century European romantic theater? Guess again— it wasn't Johann Strauss.

Steve Cohen

Apr 04, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Curtis Opera's 'Cunning Little Vixen'

If we could talk to the animals

Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen is so brimful with melodies and lush orchestration that it ought to be part of the standard operatic repertoire. Since that won't happen— philosophical allegories lack mass appeal—Curtis deserves our gratitude for reviving it.

Steve Cohen

Apr 03, 2011 · Articles · 2 minute read

Kasper Collection at the Morgan Library in N.Y.

Where would artists be without critics?

The Herbert Kasper collection of drawings and photographs, ranging from 16th Century masters to the present, reflects a brilliant and astringent taste, and an informed sense of the evolution of the graphic arts.

Robert Zaller

Apr 03, 2011 · Articles · 6 minute read

Tracy Letts's "Superior Donuts' at the Arden (4th review)

The secret ingredient is heart

What distinguishes this play is its humanity. I cared about the characters, and that's all too rare in contemporary theater.

Jane Biberman

Apr 03, 2011 · Articles · 1 minute read

"Battle: Los Angeles': War without complexity

One war we can all celebrate

At their heart, movies like Battle: Los Angeles aren't allegories of patriotism. They're fantasies on war without complexity.

Alaina Johns

Apr 02, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Hitchcock's '39 Steps' at the Walnut (1st review)

You take the lowbrow and I'll take the highbrow, or: 28 reasons for 39 Steps

In The 39 Steps, as in most Walnut Street Theatre productions, art never strays too far from public taste— for which let us be grateful.

Jackie Schifalacqua

Mar 29, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Elizabeth Taylor's ultimate lesson

Bedazzled and deprived: Elizabeth Taylor's ultimate lesson

In her prime, whatever Elizabeth Taylor wanted, she took. Only later, when the roles and the men no longer came so easily, did this enormous talent channel her passions into saving and changing the lives of others. That's when she won her deepest respect.

SaraKay Smullens

Mar 29, 2011 · Articles · 6 minute read

Tempesta di Mare's "Characters of the Dance'

Dancing, from Bach to Stallone

Tempesta di Mare combined a first-class Bach performance with a lesson in Baroque dance forms, not to mention a mysterious connection to Sylvester Stallone's Rocky.

Tom Purdom

Mar 29, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

Kashu-juku Noh Theater at the Perelman (2nd review)

Is it theater or dance? Or baseball?

Is Japanese Noh drama or dance? In Western drama, something happens; in Noh, someone appears. Noh theater just may be one of those art forms that defy category, especially if you don't speak Japanese.

Mar 29, 2011 · Articles · 6 minute read