Two novels that changed my life

Let us now praise obscure men: Two authors who changed my life

To an alienated teenager growing up in the conformist ‘50s, Warren Miller's The Cool World and The Hustler by Walter Tevis were Bibles of hope that I clung to for survival. In retrospect, these novels served me better than they served their authors, who were far more troubled than I was.

Bob Levin

Oct 13, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read

Mamet's "Oleanna' revived in New York

Hubris on the loose, again

Still aggravating, still shocking, still engrossing after all these years, David Mamet's Oleanna is receiving a fierce and fine revival on Broadway starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles.

Toby Zinman

Oct 13, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

"The History Boys' at the Arden (2nd review)

Is there an acoustician in the house?

Alan Bennett's The History Boys is a witty play about the value of education and a paean to the joys of language. But for all the choreographic staging and careful attention to accents in the Arden's current production, the actors' words themselves are often inaudible.

Steve Cohen

Oct 13, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Thank You, Gregory' at Annenberg (2nd review)

In the steps of their forebears

Tap is a uniquely American dance form with black, Irish and street improvisation roots. But if you think tap dancing is a quaint relic from the past, think again. Thank You, Gregory, a fine piece of theater as well as an homage to tap dancing, literally wowed its audience.

Janet Anderson

Oct 13, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Thank You, Gregory' at Annenberg (1st review)

Fascinating rhythms, from Keeler to Hines

Thank You, Gregory successfully reaches both knowledgeable tap dance aficionados and novices who just want to be entertained. But why rely on video when there's so much live talent in the wings?

Judy Weightman

Oct 12, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Opera Company's "Madame Butterfly' (1st review)

Passions of the Orient

Director Cynthia Stokes evokes mythic resonances in the Opera Company's Madame Butterfly, and soprano Ermonela Jaho gives a vocally and dramatically commanding performance in the title role. The striking set and lighting design complete this fresh and impressively conceived view of one of opera's perennial classics.

Robert Zaller

Oct 12, 2009 · Articles · 6 minute read

A voice for black classical musicians

With a little help from the Internet: Black classical music rears its head

My friend the soprano Randye Jones used to think of herself as an anomaly: an African-American who loved to perform and study classical music. Now, thanks to the Internet, she's changing that perception, with a new website and web-based radio service.

Maria Thompson Corley

Oct 11, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

'Nathan the Wise' at People's Light (2nd review)

When a playwright sticks his neck out

Gotthold Lessing's Nathan the Wise is an 18th-Century brotherhood plea that flunks most standard tests of drama and betrays little realistic knowledge of Jews, Muslims and even Christians. Its author's utopian idealism renders it fascinating nevertheless.

Steve Cohen

Oct 10, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read

Lyric Fest: Brahms and American comedy

Not love songs, but songs to love

In another gutsy program, Lyric Fest combined Brahms's appealing waltz songs with a pair of American comedy turns.

Tom Purdom

Oct 10, 2009 · Articles · 2 minute read

The Barnes unveils its design

Welcome to Art hell: The Barnes unveils its design

The newly unveiled design for what would be (contrary to Albert Barnes's express instruction) a “Barnes museum” is dreary, insipid, and banal— yet another reason to keep the Barnes Foundation exactly where it is in Merion.

Robert Zaller

Oct 10, 2009 · Articles · 6 minute read