Coming Attractions
Our expert critics supply a guide to film, dance, visual art, theater, author readings, and music. More offerings will be added as they come in.
Read MoreThe Arts Fuse Currents
Music
It is well established that the lyrics to the song on “Queen II” that’s directly about the painting (called “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke”) originate from a poem Richard Dadd wrote about his picture. What’s never been established though is exactly how Freddie Mercury became aware of this poem.
Visual Arts
“Auschwitz: Not Long Ago. Not Far Away.” is compelling, but its message feels hermetically sealed — the exhibit needs to draw crucial connections with what is going on now.
Film
In “Problemista,” Julio Torres has managed to make the trauma of the undocumented immigrant, struggling to stay in America, as amusing as it is agonizing.
Books
“The hardest part of the book for me to write was the conclusion. It’s a very dark book. I didn’t want to write a dark conclusion, but I also didn’t want to be Pollyannaish about it.”
Poetry at The Arts Fuse
The week’s poem: Kayla O’Meara’s “How to take the plunge”
Dance
Flamenco is big, bold, and fully human as it (often) traces the tensions of courtship, indulging in the sensual and the aggressive.
Theater
“Beyond Words” tells an important story in an entertaining as well as a delightfully educational way.
Television
Because the upheavals of the ’60s parallel various breakdowns that are happening at the moment, “Palm Royale” turns out to be an effectively pointed lampoon, rather than just another gratuitous swipe at the upper crust.
Podcasts
In this episode of The Short Fuse, host Elizabeth Howard and Alex Waters, technical editor of the podcast, reflect on the year in an informal conversation.
Short Fuses
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Food
Flux Gourmet occasionally reminded me of the films of Peter Greenaway, who often juxtaposed the grotesque or disturbing with the beautiful and ethereal.
About the Arts Fuse
The Arts Fuse was established in June, 2007 as a curated, independent online arts magazine dedicated to publishing in-depth criticism, along with high quality previews, interviews, and commentaries. The publication's over 70 freelance critics (many of them with decades of experience) cover dance, film, food, literature, music, television, theater, video games, and visual arts. Support arts coverage that believes that culture matters.
Music Commentary: A Mystery Solved on the 50th Anniversary of the Release of “Queen II”