Bill Marx
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Everyday Life and Other Odds and Ends is admirable because it takes contemporary theater into fresh territory — the slow paralysis of the body and the demands this decline makes on caregivers.
“By cultivating our capacity for empathetic critical inquiry, Greek myths caution us against entertainers, pundits, politicians, and journalists who are trying to inflame our anger and fear.”
After a brief respite, we were driven indoors (again) and told to stay there, so we turned to our screens for entertainment.
By all means, explore history’s tragedies on stage — virtual or otherwise. But always keep a sharp, invigorating eye on the present’s tragedies-in-the-making.
A valentine card is touching because it is short and sweet. A valentine play — even at 90 minutes with no intermission — wears out its affectionate welcome.
As sure as “the crow/Makes wing to the rooky wood,” Mrs. Macbeth is going to fall tragically short when it comes to being an inspirational role model for marginalized females everywhere.
At the very least, Ionesco’s drama about the unreality of the world should produce shudders as well as chuckles.
A hatred of self and others sits, relatively neglected, at the center of Adam Rapp’s script.
Arts Feature: Recommended Books, 2021
An eclectic round-up of the favorite books of the year from our critics, including some disappointments.
Read More about Arts Feature: Recommended Books, 2021