Peter Schjeldahl debunks (and praises) works of art, while also acknowledging the strategic importance of beauty.
Theater Review: “The Waverly Gallery” — A Powerful Look into a Descent into Dementia
A splendid production of an impressive early effort from the talented writer Kenneth Lonergan.
Theater Review: “The View UpStairs” — Celebrating a Milestone
As a vision of gay bonding, The View UpStairs exudes a wonderful in-your-face spirit.
Theater News: There Goes the Neighborhood — Gold Dust Orphans to Lose their Fenway Home
“I saw it coming three years ago, when there was a frenzy of development in the Fenway. Now the neighborhood looks like a corporate mall.”
Theater Review: “Indecent” — A Dangerous World for People of Faith
Indecent is a play of contrasts: piety versus blasphemy, joy versus heartbreak.
Book Review: John Hersey — Reporting Truthfully, at All Costs
John Hersey emerges in this book as a disciplined journalist who held steadfast to an admirably singular goal.
Theater Interview: Playwright Paula Vogel on “Indecent” and a Love of Yiddish
“Yiddish is above all a language of yearning, a language of anxiety.”
Theater Review: “American Moor” — Lasting Impressions
American Moor sheds considerable insight into the tension between actor vs. director, into the power play between the two, and who will ultimately prevail.
Theater News: IRNE@23 — Boisterous Irreverence
The IRNE event did what it has done for decades: cast a warm glow on a vibrant local theater scene and those who are dedicated to entertain, astonish, and inspire.
Arts Remembrance: Poet W. S. Merwin — An Appreciation
W.S. Merwin remained politically as well as artistically motivated all his life, often proclaiming the vital importance of activism.