Robert Israel

Music Feature: At 76, Singer Mavis Staples Continues to be an Antidote to Despair

February 27, 2016
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Mavis Staples’ voice and stage presence still exude power, still plumb emotional and spiritual depths.

Theater Review: “Milk Like Sugar” — Vivid Snapshots of Confused Lives

February 8, 2016
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Milk Like Sugar cries out for dialogue and confrontations that direct us deeper into the conflicts the young women face.

Book Review: Stanley Fish Invites Readers to “Think Again” — With Chutzpah

January 19, 2016
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The New York Times columns selected for Think Again are engaging, provocative, maddening, humorous, and insightful.

Fuse Theater Review: “Via Dolorosa” — An Innocent Abroad in Israel

January 10, 2016
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Via Dolorosa would have been more effective if it had taken the form of a travel essay rather than a performance piece.

Theater Review: “Buyer & Cellar”—In Barbra Streisand’s Enchanted Village

December 8, 2015
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This one-man comic extravaganza about the dizzying spell of celebrity is a welcome respite from the annual bombardment of holiday joyrides.

Theater Review: Isango Ensemble’s “uCarmen”—A Captivating Version of a Classic

November 16, 2015
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A bewitching South African version of Bizet’s opera — performed with a distinctive blend of spunk and sass.

Theater Review: “Casa Valentina”—Dovetailing Hilarity and Heartbreak

November 2, 2015
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Casa Valentina’s dramatic weight comes from how skillfully the cast explores the tensions that swirl about the subject of who is gay, who is straight, and what is legal.

Theater Review: “A Measure of Normalcy”—Mauled at the Mall

October 27, 2015
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A Measure of Normalcy pays more attention to its many themes than its characterizations..

Theater Review: “An Audience with Meow Meow”—Blinded by Glitter

October 11, 2015
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Meow Meow milks the audience for applause so often it feels as if we are seated on stools in a dairy barn.

Visual Arts Interview: Matthew Teitelbaum Takes the Helm at Boston’s MFA

October 6, 2015
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Matthew Teitelbaum, 59, may be among the most reluctant employees the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has hired.

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