Commentary

Theater Commentary: A Wacky Vision of Violence — “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”

April 12, 2022
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Finally, a sign that American theater might be facing the world of violence outside of its usual provincial purview.

Music Commentary: The Streaming Cesspool

April 12, 2022
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When listeners outsource their listening to streaming organizations, as they commonly do, they are often directed to music that has been selected to fatten up someone’s bottom line, not to enrich and expand their musical lives.

Visual Arts Commentary: Two Books and a Play — Creating Architectural Literacy

April 6, 2022
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Given the current state of play, any attempts to enrich our knowledge of the built environment are valuable.

Book Review: The Climate Crisis and the “Race for Tomorrow”

March 29, 2022
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If there is one book to pick up that will get you interested in what is happening to our climate, Race for Tomorrow is it.

Arts Commentary: The Oscars 2022 — No Longer So White, But Still Not So Hot

March 29, 2022
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It was soon clear what Oscar was after: two separate younger demographics — one with plebeian cinematic tastes, the other with hip politics.

Arts Commentary: The 2022 Academy Awards — “Timmy, Don’t Hit Your Sister”

March 28, 2022
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Aside from the multiple awards Dune won for technological brilliance, the 94th Academy Awards was a very different sort of “Hooray for Hollywood.”

Music Commentary: Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto — The Universal Concerto?

March 27, 2022
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Sibelius’s Violin Concerto is almost something of a phenomenon now: in just eight months, I’ve heard it played by three different fiddlers — Baiba Skride, Lisa Batiashvili, and Inmo Yang.

Arts Commentary: Containing Multitudes — Five Shows Explore the Intersections of Identity and Performance

March 16, 2022
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In dealing with the turmoil of ‘real’ life, the art of illusion found in cinemas, theaters, and museums will help us regain a sense of who we are as communal beings.

Author Reconsideration: The A, B, and C of Sue Grafton

March 12, 2022
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The conveniently tidy endings do turn killing into an entertainment. They also allow us to briefly believe in redemption. And that is not the vainest of hopes.

Book Review: “We Uyghurs Have No Say” — When Truth Telling Becomes Subversive

March 12, 2022
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What do the words of an imprisoned Uyghur dissident tell us about the desperate plight of China’s ethnic minorities today?

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