Commentary
We desperately need plays and musicals — produced by local companies with courage and nerve — that acknowledge that the cancer of autocracy is here, today, and becoming stronger. That is the demand — will any answer the call?
Why did I help organize the Climate Crisis Cabaret? Because these are not normal times. And we need more theater like it.
In his writing, in his life, and in his fun, generous, and winsomely wise spirit, the late — but never late for a party — Tom Robbins chose to feel “ridiculously fine” and wanted us to feel the same way.
Gene Hackman’s legacy will never fade, and now, with his passing, many filmgoers may finally appreciate the enormity of his talent and the enduring impact of his work.
There’s nothing benign about what just happened on the banks of the Potomac. Indeed, the president’s move makes history of the most nefarious kind: for the first time, the federal government has hijacked what is supposed to be the nation’s premiere arts institution in an effort to explicitly censor voices and viewpoints it deems undesirable.
However late the hour and however long the road ahead, the cause of standing for justice, knowledge, and freedom isn’t yet doomed. Along the way, let the arts comfort, inspire, instruct, and help lead. That’s what they’re here for.
For all the accusations David Lynch faced over the supposed emotional and ironic detachment of work, his films are wellsprings of love for their subjects.
Here’s my Top 10 presented with the understanding that I didn’t hear as many albums as in other years, or concentrate on those I did hear and enjoy as if I had nothing else on my mind.
There is a lot of extraordinary jazz out there that few of us are noticing, myself included.
Arts Remembrance: Francis Davis, 1946-2025
There are few critics as worth re-reading as the late Francis Davis, whose writings are filled with musical and cultural insight, erudition, literary grace, and, most valued now, humor.
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