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Dance Review: “Tappin’ Thru Life” — An Evening with the Charismatic Maurice Hines

May 18, 2013
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The ebullient entertainer Maurice Hines held court this week at a packed Cutler Majestic Theater, along with a score of other very talented musicians and tap dancers. What an evening!

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Visual Arts Review: Fine and Dandy at RISD

May 18, 2013
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The influence of two centuries of dandies on fashion — and the artful, strategic, ready-for-the-paparazzi self-presentation at the heart of modern celebrity — is on wide-ranging and colorful display in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum exhibit.

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Fuse Jazz Review: Singer Nicky Schrire at Scullers — Beyond Words

May 17, 2013
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Songs sometime climax with Nicky Schrire improvising in a pure tone way up in her top register, like a bird darting on an updraft.

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Theater Review: A Skewed and Silly “Pirates of Penzance” Sets Sail

May 17, 2013
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Despite its aura of “Gidget Goes Hawaiian,” and the profusion of cute props like rubber duckies and ukeleles, The Hypocrites’ production is smart enough not to mess (too much) with the original score and lyrics.

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Television Review: Christopher Guest’s Humble “Family Tree”

May 16, 2013
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The only way to sort of enjoy “Family Tree” is with modest expectations; and indeed, this is the most modest of series, as Christopher Guest cuts his molars on TV with a program which rarely tries to be more than fairly amusing, mildly ambitious, a kind of bemused apprentice work in a new medium.

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Coming Attractions: Regional Summer Dance Performances

May 15, 2013
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Yes, there is dance in New England this summer, but those who love motion may need to embark on a little themselves to journey further afield to watch it. The trip, I can assure you, will be worth it.

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Critical Commentary/Review: “Writing the Record” — Making Rock Criticism Safe for the Seminar Room

May 14, 2013
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Any American arts critic worth his or her salt is part of a bohemian fringe, is aware of the political resonance of reviews, and is dedicated to sparking serious dialogue about arts and culture.

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Jazz Review: Pianist Tamir Hendelman — More than Just a Classic Sideman

May 13, 2013
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Tamir Hendelman’s remarkable keyboard skills are matched by his immense versatility. He’s an award-winning composer and popular session player who brings all-star talent to every gig.

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Book Review: The Fine-Spun Harmonic Furies of William Gass’s “Middle C”

May 12, 2013
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Despite “Middle C”’s relative cheeriness, the novel passes a tough sentence on the human race, so uncompromising that its protagonist has a hard time writing it down.

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Music Review: The Boston Pops does “Fantasia”

May 11, 2013
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In the end, the technological snafu probably did more than the musical selections themselves to prove that listening to symphonic music ‘live’ is not a stuffy affair.

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