Review

Theater Review: “Finding Neverland” — A Lucrative Broadway Fantasy in Progress

August 15, 2014
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The $3 million American Repertory Theater version of Finding Neverland remains a work in progress, a “tryout” as it has been dubbed, and it feels just like that.

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Dance Review: Hat Trick — Doug Elkins at Jacob’s Pillow

August 15, 2014
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Doug Elkins’ take on Othello is entirely of our era, when domestic abuse is finally a public discussion and a complex story of betrayal can be conveyed with pop culture efficiency.

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Book Review: “Do Not Sell at Any Price” — A Delightful Book on Those Who Collect Vintage 78 rpm Records

August 15, 2014
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I like to believe that I’m not loony, that, unlike certain 78 collectors profiled by Amanda Petrusich, I have a perspective on all this.

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Theater Review: A Remarkable “Dancing Lessons” at Barrington Stage

August 14, 2014
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Mark St. Germain’s romantic comedy is never less than provocative, fresh, and unexpectedly moving.

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Film Review: “Calvary” — An Artful Balance of Horror and Humor

August 14, 2014
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Calvary offers a dark vision to be sure, but every character, for all his or her troubles and cynicism, has a deep need for love and recognition.

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Film Review: The Films of Werner Herzog on Blu-Ray — Essential Viewing

August 12, 2014
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em> Director Werner Herzog has repeatedly taken us to places where few moviemakers have dared to venture; this Blu-Ray set is an essential addition to any serious film collection.

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Film Review: “The Hundred-Foot Journey” — Foodie Flapdoodle

August 11, 2014
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Given that this film was directed by Lasse Hallström, who gave us the gastronomically wonderful Chocolat, it is hard to understand how things could have gone so wrong.

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Visual Arts Review: “The Dying of the Light” — An Elegy for the Beauty of Celluloid

August 11, 2014
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This engaging exhibition features the work of 6 artists who meditate on the demise of the analog film image, exploring celluloid’s “particular visual, material, aural, and even metaphoric characteristics.”

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Theater Review: “The Annotated History of the American Muskrat” — Sleepers Awake?

August 10, 2014
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Clocking in at around three hours, the show is a surreal grab bag filled with gags, skits, and sketches, the whole kooky kit and kaboodle tied up (too) neatly in a paranoid ribbon.

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Visual Arts Review: The Paintings of John Heliker — Ripe for Rediscovery

August 8, 2014
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John Heliker, by some alchemy that frankly baffles me, is able to give an evening quality to the light in scenes that are clearly taking place during the day.

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