Review

New York Theater Review: “Domesticated” — Morally Untenable

December 10, 2013
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What feels absent in Bruce Norris’s “Domesticated” is some sort of moral center to its familiarly skewed, down sliding spiral of relationships.

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Television Review: “Six by Sondheim” on HBO — A Fabulous Musical Showcase

December 10, 2013
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It’s possible to argue with several of Stephen Sondheim’s selections. Are all of these his best achievements? Yet it hardly matters, because the composer’s tales of his artistic life, culled from probably a dozen interviews, are completely fascinating.

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Concert Review: Mistral — A Welcome Act of Musical Chutzpah

December 8, 2013
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Mistral’s Artistic Director and flutist Julie Scolnik knows, after 17 successful years, how to run a terrific series – hire the best people, present a unifying theme, and program excellent music.

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Book Review: Jim Harrison’s “Brown Dog” — A Shakespearian Spirit in Michigan

December 8, 2013
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Think of these novellas as variations on a common theme: a complicated world is scrutinized through the elemental viewpoint of one of the most memorable characters in American fiction over the past quarter-century.

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Concert Review: Boston Early Music Festival’s Glorious Highlights

December 7, 2013
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The more I hear performed by the BEMF, especially their operas, the more deeply impressed – and thankful – I am.

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Theater Review: “Becky’s New Car” — A Song of the Open Road

December 7, 2013
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“Becky’s New Car” turns out to be a ride worth taking, especially if we suspend our disbelief long enough to embrace the notion that malice is not necessarily aforethought even though our actions might be construed to suggest otherwise.

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Film Review: Not Enough Joy in Director Chris Marker’s “Le Joli Mai”

December 6, 2013
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“Le Joli Mai” is serious and sober, a bit of a downer, climaxing in a lengthy interview with a dullard union official about why he supports the French Communist Party.

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Book Review: “My Mistake: A Memoir” — Notes from a Reticent Memoirist

December 5, 2013
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There will be readers who appreciate Daniel Menaker’s brevity and lack of emotional engagement, but for me, much of “My Mistake” reads like notes for a memoir.

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Theater Review: “Mies Julie” — Writhing in the Danger Zone

December 5, 2013
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In her compelling deconstruct/rewrite of “Miss Julie,” set in South Africa 18 years after the end of apartheid, director/dramatist Yaël Farber doubles down on the elemental energies of Greek tragedy.

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Theater Review: Fine Performances in a Cut-Rate “Camelot”

December 1, 2013
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Benjamin Evett as Arthur and Erica Spyres as Guenevere turn in solid performances, dependable anchors for a cast that does the best that it can in a drab, bargain basement production.

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