Month: July 2011

Theater Review: Six Young Actors (and Their Director) In Search Of a Play

July 11, 2011
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There are moments in Hideous Progeny (especially early in the second half) that grip and move the audience. But there are not enough of them. I dare this gifted troupe of theater makers to be more inventive, take greater risks, and live up to their so obvious promise. Hideous Progeny by Emily Dendinger. Staged by…

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Theater Review: Jane Austen Tweets In Chester, MA

July 11, 2011
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The Chester Theatre Company’s production, directed by Ron Bashford, runs over two hours with nary a dull moment and the actors seem to be having as wonderful a time as the audience.

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Coming Attractions in Jazz: Midsummer Festivals 2011

July 9, 2011
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Tornadoes in the Connecticut River Valley haven’t stopped this summer’s festivals in Springfield, Hartford and Greenfield. Plus, Boston celebrates Latino and African culture.

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Pop Music Review: Death Cab For Cutie Drives With the Big Boys

July 9, 2011
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Death Cab for Cutie’s newest album isn’t a big departure from their usual sound, but it is a step in their evolution: the group has a new theme — adulthood.

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Music Review: Bon Iver is “Not Magnificent,” but Transcendental

July 9, 2011
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Sitting down this evening to review “Bon Iver,” something happened. My strongly negative initial impressions of the album changed into an appreciation of the mystical spirit of the music, its harmonious chords and their reflection of the harmony of nature.

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Book Review: To End All Wars

July 8, 2011
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“To End All Wars” embodies its themes –- the decline of the aristocracy, the rise of propaganda, the transformation of war-making, the heroism of resistance –- so skillfully in a dozen or so major characters and another dozen minor ones that this history of the First World War reads like a lively group biography.

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Theater Review: “Arms and the Man” — A Workmanlike Serving of a Shavian Confection

July 6, 2011
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There is nothing shocking, nothing sensational, nothing revelatory, in this workmanlike production of ARMS AND THE MAN. Nor should there be, as the play doesn’t give much room for innovation.

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Music Review: My Morning Jacket’s Victory Dance — The Glory of Hodgepodge

July 6, 2011
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“The Day Is Coming” continues the album’s momentum. Similar to “Victory Dance,” the song starts with a chorus of odd vocals. However, these are catchier, and are soon followed by the arrival of spastic guitar, pounding drums, and chord-tastic pianos.

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Movie Review: End “Times”?

July 5, 2011
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“Page One” is quite interesting but also quite scattered. You’ll exit the theater knowing a couple things about the New York Times, and maybe feeling like you got an idea about the characters of some of the talented, humorous, and interesting personalities that put it together.

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Theater Review: All’s Well, I Guess — Girl Gets Boy, Boy Ditches Girl, Girl Gets Boy Back

July 5, 2011
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The likable Commonwealth Shakespeare Company staging leans very heavily on the comedy in ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, minimizing the Bard’s melancholic undertow.

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