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Book Review: A Retrograde Shakespearean Shout-Out

September 6, 2021
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Shakespearean’s version of the Bard comes off as somewhat Monty Pythonesque — we are usually marching along with “Men Men Men.”

Book Review: Elizabeth Warren and Alexander S. Vindman — Gifted with a Moral Compass

September 5, 2021
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The idea of America is elusive and sometimes, like right now, in danger of disappearing. That is why I have found myself turning for comfort to two books that can give us some perspective as to how to move forward.

Coming Attractions: September 5 through 21– What Will Light Your Fire

September 5, 2021
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As the age of COVID-19 wanes (or waxes?), Arts Fuse critics supply a guide to film, dance, visual art, theater, and music. Please check with venues about whether the event is available by streaming or is in person. More offerings will be added as they come in.

Concert Review: Dead and Company Still Alive and Kickin’

September 4, 2021
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This was a generous two-set show whose imaginative pacing spotlit exploratory jams and interesting reconstructions of classic Dead fare.

Theater Review: “Hurricane Diane” — A Whimper Rather than a Whirlwind

September 4, 2021
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Madeleine George’s uneven 90-minte one-act comedy/drama borrows heavily on Greek mythology to zip up the misadventures of a cluster of suburban women in New Jersey,

Classical Album Review: Composer Joan Tower’s “Strike Zones”

September 3, 2021
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For Joan Tower fans, this disc is a must; for the Tower-curious, it offers an excellent introduction to the composer’s wider work, all of it compellingly played.

Jazz Album Reviews: Andrew Cyrille and Amir ElSaffar — Two Restless Spirits

September 3, 2021
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It might seem a stretch to pair drummer Andrew Cyrille’s disc with composer/trumpeter Amir ElSaffar’s. But both spent time under the tutelage of the redoubtable Cecil Taylor, and it shows.

Classical Album Review: Andris Nelsons Conducts Shostakovich

September 2, 2021
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Interpretively, this installment in the BSO’s cycle of Dmitri Shostakovich’s fifteen symphonies is occasionally (and a bit surprisingly) spotty.

Theater Interview: Tennessee Williams and Censorship

September 2, 2021
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“A lot of censorship in America has to do with the impulse to shut down what women have to say, literally hanging and burning them as witches to shut them up.”

Book Review: “Theatrum Mundi: Masks and Masquerades in Mexico and the Andes” — Utterly 21st Century

September 1, 2021
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In this deeply enlightening study, Anthony Alan Shelton aims to set the record straight about how mask culture developed in Mexico as well as in Andean cultures.

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