Just In Case It Matters: Agnieszka Holland Ignites Burning Bush
Sometimes a revolution can be started by a seemingly futile act. That's the premise behind the Czech miniseries Burning Bush, which made its American debut this week. It's playing theatrically in New...
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How I Wrote a Novel at Work
Photo credit: Adams , Jeffrey. "Orson Welles's "The Trial": Film Noir and the Kafkaesque." College Literature. Many years ago I used to work in the automobile insurance industry. It was probably the...
View ArticleSkip the Hangover: How to Have Fun Without Taking a Sip
A lot of people may wonder how people who don't drink have fun. I know, it's hard to imagine, but I promise you it is possible. Whether you want to take a break from drinking or just don't drink at...
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Juilliard's 109th Commencement Speech
Chairman Kovner, President Polisi, most distinguished honorees, dedicated family, friends, faculty, and to EACH of the talented, ambitious, courageous, adventurous Juilliard graduates of the class of...
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Ragnar Kjartansson's "Me, My Mother, My Father, and I" at the New Museum
The Raging Pornographic Sea Iceland is known for its extensive history of epic sagas and mythology, which informs Ragnar Kjartansson's new exhibition "Me, My Mother, My Father and I" at the New Museum...
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Korakrit Arunanondchai's Transformative 2012-2555 at MoMA PS1
Installation view of 2012-2555 Go to MoMA PS1, lie back on the giant denim tie-dye pillows, and watch Korakrit Arunanondchai's transformative two-screen video installation, 2012-2555. The hyperreal...
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Top Chef Daniel Humm Collects Pop Stars and Michelin Stars
Rolling Stones by Robert Altman Art and music are two of the unexpected ingredients that fuel the culinary success of chef Daniel Humm, winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef. As proof,...
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Portraits of Sunbathers as You've Never Seen Them Before
Young master photographer and printer Michael Massaia's Deep in a Dream series has until now shown us images of Central Park made in the wee-est hours of the night. Sometimes up to the top of his...
View ArticleHappy Father's Day, Bruce Springsteen
This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of "Born in the USA." At the time I was working as a copywriter for what was then the biggest employer in my hometown of Grand Rapids,...
View ArticleMusic for Your Years: Improving Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease
One of life's challenges is communicating with older adults in later stage Alzheimer's disease and finding ways to afford them some quality of life. In nursing homes they often are found slumped in...
View ArticlePlaying in the Spaces
In Harvey Fierstein's Tony-nominated play, Casa Valentina, men embody women. Or rather they reveal themselves through women's clothing, mannerisms and identities. Set in 1962 and based on real events...
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The Artist to Watch
I have written from time to time about different artists I come across in my random forays to theatre, dance, music and galleries here in NYC. From time to time, I write this piece when someone's work...
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Debunking the Myths of Kara Walker's Sugar Sphinx
Kara Walker's sugar sphinx descended upon Brooklyn last month, bringing well over 35 tons of sweetness to the cavernous darkness of the old Domino Sugar Factory. It's the same abandoned, 11-acre...
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Papa, Can You Hear Me?
As politicians and pundits ponder America's diminishing middle class, more than one baby boomer has noticed a peculiar phenomenon afflicting younger generations. While the parents of baby boomers may...
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Heroes of the Great Patriotic War
At the University of Southern California (USC), in the lobby of the Doheny Library, a giant story of Jewish history has been writ large in a small exhibition titled "Lives of the Great Patriotic War:...
View ArticleFirst Nighter: 'Titus Andronicus,' 'Antony and Cleopatra' Expand the Globe
Scholars aren't certain when William Shakespeare wrote Titus Andronicus, although they favor 1593. They are more certain that it was considered his first major success. This says something about...
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Chekhov Shorts, Long Beach Playhouse Studio Theatre
Photos courtesy of Mike Hardy. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a writer and a doctor. He said that "Medicine is my lawful wife and literature is my mistress." It makes perfect sense, then, that Chekhov...
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Powering Up: Theater Breaking Through Barriers's Power Plays
Whenever I see Theater Breaking Through Barriers listed in a season, I always get excited. When I see this company's name together with those of playwrights Bekah Brunstetter, Bruce Graham, John Guare,...
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The 17 Best DIY Blogs
Makeovers are only as good as the people behind them. Presenting, in no particular order, our favorite do-it-yourself crew. We celebrate great design all the time, but there's a specific part of it...
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Celebrate #BroncoDay With an Exclusive Clip From OJ The Musical
Courtesy of FilmBuff What were you doing 20 years ago this week? Well, if you were in the U.S. (and at least, let's say, 10 years old at the time), you were probably glued to the television, watching...
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