Performing Arts

NEW YORK—A group of people standing around talking is not always the best idea for a play. Fortunately, the Second Stage production of Kenneth Lonergan’s “Lobby Hero” at Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theater, comes off quite well. The production uses what is basically a series of interlocking conversations to present an ultimately riveting tale. Jeff (Michael […]

NEW YORK—No need to leave Manhattan to find a true slice of Irish culture, from blarney to soaring poetic language: Three evocative one-acts can be presently seen on the intimate stage of the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre, downstairs at the Irish Repertory Theatre. Director Charlotte Moore has cannily linked consecutively the comedic “The Pot […]

NEW YORK—When Elsa (Cassie Levy), the newly crowned Queen of Arendelle, sings “Let It Go” at the close of Act 1 of “Frozen,” the Broadway adaptation of the Disney-animated film, every element of the production comes together in a wonderful montage of sight, sound, and special effects; the audience is totally enveloped in the story. […]

NEW YORK—Giuseppe Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” is being revived with a starry cast, with Plácido Domingo as Miller, Sonya Yoncheva as the title character, and Piotr Beczala as her lover Rodolfo. The opera, which premiered in 1849, is adapted from Friedrich von Schiller’s play “Kabale und Liebe” (“Intrigue and Love”). The composer and his librettist Salvadore […]

OTTAWA—Music lovers and listeners of all ages can look forward this summer to another classy and intimate program focused on small ensembles as the nation’s capital marks 25 years of Chamberfest presented by the Ottawa Chamber Music Society. The award-winning festival and tourist attraction, with a vision of “changing lives through music,” is set to […]

NEW YORK—What is the most spectacular set at The Metropolitan Opera this season? As in many prior years, it is Franco Zeffirelli’s Peking Imperial Palace in “Turandot,” which was first unveiled in 1987. With The Met’s top-flight orchestra, chorus, and strong cast, the music casts its own spell. Although “Turandot” takes place in ancient China, […]

CHICAGO—Missing are the glittering ballrooms, lavish costumes, and the panoramic views of huge estates that create the 19th-century Russia we are used to seeing on film. Instead, Jessica Wright Buha’s world-premiere adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” focuses on the characters and their thirst for happiness. And whatever the adaptation lacks in poetry and scope, […]

Joshua Harmon's "Admissions" covers a lot of ground: political correctness, discrimination and the reverse of it, white privilege, affirmative action. And hypocrisy.

A Cirque du Soleil performer has died after falling during a performance in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday, March 17. Aerialist Yann Arnaud fell onto the stage while performing the aerial straps routine, said Cirque du Soleil in a statement posted to its social media accounts. “It is with immense sadness that Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group […]

NEW YORK—Where can you see sword swallowers, contortionists, bearded ladies, and snake handlers? The surprising answer is on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera at the performances of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte.” Although the opera was originally set in 18th-century Naples, for the new production at the Met (a product in partnership with the English National […]

For its final main stage production after a 25-year run, The Actors Company Theatre offers up the comedy "Three Wise Guys," a nostalgic work with more than a little heart.

Would you wait 100 years to find your true love? The princess in “The Sleeping Beauty” did, and according to the story’s author, Charles Perrault, therein lies the moral of the tale. And while Perrault, who penned the classic fairy tale in 17th-century France, jokingly admitted he’d never met a woman who could wait that […]

NEW YORK—Playwright David Rabe makes a triumphant return to the New York stage with The New Group’s presentation of  “Good for Otto” at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Inspired by Richard O’Connor’s book “Undoing Depression,” the drama offers a penetrating look at those who suffer from mental illness and at those who try to help […]

At Jazz Standard, the 26-year-old Horn demonstrated that she could match the vocal flights on that “A Social Call” in a live performance.

NEW YORK—Gioachino Rossini’s 1823 opera “Semiramide” was highly popular in its day, but in the past century, performances have been few and far between. One reason may be that it is difficult to find singers who can handle the demanding bel canto style and the dramatic requirements of this work. The Metropolitan Opera has just […]

NEW YORK—Early music is not just for listening to during the early morning hours. You may relish the subtleties of it at any time of the day. While it’s generally thought of as music before Bach or as unattainable music before recordings existed, the director of Early Music New York (EM/NY), Frederick Renz, defines early […]

NEW YORK—It may be true that one person can make a difference, but when going up against a system set in its ways, that person’s priority can quickly become one of simple survival. Sarah Burgess makes this point in her intelligent political drama “Kings,” now at The Public Theater. New to the House of Representatives […]

Mauro Peter was just 17 when he performed in a staged musical with his boys’ choir in his hometown of Lucerne, Switzerland. That was the moment when he knew performing onstage was the path he wanted to take. He chose to sing opera. ‘I thought, that’s me, that’s my voice,” says the tenor, who is […]

The play the "Cardinal" offers a lesson on the often unforeseen ramifications of urban renewal.

NEW YORK—Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) originally thought of calling his 1853 opera “The Gypsy,” but instead kept the title of the play on which it was based, “Il Trovatore” (“The Troubadour”). While the troubadour is the romantic hero of the work, it is the gypsy Azucena, in her obsessive quest for vengeance, who pushes the action […]