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Music for Healing: A Houston-Area Concert to Aid the Vaccine Injured
Music for Healing: A Houston-Area Concert to Aid the Vaccine Injured
In September 2021, the Houston Symphony issued a side-letter to the contract with its musicians, mandating that any musician not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of ...
07-11-2023
Musical Review: ‘The SpongeBob Musical’
Musical Review: ‘The SpongeBob Musical’
CHICAGO—You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy “The SpongeBob Musical,” but it helps a lot if you’re young at heart. After all, this show, which just ...
07-11-2023
Theater Review: ‘The 39 Steps’: Full of Suspense and Laughs
Theater Review: ‘The 39 Steps’: Full of Suspense and Laughs
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.—It’s no easy thing to adapt a movie into a stage play. A movie can use lavish background sets and fascinating locations that are unavailable to ...
07-8-2023
Haydn’s Opera ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’
Haydn’s Opera ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’
 When opera first emerged around the late 16th century, composers and librettists took a special interest in the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. It became the subject of the ...
07-6-2023
1942’s ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’
1942’s ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’
NR | 2h 6m | Biography, Family, Drama | June 6, 1942 As I researched classic musicals, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” popped up. The rather odd thing was that ...
07-3-2023
Theater: Staging the World Versus Re-Staging the World
Theater: Staging the World Versus Re-Staging the World
Playwrights create worlds; this we all know. By “world," I mean the conditions of time, space, and viewpoint depicted in the play that we must accept, if only ...
07-2-2023
Musical Review: ‘Days of Wine and Roses’
Musical Review: ‘Days of Wine and Roses’
NEW YORK—"Days of Wine and Roses," a 1962 film about the descent into alcoholism and what comes after, doesn't seem a likely candidate for a stage musical. Yet ...
06-25-2023
How the Three Tenors Changed the World of Classical Music
How the Three Tenors Changed the World of Classical Music
They drew huge crowds, sometimes large enough to fill stadiums. They had the best conductors and orchestras to support their immense talent. Each one was a star in ...
06-22-2023
Beethoven and the Birth of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Beethoven and the Birth of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
For classical music lovers, being able to stream live concerts on social media platforms is a welcome convenience in a busy world. But nothing beats the in-person experience. ...
06-11-2023
The ‘Flower Duet’ From the Opera ‘Lakmé’: A Timeless Classic
The ‘Flower Duet’ From the Opera ‘Lakmé’: A Timeless Classic
With its beautiful harmonies and melody, the “Flower Duet,” for soprano and mezzo-soprano, has become one of the most famous duets in the operatic repertoire. Some listeners might ...
05-29-2023
Explore Shen Yun’s 2023 Season
Explore Shen Yun’s 2023 Season
Shen Yun Performing Arts 2023 season is its largest yet, spanning 200 cities across 5 continents around the world.
05-26-2023
Theater Review: ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’: Nostalgic Musical of Couples in Love
Theater Review: ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’: Nostalgic Musical of Couples in Love
GLENVIEW, IL—Although times were different when “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” first opened in 1996 Off-Broadway, and the dating game it depicted has since changed, romance ...
05-22-2023
‘When the Divine Touches the Human, We Arrive at Shen Yun,’ Says a Company Director
‘When the Divine Touches the Human, We Arrive at Shen Yun,’ Says a Company Director
PARIS—On Saturday, April 29, a joyful crowd at the Palais des Congrès was eager to discover the best of classical Chinese dance and music. Dominique Dolé is a ...
05-4-2023
‘The Tales of Hoffmann’: Offenbach’s Captivating Opera
‘The Tales of Hoffmann’: Offenbach’s Captivating Opera
A mechanical doll, a young singer, and a Venetian courtesan. All are loved by Hoffmann, the central character of the “Tales of Hoffmann,” a captivating opera where reality ...
05-1-2023
Theater Review: ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’: Funny, but Enough Is Enough
Theater Review: ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’: Funny, but Enough Is Enough
NEW YORK—In 2017, the UK-based Mischief Theatre company brought to Broadway the absolutely brilliant farce, “The Play That Goes Wrong,” detailing the technical and comic mishaps that occurred during ...
04-28-2023
Theater Review: Marrakech Magic Theater
Theater Review: Marrakech Magic Theater
Word-of-mouth seems to be Jay Alexander’s biggest means of drawing a crowd to his Marrakech Magic Theater. Billed online as San Francisco’s most popular tourist event, without so ...
04-27-2023
Ballet Review: ‘The Little Mermaid’: Han Christian Anderson’s Story
Ballet Review: ‘The Little Mermaid’: Han Christian Anderson’s Story
CHICAGO—Those expecting the enchanting, and charming 1989 Disney version, as well as the many other theatrical presentations of “The Little Mermaid,” will be sorely disappointed by the Joffrey ...
04-22-2023
Shen Yun’s ‘Real Beauty’ Counters ‘Horrible Ugliness, Violence’ That Is ‘Disfiguring the World,’ Lord Alton Says
Shen Yun’s ‘Real Beauty’ Counters ‘Horrible Ugliness, Violence’ That Is ‘Disfiguring the World,’ Lord Alton Says
LONDON— David Alton, Baron of Liverpool, was impressed by the powerful message Shen Yun Performing Arts delivered at the Eventim Apollo venue on April 19. “It's a wonderful ...
04-20-2023
End of an Era: Phantom of the Opera Leaves Broadway
End of an Era: Phantom of the Opera Leaves Broadway
The departure of Phantom of the Opera from Broadway marks the end of a historical era. Phantom was the longest-running show in Broadway history, generating $6 billion worldwide ...
04-15-2023
Shen Yun ‘So Authentic and So Noble,’ Says Opera Singer
Shen Yun ‘So Authentic and So Noble,’ Says Opera Singer
TEL AVIV, Israel—Daniella Lugassy, an opera soprano, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at The Shlomo Lahat Opera House on April 12, and felt transported. ...
04-13-2023
Theater Review: ‘The Cherry Orchard’: Compelling Revival With a Comedic Slant
Theater Review: ‘The Cherry Orchard’: Compelling Revival With a Comedic Slant
CHICAGO—Characters that bump into furniture, laugh at inappropriate moments, and engage in plenty of pratfalls are not what one usually expects from Anton Chekhov’s (1860–1904) “The Cherry Orchard.” ...
04-13-2023
Shen Yun Communicates a Divine Beauty That Moves Hearts, Says Singer
Shen Yun Communicates a Divine Beauty That Moves Hearts, Says Singer
NEW YORK—Audrey Fernandez Fraser, a singer, composer, and co-artistic director of the Christopher Street Collegium, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Lincoln Center on April 12. She is well-versed ...
04-13-2023