Lewis Whittington writes about the performing and film arts for many publications. He is a renegade dance, theater and opera queen, a jazz-head and a civil activist.
Books & CDs
Ray of Light and Dark
“Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure of an American Director”By Patrick McGilligan560 pages, $30Harper PerennialJuly, 2011
By the time Nicholas Ray directed "Rebel Without a Cause," he was one of the most accomplished ...
DancePhiladelphia,
Members of RHAW perform leaps during a recent concert
Photo courtesy of Rennie Harris RHAW
RHAW Talent
Rennie Harris’s RHAW
Concert performance by choreographer Harris’s junior troupe
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Philadelphia
July 16, 2011
The dancing broke ...
Books & CDs
Really Wilde
"The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition"
Edited by Nicholas Frankel304 pages, illustratedHarvard University Press$35 (oversize hardcover)April, 2011
If ever there were a reason to revisit a literary classic, it is the publication of ...
Books & CDs
Modigliani: A Life
By Meryle Secrest387 pages, with photos and platesKnopf, $35 (hardcover)March 2011
Meryle Secrest attempts what many art historians have considered impossible: a substantive, comprehensive biography of the life of Amedeo Modigliani. His short, tragic life ...
Books & CDs
Sal Mineo (left) with James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause"
Sal Mineo: A Biography
By Michael Gregg Michaud384 pages, plus photosCrown Archetype, $25.99, hardcoverISBN 978-0-307-71868-6
Sal Mineo was one of the most promising new stars of the 1950s, ...
MusicPhiladelphia,
Tamara Mumford in the title role of Opera Company of Philadelphia's "Phaedra"Photo by Kelly & Massa Photography
Philly Unveils Henze’s 'Phaedra'
By Hans Werner HenzeAmerican premiere production conceived by Robert B. DriverDesigned by Philippe ArmandConducted by Corrado RovarisOpera Company ...
Books & CDs
Larry Kramer (right) comforts Vito Russo in his California home several months before he died.Photo from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration website
La Dolce Vito
"Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo"By Michael SchiaviUniversity of ...
DancePhiladelphia,
Dance Blooms in Philly
Lots of dance in Philly the first week of May, with three contemporary companies premiering new work:
In their first appearance at the Annenberg Center, Aszure Barton & Artists finished out the ...
MusicPhiladelphia,
Adina Nitescu and Thiago Arancam in Opera Company of Philadelphia's "Tosca"Photo courtesy of Opera Company of Philadelphia
'Tosca'
By Giacomo PucciniConducted by Corrado RovarisDirected by Jonathan EatonOpera Company of PhiladelphiaAcademy of MusicApril 29-May 8, 2011
Even with its squirrelly ...
EtcPhiladelphia,
The last night of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts attracted thousands of people, who wrapped around the Kimmel Center to view the aerial show that was happening on a spacy metal oval that morphed into various shapes and ...
