David E. MorenoDanceBerkeley,
The shock of the unexpected. This is what viewers have come to expect from Sankai Juku - formidable tensions and dynamics juxtaposed to minimal and primordial movement. Untamed and uncontrollable contrasts, like a peacock roaming freely across the stage ("Kinkan Shonen" (The Kumquat Seed) - 1978) or sand pouring ...
Emily S. MendelTheaterBerkeley,
Happily, Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks (“Topdog/Underdog,” “Father Comes Home from the Wars”) has a sense of humor that ameliorates a bit of the stark, sobering cultural and racial themes of “White Noise.” For example, the four old friends from college, two white and two black, who comprise the cast, have the same names as the Teenage ...
Asher LubertoFilm
"Lucy in the Sky" is a manifestation of Newton's Law of Gravity. It starts with Natalie Portman's Lucy up in space. "Just a few more minutes" she says like a kid on the playground. She's floating through the stratosphere, a little white dot blending in with ...
Paula FarmerFilm
The maestro of Spanish cinema, Pedro Almodóvar, known for quirky characters, bold themes and daring aesthetics, delivers a quieter more sublime story in his latest film of memory and loss. “Pain and Glory” focuses on his film alter ego, aging film director Salvador Mallo, as he navigates his past ...
Lewis WhittingtonDancePhiladelphia,
The kick-off of Philadanco’s 50th anniversary season on Oct. 5 in the Merriam Theater was truly a dance night to remember, starting with the unrestrained love of four generations of dance artists and ‘Danco’ fans that erupted when Joan Myers Brown came on stage to introduce the concert. The ...
Toba SingerEtc
Salvador’s torso bears a vertical scar. We come upon him (Antonio Banderas) sequestering himself, holding his shallow breath while his body is entirely submerged in a swimming pool. Yet, an underwater camera finds him. It reveals the thoracic surgical memento that runs about two feet long and a quarter-inch ...
Ariadne MikouEtcItaly,
After the end of a short summer break and the inauguration of the autumn season, along with “La Traviata” and “The Barber of Seville”, Teatro Massimo in Palermo opens its doors to the world premiere of “Winter Journey”, a contemporary multimedia opera composed by the world-renowned Ludovico Einaudi, written ...
Toba SingerDanceSan Francisco,
Jess Curtis is an award-winning dancemaker and performer who has created and performed multidisciplinary works in the U.S and Europe. In 2000, he founded, Jess Curtis/Gravity. He holds an MFA in Choreography and a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of California at Davis. Over a meal at San ...
Paula FarmerFilmSan Francisco,
While on the surface the 42nd Annual Mill Valley Film Festival may seem like global cinematic showcasing, per usual, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find a festival that is as committed to the community and highlighting social issues as well as films and quality programming. And by ...
Lewis WhittingtonTheaterPhiladelphia,
Currently running at the Lantern Theater Company Bertolt Brecht’s rarely staged “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui” directed by Charles McMahon who doesn’t dilute Brecht flaming anvil of a political play about the rise of mobster businessman who becomes politically a ruthless dictator mowing down everyone in his demented ...
