Pages of History: 80 Years at the Taft was on view Aug. 10-Jan. 6, and I saw it on the last day. I found it so fascinating — and such a role model for a show about a cultural institution — that it’s worth discussing even though it’s over.
 bryan fenkart (huey) - paul kolnik.t2.jpg)
Memphis (Review)
Broadway production takes risks lyrically exploring '50s racial divide
0 Comments · Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award winner for best musical, is loosely based
on the story of a white disc jockey who crossed the color line and
played black music on the radio in the racially divided Tennessee city, and it’s a story worth witnessing.
Follow the 'Pulp Art' Paper Trail
1 Comment · Wednesday, January 23, 2013
My grandmother would say to me, in
German, “Paper is patient,” explaining that one could write anything he
or she wanted on paper, whether true or false. Though I’d always associated the quote with the written word, I was reminded of it while considering Pulp Art, a
show by 11 paper artists at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts
Center.
High-Wire Act
Creator of 'Abigail/1702' grew up dreaming of being a playwright
0 Comments · Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was in
Chicago early in 2008, rehearsing the world premiere of a new play he
had just written for Steppenwolf Theatre. The company was staging Arthur
Miller’s legendary 1953 Tony Award winner, The Crucible, on its mainstage.
Change and Continuity Collide in 'Forward into the Past'
0 Comments · Tuesday, January 15, 2013
“Experimenting is what art is about,”
Jens Rosenkrantz told his audience in the small, early 19th century
rooms at Betts House last Saturday afternoon.
Richard II (Review)
CSC portrays the fall of a king
0 Comments · Monday, January 14, 2013
Audiences seeing Richard II will wonder why it’s not presented more often because this production works so well. The common wisdom is that Richard II is
more about head than heart. Shakespeare’s other histories are full of
glory and combat, whereas this play focuses on a king whose weakness
leads to his downfall.
2012 Was a Great Year for Art Films
0 Comments · Wednesday, January 9, 2013
To say that 2012 was a great year for art
films isn’t just a reference to the kind of foreign and American-indie
narrative features, like Amour or Your Sister’s Sister, that are too thoughtful to play the multiplexes.
Collective Security
Losantiville artists and designers collaborate to sustain viable small businesses
0 Comments · Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Six local companies make up Losantiville
Collective, located on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine. The collective is
owned by Dixon (Dixon Branded), Chris Heckman and Matt Anthony
(co-founder, The LaunchWerks).
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
By Ben Fountian (Ecco)
0 Comments · Thursday, January 3, 2013
A deadly firefight between U.S. forces and Iraqi
insurgents is caught on video by a Fox News crew and before the eight
surviving members of Bravo Company can get back to their barracks, the
video has gone viral on the Internet.
Monty Python's Flying Circus: Complete and Annotated
Edited by Luke Dempsey (Black Dog and Leventhal)
2 Comments · Thursday, January 3, 2013
The four English and one American gentlemen who came
together at the end of the turbulent 1960s to form the comedy troupe
known as Monty Python’s Flying Circus were highly intelligent,
well-educated, profoundly funny, incredibly creative, incessantly silly,
politically satirical, highly neurotic and explosively successful.
Factory Boy
Brush Factory’s new furniture brand, Brighton Exchange, boasts handmade design
0 Comments · Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Hayes Shanesy and business partner/longtime romantic partner
Rosie Kovacs recently created a separate arm to their growing business
endeavor, the Brush Factory, focused exclusively on Shanesy’s wooden handcrafted furniture:
Brighton Exchange.
The Human Side of a King
0 Comments · Wednesday, January 2, 2013
You might know that Shakespeare’s Richard III focuses on one of his great villains. But among his 38 plays, there’s also Richard II.
You probably know almost nothing about this guy — a weak king, deposed
in 1399 — who died in captivity in 1400.
Art About Town
Focusing on 2012's visual arts highlights
0 Comments · Wednesday, December 26, 2012
This may seem a strange way to start a
review of the year in Cincinnati’s visual arts, but the piece that stays
with me the most — haunts me, really — doesn’t even fit any traditional
definition of art.
Stagestruck
Cincy theaters put good shows on every stage in town
0 Comments · Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Throughout the year I assign “Critic’s
Picks” to noteworthy theatrical productions. As 2012 draws to a close,
it seems like a good time to take a look back at some shows that made
the grade.
Kevin Cole and the Ties That Bind
0 Comments · Wednesday, December 19, 2012
If you’re looking for cliché presents, head to your
nearest department store. If you and your favorite recipients are
looking for a memorable exhibit, head to the Weston Art Gallery for Straight from the Soul, a 25-year retrospective by the Atlanta artist.
