Luminario Ballet on high meets LedZAerial in the orchestra pit
I find watching the superb aerial-ballet artists of Luminario Ballet at a chill venue like The Avalon of Hollywood to be one of the more fun experiences of my annual arts calendar. An upcoming gala/fundraiser event November 3 is billed as an “immersive dance journey via contemporary ballet en pointe, acrobatics, and aerial dance in ...
REVIEW: Teatro Grattacielo’s operatic ‘Beyond The Horizon,’ angst by Eugene O’Neill
photo credit: amanda vaill BEYOND THE HORIZONOpera in Three ActsMusic by Nicolas FlagelloLibretto by Nicolas Flagello and Walter SimmonsOrchestration by Anthony SbordoniPresented by Teatro Grattacielo at LA MAMA Shares, 66 East 4th Street, New York NYSunday, September 15, 2024 Eugene O’Neill is the most operatic of American playwrights — think of those conflict-ridden families, those ...
To Pyotr, with love: A conversation with Tchaikovsky biographer Simon Morrison
simon morrison, princeton professor, author Ed. note: We’re honored at artsmeme to share a conversation between arts journalist Marina Harss with author Simon Morrison, whose recent biography, “Tchaikovsky’s Empire,” is receiving critical kudos. In Morrison’s book, writes Harss, he “takes a fresh, humanizing approach, debunking myths like the composer’s supposed suicide, and focusing on the ...
Let’s watch YouTube reactions to Jack Cole’s ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’
Well, I’ve studied it, screened it, spooled it, summarized it, synopsized it. I’ve analyzed, advocated, argued and addressed it. Glowed and kvelled over it, enjoyed and celebrated it. So it’s fun, for a change, to let YouTube queen, “India Reacts” take the reins as she watches (her first time, ever) a video of “Diamonds Are ...
‘Slow down the clock’ … chants Timur in nightmarish ‘Black Lodge’ @ CAP-UCLA
For a few years after COVID, I had no patience — squirming in my theater seat and super judgy at things that did make immediate sense. Often walking out! But somehow, I anticipate that in the dark confines of the very cool United Theatre on Broadway, the 1,600-seat legacy movie palace which, for an extended ...
Be a Yankee Doodle Dandy with BalletX — and call it ‘Macaroni.’
Two distinct takes on Yankee Doodle’s ‘Macaroni’ We all sang it as kids, didn’t we, and we loved it — the borderline-bombastic patriotic song with oom-pah-pah rhythm and funny lyrics. The alliterative “doodle-dandy” pays no rent in our ears ad infinitum. The opening stanza is custom made for those who don’t question the deep meaning ...
Don’t be superstitious! Buy Jeff Beck-tribute guitar. 1
Jun
24
2024
Jeff Beck (1944 – 2023) is considered one of the best guitarists in history, and to my ear the most soulful of the British rockers. A trailblazing guitarist, Beck recorded with everyone from Stevie Wonder and Buddy Guy to Tina Turner and Mick Jagger. Beck got his start with The Yardbirds, making groundbreaking music on ...
It’s been ‘a hard day’s night’ — for sixty years!
working like a dog: paul, john, george & ringo What’s amusing about that funny-yet-familiar song title, “A Hard Day’s Night,” is its disingenuity. When the song hit Planet Earth with a sonic boom, the four moptop Beatles, John, Paul, George, and Ringo, delivered their “woooo”s as though they’ve never had a hard day’s anything in ...
Lyrics of love, loss, longing in Mark Sebastian’s new ‘A Trick of the Light’
From time to time, singer/songwriter Mark Sebastian’s well-meaning comperes have cautioned him about the lyrical content of some of his songs. Sebastian’s literate and sophisticated songs explore the romantic battleground between men and women. He crafts exceedingly poetic evocations of love, loss and longing. The title track contains some of the best contemporary writing you’re liable to ...
R&B today, in Los Angeles festival
Apr
16
2024
Smooth sounds and infectious beats of rhythm and blues music, shortcode R&B, will fill the Los Angeles skyline in a one-day extravaganza for music enthusiasts. The line up of R&B royalty will include artists Ashanti, Ja Rule, Omarion, and Bow Wow, joined by a plethora of R&B sensations including Pretty Ricky, Fabolous, Ginuwine, Mya, Keri Hilson, Lloyd, Ray J, ...