The joy of ‘Nutcracker’ puppetry, courtesy of Bob Baker Marionettes

Dance · Theater
Where puppet-theater is concerned, the “fun for kids of all ages” slogan is almost a cliche. And yet, it really applies. I am enchanted by the stringed shenanigans that are standard fare at Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Cuz, you get two shows in one, right? You get to watch the cleverly coiffed-and-garbed herky-jerky puppets … ...

French animated films, avec baguette

Film
Animation Fest at TRK, a compilation of 13 short French animated films created by young film makers from renowned French animation schools, contains themes best digested by adults — the richness and variety of the proposed selection tackle eclectic themes and current issues, turning a critical gaze on modern society using the power of animation. ...

Tyrone Power, still vital in his movies

Film
Hey, he was Ty Power. The dashing, dark-eyed actor, who descended from a long line of them, and whose name, in 1939, nearly topped the list of Twentieth Century-Fox’s biggest box-office earners, starred in dozens of movies, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known titles include The Mark of Zorro, Marie Antoinette, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan, Prince of ...

‘Expo’-nentially ‘Googie’

Architecture & Design
poster by shag ed. note: We recently heard from Friend of Arts Meme (FOAM), Chris Nichols, fresh off his annual Halloween ‘Spooky Tour,’ now rarin’ to go with a massive, global-scaled, and far-reaching event, GOOGIE WORLD EXPO, on a Sunday afternoon. It all happens in GOOGIE world headquarters (for a day) in Van Nuys, CA. ...

A ‘Titan’ic debut for the Israel Philharmonic at The Soraya

Music
Ed. note: This story by arts journalist and artsmeme founder Debra Levine, commissioned and originally published by the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for the Arts, is reprinted with permission. An invitation to perform at the Berlin Festival is an unassailable honor for a symphony orchestra. But in 1971, it caused heated internal debate at ...

Notes on ‘Dance Reflections’ by Van Cleef & Arpels in Los Angeles

Dance · Reviews
It was quite an evening. As part of an elite, invited audience hosted by France’s sui generis luxury jewelry purveyor, Van Cleef & Arpels, I attended a specially curated program delivered under the rubric of “Dance Reflections,” the retailer’s newish dance initiative. (It had a big rollout in London this past spring.) The evening took ...

REVIEW: A look at Mark Morris’s ‘The Look of Love’

Dance · Music · Reviews
The tenderness, the tenacity, the yearning, and the joy burnished in the lilting melodies composed by Burt Bacharach, so perfectly paired with the high-flown romance of Hal David‘s lyrics, formed the basis for “The Look of Love,” a new hour-long dance work that had its world premiere this weekend at the Broad Stage in Santa ...

Rusha career retrospective coming to MoMA, then LACMA

Visual arts
The Oklahoma-born, Los Angeles-based artist Ed Ruscha (b. 1937) will enjoy his largest retrospective and his first solo exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in New York in the fall and winter of next year. Appropriately enough, the exhibit, ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN, co-curated by MoMA and LACMA, will travel thereafter to the ...

A rose is a Jacqueline Bisset, in new movie ‘Loren and Rose’

Film · Reviews
It’s not Jacqueline Bisset. That’s the first thing you need to know. It seems to be; it’s tempting to think it is, but no. Even though we see Ms. Bisset at her most vulnerable and fierce, the new movie starring this enduring lady of the cinema is neither autobiographical nor a documentary. She’s playing a ...

Body size, the final frontier, subject of ‘The Whale’

Film
From Darren Aronofsky comes The Whale, the story of a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. Starring Brendan Fraser and based on the acclaimed play by Samuel D. Hunter, the film opens December 9. I am hoping for compassion ...