Recent Posts

Like a spark of creation, Lyric Stage Company of Boston brings an inspiring, talented, and absorbing production of 33 Variations to the Boston community. Toggling between present day and nineteenth century Austria, 33 Variations explores the creative process, transcendental beauty, the meaning of genius, and the passions within us all. The playwright, Moisés Kaufman, is […]

This is pretty much straightforward. I read a lot of books this year, and a huge proportion of those books were fiction. Sometimes realistic, some fantasy, some sci-fi, and some historical—but, in any case, a lot of fiction. These are—in no true order—my top five fiction picks of the year. The Dog Stars, by Peter […]

 

Mirvish’s Wizard of Oz is exactly what all of us mildly jaded theatre-saturated critics thought it was going to be- commercial nonsense. I’m a pretty populist theatre patron- I don’t need everything to be high art (in fact I don’t want it to be); I appreciate comforting, entertaining and linear shows that don’t hurt your […]

 

While I am sure there are some fans of Burn Notice who feel the finale was a little rushed, I’m actually happy the entire story was ended without spilling into season seven. Don’t’ get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed watching the whole ‘cat and mouse’ chases between Westin and Reily for the last several episodes but […]

 

I’ve read a lot of reviews that describe Gangster Squad as all style, no substance. I think that’s being too kind. The style of gangster squad isn’t up to par either.  The costuming is a feat of nature, the make up spot on, and the set dressing is some of the most gorgeous I’ve ever […]

 

Okay, so My Books is not doing an awards thinggummy this year (hopefully one day). Basically, there are just too many great books out in the world and not enough people to properly keep tabs on them. And I’d rather not give short shrift, you know? So in lieu of a proper AWARDS type thing, […]

You are almost always sure to expect an enjoyable evening of theatre with the director-designer duo and real life couple of Morris Panych and Ken MacDonald who have been collaborating for decades, as some of the archival production photos lining the lobbies of the Tarragon can attest to.  Now that I have seen several of […]

This show has led me to realize that “falling” in love is a rather ominous term.  It appears that relationships are doomed from the beginning, especially ones that have started off as a coup de feu: too intense to really survive their original spark.  It seems like this is the case between Anabel (Julia Lederer) […]