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Performing arts

Dramatists liken Venezuela saga to telenovela
A president who vanishes for weeks in a mysterious battle with cancer. Supporters who chant their allegiance in the streets. And in the midst of it ...
Review: Politics and old-style humor in 'Fiorello'
What goes around comes around. It's a key principle in politics, and apparently in musical theater, too. In the 1940s Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia saved ...
Alan Cumming's 1-man 'Macbeth' heads to Broadway
Alan Cumming is taking his Macbeth to Broadway — and his Macduff and Duncan and Lady Macbeth and the three witches. Producers said Friday that the ...
Meet 3 keeping 'The Phantom of the Opera' running
Over the past quarter of a century, 37 different actresses have played the female lead in "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway. All 37 have been ...
Review: 'The Vandal' is suspenseful, funny drama
Sometimes on a cold, foggy night, waiting for a bus outdoors, things just seem spookier than normal. This scenario plays out naturally in "The ...
Haiti 'snake artist' uses Carnival to get by
Saintilus Resilus' day job this time of year is walking the streets of Haiti's capital with snakes on his head. He sees himself as something of a ...
Actor Hamish Linklater evolves into playwright
It's a few minutes after a performance of his debut play and Hamish Linklater looks like he's got indigestion. The actor-turned playwright sat through ...
Review: Examining anger, empathy in 'All The Rage'
In the opening of Martin Moran's new solo play, "All the Rage," an introspective but lively memoir, the performer tells the story of a bitter family ...
Ballet dancer Misty Copeland has 2-book deal
Ballet dancer Misty Copeland has a two-book deal. Copeland, 30, is working on a memoir for Simon & Schuster's Touchstone imprint and picture book for ...
Bolshoi ballerina says she fears for her safety
A leading ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet says she wants to stay in Canada after receiving threats — a move that follows an acid attack on the dance ...
Sam Mendes, Tori Amos set for UK National Theatre
The return of director Sam Mendes and a long-awaited musical by Tori Amos are among highlights announced Wednesday for the 50th anniversary season at ...
Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce Broadway-bound
Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce will reprise their onstage sibling rivalry when they take Christopher Durang's "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and ...
Mayer's 'Rigoletto,' set in Vegas, opens at Met
For all the bright lights and razzle-dazzle of the Las Vegas locale, the most illuminating stretches in Michael Mayer's showy new production of ...
Philadelphia opera co.: New name, new vision
The Opera Company of Philadelphia is getting a new name that officials say is in better harmony with the organization's move toward more innovative ...
A final '30 Rock' showcases its unsung music man
"When stuff is coming to an end, people freak out and they act crazy," says Liz Lemon. Liz and all the characters of "30 Rock" are doing just that on ...
Pacino's late comedic turn also a homecoming
Al Pacino, energized by a conversation that has inevitably turned to the intricacies of acting, is snapping his fingers. "When you get me on the ...
Conference suggests ways Broadway can be better
A conference on how to make the Broadway experience better for theatergoers has come up with some prescriptions: Be brave in the stories that are told ...
Review: Comic loser in 'This Too Shall Suck' wins
If you ever wanted to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in a bar, make room on your calendar any Thursday evening and go see the very funny ...
'Cabaret' celebrates 41st birthday with a party
Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome — to middle age. The landmark film "Cabaret" — starring Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey and Michael York — has turned 41, but ...
Dick Van Dyke honored for lifetime achievement
He's acted, danced and sang his way through movies, television and the stage, making Dick Van Dyke an entertainment triple-threat long before ...
Providence theater experiments with 'tweet seats'
Sarah Bertness slipped into her seat at a recent staging of the musical "Million Dollar Quartet" and, when the lights dimmed, started doing something ...
New opera's success is beyond 'Doubt'
"Only the children's voices soothe me," an anguished Sister Aloysius sings at the conclusion of "Doubt," the new opera based on John Patrick Shanley's ...
New production of Rossini's Cinderella a delight
There is no pumpkin-turned-coach on the stage, no glass slipper, no fairy godmother, and the action takes place in an imaginary Italian duchy in the ...
Opera about Nazi atrocity shown in Austria
Thousands of children were murdered by the Nazis because they fell short of the Aryan ideal. On Friday, a hushed audience gathered in Austria's ...
SAG honoree Van Dyke glad he made someone smile
Forget dishonest modesty. Dick Van Dyke seems nothing short of gobsmacked about receiving the life-achievement honor at Sunday's Screen Actors Guild ...