All articles tagged with #arts
Ann Hamilton’s large-scale, tactile installations emphasize physical engagement, and her new scanner-photography work at the Cleveland Museum of Art expands how touch and body-related perception are presented as art.
Joe Mantello’s Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman, anchored by Nathan Lane’s hypnotic Willy and Laurie Metcalf’s lucid Linda, uses minimalist, period-agnostic design to sharpen Miller’s meditation on the American Dream and white entitlement; the three-hour tragedy is haunting and timely, with Lane’s brassy virtuosity and Metcalf’s precise humanity turning the familiar tale into a stark, modern mirror.
A negative Broadway review of Rupert Goold and Stephen Adly Guirgis's screen-to-stage adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon, criticizing its tonal mismatch and lack of suspense, reduced character depth, mishandled queer storylines, and overreliance on slapstick; while the production has strong scenic design, it ultimately offers little of the original’s intensity, ending up as a hammy, nostalgia-driven romp that fails to engage.
A guerrilla-art collective installed a gold-painted toilet throne near the Lincoln Memorial as a faux tribute to Donald Trump’s White House renovations; the inoperable sculpture on the National Mall has drawn mixed reactions from visitors, highlighting protest against the Trump era, with no comment from the White House.
An essay on how legendary artists funded their early work through a spectrum of side gigs—ranging from illicit book theft and film pilfering to mushroom collecting and simulated sex performances—arguing that making art often requires practical means and life experience as much as talent.
A loyal Boston Symphony Orchestra subscriber writes to a local paper amid the Nelsons leadership fallout, expressing that nothing can go wrong in Symphony Hall—until the board’s actions prompt them to vow they won’t stop attending. The letter denounces trustees Hostetter and Smith as scapegoats, admits a momentary urge to look at other cities, but ultimately resolves to stay and defend the conductor and musicians, reflecting a public mood of disenfranchised fans fighting for the orchestra’s future.
On his 100th birthday, Dario Fo is celebrated as a figure who fused populist theatre with sharp political satire—forming Nuova Scena, staging Mistero Buffo, and writing Accidental Death of an Anarchist and Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! which brought protest theatre to wide audiences and earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997. Fo and his wife Franca Rame faced censorship, religious and political hostility, and numerous prosecutions, yet used comedy to confront cruelty, injustice and oppression, making theatre both entertaining and a vehicle for social change.
A scheduled meeting between Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians and the Board of Trustees follows the abrupt dismissal of music director Andris Nelsons, drawing sharp criticism from a former bass trombonist who argues the trustees have breached the orchestra’s sacred trust and raising questions about governance, workplace culture at Symphony Hall, and plans to address declining audiences and philanthropy.
The Kennedy Center’s board voted to shut down operations for two years after the July 4 celebrations and appointed Matt Floca as CEO, replacing Richard Grenell, in a leadership shakeup linked to President Trump’s involvement; the center reportedly renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a move scholars say would require congressional action, as artists and staff faced resignations and scheduling upheaval while representatives attended the meeting. Closure aims to repair the building and stabilize finances amid controversy.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to shut down operations for two years as part of a major restructuring and announced the appointment of a new president, according to AP News coverage from Washington, D.C.
Former Kennedy Center head Richard Grenell lashed out on X after Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse charged that his leadership helped put the center “out of business,” arguing the upcoming two-year renovation was needed due to years of neglect and blasting critics. The piece notes ongoing drama around Trump-era changes, cancellations, and Grenell’s confrontational tenure, with Trump later naming Matt Floca to oversee the center during renovations.
Richard Grenell is leaving as president of the Kennedy Center after a tumultuous year marked by cancellations and artist departures, as the center prepares to close for two years of renovations. Matt Floca will replace him, and the Trump administration highlighted Grenell’s coordination during the transition.
Quentin Tarantino will write and direct a new swashbuckling play, The Popinjay Cavalier, set in 1830s Europe. The production is from Sonia Friedman Productions and is slated to premiere in London's West End in early 2027, described as a rambunctious comedy of deception and disguise inspired by classic stage and screen epics. Tarantino has said he moved to theater to create an experience without interruptions like cell phones, offering a face-to-face, immersive audience experience.
Chilean architect Smiljan Radić was named the 2026 Pritzker Prize winner, making him the fifth Latin American laureate; the jury praised his radical originality and optimistic, site-responsive designs—from the Serpentine Pavilion in London to projects like Teatro Bíobío in Concepción. The prize, funded by the Hyatt Foundation, carries $100,000 and a bronze medal, and organizers highlighted the prize’s integrity even after a brief delay tied to a related controversy.
Met Opera’s Tristan und Isolde, staged by Yuval Sharon, presents a bold birth-death-rebirth concept that visually stacks an eye-like stage with a dual representation–will world, delivering a mostly immersive though uneven experience. Act I is visually striking but muddled; Act II offers a deeply romantic core that slows pacing; Act III finally pays off with a piercing Liebestod framed by the pregnancy twist. Davidsen’s Isolde and Spyres’s Tristan are standout anchors, lifting the production even as projections and some directorial choices—plus fluctuating conducting—divide opinion. Overall, it’s a memorable, ambitious interpretation that heightens Wagner’s philosophy while inviting debate over its execution.