Music Interviews Harvey Pekar Makes His Opera Debut January 31, 2009 • Leave Me Alone is a new jazz opera by writer and social commentator Harvey Pekar and saxophonist and composer Dan Plonsey about the future of cutting-edge music and marital discord. Harvey Pekar Makes His Opera Debut Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/100031337/100104624" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Harvey Pekar Makes His Opera Debut Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/100031337/100104624" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music Interviews Minnelli's New Show Honors Musical Godmother January 31, 2009 • Kay Thompson was a musical director for MGM Studios, the author of the Eloise children's books and the star of her own long-running nightclub act. Liza Minnelli pays tribute to her real-life godmother in her latest, sold-out revue. Minnelli's New Show Honors Musical Godmother Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/100068652/100103376" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Minnelli's New Show Honors Musical Godmother Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/100068652/100103376" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
'Dusty': PBS Vet Takes Kids' TV Out Of The Box January 30, 2009 • In 2005, PBS decided not to air an episode of a children's show because it featured a family with gay parents. Now a real-life kids'-TV writer has built a stage play around the story behind the episode that didn't air. 'Dusty': PBS Vet Takes Kids' TV Out Of The Box Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/100062799/100073951" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
'Dusty': PBS Vet Takes Kids' TV Out Of The Box Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/100062799/100073951" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music News Shrinking Music Videos: More Thrills, Less 'Thriller' January 27, 2009 • As MySpace, iPhones and YouTube allow music videos to be seen anywhere and anytime, directors are discovering that viewing habits aren't the only things changing. The best new videos are superfast, supervisual and superclever. Shrinking Music Videos: More Thrills, Less 'Thriller' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99880324/99898944" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Shrinking Music Videos: More Thrills, Less 'Thriller' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99880324/99898944" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Culture Classic Children's TV Show Makes A Comeback January 27, 2009 • "The Electric Company," the children's TV classic, has returned to television and is likely to win over a whole new generation of fans. Regular contributors Jolene Ivey and Shawn Spence are joined by Scott Cameron, whose production company is behind the program's anticipated revival. Classic Children's TV Show Makes A Comeback Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99902583/99902575" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Classic Children's TV Show Makes A Comeback Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99902583/99902575" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music News Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Could Be Broadway Show January 27, 2009 • A Broadway producer has acquired the rights for a stage version of Michael Jackson's music-video for "Thriller". The show will include songs from both the Thriller and Off the Wall albums. Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Could Be Broadway Show Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99898930/99898945" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Could Be Broadway Show Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99898930/99898945" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
In 'Freshwater,' A Lighter Side Of Virginia Woolf January 25, 2009 • The Bloomsbury novelist was a Serious Writer, and as English Lit students know, her brooding ways didn't end well. But her only play, Freshwater, reflects a bright sense of humor. It's getting a New York production at last. In 'Freshwater,' A Lighter Side Of Virginia Woolf Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99810873/99851411" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
In 'Freshwater,' A Lighter Side Of Virginia Woolf Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99810873/99851411" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Stories Of Rape, Abuse Uncovered In 'Ruined' January 22, 2009 • The Democratic Republic of Congo has for years been fraught with devastating economic and political crises, often resulting in violent conflict. Among the countless victims of the violence are the women, many of whom have been raped and sexually abused. A new play, Ruined, tells their story on stage. Stories Of Rape, Abuse Uncovered In 'Ruined' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99725901/99725890" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Stories Of Rape, Abuse Uncovered In 'Ruined' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99725901/99725890" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Presidential Inauguration Of Barack Obama Texas Dance Troupe To Boogie In 3rd Inauguration January 19, 2009 • A Texas-based dance troupe is in Washington this week to perform during President-elect Obama's presidential parade. It's the third time Urban-15 will participate in an inauguration. The group, which started in 1974, says it's a special honor. Texas Dance Troupe To Boogie In 3rd Inauguration Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99552941/99552931" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Texas Dance Troupe To Boogie In 3rd Inauguration Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99552941/99552931" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Books Robert Schimmel, Laughing Through A Cancer Fight Fresh Air January 16, 2009 • Comedy Central named him one of its 100 best comics, but life hasn't been all laughs for Robert Schimmel. Still, it was his sense of humor that kept him sane when cancer killed his sitcom deal — and threatened to kill him. Robert Schimmel, Laughing Through A Cancer Fight Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99429487/99457660" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Robert Schimmel, Laughing Through A Cancer Fight Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99429487/99457660" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
A Bridge Project Built To Span Theatrical Worlds January 14, 2009 • Director Sam Mendes leads a three-year endeavor that brings together British and American stars of stage and screen for performances of classic works. First up: two plays from two very different traditions. A Bridge Project Built To Span Theatrical Worlds Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99353808/99361671" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
A Bridge Project Built To Span Theatrical Worlds Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99353808/99361671" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
This Winter, More Cause For Broadway Discontent January 7, 2009 • The recession has hit Broadway hard: Nine shows, including Young Frankenstein, closed this week, and four more have posted notices. Jeff Lunden talks to a veteran producer and a young investor to see how bad the outlook is. This Winter, More Cause For Broadway Discontent Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99091182/99091446" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
This Winter, More Cause For Broadway Discontent Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99091182/99091446" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music Orchestra Spreads Classical Music In Bolivia December 26, 2008 • A movement is brewing in Bolivia. It has nothing to do with political turmoil that has plagued the South American country. Instead, classical music is in the air. A little-known but up-and-coming orchestra is spreading the sounds of Bach and Beethoven across the administrative capital La Paz, and even into some of Bolivia's most forgotten places. Orchestra Spreads Classical Music In Bolivia Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/98718792/98718767" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Orchestra Spreads Classical Music In Bolivia Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/98718792/98718767" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music Interviews Singer And Actress Eartha Kitt Dies December 25, 2008 • Singer and actress Eartha Kitt has died of colon cancer. She was 81. Kitt, who was ostracized as a child in South Carolina because of her mixed-race heritage, got her start in show business as a dancer and vocalist, and earned early international notice as a featured singer in a Paris nightclub. Listen Now: Hear The Remembrance Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/98713115/98711187" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Listen Now: Hear The Remembrance Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/98713115/98711187" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Obituaries Harold Pinter, Playwright And Nobel Laureate, Dies December 25, 2008 • British playwright and Nobel laureate Harold Pinter has died. He was 78. Pinter was known for his brooding portrayals of domestic life and his barbed politics. Harold Pinter, Playwright And Nobel Laureate, Dies Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/98710801/98710800" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Harold Pinter, Playwright And Nobel Laureate, Dies Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/98710801/98710800" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript