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Performing Arts News, interviews, and commentary on theater, the arts, music, and dance.

Performing Arts

Wednesday

Obituaries

Anita O'Day: A Distinctive Voice Stilled

Fresh Air

Jazz singer Anita O'Day died last week of a heart attack at the age of 87. She was known for her distinctive legato style, the result of a botched childhood tonsillectomy that left her without vibrato. O'Day made her name with the bands of Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton, and later had success as a solo performer.

Anita O'Day: A Distinctive Voice Stilled

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Tuesday

Music News

Behind Guaraldi's Timeless Holiday Soundtrack

On Tuesday night, a tradition continues: ABC airs the animated special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Its jazzy Vince Guaraldi soundtrack is a holiday staple, too, but it wasn't embraced by all who first heard it.

Behind Guaraldi's Timeless Holiday Soundtrack

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Saturday

Stoppard's Epic 'Coast of Utopia'

A trilogy by Tom Stoppard called The Coast of Utopia comes to New York City's Lincoln Center on Nov. 27. The three-part epic, which has 44 cast members, begins in 1833 and spans 30 years, centering on a band of Russian intellectuals.

Stoppard's Epic 'Coast of Utopia'

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Monday

Culture

Could Shakespeare Survive in Hollywood?

Few writers have permeated the culture as much as William Shakespeare. His work has spawned more than 600 film or television adaptations, including animated versions. If he were alive today, Shakespeare would probably be at the center of a multimedia empire. What would "Shakespeare Incorporated" look like?

Could Shakespeare Survive in Hollywood?

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Monday

Suzan-Lori Parks Launches '365 Days/365 Plays'

As an experiment, playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks wrote one play each day for a whole year. Now more than 600 theater groups across the United States will begin staging her 365 Days of 365 Plays. The kickoff performances were recently held at the New York Public Theater.

Suzan-Lori Parks Launches '365 Days/365 Plays'

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Friday

Old Is New Again on Broadway

The musical Les Miserables opened on Broadway Thursday night -- just three years after it closed. Les Miz, A Chorus Line and The Fantasticks -- three record-breaking musicals -- are back on the New York stage this fall in carefully crafted replicas of their original productions.

Old Is New Again on Broadway

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Monday

Culture

Turning the Table on 'Actor's Studio's' James Lipton

As the writer, producer and host of Bravo's Inside the Actor's Studio, James Lipton is known for his ability to get his guests to say things they've never said before on camera. He talks about his guests, his technique, and some of the show's more interesting moments.

Turning the Table on 'Actor's Studio's' James Lipton

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Sunday

Music Interviews

Anthony Minghella's 'Madama Butterfly'

Film director Anthony Minghella makes his stage debut with Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera. His team of designers and choreographers bring a new vividness to one of Puccini's most famous operas with their emphasis on contrasts and acting.

Anthony Minghella's 'Madama Butterfly'

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Friday

Culture

Opera Examines Life of Inventor Nikola Tesla

A new multimedia opera looks at the life of the brilliant but troubled inventor Nikola Tesla. The director of the show, called Violet Fire, talks about the production, which is currently running at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Opera Examines Life of Inventor Nikola Tesla

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Thursday

World

Baghdad Poets Find an Oasis from Violence

A tent decked out with ceiling fans and a sound system offers poets and their audience a brief respite from Baghdad's violence. Shiites and Sunnis gather to express their feelings in verse during this event, which is organized by a Kurdish woman.

Baghdad Poets Find an Oasis from Violence

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Thursday

Playwright Neil LaBute, 'Wrecks'

Fresh Air

Playwright and filmmaker Neil LaBute has earned a reputation for writing characters who are selfish, mean, misanthropic and misogynistic. His films include In the Company of Men and Your Friends & Neighbors. His plays include "The Mercy Seat", "Some Girls" and "Fat Pig". The New Yorker's John Lahr says his plays are "complex and unnerving," and that "there's no playwright on the planet who is writing better." "Wrecks" is LaBute's new one-man play starring Ed Harris. It opened last night at the Public Theatre in New York.

Playwright Neil LaBute, 'Wrecks'

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Saturday

Culture

Samuel Ramey: Opera's Favorite Bad Guy

Bass baritone opera star Samuel Ramey has made a career out of playing demonic characters on stage. But he tells Scott Simon that in his early years he listened to the likes of Elvis Presley and Pat Boone.

Samuel Ramey: Opera's Favorite Bad Guy

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Friday

Music News

A Bay-Area Billionaire's Annual Gift of Music

An unusual music festival begins in San Francisco Friday: The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass event features 60 bands playing on five stages, some of the biggest — and smallest — names in the genre. It's all a gift to the Bay Area from a music-loving native son.

A Bay-Area Billionaire's Annual Gift of Music

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Wednesday

Music News

Ray Sings and Basie Swings

A new album features the late Ray Charles playing with the Count Basie Orchestra, but Charles never actually recorded with the group. The tracks were mashed together by an audio engineer who used to play with Charles.

Ray Sings and Basie Swings

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