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

Performing Arts

Friday

Remembering Master Magician And Sleight-Of-Hand Artist Ricky Jay

Fresh Air

Jay, who died Sunday, was an avid scholar of con games and could make cards disappear and reappear in ways that seemed impossible. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1987, 1998 and 2002.

Remembering Master Magician And Sleight-Of-Hand Artist Ricky Jay

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Monday

Thursday

'Girl': Belgian Drama About A Young Trans Ballet Student Is On Point

Lara (Victor Polster) is impatient to become the girl she knows herself to be, in Lukas Dhont's Girl. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Movie Reviews

'Girl': Belgian Drama About A Young Trans Ballet Student Is On Point

A precise performance from young Victor Polster grounds this closely observed tale of Lara, a trans girl impatient with the process of transition.

'Girl': Belgian Drama About A Young Trans Ballet Student Is On Point

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Wednesday

'King Kong' On Broadway Is The 2,400-Pound Gorilla In The Room

The new Broadway adaptation of King Kong features a giant puppet which requires 15 people to operate. Joan Marcus hide caption

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Joan Marcus

Theater

'King Kong' On Broadway Is The 2,400-Pound Gorilla In The Room

In a new $35 million musical, the star attraction is 20 feet tall and requires 15 people to operate. He's an engineering marvel — and also basically a giant monkey puppet.

'King Kong' On Broadway Is The 2,400-Pound Gorilla In The Room

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Saturday

She's Mom To A Headstrong Teen — Who Happens To Be Joan Of Arc

Glenn Close plays Isabelle (right), the mother of Joan of Arc (left, played by Grace van Patten), in the play Mother of the Maid. Joan Marcus/Public Theater hide caption

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Joan Marcus/Public Theater

Theater

She's Mom To A Headstrong Teen — Who Happens To Be Joan Of Arc

In Mother of the Maid, Glenn Close returns to the New York stage to portray a 15th-century peasant woman with a remarkable adolescent daughter she loves — and can't protect.

She's Mom To A Headstrong Teen — Who Happens To Be Joan Of Arc

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Monday

The Rise Of The LA Philharmonic To 'America's Most Important Orchestra'

The site-specific art installation called "WDCH Dreams" by media artist Refik Anadol is projected onto the undulating stainless steel facade of the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall in Sept. 2018 in Los Angeles. ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Deceptive Cadence

The Rise Of The LA Philharmonic To 'America's Most Important Orchestra'

The Los Angeles Philharmonic, which begins to mark its centennial this fall, is credited with helping to bring high culture and great composers to L.A.

The Rise Of The LA Philharmonic To 'America's Most Important Orchestra'

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Friday

Dance

From Injury To Recovery, A Ballet Dancer Fought To Retire On Her Own Terms

Fresh Air

Restless Creature, now available on Netflix, chronicles Wendy Whelan's recovery from hip surgery and her final performance with the New York City Ballet. Originally broadcast July 10, 2017.

From Injury To Recovery, A Ballet Dancer Fought To Retire On Her Own Terms

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Saturday

At 94, Mike Nussbaum Is The Oldest Working Stage Actor In Show Biz

In Curve of Departure, Mike Nussbaum portrays a grandfather who is confronting loss and decline. Michael Brosilow hide caption

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Michael Brosilow

Theater

At 94, Mike Nussbaum Is The Oldest Working Stage Actor In Show Biz

At 94, Mike Nussbaum is reportedly the oldest working stage actor in the country. He is currently starring in a play at the Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Ill.

At 94, Mike Nussbaum Is The Oldest Working Stage Actor In Show Biz

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A Top Impressionist, Melissa Villaseñor Is Finding Her Own Voice On 'SNL'

Melissa Villaseñor's talent for impersonation has helped to earn her appearances on Saturday Night Live, like this sketch from April 2018. She joins the show as a full cast member this fall. Alison Hale/NBC hide caption

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Alison Hale/NBC

Television

A Top Impressionist, Melissa Villaseñor Is Finding Her Own Voice On 'SNL'

She's known for celebrity imitations: Hillary Clinton and Owen Wilson, Jennifer Lopez and Bjork, and so on. Now, as she joins Saturday Night Live's full cast, she's learning what else she can do.

A Top Impressionist, Melissa Villaseñor Is Finding Her Own Voice On 'SNL'

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Monday

New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Struggle To Find Their Way

New York Philharmonic music director Jaap van Zweden performs at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center on Sept. 20, 2018 in New York City. Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Deceptive Cadence

New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Struggle To Find Their Way

The New York Philharmonic launches its season with a new music director and executive director. The Metropolitan Opera's season starts with a young music director.

New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Struggle To Find Their Way

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Saturday

Ex-Sawdust Factory Is Transformed Into A NYC Musical Venue

National Sawdust is aiming to be the kind of institution that can do what the Metropolitan Opera or the New York Philharmonic does for mainstream artists. Vicente Muñoz/National Sawdust hide caption

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Vicente Muñoz/National Sawdust

Music News

Ex-Sawdust Factory Is Transformed Into A NYC Musical Venue

The nonprofit located in Brooklyn functions as performance space, record label and artist incubator. Despite its small size, it has a foundation with a $450,000 fund to develop new work.

Ex-Sawdust Factory Is Transformed Into A NYC Musical Venue

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Tuesday

Broadway Is About To 'Be More Chill'

In the current production of Be More Chill, an unpopular high school student named Jeremy (played by Will Roland, center) swallows a pill (which is actually a microcomputer) in order to be more, well, chill. The show moves to Broadway in early 2019. Maria Baranova/Courtesy of Be More Chill hide caption

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Maria Baranova/Courtesy of Be More Chill

Theater

Broadway Is About To 'Be More Chill'

The high-school sci-fi musical got middling reviews when it premiered in New Jersey. Then teenagers on social media got a hold of it.

Broadway Is About To 'Be More Chill'

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Saturday

Foreign Actors On Mexico's Theater Stage Stir Resentment Behind The Scenes

A performance at the Metropolitan Theatrical awards in Mexico City. Gilda Villareal hide caption

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Gilda Villareal

Foreign Actors On Mexico's Theater Stage Stir Resentment Behind The Scenes

Mexico's immigration battle with the U.S. plays out in the news daily, but a more subtle tension over cultural identity took center stage this week: foreigners taking leading roles in Mexican theater.

Foreign Actors On Mexico's Theater Stage Stir Resentment Behind The Scenes

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Friday

Dance

'Fresh Air' Remembers Choreographer Paul Taylor

Fresh Air

Taylor, who died Wednesday, began dancing when he was 22 and worked with some of the world's most renowned choreographers before establishing his own dance troupe. Originally broadcast in 1987.

'Fresh Air' Remembers Choreographer Paul Taylor

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