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

Performing Arts

Saturday

The True Story Of A Spanish Royal And The Very High Voice That Healed Him

Mark Rylance (center) plays King Phillipe V in the new play Farinelli And The King. In this scene, opera star Iestyn Davies (left) plays the titular singer whose voice nurses the king back to health. Joan Marcus/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Joan Marcus/Courtesy of the artist

Deceptive Cadence

The True Story Of A Spanish Royal And The Very High Voice That Healed Him

The new Broadway musical drama Farinelli And The King tells the tale of the bipolar King Philippe V and the famous 18th-century operatic castrato whose singing nurses him back to health.

The True Story Of A Spanish Royal And The Very High Voice That Healed Him

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Tuesday

Theater

Lin-Manuel Miranda On Disney, Mixtapes And Why He Won't Try To Top 'Hamilton'

Fresh Air

Miranda says he doesn't feel the need to duplicate the success of Hamilton. "If you think in terms of topping, you're in the wrong business," he says. Originally broadcast Jan. 3, 2017.

Lin-Manuel Miranda On Disney, Mixtapes And Why He Won't Try To Top 'Hamilton'

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Monday

Art & Design

Illustrator Maira Kalman Moving To The Stage With Choreographer John Heginbotham

Kalman is collaborating on a stage work with choreographer John Heginbotham. The piece is based on The Principles of Uncertainty, and is all about living while knowing you're going to die.

Illustrator Maira Kalman Moving To The Stage With Choreographer John Heginbotham

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Saturday

'The Nutcracker' With An Alaskan Twist

Father Herring performs with dancers during Sitka's Nutcracker ballet in Alaska. BJordan hide caption

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BJordan

Dance

'The Nutcracker' With An Alaskan Twist

KCAW Service

In Sitka, the local production of The Nutrcracker is uniquely Alaskan. Father Herring replaces Mother Ginger; the Mosquito Queen reigns instead of the Mouse King.

'The Nutcracker' With An Alaskan Twist

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Saturday

A Play About Politics For (But Not About) The Age Of Trump

In Tracy Letts' new play The Minutes, a city council meeting takes a turn for the worse when a town's founding myth is questioned. Michael Brosilow/Courtesy of Steppenwolf Theatre Company hide caption

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Michael Brosilow/Courtesy of Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Theater

A Play About Politics For (But Not About) The Age Of Trump

The Minutes is a new drama by Tracy Letts, who won a Pulitzer and a Tony for August: Osage County. It's a dark comedy about a city council meeting — and a secret the town is hiding.

A Play About Politics For (But Not About) The Age Of Trump

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Sunday

Stories Of Syria's Uprising, And Its Backyard Funerals, In 'Gardens Speak'

In "Gardens Speak," visitors lie in graves 10 at a time, listening to recorded stories of those killed in the Syrian uprising. Tania El Khoury/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Tania El Khoury/Courtesy of the artist

Culture

Stories Of Syria's Uprising, And Its Backyard Funerals, In 'Gardens Speak'

In Miami Beach, visitors were lying down in freshly-dug graves 10 at a time. It was part of Tania El Khoury's interactive artwork, which tells the tales of people killed in Syria's civil war.

Stories Of Syria's Uprising, And Its Backyard Funerals, In 'Gardens Speak'

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Saturday

SpongeBob's Bikini Bottom On Broadway — And In Danger

Danny Skinner portrays Patrick Star and Ethan Slater is SpongeBob SquarePants in SpongeBob SquarePants, the musical. Joan Marcus/Courtesy of Boneau/Bryan-Brown hide caption

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Joan Marcus/Courtesy of Boneau/Bryan-Brown

SpongeBob's Bikini Bottom On Broadway — And In Danger

The SpongeBob SquarePants musical is directed by Tina Landau. Even in the face of a dangerous volcano, she says SpongeBob "really reminds us to experience each moment with joy."

SpongeBob's Bikini Bottom On Broadway — And In Danger

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Friday

Thursday

The Tree That Rocked The Music Industry

Cellos are lined up backstage at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra before a Nov. 8 rehearsal of Schubert's Ninth Symphony. The CITES Rosewood regulations have made some musicians apprehensive about taking instruments containing the wood across international borders. Meg Anderson/NPR hide caption

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Meg Anderson/NPR

Investigations

The Tree That Rocked The Music Industry

This year, new international regulations on rosewood have reverberated through the music industry, costing tens of millions in lost sales and extra administrative costs.

The Tree That Rocked The Music Industry

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Saturday

Like A War Movie, But 'On A Planet Of Teenage Girls'

In The Wolves, characters are known only by their jersey numbers. Playwright Sarah DeLappe says she wanted to portray them "not as daughters, not as girlfriends, not as sexual objects, but as athletes." Julieta Cervantes/Courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater hide caption

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Julieta Cervantes/Courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Theater

Like A War Movie, But 'On A Planet Of Teenage Girls'

Sarah DeLappe's play The Wolves, which opens in New York on Monday, follows an elite soccer team of young women as it prepares for its own battles.

Like A War Movie, But 'On A Planet Of Teenage Girls'

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Saturday

Broadway's 'The Band's Visit' Tells A Story Of Common Ground Between Cultures

Katrina Lenk's and Tony Shalhoub's characters have an almost-romance in The Band's Visit. Matthew Murphy/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Matthew Murphy/Courtesy of the artist

Music News

Broadway's 'The Band's Visit' Tells A Story Of Common Ground Between Cultures

Songwriter David Yazbek knew he wanted to write a musical that fused his two cultural backgrounds and avoid the tired stories about tribal conflict.

Broadway's 'The Band's Visit' Tells A Story Of Common Ground Between Cultures

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Tuesday

'Mindhunter' Actor Jonathan Groff On His Most Life-Altering Roles

Jonathan Groff plays an FBI agent and criminal profiler in the Netflix series Mindhunter. Patrick Harbron/Netflix hide caption

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Patrick Harbron/Netflix

Television

'Mindhunter' Actor Jonathan Groff On His Most Life-Altering Roles

Fresh Air

Groff says his work on HBO's Looking changed his life: "It's one of my favorite things I've worked on, the most personal thing I've worked on." He now stars in the Netflix series Mindhunter.

'Mindhunter' Actor Jonathan Groff On His Most Life-Altering Roles

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Sunday

Bold Experiment Turned Broadway Hit, 'Lion King' Continues To Thrill — And Heal

While in the film "Circle of Life" is sung by a voice off-screen, Rafiki takes on the opening number in the The Lion King musical. Joan Marcus hide caption

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Joan Marcus

Culture

Bold Experiment Turned Broadway Hit, 'Lion King' Continues To Thrill — And Heal

Director Julie Taymor took an unconventional tack in adapting the animated film for the big stage. Even 20 years on, she finds the musical's social themes evolve and resonate with audiences worldwide.

Bold Experiment Turned Broadway Hit, 'Lion King' Continues To Thrill — And Heal

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She Watched Bootleg Episodes Of Seinfeld, Now The Indonesian Comic Performs Stand-Up

Sakdiyah Ma'ruf is a comedian in Indonesia. Now she is breaking ground as a stand-up comedian who wears a hijab while openly mocking religious fundamentalists. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

Asia

She Watched Bootleg Episodes Of Seinfeld, Now The Indonesian Comic Performs Stand-Up

Sakdiyah Ma'ruf grew up watching bootleg videos of Roseanne Barr and Jerry Seinfeld. Now she is breaking ground as a stand-up comedian who wears a hijab while openly mocking religious fundamentalists.

She Watched Bootleg Episodes Of Seinfeld, Now The Indonesian Comic Performs Stand-Up

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Saturday

'People, Places & Things' Is A Clear-Eyed Look At Addiction

Denise Gough as Emma, an actress who goes into rehab after coming unhinged onstage, in People, Places & Things. Gough won an Olivier award for the role during the play's London run. Teddy Wolfe hide caption

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Teddy Wolfe

Theater

'People, Places & Things' Is A Clear-Eyed Look At Addiction

Irish playwright Duncan Macmillan's latest work follows an actress who goes into rehab after coming unhinged onstage. It's an unsentimental take on addiction and recovery that offers no easy answers.

'People, Places & Things' Is A Clear-Eyed Look At Addiction

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