Performing Arts

Irish poet William Butler Yeats makes a recording for the radio. Scroll down to hear him read his poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." Culture Club/Getty Images hide caption

Andrew Stenson plays Pvt. Danny Chen in An American Soldier, a new opera about the hazing and death of the Chinese-American soldier from New York City. Sarah Tilotta/NPR hide caption

Wigs play an especially important role in the drama Casa Valentina. The play features Reed Birney (standing) as Charlotte, one of several male characters who spend their weekends dressing and living as women. Matthew Murphy hide caption

Allan Jones plays debonair leading man Gaylord Ravenal and Irene Dunne is the enchanting Magnolia in the 1936 film version of Show Boat, which has just been released on DVD. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution hide caption

Denzel Washington plays Walter Lee, the role played by Sidney Poitier in the 1959 Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun. Sophie Okonedo, known for her Academy Award nomination for Hotel Rwanda, plays Ruth Younger in her New York stage debut. Brigitte Lacombe hide caption

In the HBO adaptation of Larry Kramer's 1985 play, The Normal Heart, Mark Ruffalo (right) plays Ned Weeks, who begins to seek answers after he observes a mysterious disease claiming lives in his gay community. Joe Mantello plays a member of the AIDS service organization, Gay Men's Health Crisis. Jojo Whilden/HBO hide caption

Sammy Davis, Jr. holds daughter Tracey in a family picture taken in 1962. RatPac Press & Running Press (The Perseus Books Group) hide caption

With their matching blue wigs, the dancers in the Palm Springs Follies chorus (they're called the "long-legged lovelies") give a whole new meaning to the cliche "blue-haired old ladies." Ina Jaffe/NPR hide caption