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

Performing Arts

Thursday

Audra McDonald: Say Yes To Yourself

Audra McDonald. Michael Wilson/Courtesy of Nonesuch Records hide caption

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Michael Wilson/Courtesy of Nonesuch Records

Wisdom Watch

Audra McDonald: Say Yes To Yourself

Audra McDonald has been dazzling audiences for more than a decade with her stunning soprano voice. She has won Grammy and Tony awards, and has starred in stage classics and the TV drama Private Practice. She's now part of a controversial new interpretation of Gershwin's American opera, Porgy & Bess. She speaks with Michel Martin about her latest show and upcoming concert tour.

Audra McDonald: Say Yes To Yourself

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Wednesday

Bill T. Jones Takes Broadway Hit 'Fela!' On Tour

Catherine Foster, Sahr Ngaujah and Nicole de Weever perform Bill T. Jones' choreography in Fela! Monique Carboni hide caption

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Monique Carboni

Bill T. Jones Takes Broadway Hit 'Fela!' On Tour

Award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones joins NPR's Neal Conan to discuss Fela!, his hit musical about the life of Nigerian musician and human rights activist Fela Kuti. The show kicks off a national tour this month.

Bill T. Jones Takes Broadway Hit 'Fela!' On Tour

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Monday

Hal Holbrook On The Road To Becoming 'Mark Twain'

While actor Hal Holbrook is best known for his portrayal of Mark Twain, he has starred in scores of films and television programs. Ana Gilbert hide caption

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Ana Gilbert

Author Interviews

Hal Holbrook On The Road To Becoming 'Mark Twain'

Hal Holbrook is best known for his timeless portrayal of Mark Twain in the one-man show Mark Twain Tonight. But before becoming a beloved actor, he endured a painful childhood. In Harold: The Boy Who Became Mark Twain, Holbrook reflects on how he finally found his way.

Hal Holbrook On The Road To Becoming 'Mark Twain'

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Tuesday

'Angels In America,' 20 Years Later

Emma Thompson starred in HBO's adaptation of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America. Stephen Goldblatt/AP/HBO hide caption

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Stephen Goldblatt/AP/HBO

Theater

'Angels In America,' 20 Years Later

Twenty years ago, Angels in America made its world premiere on a stage in San Francisco. In the years since, the groundbreaking set of plays has been performed all over the world. They've been adapted for opera and television, and they've racked up numerous awards, including a Pulitzer Prize.

'Angels In America,' 20 Years Later

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'Porgy And Bess,' Adapted For Modern Times

The American Repertory Theater's production of Porgy and Bess emphasized musical theater over opera. Michael J. Lutch/Courtesy of the American Repertory Theater hide caption

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Michael J. Lutch/Courtesy of the American Repertory Theater

Review

Music

'Porgy And Bess,' Adapted For Modern Times

Fresh Air

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz just attended two productions of Porgy and Bess: an operatic performance at Tanglewood and a musical-theater version in Cambridge, Mass. He says it can work either way, "as long as Gershwin's great score remains its heart and soul."

'Porgy And Bess,' Adapted For Modern Times

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Monday

Broadway's 'Follies,' Sounding As Sumptuous As Ever

Dressy And Juicy: Jan Maxwell plays socialite and former showgirl Phyllis Rogers Stone, one of four deeply unhappy characters at the show's center. Joan Marcus hide caption

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Joan Marcus

Theater

Broadway's 'Follies,' Sounding As Sumptuous As Ever

Many Broadway revivals trim their budgets by downsizing the orchestra, but a new Follies features 28 musicians in the pit. Jeff Lunden speaks with orchestrator Jonathan Tunick about working on the Stephen Sondheim score, which evokes Broadway styles of the '20s, '30s and '40s — as well as the contemporary music of 1971.

Broadway's 'Follies,' Sounding As Sumptuous As Ever

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Saturday

A Son Confronts Moscone's 'Ghost' On Stage

In Ghost Light, a director deals with his father's death while staging a version of Hamlet. Jenny Graham/Oregon Shakespeare Festival hide caption

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Jenny Graham/Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Theater

A Son Confronts Moscone's 'Ghost' On Stage

Jonathan Moscone was 14 when his father, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, and city supervisor Harvey Milk were murdered. Milk became a gay rights icon, while the mayor remained largely a footnote in his story. The artistic director of the California Shakespeare Theater decided to change that.

A Son Confronts Moscone's 'Ghost' On Stage

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Monday

Tuesday

Legendary Motown Singer-Songwriter Dies

Recording artists Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson attend the Alvin Ailey Opening Night Gala Performance at the New York City Center in 2009. Ashford died from throat cancer Monday. He was 70 years old. Jason Kempin/Getty Images hide caption

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Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Obituaries

Legendary Motown Singer-Songwriter Dies

Nick Ashford passed away Monday after battling throat cancer. He was age 70. He and his wife Valerie Simpson wrote some of the most memorable R&B hits from the 1960's, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing."

Legendary Motown Singer-Songwriter Dies

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Thursday

Wendy Wasserstein, 'Lost' And Found

Wendy Wasserstein in 1985, beneath a poster for her play Isn't It Romantic. Wasserstein's plays examined the place where the upheaval witnessed by the baby boom generation met the demands of family and professional life. Ed Baily/AP hide caption

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Ed Baily/AP

Opinion

Theater

Wendy Wasserstein, 'Lost' And Found

The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning playwright wrote about the struggle by her generation to balance professional and family life. A new biography sheds light on the links between Wasserstein's life and the characters she created.

Wendy Wasserstein, 'Lost' And Found

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Saturday

Aziz Ansari: From Business School To Hollywood

Aziz Ansari, who stars in the new film 30 Minutes or Less, says his comedy is about life and personal anecdotes. Colin Patrick Smith hide caption

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Colin Patrick Smith

Movies

Aziz Ansari: From Business School To Hollywood

When the creators of NBC's hit sitcom The Office approached Aziz Ansari about a new mocumentary-style sitcom, the 25-year-old stand-up comedian said yes — even though he had no clue what the show was going to be about.

Aziz Ansari: From Business School To Hollywood

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Friday

Thursday

World Art Managers Find New Funding Models In D.C.

Kennedy Center fellow Reem Kassem recently used her Kennedy connections to help organize an outdoor arts festival in Alexandria, Egypt. Kennedy Center hide caption

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Kennedy Center

Culture

World Art Managers Find New Funding Models In D.C.

Cultural diplomacy usually comes in the form of a traveling art show or celebrity visit, but this summer the Kennedy Center is engaging in a deeper kind of diplomacy; a fellowship program that provides training for arts managers from around the world.

World Art Managers Find New Funding Models In D.C.

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Wednesday

A Flamenco Pilgrimage, In Pursuit Of Duende

Flamenco dancer Merche Esmeralda performs during a flamenco festival in Jerez, Spain, in 2006. Jose Luis Roca/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jose Luis Roca/AFP/Getty Images

Dance

A Flamenco Pilgrimage, In Pursuit Of Duende

For a 50-year-old American lawyer, mother and avid flamenco dancer, the moment of abandon that is the peak experience of the form was elusive. So she traveled to a festival in Jerez, Spain, to locate what flamenco's practitioners call duende.

A Flamenco Pilgrimage, In Pursuit Of Duende

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Despite Criticism, Oscar Nominee Proud Of 'The Help'

In Jackson, Mississippi in 1963, (left to right) Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), Minnie Jackson (Octavia Spencer) and Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) together take a risk that could have profound consequences for them all in DreamWork's drama, "The Help," based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett. Dale Robinette/DreamWorks hide caption

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Dale Robinette/DreamWorks

Movie Interviews

Despite Criticism, Oscar Nominee Proud Of 'The Help'

Viola Davis hesitated before agreeing to play a maid, but says her character rose above stereotypes and embodied struggles of Civil Rights-era Mississippi. The film follows African-Americans who become friends and develop a furtive writing project through which they defy social norms. Davis speaks with guest host Allison Keyes.

Despite Criticism, Oscar Nominee Proud Of 'The Help'

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