Bøger af William J Cataldi

Sex and God and Other Essays explores the bipolar tension of base and

As I write this, the Pandemic is the single most discussed issue in the world and I simply can't discuss it again. It's already clearhow (and how much) it impacted the performing arts. Our hyperactive culture screeched to a halt, leaving creatives of all sortsstuck at home in front of their computers, brain cells twitching, inexorably coaxing a substantial new art form into existence.That did happen, in spite of the misery, pain, chaos and death that marked 2020 as a year few of us want to remember.Until the beginning of March, it looked like an ordinary year. The Prototype, Exponential, Insight.Alt, and Frigid Festivals were already festive. Broadway bound Romeo & Bernadette had thrilled us with an incredible score based on 18th-Century Italian art song. The great Len Cariou, and Tony Award winner Judy McLane reminded us that age has no meaning where a great artist is concerned, then everything just stopped.But, not for long. Zoom came out of the closet almost immediately. Basically, software for business meetings, it was cheap and easy to use and it gave New York artists a reach extending far beyond the con nes of their city. The rst few works were somewhat awkward; entertaining but clumsy. Then, the remarkable Kamala Sankaram, a composer of enormous potential, in cooperation with the HERE Arts Center and its superb technical team, created The Zoom Opera, and the medium has been improving ever since. Reviews on thirty-five Zoom works can be found inside, along with twenty-four new plays seen onstage in January and February. They provide a clear picture of artists adapting to the demands of almost universal isolation. If you love the theater and its development, this book is for you.

Hundreds of plays are being performed Off- and Off-Off-Broadway every day. 2019 saw the rise of #MeToo, with new female scenarios focusing on discrimination and abuse. We caught up on Shakespeare with Richard III, Hamlet, Macbeth, Measure for Measure, and an all-female Troilus and Cressida. We were thrilled by the Greeks, with new operas based on Oedipus Rex and The Bacchae, including the fascinating Comedian's Tragedy, a new play in the Grecian style exploring Aristophanes' mid-life crisis. Aaron Posner, Max Wellman, and Neil LaBute, brilliant modern authors were honored in festivals, as were the greats Tennesee Williams and Arthur Miller. Musicals came out of the woodwork. Bat Out of Hell and Spring Awakening explored the versatility of Rock 'n Roll, with We Are the Tigers, I Spy a Spy, and the stunning Jilted to Perfection, offering a more orthodox approach. The incomparable Gilbert and Sullivan were still with us, reminding us how much our theatrical traditions owe to their genius. Add The Cradle WillRock, perhaps the most politically charged work in theatrical history, and the technologically advanced Looking at You, possibly the most remarkable musical produced all year, and you have a season of Independent Theater almost impossible to describe.Reviews on these works can be found inside, along with countless new plays and playwrights that deserve attention. We believe we've provided a clear picture of performance art that should be treasured. If you're interested in the theater, this book is for you.