Biting humor: If you’ve been binge-watching TV over the last eight months (and really, who hasn’t?), you probably have a “Fleabag” story. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s clever, outrageous, sex comedy-drama had everyone talking about their own relatable experiences when it jumped from an award-winning one-woman play in London to an Emmy-sweeping Amazon Prime series in 2019. See the […]
Wheeling and dealing: It’s a time of economic desperation in post-World War II Rome as Antonio Ricci sets out on his bicycle to begin a job that will offer some financial relief for his family of four. But when his back is turned, the bicycle is stolen—and Ricci’s hopes along with it. Fortunately, he does […]
Stepping back: It’s been 25 years since Riverdance busted Irish dancing out of a Dublin arena and hooked the world into its Vegas-style showcase of step dancing to infectious Celtic rhythms. Filmed in February 2020, Riverdance in HD brings us back to that pre-masked time when arm-in-arm high kicks were taken for granted, and sweaty spins […]
Show going: Do you miss the excitement of watching a story unfold on the big screen? A sense of communion with fellow audience members? The iconic concessions? With new releases on hold, the Paramount is bringing some classics back to the theater, starting with Christopher Guest’s riotous [...]
Remember live music? Us, too. There’s reason to be extra grateful for recorded music right now (and for all the artists streaming sets into our living rooms), but it’s not the same as packing into a whatever-sized room with a bunch of other people to hear some tunes played just for you. [...]
Art of war: Austrian composer Alban Berg drew inspiration for his apocalyptic opera Wozzeck (Met Live in HD broadcast), when he attended a production of the drama Woyzeck, a German play left incomplete by Georg Büchner at his death. Berg constructed his libretto for the production while on [...]
Kingdom of frenemies: Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench star in The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s tragicomedy in which King Leontes appears to have everything, but his jealousy sets in motion a series of tragic consequences. Originally broadcast in November 2015, the play is co-directed by [...]
Colorful spins: Nut cho ordinary take on the classical holiday tradition, Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker is a fantastic visual extravaganza that uses puppetry from around the globe, including Russia, the Czech Republic, and South America. Dubbed the Gift of Christmas tour, the show [...]
Ancient outlier: Phillip Glass’ mystical, trance-like opera Akhnaten transcends time to explore the life and psyche of the 13th-century B.C. pharaoh of ancient Egypt. The Met Live in HD’s premiere illuminates the fundamental ways that Akhnaten tried to change the way his people thought about [...]
Mudslinging fun: Back in July, animated anthropomorphic British icon Peppa Pig got into a friendly Twitter takedown with rapper/model Iggy Azalea. When Peppa announced that she’d be dropping My First Album on the same release date as Azalea’s latest, the Aussie singer at-replied, “It’s over for [...]
Humor mill: Stand-up comedian Tom Segura dishes out deadpan takes on everything from family matters—the key to marriage is “intimidation and fear;” his “stupid cousin” wants to invent a way to drive his car with a cell phone—to getting older and “confusing words like conscious and conscience.” [...]
Full force: Over three days, the original Star Wars trilogy—A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi—can be seen in its wide-screen glory. George Lucas launched a cultural phenomenon through the journeys of Luke Skywalker, from peasant to rebel leader; Princess Leia, from [...]
Great Knight: Seven-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Gladys Knight is a legend who has been scoring R&B hits since the ‘60s with the Pips. Often referred to as “The Empress of Soul,” she’s touring her ubiquitous songs like “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “I Heard [...]
Crossing the pond: Small Island, Andrea Levy’s prize-winning novel, brought to the stage at London’s National Theatre, traces the stories of three people in post-war Britain, all trying to reinvent themselves. Hortense and Gilbert are Jamaicans moving to the U.K. with hopes of a new life, and [...]
“Something happened here that wasn’t happening any place else,” says Bruce Springsteen in the film Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock ‘N Roll. “And that mattered.” The newly released rock doc looks at the origins of the significant music scene, dubbed the Songs of Asbury Park, in the New [...]
Get the thrill of an outdoor adventure while staying warm and comfy at the BANFF Mountain Film Festival. Filmed in spectacular locations around the planet, BANFF’s lineup of impossible climbs, extreme bike rides, dramatic free falls, and environmental eye-openers, which range from five to 45 [...]
London’s National Theatre Live broadcasts I’m Not Running, a new play from critically acclaimed playwright David Hare. The drama centers around Pauline Gibson (Siân Brooke, right), a doctor turned politician who has her life turned upside down after a run-in with a stalwart loyalist of the [...]
Shakespeare’s tragedies are mercilessly disastrous, but Antony and Cleopatra elevates callousness with political intrigue and brutal battles for power. Caught between two war-torn empires, a Roman general (Ralph Fiennes), and the Queen of Egypt (Sophie Okonedo) find love against the odds—then [...]
When Rufus Wainwright’s second album, Poses, came out in 2001, the singer-songwriter extraordinaire was in the throes of critical adoration, collecting awards and accolades, but lacking commercial success and struggling with addiction. Good pal Elton John helped him into rehab, and Wainwright [...]
When it comes to magic, card tricks, rabbits tucked away in top hats, and halved assistants are all icons of the trade—but how about a reveal of winning lottery numbers? Mike Super’s unconventional approach to the art form reaches new heights with his latest crowd stunners. The only magician in [...]
When New York-based comedian and actress Ashley Gavin met Jerry Seinfeld, she asked him when he last bombed a show. Seinfeld’s answer? “At a party last New Year’s Eve.” “I bombed a show last week. Everybody bombs,” Gavin says. “People think it stops happening.” She feels less likely to fall [...]
What’s so unusual about an American hip-hop duo that has shared stages with Kanye West, Aerosmith, and Tom Petty, and collaborated with Wu-Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean, and Alicia Keys? It’s that Kev Marcus plays the violin and Wil B. plays the viola. Performing as Black Violin, the pair defines the [...]
“Half of the people are stoned / and the other half are waiting for the next election. / Half the people are drowned / and the other half are swimming in the wrong direction.” This quatrain may bring a contemporary alternative-rock song or spoken-word critique on the political climate to mind, [...]