Performing Arts

A trio of illustrations from the cocktail book Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Ophelia, King Henry VIII and King Lear.

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Arts

Boozing With The Bard: How The Masses Find Common Ground With Shakespeare

2:49pm January 28, 2018

by Kristen Hartke

From a theater company where audiences drink along with the actors to a book of cocktails inspired by his plays, alcohol has long been "a great provoker" in making the Bard's work more relatable.

Dancers perform in Tabasco: A Burlesque Opera, a fiery show that makes its revival this week after being locked up for more than a century.

'Tabasco' Opera Makes Fiery Return in New Orleans

5:07pm January 25, 2018

by Daniella Cheslow

New Orleans conductor Paul Mauffray lifts the lid on a hot sauce opera that had been bottled up for a century. The show ran on Broadway in the late 1800s, and yes, it's about Tabasco.

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In the play The Homecoming Queen, Kelechi (played by Mfoniso Udofia) is a best-selling novelist who returns to her native village in Nigeria for the first time since leaving for the U.S. 15 years earlier.

New Play: For Nigerian Expat, Going Home Again Is A Real Trip

2:15pm January 24, 2018

by Diane Cole

We talk to the author of The Homecoming Queen, which opened in New York this week. Like the character in her play, Ngozi Anyanwu knows what it's like to live in two very different cultures.

The Golden Globes And #MeToo

8:06am January 07, 2018

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Vanity Fair's Hollywood reporter Rebecca Keegan about what to expect at Sunday's Golden Globes as actors and actresses prepare to address the #MeToo movement.

Peter Martins Leaves New York City Ballet Amid Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct

4:14pm January 02, 2018

by Jeff Lunden

In a letter to the New York City Ballet, Peter Martins announced he has decided to retire as its artistic director and head of its school. The announcement follows allegations from current and former dancers of sexual misconduct and physical abuse.

Ballet Master Retires Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe

5:39am January 02, 2018

by Doreen McCallister

In his letter to the board of the New York City Ballet, Peter Martins, 71, continued to deny he sexually harassed or abused members of the company. He had been on a leave of absence since last month.

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.

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

9:05pm December 30, 2017

by Jeff Lunden

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.

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Arts

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

2:13pm December 26, 2017

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.

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Arts

Illustrator Maira Kalman Moving To The Stage With Choreographer John Heginbotham

9:30am December 26, 2017

by Jill Kaufman

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.

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

Arts

'The Nutcracker' With An Alaskan Twist

8:11am December 23, 2017

by Emily Kwong

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.