Performing Arts

HBO Documentary Explores Dark Underbelly Of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet

6:07pm December 21, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was rocked following the 2013 acid attack on the company's artistic director. A new documentary airing Monday on HBO, Bolshoi Babylon, looks at the culture of the company and how things got to that point. NPR explores how the paranoia and distrust of management within the ranks of the company is both very Russian and a symbol of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Arts

Back On Broadway: 'The Color Purple'

7:47am December 12, 2015

Cynthia Erivo stars on Broadway as Celie in The Color Purple. She talks with NPR's Scott Simon about the production, and revisits one of the first songs she sang for an audience: Silent Night.

Season 2 of Amazon's Transparent begins with Maura Pfefferman (played by Jeffrey Tambor) and her ex-wife, Shelly, attending their eldest daughter's wedding.

Arts

'Transparent' Is Transfixing In Season 2

5:57pm December 08, 2015

by Eric Deggans

The acclaimed Amazon show about a transgender woman and her dysfunctional family has just returned for a second season. TV critic Eric Deggans praises the show's drama, nuance and complexity.

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Science
Arts

How What Makes You Laugh (And Cringe) Reveals Your Hidden Biases

12:04am December 08, 2015

by NPR Staff

This week on Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam looks at what we find funny and what, well, crosses the line. Comedian Bill Burr joins us to talk about why race, gender and Caitlin Jenner can be so funny.

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Alex Brightman stars as Dewey Finn — a rocker turned substitute teacher — in the musical adaptation of School of Rock.

Arts

Andrew Lloyd Webber Says Music Empowers In 'School Of Rock'

6:59pm December 07, 2015

by Jeff Lunden

The composer teamed up with Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, to create the new rock musical adaptation of the 2003 movie.

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Arts

Anna Deavere Smith Wants Playgoers To Do What They Can To Counter Violence

5:45am December 07, 2015

by Michele Norris

Through powerful monologues, Anna Deavere Smith has tackled race riots, integration and health care. In Notes from the Field, she's using her characters to explore the school-to-prison pipeline.

Arts

New Exhibit Remembers Shakespeare's Silent Soirée

7:57am December 05, 2015

Forget the Merry Wives of Windsor, NPR's Scott Simon recalls a time when Shakespeare spent the night with a groupie.

Griffin Matthews stars in Invisible Thread, a semi-autobiographical musical he co-wrote with his partner, Matt Gould.

Arts

'Invisible Thread' Is More Than A Musical About Uganda

6:24pm December 02, 2015

by Jeff Lunden

Based on co-writer Griffin Matthews' experiences in the country, Invisible Thread explores the connection between an American gay couple and a group of Ugandan orphans.

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Arts

Boston Museum Exhibit Celebrates Legacy Of Black Mountain College

7:22pm December 01, 2015

by Andrea Shea

Black Mountain College was only open for 24 years, but it helped foment the work of several artists, musicians, dancers and filmmakers, including John Cage, Merce Cunningham and Cy Twombly. Now it's the subject of the first major museum retrospective at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art.

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Though the Roundabout Theatre can only pay regional theater rates it's attracted stars like Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Jessica Lange, Jason Robards, Liev Schreiber, and others. Above, Clive Owen and Kelly Reilly star as Deeley and Kate in the Rounda

Arts

Nonprofit Roundabout Is A Regional Theater Right On Broadway

6:14am November 28, 2015

by Jeff Lunden

For 50 years the Roundabout has survived by presenting revivals of plays and musicals that other theaters won't. Though rates are meager, it still manages to attract major stars for its productions.