Book Reviews
Diderot: Prose of the World
This book could have been subtitled The Many Faces of Diderot. Like the 1957 film Man of a Thousand Faces, even the world expert on Diderot, who authored this, can’t fully explain him. As editor […]
Month: December 2021
Book Reviews
The Story of Undersea Cables
In lively prose that transforms an otherwise dull subject into an exciting adventure story, Dr Bruce Hunt of the University of Texas in Austin has written a book on how undersea cables were developed in […]
Book Reviews
British Literature in 1,165 pages
There are several landmarks in the study of British/English literature. The latest of these is a 3-volume set published by Cambridge University Press. Covering the period 1557-1714 in an expansive 1,165 pages, a host of […]
Theatre Scene
Unexpected Joy
The musical dramady Unexpected Joy, currently playing at Ground Floor Theatre in Austin, is a delightful but flawed exploration of lesbian activism, fractured family and religious fundamentalism. “The entire creative team is female,” said playwright […]
Theatre Scene
An Actor’s Fraught Relationship with Christmas
“What is it about Christmas lights that brings your heart to life?” Bernadette Nason poses this rhetorical question in her one-woman play, Stealing Baby Jesus. The question arises in the second of four vignettes she […]
Theatre Scene
12 Dates of Christmas
The 12 days of Christmas become transformed in this one-woman monologue into The 12 Dates of Christmas. Mary, played by Lara Toner Haddock, makes a hash of the twin holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas in this […]
Book Reviews
Edgar Allan Poe and Science
The title of this book is very provocative; one must read the subtitle to realise it is actually about America’s great poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). More than just a biography, it relates how Poe […]
Music Scene
Pride Chorus Houston: A Stellar Christmas Concert
An inspired choice of rarely-heard musical numbers made the holiday outing of Houston’s gay and lesbian chorus a delight. It was held at historic Lambert Hall, built in 1927. In an interview for OutSmart magazine, […]
Music Scene
A Gay Austin Christmas
Don we now our gay apparel. Well, there were a few guys at the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus Christmas concert who were wearing gay apparel, but most looked like they just left the bar. Just […]
Theatre Scene
A Real Texas Christmas
Caprice is back! Fans of the Doublewide, Texas play performed in 2019 at Hill Country Community Theatre can never forget the irrepressible Caprice, played by Gabriele Grasmick. She has returned to fill this self-absorbed role […]