Book Reviews – SUN NEWS AUSTIN

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The Threat of Radicalism

August 8, 2018 Cliff 0

This book, which has a message for society today, focuses on the political culture of England in the 1790s, particularly as it pertains to popular radicalism. Born to a great extent in the revolutions in […]

Persianism in Antiquity

March 11, 2018 Cliff 0

This large book seeks to explore the whole concept of what Persia is, and what it meant, both in antiquity and more recent times. At the time the book was published in 2017 I attended […]

Milton and The Law

February 28, 2018 Cliff 0

“My claim is that if we read Paradise Lost on the lookout for its moments of incertitude and divine impenetrability, we can miss the ways in which law helps to create rational order and stability.” […]

Christmas at the LBJ White House

December 26, 2017 2

President Johnson and his family did not usually celebrate Christmas at the White House, but his wife Lady Bird persuaded him to do so in 1967. The charm of that event is currently on view [...]
Peter Noone

January 14, 2019 2

For a rollicking good time, there is nothing better than a Herman’s Hermits concert. The carefree persona of lead singer Peter Noone, an original member of the band from 1964, has remained constant for 55 [...]
Fleisher plays Mozart

January 12, 2019 2

Sharing the stage with a titan of music, the Austin Symphony this weekend welcomed pianist Leon Fleisher into its midst to play Mozart’s piano concerto no. 12. Now 90 years old, Fleisher was dubbed “the [...]

Copenhagen: A Wild Improbability

April 12, 2019 0

This play about physics is, to use words uttered within the play itself, “a wild improbability.” Written by Michael Frayn, Copenhagen premiered in London in 1998. The Broadway opening in 2000 was crowned with success, [...]
Matilda the Musical

April 8, 2019 0

Imagine being assaulted on all sides by horrific parents in the evening and a sadistic school headmistress during the day. Then imagine acting out all of the abuse on stage, and calling it a children’s [...]
Parlour Game of Infidelity

April 4, 2019 0

English farce is a highly respected art form, but the play Don’t Dress for Dinner presents it with a twist of lemon: it was originally written for the French theatre. This English language adaptation of [...]
Grim Indeed

April 1, 2019 0

Even when the first volumes of Grimms’ Fairy Tales were published in the early 19th century they were not regarded as suitable for children, even though they were entitled “children’s tales.” As Ballet Austin artistic [...]
The Johnny Appleseed of Fraud

March 24, 2019 0

The play is all about fraud, and fantastic as it may seem, it’s based on the real-life tale of a young guy named Frank. Being performed now at the Georgetown Palace Theatre, Catch Me If [...]