The HAM in Hamlet
I asked one patron at the event what he thought of the play. “Hilarious, refreshing, surprising, life-affirming: highly recommended!” Another said “ribald, lascivious, explicit.” Let’s use those seven descriptions as…
The Truth about Machiavelli
This fascinating book represents the distillation of a lifetime of scholarly thought on Machiavelli. The author is Prof. Harvey C. Mansfield of Harvard University, the pre-eminent American political philosopher of…
GRAND HOTEL: The Musical
For those of you who have a vivid memory of 1932, you will recall the Academy award for Best Picture went to Grand Hotel. Produced by MGM, it was the…
‘Degenerate’ German Art at the Kimbell
An extraordinary loan of early 20th century art from the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin is now on view at the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth. This is actually the…
Madame Butterfly and a New Beginning for Austin Opera
The old war-horse Madame Butterfly was recently restaged by Austin Opera in a thoroughly enjoyable performance. Ever since its debut in 1904, it has become a canonical opera, likely seen…
Gay Men’s Chorus of Austin: A new level of professionalism
With the appointment of a new Artistic Director, and a new Executive Director, Austin Gay Men’s Chorus is stepping up to a new level of professionalism. They filled the stage…
Beautiful, Wonderful, Deep Mathematics
Image: Eratosthenes teaching in Alexandria “I would plead for more attention to the history of mathematics. It seems to me to be extremely desirable, if not actually indispensable, for entering…
Soundscapes & Steel Strings
Graham Reynolds’ “Mountain” LP Listening Party In the soundproofed sanctuary of The Equipment Room — a hidden audiophile’s paradise tucked inside downtown Austin’s M Hotel — composer, musician, bandleader, and…
Con Men, Couture, and Capitalism
Austin Playhouse’s production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, hits home. A shimmering French Riviera provides the backdrop for a tale that might seem like harmless musical comedy—until you start listening closely.…
What the Constitution Means to Me:
A Raw Reminder of How Far We Still Have to Go ZACH Theatre’s staging of What the Constitution Means to Me (April 16–May 11, 2025) is not simply a performance…