Death Tax
In the United States, the issue of death tax (euphemistically termed estate tax by the government) became a political football in 2010. Four billionaires died that year, which just happened…
Ivan the Terrible: A Cinematic Masterpiece
In the 1930s Paul Sethe, Nazi-appointed editor of the Frankfurter Zeitung newspaper, wrote a review of a book on Ivan the Terrible. A recent book by Berghahn claims it was…
A Timeline of Detroit
The city of Detroit has certainly not fared well of late, but this book by Paul Vachon takes the long view, starting as it does a million years ago when…
Immortal Longings
“I wasn’t in the theatre last night, I was on Mt. Parnassus.” This elevating line from Terrence McNally’s latest play, Immortal Longings, sums up the experience nicely. Mt. Parnassus towers…
Van Gogh in Houston
Several images come to mind when one thinks of Van Gogh, especially sunflowers, and starry night scenes. The current exhibit of 50 of his works at the Museum of Fine…
WILL: Thou Star of Poets
The Book of Will was developed at the Colorado New Play Summit, and commissioned in 2016 by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. In 2018 it won the best…
EVITA
It is hard to believe it’s been 41 years since the musical Evita hit the stage. That was in London, with Broadway quickly following in 1979, and the equally iconic…
Oedipus the Tyrant
Some 2,450 years ago Sophocles wrote Oedipus the Tyrant, the first of three Theban plays that portray the story of Oedipus. A modern retelling of this play is currently being…
Parallel Lives
If you liked Helen Reddy you will really enjoy Parallel Lives. If you don’t know who Helen Reddy is, you probably won’t appreciate most of the comedy in this play…
McNally’s Lost Generation
Terrence McNally is arguably one of the top three playwrights in the United States. His latest work, Fire and Air, will receive its world premiere here in Austin at the…