Old Western Melodrama
When a melodrama opens with a marriage proposal, you know there will be dangerous shoals to navigate before it’s all over. In the case of Wake Up Napsville, the danger…
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has a long pedigree. The 1964 film Bedtime Story was remade in 1988 as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine. The stage musical, which…
The Lost Highway of Hank Williams Sr.
I have never been a fan of tribute concerts, mostly because I have seen nearly all of the original performers who are the inspiration for such things. Why pay to…
Moody Mansion in Galveston
This is the first in a series of articles about the Historic Homes of America. Many, such as the one we visit here, is a grand old mansion. Others, such…
Star Trek Improv Show in Austin
Phasers are set on stun in an improv show based on Star Trek, being performed now at the Hideout Theatre in Austin. Since each show is different, based on a…
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…