100 Years Later, Martha Graham Remains the Gold Standard of Contemporary Dance

Cast of Martha Graham Dance Company

Martha Graham Dance Company’ — Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston at Emerson Cutler Majestic. Run has ended.

By Shelley A. Sackett

The last time I saw a Martha Graham piece performed was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in October 2023, when I had the random good fortune to attend its exhibition, Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s. As part of that exhibit, dancers from the Martha Graham Dance Company staged some of Graham’s most powerful ’30s solos in galleries throughout the museum.

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BLO’s ‘Barber of Seville’ a Comic and Musical Gem

 

by Mike Hoban

 

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE – Music by Gioacchino Rossini; Libretto by Cesare Sterbini; Sung in Italian with English surtitles; Conductor David Angus; Stage Director Rosetta Cucchi; Set Designer Julia Noulin-Mérat; Costume Designer Gianluca Falaschi; Lighting Designer DM Wood. Presented by the Boston Lyric Opera at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater, 219 Tremont St., Boston through October 21

 

As I have stated in my previous reviews of opera, the extent of my experience with the form until this past spring has been limited to viewings of the Warner Bros. classic, “What’s Opera Doc”. And while that may disqualify me from having an informed opinion on the operatic qualities of the Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, I can say unequivocally that from a pure entertainment standpoint, Barber is a blast. From the opening strains of the overture (which should be instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever listened to classical music or, quite frankly, ever watched television in the previous century) to the joyful marriage of Rosina and Count Almaviva where EVERYBODY wins – even the ‘bad” guys – BLO’s ‘Barber’ is a comic and musical joy.

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‘BORN FOR THIS’ Raises Hopes and Spirit

BOX INFO: ArtsEmerson presents the New England premiere of new musical “Born for This,” based on the true story of BeBe Winans, through July 15: Tuesdays-Thursdays, excluding July 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2,8 p.m.; Sundays 2,7 p.m. Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater, 219 Tremont St., Boston.$20-$80, prices subject to change; senior, student, group, package discounts. ArtsEmerson.org, 617-824-8400.

 

Hey, you sinners and believers, get ready to shout, sing, clap those hands and rejoice with hallelujahs and hosannas at new musical “Born for This.” A high-powered, stellar, spectacular, 20-strong member cast of well-known Broadway, national and international fame drives this vibrant two-act, two-hour production. Because the play began had its infancy in Boston in 2013 and 2014, Mayor Thomas J. Walsh declared its official opening this year, June 22, as Boston’s “Born for This” Day.  The show’s last day is July 15, so grab the kids, and don’t miss this inspirational story of reaching for the stars and achieving it.

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