Reading and Roaming
UPSTATE NEW YORK MYSTERY Hid from Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming My favorite mystery writers include Elizabeth George, Deborah Crombie, and Jacqueline Winspear, but I think Julia Spencer-Fleming is my most favorite. Her mystery novels are so much more than crime procedurals and almost always insert a contemporary social issue into the mix. Clare Fergusson is an Episcopal …
Continue reading “At Home: Reading & Viewing”
ON STAGE The Sound of Music You’ve probably seen at least one stage production of The Sound of Music or the movie starring Julie Andrews, but did you pay attention to the year and the context? I don’t think I did until we saw the superb performance at the Asolo Theater. This is a darker, more nuanced play and …
Continue reading “Tidy Tidbits: Culture Notes”
BIG SCREEN Judy The Chief Penguin stated it succinctly: this is a movie about pain. And it’s exquisitely wrought pain. You know it will not end well, but you remain fixated on those smoky dark eyes and the pouty red lips. Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland is brilliant. She captures all the physical twitchiness of an addict while her expressive …
Continue reading “Tidy Tidbits: Judy and Crime”
Gripping Theater King Lear with Glenda Jackson and Ruth Wilson We saw Glenda Jackson last spring in Three Tall Women and were keen to see her again, this time as the irascible domineering king. Sam Gold’s production is not a traditional one and there is nothing staid about it. With modern day costumes and guns instead of swords, …
Continue reading “Manhattan Moments: Stage, Page & Plate”
