Soul Music: Elīna Garanča at The Broad Stage, “A Walk in the Woods,” and “Grail Project”

"I was a child when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. The moon landing wasn’t a socialist conspiracy to demonstrate the enobling power of a federal program. It wasn’t some partisan circus. It was a breathtaking, inspiring accomplishment, and a fact we could all agree on, reported by a universally trusted CBS anchorman named Walter Cronkite, long before the mainstream media became the 'enemy of the people.'" -- BY STEVEN LEIGH MORRIS

Continue ReadingSoul Music: Elīna Garanča at The Broad Stage, “A Walk in the Woods,” and “Grail Project”

A Letter from Neil Simon: Reflections on Brendan Hunt’s “The Art Couple”

"In Hunt’s fiction, Simon runs into an aspiring playwright and busboy name Steve (Sam) Shepard, in a 1964 East Village bar. Shepard has much the same complaint with Neil Simon, about evading versus confronting pain. 'The Art Couple'’s conceit is that the two writers latch on to each other, and with Simon’s very reluctant and temporary consent, agree to collaborate on a new play, The Odd Couple, that Simon is wrestling with." -- BY STEVEN LEIGH MORRIS

Continue ReadingA Letter from Neil Simon: Reflections on Brendan Hunt’s “The Art Couple”