What makes something obsolete – and conversely, what makes it a classic? The very premise of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – the abduction of young women to care for the brothers, who were inspired by the rape of the Sabine women – keeps it off most stages these days. The King and I requires […]
They come reaching up to hold the hands of giants, wearing their best dresses and bunny costumes, watching and hearing their favorite bedtime story brought to life. These children probably aren’t aware, however, that when they come to see Goodnight Moon, they are taking part in one of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ […]
When someone says they love Jewish food, where does your mind go? Bagels, matzah ball soup, lox – these are all part of Jewish cuisine, but a very specific one, channeled from Eastern Europe through New York City. Those dishes belong to the Ashkenazi Jewish culture; Jewish foods from North Africa, parts of the Middle […]
In 1959, the acclaimed Billy Wilder directed Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in the raucous caper of two men who, having witnessed a mob hit, take cover by posing as women in a traveling Jazz Age band. (Curtis came to Denver in 2002, starring in a different musical adaptation of the movie.) Sixty-three years later, […]
Hinduism, Catholicism, and Islam are three of the world’s most populous and ancient religions. They are frequently seen as being at odds with one another, and wars have been fought for more than a millennium among them. Oppression and persecution by religious majorities still take place, but the play Life of Pi offers another possibility, […]
As the saying goes, “If you can see it, you can be it.” In popular culture, women have been portrayed as presidents, cabinet members, and corporate executives, and those portrayals have had an influence, even if they have not yet led to the top American prize. The founding of the film industry coincided with the […]
Standing in the pastel-blue living room, hair in some incongruous “Broadway” style, an 8-year-old sings “Home,” wistfully crooning in her best Stephanie Mills style. Three years later, she and her friends choreograph a dizzying, spinning version of “Tornado” for the school dance show. That little white girl? She loved The Wiz, but she had no […]
We have a lot to thank the printing press for: the spread of knowledge in the Renaissance; the force of political movements, including the U.S. Revolution, through the dissemination of political pamphlets; the spread of Protestantism; and Gutenberg! The Musical!, the musical comedy running at the Garner Galleria Theatre through May 4. Johannes Gutenberg’s 1455 […]
The life of Pi has been long and fruitful, although full of challenges for the title character. The peregrinations of Piscine Molitor Patel began with the best-selling 2001 novel by Canadian author Yann Martel, continuing 11 years later with the Ang Lee film, which won four Academy Awards. In 2023, it moved to Broadway in […]
It’s been 25 years since Jerry Lewis, appearing in Aspen at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, made headlines with his statement that women aren’t funny. “I, as a viewer, have trouble with it,” he said at the time. “I think of her as a producing machine that brings babies in the world.” Revenge is a […]