An Acerbic Teacher

September 27, 2016

Last week we lost the playwright Edward Albee, best known for his caustic views of marriage and family relationships, his …

Moneylenders and Merchants

August 1, 2016

Whenever an opportunity arises to see Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, I leap at it knowing that I will probably find …

January 20, 2016

In the newest revival of the beloved musical “Fiddler on the Roof”, currently running on Broadway, Tevye is played with …

October 21, 2015

In his 1693 treatise A Short View of Tragedy, the English critic Thomas Rymer famously distilled a lesson from Shakespeare’s …

September 16, 2015

Heightened anticipation often leads to disappointment. After purchasing tickets one full year in advance and traveling to London to see …

July 1, 2015

The figures of Romeo and Juliet are so iconic in western culture, and the notion of Shakespeare’s “star-cross’d” lovers so …

April 24, 2015

In classical Japanese painting there is a style of picture called “Whose Sleeves” (Tagasode), in which the painter depicts a …

July 24, 2014

The good fortune of being exposed to excellence in the arts makes one wonder what it is that takes a …

July 2, 2014

William Shakespeare’s plays have be re-interpreted in so many different media over so many centuries that it would be nearly …