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Art Needs Faith

Tis the season of “The Artist”: On screen, in print, and on stage, the man of the hour is the creative genius, the absolutist, the martyr, the suffering sinner redeemed only when he gives himself away, lovingly and without reservations, to his art. Just ask Hollywood, which is all aflutter at . . . . Continue Reading »

Escape from Irony

Are you religious?” alcoholic rich kid Jay asks high-achieving Ellie. “Spiritual,” she ­replies. JAY: So you go to yoga twice a week—? ELLIE: Essentially. JAY: Yeah see that’s garbage. ELLIE: It’s better than nothing. JAY: No, it is nothing. ELLIE: Probably. Matthew Gasda, in whose . . . . Continue Reading »

There’s No Place for Us

In 1947, the three most exciting Jews in American entertainment got together to plan their first collaboration. Jerome Robbins had struck Broadway box office gold with On the Town three years earlier. The same show proved that Leonard ­Bernstein was as skilled at writing a catchy tune as . . . . Continue Reading »

Sondheim’s Cynicism

When Stephen Sondheim died in late November at ninety-one, the eulogies, tributes, and bouquets from critics and ­tastemakers were entirely expected. The Broadway composer and lyricist left the Earth having earned multiple Tonys and Grammys, a Pulitzer Prize, an Oscar, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a . . . . Continue Reading »

Sincerely, Rodgers & Hammerstein

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who comprised the most consequential partnership in the history of American musical theater, were brought together by chance. It happened in the early 1940s, when each on his own cottoned to the idea of adapting the play Green Grow the Lilacs into . . . . Continue Reading »

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