Discoveries: Arts and Culture

The playwrights need a mention for this one, especially:  sisters, Margaret and Allison Engel, both with careers in journalism.  Allison is a media rep at USC her alma mater and Margaret runs the prestigious Alicia Patterson Foundation in Washington, DC. Margaret thinks Molly Ivins, a Smith College graduate, who got her Masters in journalism at Columbia University --became  an Ameican icon, and Allison, sees her as our " Mark Twain " who could balance the "corn pone" with the "high tone".  .  She said that when you laugh, people open up their ears and listen.  She was very honest and spoke truth, but in a humorous way.  Margaret adds, " Bill Moyers really said it best - "she made the mighty humble" and the "wicked ashamed."    Of her own career in journalism(which I considered, but was told it was not a safe job for a woman< --even after getting a journalism fellowship my freshman year to go to the University of Wis...

The New Yorke r named Meow Meow , one of the top performers of the year, her ,kamikaze cabaret and performance art exotica has been called "Sensational " (The Times, UK) "cabaret diva of the highest order" (NY Post) and "The Queen of Chanson ", The Berliner  Zeitung.  Multi award winning performances have been curated by David Bowie,  Pina Bausch and Mikhail Baryshnikov.  She recorded an album, " Here, Kitty, Kitty ..." with the Oregon Symphony due for release in 2014. Emma Rice directed this   Berkeley Rep performance by Meow Meow, a cabaret singer from London, who went through a post modern repertoire of songs.  She admires Laurie Anderson.  Enjoyed it moderately.  I admire one woman/one man shows; it is difficult to carry a whole singing song narrative... yourself.  Berkeley Rep usually does one version at least of a one woman or one man show. Meow Meow  is first hilariously funny, and then tear dripping tragic.   Time O...

  Berkeley Rep.   Anton   Chekov . a play adapted from two short stories by Anton Chekhov, “Man in a Case” and “About Love”...Adapted and directed by Paul Lazar and Annie Barson. Baryshnikov   definitely brings the same genius to acting.   The program reminds me that he was a principle dancer of the Kirov when he defected and joined the ABT.   I saw him in NYC when he was all the rage in 1976   He had come in 1974 and worked with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.   In 1980 he became Artistic director of ABT.   From 1990-2002, he was director and dancer with the White Oak Dance Project which he founded with choreographer Mark Morris.   In 2005 he opened the Baryshikov Arts Center (BAC) a creative home for artists to develop their work.     As far as his acting goes, Baryshnikov  won an Oscar nomination for “The Turning Point”, and starred in “White Nights”, as well as tv shows, including 3 Emmy award ...