By James Foritano Boston, MA- People like to laugh, and they like to laugh especially at other people and their foibles. I heard waves of laughter as I sat watching the Yale Repertory Theatre’s production of “The Servant of Two Masters,” a presentation of ArtsEmerson now at The Paramount Theater through February 10. Commedia dell’ arte is a tradition which arose, according to many sources, in Italy sometime in the fifteen hundreds with small troupes of actors who would travel from village to village, region to region, striving to attract the locals to the main square and a makeshift stage where they could enjoy boisterous and broad repartee, outrageous costumes, and related or unrelated acrobatics. Napoleon, in his revolutionary sweep through Europe, banned commedia dell’ arte in the regions of Italy he occupied. And one can see why: Napoleon himself, with his short, stout person and … [Read more...] about ArtsEmerson presents Carlo Goldoni’s Servant of Two Masters
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David Thomas: Canyon Passages at UForge Gallery
By Lindsey Davis Jamaica Plain, MA - “Canyon Passages” sits along the back wall of the UForge Gallery, inviting you in from the sidewalk through the clear glass. There are eight paintings in all, completed with deep dripping reds and oranges that expose passages of canyon wall without ever revealing the canyon itself. It’s both a study and a celebration of nature, each identically shaped canvas showing a completely different formation of fault lines and indentations, shadows and weather marks. By zooming in and placing the rock out of context, you find yourself looking for shapes in the lines. Some find organic abstract compositions and others have more purposeful outlines that resemble figures or faces often hinted at in the title. “Horse Canyon #2” shows a passage of sharp jagged rock with dark deep-cut crevices that run horizontally across, resembling the surreal skeleton of a … [Read more...] about David Thomas: Canyon Passages at UForge Gallery
Upsodown at the New Art Center
By Lindsey Davis Newton, MA - It’s like walking into the mind of an eccentric New Orleans witchdoctor. Thick paint is coarsely hurled onto canvases in rough outlines of people, and cow skull and plaster form ritualistic-looking tikis that resemble overdone voodoo dolls. The New Art Center in Newton’s new exhibition, “Upsodown,” features work by 10 different artists, all created with a kind of raw, free expression — a boldness that reflects a reinvention, the kind of freeing liberty that accompanies the spirit of Carnival. The gallery is intended as a reflection of all the different forms this holiday takes in each culture, and the carnality that comes with absolute freedom manifests as a powerful barbarism in these artworks. Tara Sellios’ dual photographs “Lessons of Impermanence” feature the arranged remains of a seafood meal — an image of orange lobster shells strewn beside empty … [Read more...] about Upsodown at the New Art Center
The Mountaintop at the Central Square Theater
By James Foritano Cambridge, MA-The actor, Maurice Emmanuel Parent, who plays Martin Luther King in The Underground Railway Theater’s production of Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop,” certainly looks like a sad-sack Everyman, as he emerges on stage. As Parent/King closes the door of Room # 306 of the Lorraine Motel, he is turned away from his audience, bawling out into the April-mean weather of Memphis, Tennessee that he craves a pack of Pall Mall cigarettes. It is the 3rd of April 1968, and King has just given the speech of his life — literally. He has prophesied his own death in ringing phrases, but now his powerful baritone rings out only with the urgency of his addiction. We can almost smell Martin’s smoky breath as it urges an anonymous member of his entourage to bring only “Pall Mall” cigarettes. This is certainly the ‘back-side’ of history as well as that of Martin Luther King. … [Read more...] about The Mountaintop at the Central Square Theater
Copley Society of Art’s New Members’ Show 2013
By Lindsey Davis Boston, MA - In 2012 more than 100 artists applied to become members of the Copley Society of Art, whose choice location on Newbury Street offers exposure to the talented artists with developed individual styles we might not have seen yet. Thirty artists were selected from those 300 applications, and one work from each is now represented in the Copley Society’s New Members’ Show that opened last Saturday, sprinkling their Upper Gallery in both large and small-scale selections, each individually characterized by its own distinct creator. The work represented here comes from the hands of artists whose ages nearly span a half-century and although the subject matter is comparable, the style of each landscape or portrait finds an individuality that springs from a sense of realism. All of the still-lifes present an ordinary collection of tools or jars but saturated with … [Read more...] about Copley Society of Art’s New Members’ Show 2013
Capsule Preview: Ron Fortier at Colo Colo
New Bedford, MA - “Ron Fortier: Fado — Fatum: fate, destiny, doom and all that …” opens this Friday, January 18 at the Colo Colo Gallery, 29 Centre Street in New Bedford. “Fado — Fatum is a theme, a jumping off point,” Fortier writes. “It reflects the struggle of creative individuals balancing their obligations which are stitched to and, synonymous with their fate, their destiny and ofttimes their dashed aspirations. “The work in this exhibit is the result of a continuing journey which began with my first explorations of calligraphic line many years ago. It has evolved into an attempt to redefine the horizontal form through the concept of the music staff; five horizontal lines with four spaces. It also became a tribute to my mother, a singer of fado, who chose to fulfill her obligations, of which I was one, rather than pursue her aspirations.” “Fado — Fatum” continues through January … [Read more...] about Capsule Preview: Ron Fortier at Colo Colo