In 1967, a 16-year-old from Tulsa, OK., quietly shifted the landscape of American literature. Susan Eloise Hinton, known more publicly as S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders from her bedroom while still in high-school. What began as a response to the fractures she observed among her peers—the invisible line between those with privilege and those without—became... Continue Reading →
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so the song says, and it’s certainly the busiest. Shopping, cooking, corralling and entertaining your out-of-school children – the festive season takes a lot of work. So we’re adding just one more chore to your to-do list, only because it can be done with a minimum... Continue Reading →
"The Outsiders" isn’t the first (or second or third) title that usually comes to mind when the subject of films directed by Francis Ford Coppola is mentioned. Everything Coppola has made that isn’t “The Godfather,” “The Godfather Part II” or “Apocalypse Now“ will find little space left in a limelight shared with those giants. “The... Continue Reading →
It would be easy to assume that every dance ensemble in the Western Hemisphere is presenting The Nutcracker this time of year. For quite a while, one of the few that didn’t was St. Louis’ Center of Creative Arts, to the annual dismay of then-head of its dance department, Antonio Douthit-Boyd. Next Generation Ballet’s Nutcracker... Continue Reading →
Did Ralphie Parker grow up to be Lester the Nightfly? Yes. Sort of. We’ll explain. Ralphie Parker is the 9-year-old protagonist of A Christmas Story, The Musical, coming to Morsani Hall Nov. 28-30. https://youtu.be/sX0qbCmZX2E The musical is based on the 1983 holiday movie perennial A Christmas Story, which is based on stories from Jean Shepherd’s... Continue Reading →
In 1968, a heavyset, 6-foot-1-inch-tall gentleman calling himself Tiny Tim had a hit with his rendition of “Tip-Toe Thru’ the Tulips With Me.” He sang the song in a startlingly high falsetto, accompanying himself on a ukulele. https://youtu.be/zcSlcNfThUA?si=ZHVSWpxtf2SPmsOO A mere 40 years later, Jason Mraz scored a ukulele-centered hit with “I’m Yours,” which spawned a... Continue Reading →
Even after 50 years as an actor, Ann Morrison still gets the jitters. “Every night, I stand behind the curtain before it’s raised and think, ‘Why am I doing this?’” Ann said. “Oh, yeah, I remember now. It's the audience,” Ann said. “I'm doing it for them, and they're going to have a good time... Continue Reading →
An Exclusive from INSIDE Magazine Fences weren’t part of the original design of Straz Center, and they’re certainly not part of the renovation. Fences don’t play much of a role in our past and future but, boy, are they ever-present in our present. Straz is undergoing a major multimillion-dollar renovation that includes expanding education spaces for... Continue Reading →
Gibsonton, a community roughly 11 miles southeast of Tampa, became a winter haven for circus performers in the 1930s. Many of those Gibsonton snowbirds became full-time residents when they retired from the road. In 2021, another group of circus retirees began settling into their own community a couple hundred miles north of “Gibtown.” There they... Continue Reading →
Few once-common names have become so identified with fictional characters that there’s practically no other use for them. Mention “Dorothy” and the majority of Western Civilization will picture sparkly red shoes, a yapping terrier and Judy Garland in farm-girl drag. Parents considering naming a child Dorothy should stop and reconsider. https://youtu.be/jknhvVk1Fs0?si=o80rQ-5tPPO-gsas Just as the name... Continue Reading →
The bartender adds a scoop of ice cubes to the rocks glass, following with Tanqueray gin poured up to the halfway mark. He tops that off with tonic water and adds a lime wedge, spearing a straw into the glass for his mic drop. https://youtu.be/BJvWH4fHCxw Video by Hanna Toeniskoetter And there his creation sits, sparkling,... Continue Reading →
The origins of some of these National Whatever Days/Weeks/Months are a bit hard to trace. September was deemed National Piano Month, though, by the National Piano Foundation in 1991. So there. Sure, it seems as if you just finished or got through putting up your decorations from World Piano Day, March 29 (or March 28... Continue Reading →
Billie Jean, writer Lauren Gunderson’s play about tennis legend Billie Jean King, had audiences cheering during its debut at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in July. Gunderson’s script portrays significant events in King’s life on and off the court. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xK3dST8PEE&pp=ygUQYmlsbGllIGplYW4gcGxheQ%3D%3D Reviews have praised the production’s quick pacing, comparing it to a fast-paced volley in a tennis match.... Continue Reading →
When a novel is adapted for film, there is one almost-certainty: Someone saying, “The book was better.” While the phrase can be used sincerely, it’s most often uttered by someone trying to impress a date by pointing out that they, unlike the common rabble, read books. And that this makes them more attractive as a... Continue Reading →
August, which is almost over, is/was Family Fun Month, which was probably chosen somewhere school doesn’t start the second week of August. The idea, though, is solid, as the waning days of summer provide some time for families to enjoy activities as a whole before the school year tightens up family schedules something fierce. No... Continue Reading →
Leslie Caron is one of a handful of actresses who danced on film with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. She said she felt as if she were floating while dancing with Astaire. Kelly, she said, danced closer to the ground. Leslie Caron and Gene Kelly in An American in Paris, 1951. That’s an incomplete... Continue Reading →
In the animated 2003 film Looney Tunes: Back in Action, a gun-toting Elmer Fudd chases Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck through a museum. The pursued pair try to escape by running through famous paintings such as Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Time, Edvard Munch’s The Scream and Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island... Continue Reading →
This is a column about Anne Hathaway. It’s also a column about Anne Hathaway. Anne the former was born and lived in the Elizabethan era. Aside from being married to the playwright William Shakespeare, little is known about her. Anne the latter lives in whatever era we’re in right now. Because she is a present-day... Continue Reading →
“Get up, stand up / Stand up for your right” sang Bob Marley on the Wailers’ protest anthem “Get Up, Stand Up.” The song was a call for the oppressed to demand justice, liberty and equality. https://youtu.be/RhJ0q7X3DLM?si=-TrQEcuZwQGfaOTp On March 12, 1990, 500 protesters marched from the White House to the Capitol, demanding passage of the... Continue Reading →
Next Generation Ballet’s Summer Intensive is a perennial event for Gabriella Yudenich. Since 2018, the former soloist with the Pennsylvania (now Philadelphia) Ballet has shared her talent and experience with the young dancers in Next Generation Ballet’s Summer Intensive. Gabriella Yudenich performing Myrta in Giselle. The culmination of the Summer Intensive is its showcase, Friday,... Continue Reading →