Pershing Square: Finally

Delighted to see that after 40 years the pedestrianization of Park Avenue at Pershing Square has finally been implemented — although the arc of history is certainly non-linear. The advocacy by Grand Central Partnership of the closing of Park Avenue for the plaza in 1998 angered then Mayor Rudolf W. Giuliani (who still seems to …

‘Pagliacci’ Review: Betrayal Under the Big Top

Boston Lyric Opera’s staging of Leoncavallo’s opera transformed the traveling theater troupe setting of the work into a circus. ByHeidi Waleson Sept. 30, 2019 5:12 pm ET Boston The itinerant Boston Lyric Opera has made a virtue out of its homeless state. It finds the right-sized venue for each work, and frequently transforms unexpected spaces …

‘Porgy and Bess’ Review: A Community of Indelible Individuals

The Met’s uniformly well-cast new production of the famed American opera paints a vivid portrait of a complex place.  ByHeidi WalesonSept. 24, 2019 5:30 pm ET New York In the 29 years since “Porgy and Bess”—by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin —was last seen at the Metropolitan Opera, the piece has …