Sondheim Songs Pit Painter’s Life vs. Art Biz by Robert M. Gardner Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize winning musical “Sunday in the Park with George” offers insights into Georges Seurat’s famous room-size painting of Parisians in the park. At the end, Seurat’s fictional great-grandson, a modern artist, explains, “White. A blank page—or canvas. So many…
John Fisher Exposes Family Scandals, Then and Now by Robert M. Gardner John Fisher is a genius of storytelling. In “A Murder in Hawaii,” Fisher exposes the Massie Affair, a 1931 racially motivated murder of an innocent Hawaiian that illuminates our 2020 Black Lives Matter explosion. Fisher’s casts doubt on our beliefs on the…
Gary Soto Pens Play for Latinx Teens in Distress by Robert M. Gardner In Gary Soto’s “The Afterlife,” two Fresno teenagers, Chuy and Crystal, die in the opening minutes. Chuy is murdered for an unintended slight, and Crystal kills herself. They are the victims of an alarming spike of teen deaths from violence and…
Bryan & DiPietro Passionately Pit Rock n’ Roll vs. Racism by Robert M. Gardner In “Memphis,” exciting music and dance move the soul. Under the inspired direction of Director Brendan Simon, “Memphis” offers non-stop entertainment. We are quickly caught up in the beautiful songs and intricate dance moves by the talented ensemble. Set in…