Strangers in the night at a grand hotel
Audiences travel back in time to ritzy 1928 Berlin in Grand Hotel, playing at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va., through May 19. With a book by Luther Davis and music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, the show was a hit on Broadway in 1989. However, this local production, under the direction of Eric Schaeffer, leaves the audience somewhat unsatisfied. The musical... READ MORE
Inspiring youth through his art
When Maryland artist Normon Greene was a child in southwestern Virginia, he watched his mother sketch and vowed to be just like her one day. “I was inspired by her drawings, so I started drawing,” the 69-year-old painter and sculptor said. “Then she gave me clay, and I thought, ‘Wow, I can draw three-dimensionally!’” Now Greene, a retired youth counselor and artist whose... READ MORE
The dancing Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame as a musical? You must be kidding, I thought. I was aware that Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel had been translated into English and seen success over the years in theaters and in movies. Some might remember the 1923 silent film with Lon Chaney, the 1939 version with Charles Laughton, or the 1997 film with Mandy Patinkin, Richard Harris and Salma Hayek. But like... READ MORE
Time to pick up a Picasso from the library
It’s no longer just books for books’ sake in the Howard County Library System (HCLS). Its Central Branch in Columbia now loans out reproductions of famous works of art and more. Some 300 pieces of framed artwork are available now to library card holders. The pieces, except for photographs, are all reproductions. They include works of such international masters as Picasso, Cézanne,... READ MORE
County promoting ‘Koreatown’
Real estate agent Seong Baik, now 72, arrived in Maryland with her husband and two children in 1970 “to find the American Dream — for a better life and a better education,” she said. Baik lived in the Baltimore area for 44 years before becoming a resident of Ellicott City six years ago. Baik is one of about 13,000 Korean-Americans living in Howard County, according to the latest... READ MORE
A homecoming for performer Tori Amos
When singer-songwriter Tori Amos addresses graduates at the Peabody Conservatory’s 2019 Commencement on Wednesday, May 22, it will be a homecoming of sorts for her. Amos was the youngest student ever admitted to Peabody, receiving a full scholarship when she was just five years old. She lived in Baltimore from 1965 to 1972, at which time her family moved to the suburbs of Washington,... READ MORE
Music and dance bring folks together
For more than 40 years, Waverly residents Mike and Eileen Franch have found a warm welcome as members of the Baltimore Folk Music Society. “It has been one of the most important communities in our lives through the years,” said Mike. The Baltimore Folk Music Society (BFMS) was founded in 1975 with the goal of “teaching, preserving and promoting” the music, dance and traditions of ... READ MORE
Revisiting Anne Frank’s life
Born in Germany in 1929, Anne Frank would have celebrated her 90th birthday this June. Instead, she will forever remain 15 years old for those who have read her posthumously published diary, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, seen its various stage and film adaptations, or visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Anne died in 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern ... READ MORE
Springtime’s beauties not here for long
Take some time this month to notice spring flowering ephemerals — you’ll be mesmerized by their magic. These plants have a short bloom period, go dormant, and then reappear the next spring. Typically, spring ephemerals are perennial woodland wildflowers that develop stems, leaves and flowers in early spring, quickly bloom before deciduous trees leaf out, and produce seed. Then... READ MORE
Exhibit illuminates immigrants’ stories
When he was 10 years old, Atif Qarni, Virginia’s Secretary of Education, came to the United States from Pakistan. He went on to serve in the U.S. Marines during the Iraq War. Bol Gai Deng, who works at a Richmond home-improvement store, survived the destruction of his Sudanese town when he was seven years old, fled to America and settled in Virginia. Today he’s campaigning to be the... READ MORE
Arts 2024
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