Bill Nighy And David Hare Team Up Again In 'Skylight' Revival by Jeff Lunden

"Our paths haven't crossed " we've beaten a path towards each other," says playwright David Hare. "Bill is my favorite leading man." Nighy is now starring in a revival of Hare's Skylight on …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 4:21pm on April 7, 2015☆⚑

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same As 'Mad Men' Winds Down by Eric Deggans

AMC's award-winning drama Mad Men returns for its final season Sunday. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says these last seven installments explore how little people change, even in tumultuous time…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 5:05am on April 3, 2015☆⚑

'Wolf Hall' On Stage And TV Means More Makeovers For Henry VIII's 'Pit Bull' by Lynn Neary

Hilary Mantel's popular novels breathed new life into Thomas Cromwell's legacy. Now, between a play and a miniseries, there seems to be no limit to the blacksmith's son's potential for reinv…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 4:58am on March 31, 2015☆⚑

Tony Award-Winning Director Gene Saks Dies At 93 by The Associated Press

Gene Saks teamed with playwright and fellow New Yorker Neil Simon on Broadway and movie productions of such Simon comedies as The Odd Couple and Brighton Beach Memoirs. He died Saturday in N…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 1:43am on March 30, 2015☆⚑

Pour A Bucket Of Blood On These New Adaptations Of 'Carrie' by Beth Accomando

But there's a fundamental problem with the latest Carrie movie and Carrie The Musical: They both try to turn her into a heroine, and her story into one of female empowerment, and it's not.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 1:54pm on March 29, 2015☆⚑

Pour A Bucket Of Blood On These New Adaptations Of 'Carrie' by Beth Accomando

Stephen King has said his novel Carrie is about women's power and men's fear " an idea reporter Beth Accomando says has gotten lost in newer adaptations of the horror classic for stage and s…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 6:03am on March 28, 2015☆⚑

James Corden Nods To Talk Show Tradition With CBS's 'Late Late Show' by Eric Deggans

British comic actor James Corden took over CBS's Late Late Show on Monday with a star-studded debut. NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans says he offered a touch of talk show tradition with a modern f…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 1:53pm on March 24, 2015☆⚑

William Electric Black Tackles Gun Violence In 5 Ambitious Plays by Jon Kalish

William Electric Black, the first African American writer for Sesame Street and winner of several Emmys, has a new project: a five-play cycle on gun violence.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 7:59am on March 22, 2015☆⚑

Opera About Frida Kahlo Has Symbolic Meaning For Detroit Comboser by Veronica Zaragovia

The opera Frida is being staged in Detroit. It coincides with a new exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts devoted to the year Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, lived in the ci…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 7:11am on March 21, 2015☆⚑

Detroit's 'Frida' Aims To Build Latino Audiences For Opera by Veronica Zaragovia

The opera, based on the tumultuous lives of painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, coincides with a new exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts devoted to the year they lived in the city.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 7:11am on March 21, 2015☆⚑

Does Fox's 'Empire' Break Or Bolster Black Stereotypes? by Eric Deggans

Fox's hip-hop drama Empire ends its first season Wednesday as a huge hit, thanks to black viewers. But NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says it also has sparked a complex debate over TV stereotype…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 11:22am on March 18, 2015☆⚑

These Nightclub Entertainers Paved The Way For Asian-Americans In Showbiz by Heidi Chang

Forbidden City was part of a Chinese-American nightclub scene that flourished in 1940s and '50s San Francisco. But between racial taunts and scandalized parents, its performers didn't have i…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 7:35am on March 14, 2015☆⚑

A Travel Show For Your Favorite Weird-Museum And Dance Enthusiast by Linda Holmes

Ovation's American Canvas has a lot of fun in San Francisco, starting with the art installation at Alcatraz.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 1:33pm on March 11, 2015☆⚑

New HBO Now Streaming Service Shows Consumer's Will Is King by Eric Deggans

HBO on Monday announced a new service presenting its shows online without a cable subscription. NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans says it also shows the power of consumers to bring change in a digi…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 2:55pm on March 10, 2015☆⚑

Helen Mirren Extends Her Elizabethan Reign In 'The Audience' by Jeff Lunden

Playwright Peter Morgan eavesdrops on more than 60 years of private conversations between Queen Elizabeth II, played by Mirren, and her prime ministers in The Audience.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 6:05am on March 8, 2015☆⚑

After 60 Years Of Fabulousness, Dame Edna Embarks On Her Farewell Tour by NPR Staff

The housewife and superstar " a creation of Australian comedian Barry Humphries " says it's not entirely clear what her retirement will look like. "I'm a restless spirit," she says.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 5:29am on March 7, 2015☆⚑

What Are The Mathematics of Jazz? by Npr/ted Staff

Percussionist Clayton Cameron dissects the mathematics of improvisational jazz, demonstrating how numerical patterns make him a better musician.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 9:10am on March 6, 2015☆⚑

Larry David's First Time On Broadway: 'It's Not So Easy!'

The comedian wrote and stars in Fish in the Dark, a play about rivalries and dysfunction when a family patriarch dies. David says the idea came to his "twisted mind" when his friend's dad pa…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 2:04pm on March 5, 2015☆⚑

'Battle Creek' Tries To Shake Up CBS' Cop Show Formula by Eric Deggans

CBS' new cop show Battle Creek is based on a 12-year-old script by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. It's among three new network shows that aim to reinvent old TV concepts.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 8:37pm on March 1, 2015☆⚑

Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock Taught Us Acceptance Is Highly Logical by Eric Deggans

The Star Trek actor died Friday in Los Angeles, and NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans says Nimoy's signature role taught fans the power of accepting their differences rather than fighting them.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 4:33am on February 28, 2015☆⚑

This Season On 'House Of Cards,' It's Tough To Be The Boss by Eric Deggans

New episodes of Netflix's House of Cards debut today, and NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says this season's challenges may please critics who say the show's vision of Washington, D.C. runs too s…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 3:39am on February 27, 2015☆⚑

An American Dream, A Cuban Soul: Poet Richard Blanco Finds 'Home' by Richard Blanco

While immigration is a subject of some of the most intense political debates in this country, inaugural poet Richard Blanco says it also drives his art. He shares his journey of becoming an …

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 7:33am on February 20, 2015☆⚑

Popular Mexican Actress Lorena Rojas Dies by Jasmine Garsd

She acted in telenovelas, but also made a name for herself in film and on stage.

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 6:52pm on February 17, 2015☆⚑

One Playwright's 'Obligation' To Confront Race And Identity In The U.S. by Jeff Lunden

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has written a trilogy of provocative and fantastical explorations of race. His latest, based on a 1859 melodrama, pokes fun at conventions while raising difficult ques…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 4:00pm on February 16, 2015☆⚑

One Playwright's 'Obligation' To Confront Race And Identity In The U.S. by Jeff Lunden

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has written a trilogy of provocative and fantastical explorations of race. His latest, based on a 1859 melodrama, pokes fun at conventions while raising difficult ques…

SOURCE: National Public Radio at 4:00pm on February 16, 2015☆⚑