Latest news with #A.R.T.
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
A.R.T. announces 2025/2026 season, will premiere new musical adapted from the film ‘Black Swan'
In a telephone interview, A.R.T. artistic director Diane Paulus said that 'Wonder' is driven by 'a very fresh, contemporary sound,' with 'equal parts catchy pop tunes and emotional heart' in the music and lyrics by A Great Big World, a duo consisting of singer-songwriters Ian Axel and Chad King. The book is by playwright Sarah Ruhl. Advertisement (Disclosure: Paulus directed my son Matt's opera, 'Crossing,' in 2015, and Ruhl collaborated with him on 'Eurydice,' an opera that premiered in 2021 and was based on her play of the same name.) The A.R.T.'s production of With music and lyrics by Dave Malloy (' Advertisement According to Paulus, 'Black Swan' will 'delve into the theme of perfection, the world of ballet, and the pressures on women.' She said that 'a story told through dance and movement' is 'right up A.R.T.'s alley,' adding: 'For me, theater as a form is physical. It's visceral. It's about communication, not only through text and words and music, but the body, and movement.' Starting this fall, Paulus will direct a concert tour of 'Dear Everything,' which was commissioned and developed by the A.R.T., and premiered in concert form in 2021 under the name 'WILD: A Musical Becoming,' starring Idina Menzel. The overall picture for the A.R.T., which is based at Harvard, is clouded by the university's ongoing confrontation with President Trump, who has cut billions of dollars in federal grants and contracts to Harvard. Asked how concerned she is about the potential impact on her company, Paulus replied: 'It's a very challenging time. We are navigating changing waters on a daily basis.' 'As a theater, as a company like A.R.T., we are committed to continuing to bring people together,' she added. 'Theater is a community builder. That is our greatest role, right? Humans coming together in time and space and listening to stories that are not our own.' The A.R.T.'s season will launch Sept. 2-26 with Advertisement The season will also include Sam Kissajukian's autobiographical solo show, '300 Paintings,' scheduled to be at Harvard's Farkas Hall Oct. 1-19, 2025. Paulus said '300 Paintings' explores 'how all of the arts and mental health and creativity are in relation to one another.' Don Aucoin can be reached at
See - Sada Elbalad
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Haifa Wehbe Is Working on New Album
Yara Sameh Lebanese singer-actress Haifa Wehbe is working on a new album. The album consists of 20 songs and features the superstar cooperating with a large number of poets and composers, including Tamer Hussein, Ahmad ElMalky, Ahmed ElBrazilly, Samer Abo Taleb, Amr El Khodary, and Ahmed Alaa Eldin. The record is the follow-up to her 2018 album "Hawwa" and will be released as a single periodically. Wehbe, born on March 10, 1976, is a multi-talented and influential superstar. She is considered one of the best female singers in Lebanon and the Arab world. The Lebanese artist won the title of 'Miss South Lebanon' at the age of sixteen, which opened the doors for her to work as a model on the catwalk as well as in music videos and TV commercials. She was considered one of the most famous models in the Arab World. Thereafter, she worked as a TV anchor at the A.R.T. television network, however, she left that field behind to launch her music career. In 2002, Wehbe released her first album, 'Houwa El Zaman' (It Is The Time). She made her acting debut in the 2008 Pepsi-produced film 'Sea of Stars', which was soon followed by many roles in the Egyptian cinema and television industry. Wehbe has released over seven albums and more than a dozen songs. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies
Boston Globe
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
In 'Night Side Songs,' a moving exploration of illness
The Lazour brothers premiered ' In the basement auditorium of the Cambridge Masonic Temple on opening night last weekend, a cast of four singer-actors found inventive ways to narrate the story of Yasmine (Brooke Ishibashi), a young woman diagnosed with cancer. By turns, the actors play doctors, lovers, and close family members, as well as off-shoot characters ranging from a hippie songwriter to a bawdy 12th century innkeeper. Advertisement Robi Hager in A.R.T.'s "Night Side Songs." Nile Scott Studios Led by cast member Robi Hager, the cast addresses the audience directly with vocal instructions on how to join the sing-along portions on several of the Lazours' original songs. Don't fret – the actors, fittingly, share a great bedside manner. And no one is forced to sing if they'd prefer not to. Advertisement Whether the show's multiple storylines can hang together is another matter. The innkeeper (played by It's Yasmine's story that provides the bulk of the narrative, and its most moving moments. While in treatment, she meets a clumsy suitor named Frank (Jonathan Raviv). Their courtship is sweet. They get married, as the officiant says, 'he in health, she in sickness.' But Yasmine enjoys several years in remission. Then a new form of cancer attacks. It's a known side effect of the chemotherapy cocktail she's been relying on. (Another vignette depicts the vehement debates among the real-life team of researchers in the 1960s who developed the treatment.) As Yasmine's health declines, the cast members roll a hospital bed to center stage. The physical indignities of illness and the psychological toll it takes on those closest to the afflicted are summed up in three simple words: 'It gets messy.' The healthcare industry in America comes under plenty of scrutiny. One segment largely consists of a litany of Yasmine's mounting out-of-pocket costs to cover her medical care. The audience participation component builds from a simple utterance ('Ah!') on an early number called 'The Reason' (as in, we often feel the need to assign some sort of 'reason' to the sicknesses of people we know) to a lovely recitation of a couple's small moments of connection and forgiveness ('When you put your hand inside my hand/What you said or did is of no consequence'). Advertisement 'Please turn to your hymnals,' Hager says. On the musical numbers, the cast is accompanied by Alex Bechtel on piano. Dobson sometimes strolls around the floor strumming an acoustic guitar, like a troubadour. The show takes place effectively in the round, with the audience seated in tiers on three sides. With the lights up in the auditorium and the cast dressed in everyday clothes, the show feels like the kind of community theater the Lazours clearly intended to honor. Director Taibi Magar ('We Live in Cairo') makes it a priority to break down barriers between the actors and the audience. What may seem like a distressing subject for a sing-along in fact becomes the whole point of the show. 'We get through it together,' the narrators explain. 'There are thousands of people the show cannot contain.' As Sontag noted, none of us are immune to life-threatening illnesses, one way or another. NIGHT SIDE SONGS Directed by Taibi Magar. Words and music by the Lazours. $35 and up, with $5 promo code available. Through April 6 at Cambridge Masonic Temple, 1950 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. April 8-20 at Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley St., Roxbury. James Sullivan can be reached at .
Al-Ahram Weekly
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt Music Syndicate bans Haifa Wehbe from performing in the country — again
The Syndicate of Musical Professions, headed by artist Mustafa Kamel, banned Lebanese singer and actress Haifa Wehbe from performing in Egypt for the second time in a year. This decision follows Wehbe's former manager and syndicate member Khaled Mustafa Hossanien, known as Khaled El-Tahamy, filing a complaint accusing her of "wrongdoing". The memorandum submitted to the General Secretary and board members includes complaint details and actions in response. Wehbe was summoned twice, in January and February, for investigation but failed to attend. As a result, the investigation committee decided not to grant her permission to perform in Egypt. The decision was approved during a board meeting on 16 March. This is not the first time Wehbe has been banned. In August 2024, the syndicate suspended her from working in Egypt due to her alleged failure to meet contractual obligations with Yasser Al-Hariri, who was organizing her concert on the North Coast. "Although Wehbe received the agreed amount, she violated the terms of an artistic contract. This caused significant financial damage," read a statement by Al-Hariri, who had to cancel the concert. The syndicate revoked its decision after Wehbe reconciled with the concerned parties. Haifa Wehebe, a famous singer and actress, was born in 1976 to a Lebanese father and Egyptian mother. She rose to moderate fame after winning the 1992 Miss South Lebanon beauty contest. Through working in the fashion industry, starring in TV commercials, joining the A.R.T. television network as an anchor, and later acting in Egyptian films, Wehbe became one of the best-known models and actresses in the Arab world. In tandem, she also started signing, which brought her acclaim among her fans across the region. Wehbe's albums sell millions of copies and enjoy enormous success with the general public. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
