Latest news with #KevinMcHale
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Please don't fart, this is art' – Stephen Sondheim's musical The Frogs review
The interval playlist includes Crazy Frog, which isn't by Stephen Sondheim. But the composer's own springy numbers are the best reason to catch this rarely seen musical based on ancient Greek satire. Aristophanes, writing at the fag end of a protracted war, conjures demigod Dionysos, accompanied by Xanthias, his slave ('though I prefer 'intern''). He braves the underworld to reclaim a dead genius, picking Aeschylus over Euripides. The musical's Dionysos considers George Bernard Shaw, but eventually plumps for Shakespeare. Originally staged at Yale in 1974 (Sondheim: 'One of the few deeply unpleasant professional experiences I've had'), it was expanded for Broadway in 2004 (Sondheim: 'It suffered from inflation'). The extended version takes a jape too far. We open with the best number: a fanfare plus jaunty injunctions to the audience ('Please – don't fart. / There's very little air and this is art'). Dan Buckley's droll Dionysos and Kevin McHale's Xanthias, all wriggle and snicker, begin their quest, though Burt Shevelove's book makes scenes feel more like skits. Herakles (Joaquin Pedro Valdes) is a himbo totting up his abs, the boatman Charon (Carl Patrick) a lugubrious stoner and Pluto, lord of the underworld, has a breathy cabaret number delivered by regal guest star Victoria Scone in a brushed steel bouffant. The musical never develops Dionysos' daddy issues or frog phobia, or nails its notion that the ribbiting amphibians represent stick-in-the-mud grouches impervious to change. The frogs get a waddling ballet, in goggles, bobble toes and spangly waistcoats – choreographer Matt Nicholson devises nifty, wide-legged moves. But Shaw's battle with Shakespeare, trading smug aphorism and voluptuous word-painting, is an awful slog, unleavened by Georgie Rankcom's heavy-footed production. 'You can stop rhyming right there,' snaps Dionysos, but it would take more than a testy god to halt Sondheim, for whom rhyme was reason. 'Hippy-dippy insurrectionists' meet 'hasty pasty-faced perfectionists,' while a song to Shaw moves from animosity through pomposity to verbosity. Melancholy songs also slide between the shtick (Sondheim has a bittersweet tooth). The god's final call to arms can't give gravity to this show – but however stodgy the setting, the songs still shine.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Losing Reggie Lewis - on his career with the Boston Celtics, and his untimely death
The Boston Celtics were poised to continue into a new era of dynastic NBA basketball in the 1980s as the careers of then-future Hall of Famers Robert Parish, Larry Bird, and Kevin McHale began to wind down with the Celtics' drafting of elite prospect Reggie Lewis. The Northeastern alum fit right in, could go toe-to-toe with the best players in the league, and oozed potential as he started to come into his prime. But tragedy struck and took Lewis away from his family, the team, and its fans too soon, a health issue causing the promising young talent to pass away from doing the one thing that made him a household name. Advertisement The folks behind the "NBC Sports Boston" YouTube channel put together a clip recalling the tragic loss of Lewis to the wider Boston community - check it out below for a window into how this impacted the Celtics and their fans for decades to come. This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Losing Reggie Lewis: on his career with the Celtics, untimely death
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Even Derrick White can't do that" - When Bob Ryan labeled Dennis Johnson the most disruptive guard in NBA history
When the Boston Celtics' dynasty of the 1980s is discussed, the spotlight often shines on Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. But one man who saw the team up close while writing for The Boston Globe, Bob Ryan, knew that without Dennis Johnson, the C's wouldn't have captured multiple titles or made it to four straight championship rounds. In fact, Ryan went as far as to call DJ the most destructive defensive guard basketball fans may have ever seen. Dennis was a menace on the defensive end Even during the best offensive campaign of his NBA career, "Airplane" averaged 19.5 points per game, making it clear that while he could score, his offensive game had its limits. But when DJ truly separated himself, it was his hard-nosed defense on the perimeter, consistently locking down the opposition's best scorer — no matter the hardship of a situation, he never let his head drop. Advertisement This aspect of his game was evident even before he arrived in Boston. In the 1978 NBA Finals, the five-time All-Star struggled offensively, averaging 16.6 points over the seven games as his Seattle SuperSonics fell to the Washington Bullets. The weight of that loss was thumped on Dennis' shoulders as he missed all of his 14 field goal attempts in the highly pressured Game 7. However, when the two teams met again in the '79 championship round, Johnson delivered revenge in emphatic fashion, averaging 22.6 points and recording 11 blocks from the guard position over the five games to lead his team to the Larry O'Brien title. Ryan stressed that Johnson's impact wasn't just about numbers. Instead, it was about his ability to make game-winning plays through sheer defensive willpower. "DJ was pretty good. He had one of the most fascinating Finals ever in 1979," Ryan said. "He blocked 14 shots in five games from the guard position; even Derrick White can't do that. As much as he loves his shot-blocking prowess… he's the most destructive defensive guard we have ever seen. He was very good." Advertisement Related: "For a guy who get paid $300 million, he should be a Top 10 player...I don't think he a Top 30 player" - Oakley shreds Brown's historic contract Johnson's arrival elevated the Celtics' dominance Given that the 6'4" guard had earned five consecutive First-Team All-Defensive selections in the seasons before the Celtics acquired him, Boston knew exactly what they were getting. After being humiliated by Andrew Toney in the 1982 playoffs and Sidney Moncrief in 1983, the Celtics understood that to return to dominance, they needed someone like DJ to fortify their perimeter defense. His arrival paid dividends immediately. Not only did he help the Celtics win a title in his very first year, but he also played a defining role when he switched to guard Magic Johnson in the second half of the '84 Finals. Advertisement More impressively, even after that triumph, Dennis didn't stop working hard as his defensive efforts were one of the biggest reasons why Bird was able to focus more on his offensive production and win three straight MVP accolades, as well as the team reaching four straight NBA Finals. It's just another example of the team aspect in basketball. While you need superstars like Bird to get you over the hump, he cannot get the job done without some specialist players like Johnson. Without the proper team around those superstars, you cannot win a championship. Related: "It's disappointing that so many relationships I had with people fell apart" - Bird on why he won't ever consider a front office role with the Celtics
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How did ex-Golden State Warriors big man Robert Parish join the Boston Celtics?
How did onetime Golden State Warriors big man Robert Parish become a member of the Boston Celtics? Chief (as he was sometimes called for a nickname) started his career in the NBA's Western Conference after being drafted out of Louisiana's Centenary College, but found his footing in a major way playing alongside the likes of fellow future Boston Hall of Fame stars Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. How did iconic Celtics general manager Red Auerbach convince the Dubs to part with the legendary big man, setting up Boston to win a trio of titles in the early and mid-1980s? Celtics beat writer emeritus Bob Ryan, eponymous cohost of the CLNS Media "Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay!" podcast, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Advertisement Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: How did ex-Warriors big man Robert Parish join the Celtics?
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cedric Maxwell on the run to the 1981 Boston Celtics title
While most of the contemporary fans of the Boston Celtics know him as a beloved broadcaster over the airwaves for the Celtics, champion Boston forward (and former NBA finals Most Valuable Player) Cedric Maxwell was once a legend on the court he now calls as well. The 1981 and 1984 NBA champ won a pair of rings in Boston in the early 1980s playing alongside the likes of Hall of Fame Celtics stars like Robert Parish, Larry Bird, and Kevin McHale to beat the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers for banners back in the day. Cornbread -- as Maxwell was sometimes called for a nickname -- took some time to tell us about the run to the 1981 chip in particular on an episode of his eponymous CLNS Media "Cedric Maxwell" podcast, with his co-host Josue Pavon. Advertisement Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Cedric Maxwell on the run to the 1981 Celtics title
