In the contemporary art world bigger is better. Presiding over the complex ever more decadent global art world is mega dealer Larry Gagosian. As king of the heap he makes no apology for catering to the whims and vulgarian taste of one-percenters. The benefit to the general public is that they can enjoy his museum-level gallery exhibitions free of charge. Critics may debate the quality of the work on display but their opinions have long since been marginalized by those who write the checks. De gustibus non est disputandum.

Highlights of Festival 2016 include a world premiere engagement And Still You Must Swing created by tap dance powerhouses Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Derick K. Grant, and Jason Samuels Smith; former New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan and choreographer Brian Brooks in an evening of new duets and solos, accompanied by eminent string quartet Brooklyn Rider and titled Some of a Thousand Words; rare U.S. appearances by France-based Compagnie Hervé KOUBI and South Korea-based contemporary ensemble Bereishit Dance Company; the powerful all-male company Che Malambo of Argentina; and the return of the eminent Seattle-based company Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Kelli O'Hara can sport a delightful, rich opera voice and Victoria Clark, looking like a combination of Lynn Redgrave and Camilla Parker Bowles camps it up as a Sorceress bent on doing evil. A new prologue by Michael John LaChiusa has chorus members collapsing and hints of history being made.

CV Repertory Theatre founding artistic director Ron Celona was taken with playwright Amy Herzog’s dramedy “4000 Miles” the minute he read it. “… it offered humor, heart, and thought-provoking topics that most of us can relate to in life.” he says. Celona felt it would be a good fit for his Rancho Mirage audiences and a great way to end CV REP’s 2015/2016 season. He was right on all accounts.

Persée and Andromède by Ibert and L'Enfant et Sortilèges by Ravel with a brilliant libretto by Colette, her only opera, are staged by the Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater. This school's productions are among New York's finest. The singing is of professional calibre. The productions are considered from sets to costumes to a first-rate orchestral accompaniment. Year after year you can count on MSM for an evening of operatic pleasure.

“The Outgoing Tide”, insightfully written by Bruce Graham and intelligently directed by Dezart Performs co-founder Michael Shaw, is blessed with a cast of three seasoned professional actors who have graced your movie and television screens over the years and who know their way around a poignant, relevant, and deeply emotional play when they find themselves in one.

The second article begins with our Family Reunion on Easter Monday, which nearly 40 people from 11 families attended. What a festive affair and the three hour brunch just flew by. The meeting ended with a new official family photo. ~ For the remainder of our week we explored the city again, downtown Hamburg, where we kids grew up. Even then, the city was a wonderful playground.

Jeff Talbott explores the race issue from an angle not often explored in the theater: infighting among minority groups as to which has been subject to more discrimination, hate and suffering. Forget about racial harmony between white and black people for a moment; if members of minority groups can’t get along and stand with each other in solidarity against hate and bias, how will the race issue ever go away, Talbott challenges us to consider.

The BSO seems to love working with its new music director Andris Nelsons, who was ending his second season with this concert, which, BTW, featured his glamorous wife, Kristine Opolais, as the soprano soloist. In addition to the Tchaikovsky, the program included Debussy's "La Mer," Ravel's "La Valse" and Dutilleux's "Metaboles."

Lisa Wright-Matthews and Wayne Miller as ersatz Clintons give us the first couple past and future?

A remarkable non-stop performance by Nina Stemme – who never leaves the stage in this 110-minute production – sets the tone for a magnificent interpretation of Strauss’ devastating opera.

Whoever says one has to go to New York or LA to see great theatre obviously hasn’t seen, but should see, the current Coyote StageWorks production of “Agnes of God” currently on stage at the Annenberg Theatre in Palm Springs.

Five residents of the Eclipse Mill will present a book launch and reading in the gallery on Friday, May 6 at 8pm. The free event and reception will occur at 243 Union Street, North Adams, Mass. 01247. The participants include Charles Giuliano, Astrid Hiemer, Vin Jensen (Ien Nivens) and Sarah Sutro.

A Girl is a Half-formed Thing has been translated from novel to stage by Annie Ryan, who also directs. A solo performance by the brilliant Aoife Duffin evokes the world of a young Girl, growing up with an older brother who is dying of brain cancer. Her mother's absorption with the boy leaves the Girl unprotected, but also free to spread her wings. Astonishing images arrest the ear.

“Our 2016/17 season features work that will engage our audiences in current conversations around gender, class, and identity; pivotal moments in Irish and Argentinian history; and the crisis in our American education system.” stated A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus. “I am delighted to welcome back to the A.R.T. Anna Deavere Smith, Bill Rauch, and Jo Bonney, and to introduce many new artists.” She continued, “Incubating and developing new work is critical to our mission of expanding the boundaries of theater. Instead of helming a production next season, I am excited to be dedicating my time to the development of new work, which will result in productions for future seasons.”

Tracy Letts’ script for the Steppenwolf Theatre world premiere production, Mary Page Marlowe, explores her identity in 11 scenes and 80 minutes. In his dramatic deconstruction of a life, the scenes are not performed in any ordered way and Mary Page is represented from age 12 to 69 by six different actors. (And a baby doll. Originally three actual infants were to alternate as infant Mary Page, but director Anna D. Shapiro decided during previews that was too much verisimilitude. Shapiro has children herself, so I don’t know why she thought a baby would do what it was being directed to do. Directing babies would be like herding cats.)

"In our time, theater here began to blossom about 25 years ago," wrote Howard Shapiro, a Philadelphia-based theater critic and ATCA's conference chairman in a welcome note to attendees. "And about 15 years ago the scene exploded. Of the 50-plus stage companies that pay their actors, designers and creative teams, about 35 hold Actors' Equity contracts at any given time. Metropolitan Philadelphia is now home to more than 1,000 Equity members, plus sizable communities of scenery, costume, lighting and sound designers; directors and playwrights. The theater community is a minor Philadelphia industry."

Boston Baroque strayed from its central focus on Baroque music to play Mozart's eternally popular "The Magic Flute." I don't like its quasi-religiosity, but Mozart's music proves irresistible. Martin Pearlman played his Baroque band with style, and the vocal cast was (mostly) excellent.

Joya de Ceren in El Salvador is a village preserved intact under layers of volcanic ash. Evacuated during eruption, what has been left behind reveal Mayan life from AD 600. Copan in Honduras is the most elaborate of all Mayan cities, as it was home to kings representing God on earth. Temple sculptures and portraits of kings carved in stone amidst a natural setting with birds and trees make the visit a wondrous experience.

Jeremy Denk is a formidable writer and pianist. While a man of such iconoclastic and apt thoughts might let 'intent' dominate performance, Denk succeeds in melding his ideas into the keyboard and creating music of seamless satisfaction.

Sasha Cooke and Simon O'Neill singing Mahler's Song of the Earth gave ravishing performances with the San Francisco Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas. Woodwinds and brass also stood out in Schubert and Mahler.

We set off on a 10 day trip to Hamburg, Germany, from two airports: Albany and Washington, D.C. and arrived per schedules - what a relief. Our hosts came with two cars to transport us all to Ahrensburg, in southern Schleswig-Holstein, just outside of Hamburg, my home town. Nearly 40 family members met on Easter-Monday in Hamburg for a family reunion, which we orchestrated from North Adams, MA. What a wonderful experience! We ventured into Hamburg a few times per U-Bahn, subway transportation. The city always shows its best side to visitors, even sometimes in the rain. On our first trip into the city we were enthralled to see the 'Miniatur Wunderland,' the biggest railway system exhibition there is. Here an account of our adventures in English and German.

Irina Maleeva, born in Bulgaria but who has lived in the United States for over 40 years, started her movie career at the tender age of 14 while living in Italy. She was discovered by famed filmmaker Federico Fellini and went on to work with some of the premiere filmmakers including Orson Welles.

Charming ACJW pianist Michael James Smith told us that when Carnegie first opened 125 years ago, no American music was played. Now we had an American evening, from Copland and Ives to an early Glass chamber piece and the stunning Carnegie premier of Steven Mackey's Micro Concerto. Cellist Caleb van der Swaagh explained tongue-in-cheek how hard it is to be a cellist and how easy it is to play 35 different percussion instruments, many of them featured by Mackey.

African American artist, Nick Cave, creates ritual, fetish costumes Sound Suits which transform and vitalize issues of gender, identity and race. With curator Denise Markonish he discussed an installation that will open at Mass MoCA on October 15 in the vast Building Five.