Charles Giuliano
Bio:
Publisher & Editor. Charles was the director of exhibitions for the New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University where he taught art history and the humanities. He taugh tModern Art and the Avant-garde for Metropolitan College of Boston University. After many years as a contributor, columnist and editor for a range of print publications from Art New England, Art News, the Boston Phoenix, the Boston Herald Traveler and Patriot Ledger, to mention a few, he went on line with Maverick Arts which evolved into a website.
Recent Articles:
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Playwright Lillian Hellman Theatre
Reflections on Two Chicago Productions
By: - May 23rd, 2015Last week I saw two masterpieces of 20th century theater by Lillian Hellman, the great playwright and left wing political activist. (I‘m a fan on both counts.) The two shows were extremely different in production values but demonstrated the power of performance.
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Queen Latifah Triumphs in HBO's Bessie Television
Portrays Legendary and Tragic Empress of the Blues
By: - May 23rd, 2015As blues giant Bessie Smith in HBO's "Bessie" Queen Latifah gives the finest performance of her career. The drama is based on a 1972 book by Chris Albertson. During the 1920s she was the Empress of the Blues but during the great depression which followed in the 1930s, as she compellingly sang, "Nobody knows you when you're down and out."
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Zombie Formalism Fine Arts
Responding to Banality in Contemporary Art
By: - May 23rd, 2015Martin Mugar coined the term Zombie Formalism. That bounder, Walter Robinson, a known grifter and blowhard has claimed it as his own. Here our man Mugar bares his soul and makes a case. This is more heavy lifting in the realm of art criticism. Like how about that lead with Heidegger. Not exactly bedtime reading for most of us.
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Masha's Seagull at Berkshire Theatre Group Theatre
Stunning Solo by Virginia Scheuer Launches Season
By: - May 23rd, 2015Launching the season on a chilly Memorial Day weekend Bekshire Theatre Group is presenting a variation on Chekhov with Masha's Seagull. In a transfer from Bentonville, Arkansas, directed by Eric Hill it proves to be a family affair. The play is written by Justin Scheuer, stars his wife, Virginia, with set and lighting by their son Nathan. Given the quality of the production it deserves a longer run.
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Reasonable Word
Platitudes of Daily Discourse
By: - May 23rd, 2015Our daily discourse with others from friends to strangers, clerks in the checkout line, waiters in cafes is conducted with boiler plate. We meet and greet but really don't want to know each other. The usual hi how are you lacks the weight of true inquiry.
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Charles Giuliano's Shards of a Life Front Page
Beyond Gonzo
By: - May 22nd, 2015The book of poetry Shards of a Life by Charles Giuliano will be launched with a reading and book signing at Edith Wharton's The Mount. The free reception will will occur on Friday, June 5 from 5:30 to 7:30. The critical essay "Beyond Gonzo" was written as the introduction for the book by J.M. Robert Henriquez
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Butler by Richard Strand Theatre
Civil War Comedy Launches Berkshire Season
By: - May 21st, 2015With a striking resemblance to the Civil War General Benjamin Butler the hilarious performance by David Schramm in "Butler" launches the Berkshire season at Barrington Stage Company. Based on actual characters and events the playwright, Richard Strand, stretches the facts to create an evening of outrageous comedy.
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Guido's Word
Pricey Heirloom Tomatoes
By: - May 20th, 2015Waiting too long each summer for our first ripe tomatoes. Usually mid to late August. Until them ridiclous prices at Guido's where the Berkshire royalty shops for super meats and produce.
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ICA to Expand Architecture
Lucky Break After Poor Initial Design Issues
By: - May 19th, 2015After less than a decade the land locked ICA on the waterfront has run out of space. There is a desperate plan to expand into two floors of a 17 floor adjacent building which is under construction. It has become ever more obvious that the award winning design by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro. is proving to be an utter dysfunctional disaster.
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Taubman Museum of Art Fine Arts
Opened in Roanoke, Virginia in 2008
By: - May 19th, 2015The Taubman Museum of Art occupies a dramatic, 81,000-square-foot geometrically oblique building just across from Roanoke, Virginia’s historic Marketplace Square. Designed by Los Angeles architect Randall Stout and completed in 2008, the museum, with its swooping and soaring metal roof, is a dramatic architectural presence that has established itself as a major force in the life of Roanoke’s thriving arts community.
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Inana by Michele Lowe Theatre
Timeline Theatre's Chicago Premiere
By: - May 19th, 2015Playwright Michele Lowe started out as a journalist with a degree from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Her plays have been produced around the U.S. and in other countries. Both Inana and Victoria Musica were finalists for the American Theatre Critics Association/Steinberg New Play Award in 2010, the first time that a playwright was nominated for two plays in one season.
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Mandy Greenfield of Williamstown Theatre Festival Theatre
Discusses First Season as Artistic Director
By: - May 18th, 2015Meeting for Happy Hour we discussed the strong, star studded first season for Mandy Greenfield the artistic director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. We explored an overview of the elements that must mesh under the pressure of a tight festival format to result in richly compelling theatre.
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Pop Word
Tales of the Lower East Side
By: - May 17th, 2015In grim isolation the ancient super next door was terrified of Die Kinder. We surprised him on Thanksgiving.
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Chris Burden Word
Shot in the Arm as Art
By: - May 17th, 2015When performance/ conceptual artist, Chris Burden, passed away this week in recalled meeting him during his ICA exhibition 1989. I pulled the file and found the original notes and negatives. The resultant poem is extracted from discussion of his seminal 1971 piece Shoot.
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Thyphoid Mary by Tom Horan Theatre
Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis
By: - May 17th, 2015The play’s strength lies in Tom Horan’s ability to balance humor, historical fact, and moral dilemmas with aplomb. He threads together Mary’s religious beliefs, scientific understanding of that time, and a larger picture of the way disease in viewed in our culture. His whip-smart dialogue keeps the audience laughing despite the serious subject. The show also includes a description of the actual breakdown and effects of the disease. That inclusion was important and brought home the seriousness of the pain and fear that people were experiencing during the epidemic.
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Misery Loves Comedy by Pollak and Vorhaus Film
Documentary Explores Feng Shui of Stand-up Comedy
By: - May 17th, 2015Jimmy Fallon, Tom Hanks, Amy Schumer, Jim Gaffigan, Judd Apatow, Lisa Kudrow, Larry David and Jon Favereau are among many famous funny people featured in this hilarious twist on the age-old truth: misery loves company. You will enjoy the in-depth, candid interviews with some of the most revered comedy greats who each share their unique path and a life devoted to making strangers laugh.
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Two Natures Talking at Gallery 51 in North Adams Fine Arts
Exhibition Combines Artists and Poets
By: - May 16th, 2015On Thursday, May 28, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ (MCLA) Gallery 51 will open “Two Natures Talking,†a text/image exhibition that pairs up visual artists Wilma Rifkin and Ellen Joffe-Halpern with poets Stephen Rifkin and Annie Raskin. On Sunday, June 14, the Gallery will host a poetry reading with Stephen Rifkin and Raskin, from 2 to 3 p.m.
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Eric Rudd Announces for North Adams Mayor Opinion
Artist/ Developer Runs Against Incumbent Alcombright
By: - May 15th, 2015After establishing the former Contemporary Artists Center in the Beaver Mill the artist, Eric Rudd, developed the artists/ loft Eclipse Mill. He is now announcing his second campaign for mayor. The first some time ago was against John Barrett III and now he opposes Mayor Dick Alcombright. It is speculated that Barrett, who after being defeated sat on the city council, may join the race. The artists and potential voters who Rudd appeals to tipped the balance when Alcombright defeated Barrett. In fact he blamed them for running him out of a generation spanning dominance of North Adams politics. This could indeed be interesting.
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The Little Foxes in Chicago Theatre
Hellman's Play at Goodman Theatre
By: - May 15th, 2015Goodman's excellent new production of The Little Foxes, directed with style by Henry Wishcamper, stars a galaxy of Chicago's finest actors and surely resonates with some of the current discussions about racism, sexism, domestic abuse and income inequality. If you have a drink with friends after the show, those topics probably will be part of your post-play discussion.
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Keith Lockhart Celebrates 20 Years with Pops Music
With Bernadette Peters at Tanglewood July 5
By: - May 15th, 2015After one of the worst winters on record yet again Spring means six glorious weeks of the Boston Pops. We participated in the gala opening night launch of Keith Lockhart's 20th season. His guest was Broadway star Bernadette Peters. It provided a preview of their appearance together at Tanglewood on July 5.
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The Provincetown Theater Theatre
Announces the 2015 Season
By: - May 15th, 2015The Provincetown Theater announces its 2015 season. An eclectic blend of the old and new, this year's lineup reflects key moments in the history of theater on the Outer Cape and beyond. Eugene O'Neill to Ryan Landry, Lonely Planet to Oleanna will join Broadway veterans on the stage in Provincetown to help celebrate 100 years of exhilarating performances, inspired new American plays and powerful theatrical experiences in Provincetown..
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BB King Word
The Thrill is Gone
By: - May 15th, 2015More polished and assimilated into a range of styles than his peers Howlin Wolf or Muddy Waters like them up from the Delta BB King was a blues giant. Arguably, he was the greatest guitarist of his generation building on the original King of the Delta Blues, Robert Johnson. BB King was an inspiration to the British musicians of the 1960s, from John Mayall, to Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck who conflated Delta blues with rock 'n' roll. We celebrate his legacy at 89.
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Spotty Word
Curse of the Mutt
By: - May 15th, 2015After years of hard work the Sullivans moved to upscale Belmont. Up the street from Aunt Catherine of the Rockoport Nugent clan. At first all went well. Then
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Bloody Thursday Word
Papa Doc Duvalier Was Having a Bad Day
By: - May 14th, 2015Rebels who couldn't shoot straight failed to assassinate Haiti's dictator Papa Doc Duvalier. Decades later recalling the terror that prevailed that day.
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Odors and Smells Word
A Pungent Tale of Woe & Joy
By: - May 14th, 2015Through time, space and daunting obstacles reaching back to recover the exotic perfume and flavors of a Caribbean heritage.
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