For Hannibal & Co., A Horrifying New Stage
One Los Angeles performer has played Dr. Hill in Re-Animator, Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, and now Father Merrin in The Exorcist. Did we mention he sings opera, too?
Arts & Life
90 Years Later, 'Safety' Still The Last Word With Harold Lloyd
Arguably the greatest thrill comedy of the silent era, Harold Lloyd's classic Safety Last gets a pristine new release courtesy of the Criterion Collection.
'Love's Labours,' Tuned Up And Playing In The Park
For the first time since the Tony Award-winning adaptation of Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1972, New York's Public Theater is presenting a brand-new musical as part of the Shakespeare in the Park series. The team behind the hit Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson have adapted Love's Labour's Lost.
A Veteran's Piercing True Story Leaps From Page To Stage
Iraq vet Brian Castner wrote a memoir of post-traumatic stress disorder and a difficult homecoming. His book, The Long Walk, got good reviews. But Castner never expected that it would get turned into an opera in New York City.
Popes, Politics And Power: The Story Of The Borgia Family
The Borgias are more than just a TV show. Reviewer Lizzie Skurnick says Blood & Beauty by Sarah Dunant shows readers the authentic people behind the pomp and circumstance.
Carline Ray: A Pioneer For Women In Jazz Dies At 88
A pioneering musician, and the mother of jazz singer Catherine Russell, Carline Ray died July 18. In the 1940s, Ray found a home in the all-female band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm as a guitarist and vocalist. In 2012, Fresh Air spoke with Russell about her mother.
A Reclusive Novelist Reckons With His Legacy '& Sons'
In a new novel, David Gilbert tells the story of a famous, aging writer whose children do not feel as warmly toward him as his readers do. Gilbert wrote the book as his own father was getting older and his son was approaching his teen years.
Flying High And Low In 'Full Upright And Locked Position'
In a new book, aviation consultant Mark Gerchick writes that "the magic of air travel has morphed into an uncomfortable, crowded and utterly soulless ordeal." He talks about how it's gotten so bad, why there are so many hidden fees and if there actually is less leg room than there used to be.
From Ramen To Rotini: Following The Noodles Of The Silk Road
Is it possible that pasta originated in China and traveled west to Italy? Author Jen Lin-Liu travels the historic Silk Road from Beijing to Rome, tracing the evolution of pasta and sampling the offerings along the way.
You'll Want To Hang Up On These 'Secret Conversations'
Movie star Ava Gardner agreed to write her memoirs with British journalist Peter Evans in 1988. Now, after the deaths of both Gardner and Evans, the results of their abortive collaboration are being published. Reviewer Bob Mondello says the book is dead on arrival.