Shirley Valentine

Surprisingly good production of a one-woman play.

Highly recommend.

The Spanish Tragedy (Thomas Kyd)

True Grit (Coen Brothers)

Everyone Else (Maren Ade)

Interesting German film about a couple at cross-purposes with one another and unable to communicate those cross-purposes.

Recommend.

A Streetcar Named Desire (T Williams)

Provocative production showing student director Charloote Brathwaite's willing to take risks with a classic. She set the play in a post-Katrina FEMA trailer and, without messing with the lines, re-imagined Stella as a sassy young wife taking no guff off her husband.

Highly recommend.

The Hard Nut (Mark Morris, choreographer)

To get a sense of the magic infusing this re-conception of that hoary old holiday chestnut, Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, see the photo on Macaulay's review: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/arts/dance/13nut.html?src=twrhp .

This production hasn't been in NYC for several years, with Berkeley, CA getting those honors. We saw The Hard Nut the last time it was at BAM, but I don't think I fully appreciated just how wonderful it is. Perhaps having seen a more traditional version the afternoon before helped place it in context. Whatever the reason, don't miss this if ever you get the chance to see it.

Highly, highly recommend.

The Nutcracker (Eastern Connecticut Ballet)

Rufus Wainwright

I became a Rufus Wainwright fan after hearing him on the Leonard Cohen tribute album and film, I'm Your Man. This was my first chance to see him in person.

The first half of the performance featured RW as Lulu singing new works. The music (and perhaps the lyrics) felt rather monochromatic. The second half reprised older works, which had more variety and, may I say, polish.

We exited to a lovely snowfall.

Recommend.

Tiny Furniture

For those of us intimately familiar with contemporary post-college despair and bewilderment, this film rings o so true.

recommend.