"PRESIDENT, n. The leading figure in a small group of men of whom"and of whom only"it is positively known that immense numbers of their countrymen did not want any of them for President." Am…
Sound footage of the presidential inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, W…
"Power doesn't have to show off. Power is confident, self-assuring, self-starting and self-stopping, self-warming and self-justifying. When you have it, you know it." Ralph Ellison, Invis…
From 2006: I woke up this morning at nine-thirty, an hour later than my normal get-up-and-go time. As I descended from the loft in which I spend my nights, it struck me that I had nothing wh…
"We have all forgot more than we remember." Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia Continue reading Almanac: Thomas Fuller on memory at About Last Night.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli plays the slow movement of Ravel's G Major Piano Concerto, accompanied by Sergiu Celidibache and the London Symphony:Â (This is the latest in a series of ar…
"Things are beautiful if you love them." Jean Anouilh, Mademoiselle Colombe (trans. Louis Kronenberger) Continue reading Almanac: Jean Anouilh on beauty at About Last Night.
A new episode of Three on the Aisle, the podcast in which Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I talk about theater in America, is now available on line for listening or downloading…
In today's Wall Street Journal drama column, I review two theatrical webcasts drawn from important New York productions of the past by the Hunter Theater Project and Shakespeare in the Park.…
A scene from the 1963 film of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," directed by Laurence Olivier and starring Olivier, Rosemary Harris, and Michael Redgrave: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and…
"A woman can be a man's friend only in this sequence: first an acquaintance, then a mistress, and after that a friend." Anton Chekhov, Uncle Vanya Continue reading Almanac: Chekhov on fri…
"The only real revolution is in the enlightenment of the mind and the improvement of character, the only real emancipation is individual, and the only real revolutionaries are philosophers a…
James Earl Jones appears in a scene from the original Broadway production of August Wilson's Fences, performed on the 1987 Tony Awards telecast: (This is the latest in a series of arts- …
"Finality is not the language of politics." Benjamin Disraeli, speech in the House of Commons (February 28, 1859) Continue reading Almanac: Disraeli on politics at About Last Night.
From 2011: For the most part I've only talked about it in passing on this blog, but a year ago I started writing a one-man play about Louis Armstrong and Joe Glaser, his longtime manager. (T…
"It is depressing to hear the unfortunate or dying man jest." Anton Chekhov, "On the Road" (trans. Constance Garnett) Continue reading Almanac: Chekhov on dying at About Last Night.
In my latest Wall Street Journal "Sightings" column, I write about the appeal of widescreen films. Here's an excerpt. *  *  * We've all heard about the perilous state to wh…
Artie Shaw plays his "Concerto for Clarinet" with his big band in the 1940 film Second Chorus, directed by H.C. Potter: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related video…
"Faith is an aptitude of the spirit. It is, in fact, a talent: you must be born with it." Anton Chekhov, "On the Road" (trans. Constance Garnett) Continue reading Almanac: Chekhov on faith a…
In Friday's Wall Street Journal I review the Mint Theater's webcast of Lillian Hellman's Days to Come. Here's an excerpt. *Â Â *Â Â * One of the few welcome surprises of 2020 was the…
In solitude What happiness? who can enjoy alone? Or, all enjoying, what contentment find? John Milton, Paradise Lost Continue reading Almanac: John Milton on loneliness at About Last Nigh…
"A Mob's a Monster; Heads enough, but no Brains." Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack Continue reading Almanac: Benjamin Franklin on mobs at About Last Night.
A scene from Hitler: The Last Ten Days, directed by Ennio De Concini and starring Alec Guinness as Adolf Hitler: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that …
"Power is never stable when it is boundless." Tacitus, History Continue reading Almanac: Tacitus on power at About Last Night.
From 2011: Directing is mainly listening. The director's first job is to ensure that the actor speaks the text in such a way as to make it intelligible to members of the audience who have no…