Eric George Tauber is an actor as well as a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.
By Eric George Tauber CINCINNATI, Ohio — It is said that during the plague of 1606, when all public theatres were closed, Shakespeare wrote both Macbeth and King Lear. Producing theatre that is workable via Zoom has been the challenge of thespians in 2020-21. Playwright/Director Josh Ravetch of the Delaware Theatre Company has risen to […]
‘Our American Sons’ Rises to the Occasion Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO — It takes a true optimist to rebel against society. First, you must really believe that you’re right and the world around you is wrong. Then you convince yourself and others that change is possible, that marches, chants, signs and sit-ins will actually make a difference. The alignment of
HAIR Raises the Spirit of Optimism Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Music and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & BroadcastJohn and Anne Paulk were the public faces of the “ex-gay” movement. Married with children, they did the talk-show circuit (Oprah, Springer, 60 Minutes) asserting that Divine Intervention had “delivered” them from their “sexually deviant lifestyles.” [Eric George Tauber]
‘Pray Away’ Reveals Religious Fraud Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Lifestyles, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USALet those who are hungry for live performance come and dine at the table of Word Up! These events are part improvised performance, part workshop and part conversation. They are held periodically at the Copley Plaza at the Old Globe in Balboa Park. Feeling homesick and needing to tie up some loose ends, I made aliyah back to my favorite city from Cincinnati and was fortunate enough to catch one performance last Friday. [Eric George Tauber]
‘Word Up’ Brings People Together Read More »
Eric George Tauber, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastWhat does it mean to do the right thing? Does it mean playing by the rules or breaking those rules when they’re unfair? What would you do to secure your child’s future in a better, safer school? Would you break the law if you felt you had no other choice? [Eric George Tauber]
‘Lines in the Dust’ Schools Us on Racism Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & BroadcastI’ve heard it said that great comics use humor to mask a world of pain. Bouts of depression are common as is substance abuse. Jokes make a good cover. Robin Williams said, “I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.” (Eric George Tauber)
Movie Review: ‘Julia Scotti: Funny That Way’ Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
Telling the story of someone’s life without turning it into a thick biography is the art of the raconteur. The art is to seize upon a single, defining moment and work from there. Maestro Hershey Felder takes us to the deathbed of the famed composer Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff in Nicholas, Anna & Sergei: A new musical film by Hershey Felder. [Eric George Tauber]
Music Rises Like A Phoenix Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Music and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & BroadcastHow do you readjust to life as an ex-con? Will you make better choices? Surely, that experience will always be a part of you, but does it have to define you for the rest of your days? These are questions explored in San Diego by Playwrights Project, the SDSU School of Theatre, Television and Film and former inmates of the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility. [Eric George Tauber]
Young Actors Take Us Beyond Prison Walls Read More »
Eric George Tauber, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Blindspot Collective in San Diego is known for its shows for young audiences, tackling difficult topics such as mental illness, the bullying of immigrants and the tribulations of the transgendered. They specialize in “forum theatre” in which audience members actually get to step into the show and give the actors do-overs with better outcomes. But, like all of us, the current situation has forced them to rethink how they do things. And so, they have created Lit: A Virtual Musical, written and directed by Desha Crownover of SD Junior Theatre with book and lyrics by Blake McCarty and Music by Ian Brandon. [Eric George Tauber]
‘Lit’ warms the Heart Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Music and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastThe World Jewish Congress hosted a discussion via zoom with three children of survivors: Professor and poet, Menachem Rosensaft; Rabbi Arthur Schneier and New York Times Best-Selling author Yossi Klein-Halevi. [Eric George Tauber]
Commemorating Yom Hashoah in Verse Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eric George Tauber, Jewish HistoryThey only number about 0.7% of the general population of the United States, and yet they are everywhere. Maybe you’ve noticed them. Something about that woman on the bus seemed a little off. Maybe that young man’s voice in the market seemed curiously high. Or maybe they sat right next to you in shul, or across the dinner table, suffering in silence, and you had no idea. [Eric George Tauber]
Being Seen on Trans Day of Visibility Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Jewish Religion, USAThe late Dr. Howard Rubenstein’s Prometheus Bound was scheduled to open off-Broadway at The Tank in September of 2020, but alas: Covid. So, the publisher sent me a copy of the script for review. Rubenstein’s play is not a translation of Aeschylus but a free adaptation, which is a good thing. Translations of ancient texts often require long winded explanations of why certain references were funny or topical at the time, which audiences don’t have time for. [Eric George Tauber]
Ancient Greek Play Raises Some Still-Modern Questions Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Lovers of opera know Giacomo Puccini as the composer of La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly and Turandot. Maestro Hershey Felder inhabits this persona in his latest film project: Hershey Felder Presents Puccini. Felder is world famous for his biographical portrayals of famous composers, sometimes drawing upon his own Jewish heritage for figures like George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Leonard Bernstein. [Eric George Tauber]
Hershey Felder’s Intimate Portrait of Puccini Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & BroadcastThere’s been quite a bit of buzz about “Cancel Culture.” For some, this may be just a ploy to avoid weightier topics like economic disparity, unemployment, healthcare, and looming evictions. But it can also open up a serious discussion about who we are as a society, where we have been and where we want to go. In some ways, I can see both sides. So, like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, I’d like to do a little “on one hand this, on the other hand that” exploration of who and what is being “cancelled.” [Eric George Tauber]
Op Ed: Cancel Shmancel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eric George Tauber, Lifestyles, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA