Posts in Culture
Gabriel Byrne Tells his Stories in “Walking With Ghosts”

Irish film star Gabriel Byrne’s memoir, “Walking With Ghosts,” comes to life on stage as a one-man play starring Byrne himself as a storyteller, wandering through the formative events of his life. “Walking With Ghosts” is engaging as a single entity, but the presentation of the material in short, segmented scenes clearly reflects its adaptation from the chapters of the memoir.

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To Trick or To Treat — King's Students on Halloween

For the past month, New York buildings have been covered with bones and severed body parts. Yet, instead of feeling terror and confusion when passing these places, New Yorkers just keep walking without a moment’s hesitation. How did it become normal to decorate with cobwebs, sliced-up gourds and models of dead people? EST discusses Halloween with King’s students — exploring its history and its different perceptions.

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Growing with Taylor Swift — Fans React to Recent Release of "Midnights"

Taylor Swift’s new album, “Midnights,” was released on Oct. 21 and features themes of insecurity, growth, revenge, and love—easily relatable to all listeners. Swift fans share what their expectations were for the album and their reactions to the album’s release, reveling in all of its emotional complexities.

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“Topdog/Underdog” Is About Great Acting and Compelling Tragedy

“Topdog/Underdog” is a compelling story, a tragedy encased in brilliant acting from its two-man cast, but the interesting setup wears off, leaving you checking your watch frequently by intermission. The second act eventually recovers the emotional drama and recaptures the audience’s attention to deliver a memorable performance from both actors as they bring the script’s dramatic, shocking ending to life.

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“1776” Tries and Fails to Be All Things to All People

In trying to reconcile the influence of 1960s American culture on the original script with the present-day reckoning of racial injustice, “1776” struggles to define what it wants to be. Portions of the show are powerful, smart drama, while other scenes bleed into a comedic social critique, and many of the musical numbers turn into flashy pop-dance routines seemingly out of nowhere. “1776” is a patchwork quilt of clashing mediums and tones that ultimately can’t decide what genre it belongs in or what message it wants to leave with its audience.

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Pueblo Querido Coffee Roasters — Bringing a Flavor of Colombia to Brooklyn

Pueblo Querido Coffee Roasters, established in 2015 by Christian Felipe Guzman Herrera, celebrates Colombia and his country's contributions to coffee traditions in the U.S. “It felt like something I needed to do. In Colombia, these types of things are not like a business as opposed to in the U.S. Before choosing my location I had visited Tennessee and Florida, but New York had everything,” said Herrera.

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"The Phantom of the Opera’s" Closing Signals Changes for a New Era of Broadway

The Phantom of the Opera shocked theater-goers last month by announcing it would play its final performance at the Majestic Theatre on Feb. 18, 2023. The Phantom of the Opera’s imminent closing absolutely represents a fundamental change for Broadway. Shows close. Audiences eventually want to move on to the next big thing. That is the nature of the theater business.

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"Evoking Memory as a Living Entity" — Lincoln Center Commemorates San Juan Hill Community

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts hosted an interactive art exhibition event featuring the work of visual artist María Verónica San Martín at the David Rubenstein Atrium on Wednesday, Sept. 28. The exhibition was held during the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, ending Oct. 15.

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“Leopoldstadt” Uses Simple Methods to Tell a Beautiful, Complex Story

The latest play to transfer to Broadway from London’s West End is Leopoldstadt,” a look into the Jewish experience in Europe during the first half of the twentieth century. Directed by Patrick Barber and written by Tom Stoppard (of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” fame), the show opened at the Longacre Theatre on Sunday, October 2.

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Why "Don’t Worry Darling" is a Classic Case of Great Concept, Poor Execution

“Don’t Worry Darling,” directed by Oliva Wilde, made its debut Friday, September 23rd with star-studded cast featuring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh. Yet, despite the amount of work put into bringing the film to life, that same effort did not equate to when it finally hit theaters.

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Award-Winning Cast Shines in "Death of a Salesman" Revival on Broadway

“Death of a Salesman” is a powerful story that interrogates the American Dream and one man’s inability to live out that dream for himself and his family. In Miranda Cromwell’s new interpretation of the script, the titular character and his family are depicted as African-Americans, adding a new layer of complexity to the social and professional lives of the protagonists of the story.

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Why Does the Public Hate Meghan Markle?

(OPINION) British tabloids obsessively condemn everything that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, did or did not do during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Four years after getting married, Prince Harry and Meghan have not had a moment of peace in terms of the British media. Why do they hate Meghan Markle? What did she do to deserve such dehumanizing treatment?

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Black Country, New Road and the Release of One of the 21st Century’s Best Albums

In 2021, BC,NR exploded onto the scene. Their debut studio album For the First Time revealed a band so sonically unique and cohesive that it blew the British underground scene out of the water. With tenor sax solos interrupting triumphant post-punk bridges, lavish lead key lines fluttering under soft violin strings and some of the best songwriting of the past decade, they were making their mark in the budding reemergence of post-rock.

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Jessica Chastain is the Saving Grace of 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye'

The Eyes of Tammy Faye, directed by Michael Showalter, is a biopic depicting the rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. The film delivers a straightforward retelling of her story, but without Jessica Chastain cast as the lead, the movie would have been mediocre at best.

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Ikaris is Not The Villain in Marvel’s ‘Eternals’

REVIEW — Marvel’s Eternals made its grand debut onto Disney+ for streaming on Jan. 12, 2022. The film follows the titled Eternals’, an immortal alien race, introduction to the already-full Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sersi, Ikaris, Sprite, Ajax, Thena, Gilgamesh, Kingo, Makkari, Phastos and Druig are members of a group of superheroes who are more than seven centuries old and placed on Earth to protect humans from Deviants (an alien species who are end products of DNA testing gone wrong).

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What to Watch Coming Out of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

(REVIEW) My first ever Sundance Film Festival was spent on a new couch. Having been moved entirely online just over two weeks before the festival’s Opening Night due to rising concerns about Omicron, I canceled my travel plans to Utah and set up my online schedule. The festival took place from January 20-30. I can’t say it was the way I imagined my experience would be, but it was likely for the best considering how many classes I would’ve missed and homework that would’ve gone ignored.

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Taylor Swift: Creating Art from Heartbreak through Song and Film

Taylor Swift has been a force to be reckoned with since her career began when she was just 14, and she has been making waves in the industry ever since. Her short film was one more creative outlet to be conquered. On Friday, Nov. 12th, international country-turned-pop star Swift made her short film directorial debut.

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'Spencer': A Salve for Biopic Dread

Miracles are nowhere and everywhere in Spencer. Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) stops by a remote diner while driving to the royal family’s Christmas retreat. Alone and without security, she glides to the register in search of directions. Everyone gawks. These reactions contrast her family’s disenchantment toward her. As ever, Diana finds herself the fixation — adoring or damning — of her country’s mind. Spencer outwits the biopic genre, pulsating with the macabre of Diana’s psyche.

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