Arts - Washington Square News

Greyson Chance Comes of Age in Deeply Personal ‘portraits’ Tour

Pop-rock sensation Greyson Chance played at New York City’s Gramercy Theatre on Friday to promote his latest album, “portraits.”

Holly Grace Jamili, Contributing Writer • March 5, 2019

In 2010, a YouTube video of Greyson Chance performing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" at his sixth-grade talent show launched him to fame. Since then, his video has amassed over 64 million...

Steinhardt’s ‘Radium Girls’ Spotlights Unfair Practices, Then and Now

Steinhardt Educational Theatre’s illuminating production — about the radium poisoning of young female factory workers in the early 20th century — tackles endlessly relevant themes like labor rights, corporate corruption and female rage.

Julie Goldberg, Staff Writer • March 4, 2019

Labor rights. Corporate corruption. Female rage. These are only a few of the hot-button topics addressed in Steinhardt Educational Theatre’s new production of “Radium Girls,”...

‘Gloria Bell’ Gets the Remake Game Right

Julianne Moore shines in the quirky romance ‘Gloria Bell,’ a remake of an Oscar-nominated Chilean film.

Kaylee DeFreitas, Staff Writer • March 4, 2019

From its opening shot, “Gloria Bell” fulfills its intentions effectively and fearlessly. In a room full of people, the titular character (Julianne Moore) seemingly blends in...

Dramatic Writing Professor Brings Blockchain to Theater

Sofia Alvarez, a Tisch professor and the screenwriter of Netflix’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” is the co-founder of the Blockchain Theater Project, which draws on blockchain’s peer-to-peer model to dismantle the institutional barriers of the theater world.

Alex Cullina, Theater and Books Editor • March 4, 2019

It was late 2017, the height of the bitcoin boom, and Sofia Alvarez, playwright, screenwriter and professor in Tisch’s Department of Dramatic Writing, was looking for a way to...

‘Transit’ Is a Bumpy Ride That Still Bores

Officially selected for the New York Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, the German film is a fascinating character drama that is let down by a poor script.

Guru Ramanathan, Arts Editor • March 4, 2019

Like its title suggests, “Transit” is mobile, unable to find solace in any one mood, setting or genre, oscillating back and forth between being an interesting character drama,...

Staff Recs: High School Movies

This week, the Arts Desk gets a little nostalgic about high school and gives recs for some underrated gems in the genre.

March 1, 2019

As college students, it is not easy to revisit high school, but a fun and feasible way to look back at those innocent and naive times is through movies. From classics like “Rebel...

James Blake Assumes Form and Shatters the Stage

Britain’s nicest bad boy of music turned Terminal 5 into the pseudo-church of Blake for his two-night stay.

Michael Muth, Staff Writer • February 28, 2019

James Blake might not be a household name that rolls off the tongue and seamlessly enters any conversation regarding music, but some of his biggest fans and collaborators certainly...

Tisch’s ‘Fiction’ Asks, ‘What Does It Mean to Be a Spectator?’

The new performance piece, written and directed by theatermakers 600 Highwaymen, explores the nature of art and spectatorship through the work of photographer Diane Arbus.

Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor • February 28, 2019

What is theater? What is performance? What does it mean to watch? To be watched? Tisch Drama Stage’s “Fiction,” running through March 2 at Tisch’s Abe Burrows Theater,...

A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: Mar. 1 to 3

Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.

Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor • February 28, 2019

With Oscars season finally over and the first of the summer blockbusters still months away, we’re in a bit of an entertainment doldrums at the moment. If you want to keep yourself...

‘Catapult!’ Tackles ArtSpeak, #MeToo and the Dissolution of Privacy

Theater for the New City’s premiere of this subversive comedy struggles to balance several big ideas, but still delivers a thought-provoking commentary on New York City’s high society and gallery scene.

Julie Goldber, Staff Writer • February 27, 2019

What happens when a workaday plumber becomes the hottest new artist in New York City? And just how readily will a downtown gallery’s posh patrons be convinced that a slipshod...

Unpopular Opinions: 2000s Disney Channel Shows

The Arts Desk is here with takes on some of your childhood faves.

Guru Ramanthan, Dante Sacco and Nicole Rosenthal • February 27, 2019

While we recover from the Oscars, it’s time to take another stroll down memory lane and revisit our childhoods. In the past, the Arts Desk has written about some of our favorite...

‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ Has Great Visuals, but the Same Old Story

The final film in the franchise does not live up to its acclaimed predecessors.

Fareid El Gafy, Staff Writer • February 26, 2019

As Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless solidify their place in film history with a complete trilogy, I have to say, let’s end the journey here. In terms of longevity and revenue,...