I’ve heard it said that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who love Neil Diamond, and those who haven’t heard enough Neil Diamond to know they do. There’s also apparently a third: people who got beat down by life and forgot how much they love Neil Diamond until they’re presented with … Read more
I remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday… It was a gentle autumn afternoon early in my senior year at Bishop Walsh High in Cumberland, Maryland, and, as newly elected senior class president, I was on some student council business with treasurer and good friend Karen Irwin. After we finished all our … Read more
I have never rushed out a review so fast, but this is so time sensitive and so good that I had to get word out to my readers and my theatre community as soon as possible. I will cut to the chase and give my reasons after so you can buy tickets right away. The … Read more
The musical CHESS is one that has a very special place in my heart. Since the time I first heard it’s most recognized hit, “One Night in Bangkok” on the radio circa 1986, that would have been enough. When I found out it was from a new London musical, I was intrigued enough to buy … Read more
When you walk into the National Theatre, the open set of the current show is an immediate throwback for those who were there. A fully equipped wood paneled sound stage with tape recordings and multiple cords attaching everything whisks those of a certain age back to the mid 70s. When the play starts and the … Read more
The Kennedy Center ushered in the holiday season with a spectacle featuring Christmas standards, sacred hymns, and an abundance of holiday pageantry hosted by Virginia native Charles Billingsley and his big band. Also featuring performances from TaRanda Greene, The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, The National Christian Choir Ensemble, and special guest star, award winning, … Read more
This past Sunday evening, excellence and art took center stage as the cultural heartbeat of the nation welcomed the brightest stars of a generation for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors. It’s a night dedicated to artistry, impact, and legacy, and it all began on the red carpet. The parade of cultural icons, in comparatively conservative … Read more
It’s that time again and were back to the roots of Mark On The Arts, where everything began 24 years ago with the very first Christmas Playlist. At the time it featured then cutting edge/now Holiday classic recordings like The Pointer Sisters’ “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, John Cougar Mellenkamp’s “I Saw Mommy Kissing … Read more
The Holiday Season continues at Mark on the Arts with the season’s seminal dance classic, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s immortal masterpiece, The Nutcracker, performed by the prestigious Cincinnati Ballet, with stunning choreography by Artistic Director Emerita of the company Victoria Morgan. Tchaikovsky’s opus is based on Alexander Dumas Pere’s revised edition of E.T.A. Hoffman’s The Nutcracker … Read more
Ceilidh: (KAY-lee, noun) 1) A traditional Scottish social gathering. 2) In contemporary usage, one particularly involving dancing and Gaelic folk music, either at a home or a larger concert at a social hall or community gathering space; a literary entertainment where stories, tales, poems, and ballads are rehearsed and recited, songs are sung, proverbs are … Read more