‘Sargent and Paris' at the Met
'Sargent and Paris,' a special exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on view through Aug. 3, 2025, explores this productive, essential period of his work. The show culminates in a presentation of Sargent's pivotal painting 'Madame X,' but the exhibition's ingenuity is that it places the artwork in the context of his rich, early Parisian portraits.
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USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
How Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' shaped my patriotism as a new American citizen
'Cowboy Carter' reassured me that it is normal to have a complicated and, sometimes, painful relationship with a country that falls short of its promises. In April 2024, I sat across from a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer in a cream blazer, answering questions I had memorized from middle school civics. A few days earlier, I had stayed up past midnight listening to Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter." I didn't know it yet, but her album would help me process what it meant to finally become an American. I have called this country my home since I was 6. After 22 years of living here, paying taxes and spending thousands of dollars navigating the immigration system, I was now getting the chance to become a U.S. citizen on paper. For most of my life, America called me a 'resident alien.' But I was human. A poet. A critical thinker. A proud member of the Beyhive. When "Cowboy Carter" dropped, I lay next to my sleeping wife and listened to the opening track, 'Ameriican Requiem." Instant tears welled up in my eyes as the layered vocals, the buzzy sitar and the unflinching lyrics poured through my headphones. "Used to say I spoke too country / And the rejection came, said I wasn't country 'nough ..." Beyoncé croons as the song soars. Within the first few minutes of the album, Beyoncé spoke to something I had been carrying with me since I submitted my $710 citizenship application. As a queer South Asian woman navigating America's institutions – from the Transportation Security Administration to college financial aid offices – I knew what it meant to be told, implicitly and explicitly, that I didn't quite belong. Opinion: I didn't think country music was meant for Black women like me. Then came Beyoncé. As an immigrant, 'Cowboy Carter' shaped how I saw being American Over 27 tracks – coincidentally, the same number as the constitutional amendments I memorized for the civics exam – Beyoncé reclaimed a genre and, in doing so, made space for the rest of us who've been shut out of America's story. Songs like 'Ya Ya' and 'Alliigator Tears' problematized blind patriotism and laid bare the gap between America's ideals and its actions. To me, that gap never felt wider than it did in 2024. As I prepared for my naturalization interview, I watched my alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, call in state troopers to suppress peaceful student protests against what human rights activists are calling Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Earlier that year, the same university had dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion infrastructure in response to Senate Bill 17, causing many of my mentors and friends to lose their jobs. On social media, I saw images of children pulled from rubble. At airports, I continued to be 'randomly' selected for additional security screenings. A TSA agent once asked if I spoke English while I was speaking English to my wife. These weren't isolated moments; they were reminders that I was always going to be seen as someone on the outskirts of belonging. Even when I excelled, I paid a price. While a UT student, I had to return part of my merit-based scholarships because I was a 'nonresident alien.' Many other scholarships were off-limits to me entirely. And still, I was expected to be grateful – grateful to have a shot at the "American dream." Opinion: Beyoncé won album of the year at last. Are the Grammys finally getting it right? Beyoncé's work of critical patriotism will long outlive her tour But I didn't feel grateful. I felt angry. And "Cowboy Carter" validated that anger. Through songs like 'Blackbiird' and 'Ya Ya,' Beyoncé demanded a reckoning. She sang what I struggled to put into words: Loving this country didn't mean ignoring its failures. It meant insisting that it live up to the promises it made. James Baldwin once wrote, 'I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.' "Cowboy Carter" serves as an act of critical patriotism, born not from cynicism but from care. The album doesn't come from a place of hate – far from it. This body of work is a practice in radical honesty rooted in love. One can hear this in its final track, 'Amen," as Beyoncé ends the album's journey with an invitation for us all to 'purify our Fathers' sins.' As the "Cowboy Carter" tour came to a close July 26, I've realized how much this one country album shaped my understanding of what it means to be American. Seeing Beyoncé open her show with "Ameriican Requiem" live – more than a year after the album dropped – overwhelmed me with the same stinging tears, goosebumps and rare sense of belonging as when I first heard it. "Cowboy Carter" reassured me that it is normal to have a complicated and, sometimes, painful relationship with a country that falls short of its promises. However, we can assert our role in shaping America's culture. Like Beyoncé, I don't need to wait for permission to belong. I can assert my agency now. A few months after my citizenship interview, when it finally came time for me to place my hand over my heart to take the Oath of Allegiance, I did so with both pride and purpose. After so long feeling like an outsider looking in, "Cowboy Carter" showed me that my belonging here isn't about assimilation or upholding the status quo at all. It's about building an America where everyone – not just those who fit a narrow mold – can be free, safe and seen. To me, that's what being American is about. Ena Ganguly was born in Bihar, India, and raised in Texas. Their work has been featured in Palette Poetry, BBC, BuzzFeed, KUT Austin Radio, The Austin Chronicle and the Courier Newsroom, and won Breakwater Review's 2024 Peseroff Poetry Prize. Find her work at or on Instagram: @enaganguly
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Jane Austen's wit is irreverently revamped for the stage at Mirvish and the Stratford Festival
Isobel McArthur's 'Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of),' now receiving an encore run at Mirvish's CAA Theatre following its sold-out North American premiere in 2023, opens not, as you might expect, with a portrait of the Bennet family and its central protagonists, sisters Elizabeth and Jane, but rather with a quintet of servants, decked out in yellow cleaning gloves and each wearing a mischievous smile. As the show begins, one servant enters the stage from a loo, flaunting a toilet plunger that appears to be covered with some … scatological material. Over at the Stratford Festival , the American playwright Kate Hamill's stage adaptation of 'Sense and Sensibility' starts with a similarly humorous and jarring picture: a corpse is dropped from the rafters of the Festival Theatre and crashes onto the stage with a heavy thud. The body, we soon discover, belongs to the late father of sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood (Jessica B. Hill and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane, respectively), who must quickly learn, with the help of each other, how to navigate a world filled with a host of suitable — and unsuitable — suitors. If Jane Austen were still alive today, I wonder if she'd be appalled or bemused by the irreverent tone of these two theatrical adaptations. On one hand, both McArthur and Hamill clearly understood their assignments: in order to successfully translate any Austen novel for the stage, you must maintain her sense of humour. Anything less would result in an adaptation that feels stuffy and spiritless — which the English author's writing is anything but. Austen's wit, however, doesn't necessarily lend itself to being translated across artistic mediums. Instead, her humour feels tailor-made for the page. It's dry and mockingly sarcastic, with irony woven into her prose. Her comedy is always grounded in realism, not farce. Another one of its key attributes: it eschews superfluous visual descriptions for wit borne out of social situations. In fact, Austen rarely paints much of a picture of what her characters look like. This all poses a challenge to playwrights hoping to adapt Austen for the stage. While books are a medium of the written word, the theatre is a medium of the spoken word. And often, stage comedy originates as much from the text as it does from the visual pictures created in the production. McArthur and Hamill take two vastly different approaches to translating Austen's sense of humour for the theatre. And both shows succeed, in their own unique ways. McArthur's retelling of 'Pride and Prejudice,' which premiered in Scotland in 2018 and has since played in London's West End, leans into the idea that Austen's works are inherently social class satires that can be presented as farces. Her adaptation is told from the perspective of five female servants (played by Emma Rose Creaner, Eleanor Kane, Rhianna McGreevy, Naomi Preston Low and Christine Steel) all living and working on the Bennet estate. In this play-within-a-play, these servants all take turns playing the various characters in Austen's story. The humour itself is very much in the vein of Monty Python. Just one example: when Jane travels on horseback to visit the wealthy young bachelor Charles Bingley, the cast trot out a pair of coconuts (a direct nod to 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail') to simulate the sound of the horse's hooves. And when Jane rides this (very fake) horse, her hair dramatically blowing in the wind, she belts out Etta James' 'At Last.' You get the gist. The brand of comedy here is one of relentless silliness. Hamill's adaptation, by contrast, is less of a screwball comedy than McArthur's play. If the humour in 'Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)' is absurd and especially bawdy, the tone of the Stratford Festival's 'Sense and Sensibility' is lighter, slyer and also more physical. Jessica B. Hill as Elinor Dashwood, left, and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane as Marianne Dashwood in 'Sense and Sensibility' at the Stratford Festival. Many of the laughs in Hamill's play come from her ensemble of so-called Gossips, five loquacious and prying characters who dip in and out of the action, and whose quips and spicy commentary are woven into the narrative. In this particular production, now running at Stratford's Festival Theatre, director Daryl Cloran also finds comedy in character doubling. Except for actors who play the Gossips and the eldest Dashwood sisters, every other performer plays at least two roles. Jade V. Robinson, for instance, is utterly hilarious as the youngest Dashwood sister, pouty Margaret, before transforming before the audience's eyes into Miss Lucy Steele, Elinor's cutthroat nemesis. Similarly, standout Thomas Duplessie initially appears as the skittish Edward Ferrars, Elinor's love interest who looks like a frightened cat just thrown into a pool of water, before returning later in the play as Edward's vain brother, Robert, swishing his hair with an air of pompousness. Both 'Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)' and 'Sense and Sensibility' are equally entertaining, though I was more impressed by Hamill's ability to balance both humour and heart in her adaptation. As for McArthur's play, there's no doubt that its style of comedy might be too brash for some. For me, it certainly took some time to get used to. I also wished McArthur made more use of her framing with the five servants, to better explore the theme of class dynamics. What these two shows fundamentally demonstrate, however, is the sheer range of comedy that can appear onstage and how the works of a single author, with a distinct style that's consistent across her oeuvre, can be transformed into a pair of theatrical works more different in their temperaments than Elinor and Marianne Dashwood.
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Who's playing in August at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, Fallsview Casino, Pickering Casino, Casino Rama, Caesars Windsor, and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa?
The summer heat continues through August and Ontario's casinos promise a hot entertainment lineup through the month as well. Here's a list of who is performing at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, Fallsview Casino, Pickering Casino, Casino Rama, Caesars Windsor and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa in August. The north Etobicoke casino features The Theatre, a 5,000-seat venue. Here's who's playing: Aug. 14 British metalcore band Architects is playing as part of the 2025 North America Tour. Supporting artists Erra and Holywatr will also play. Aug. 16 Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, who won the first of her nine Grammy Awards 25 years ago, continues to create music that lifts people up. Aug. 20 Chevelle, an American rock band that has been playing for nearly 25 years, will be joined by supporting artists Asking Alexandria and Dead Poet Society. Aug. 21 RuPaul's Drag Race Werq the World takes you behind the velvet ropes of what's described as the most exclusive awards show in 'herstory'. Aug. 30 American country band Old Dominion is performing as part of the How Good is That world tour with special guest Redferrin. Aug. 31 Michael Learns To Rock, a Danish band that formed in 1988, entertains its audiences with music featuring heartfelt melodies and timeless hits. For the full schedule and to buy tickets, visit the Great Canadian Entertainment website . The Niagara Falls casino has two stages: the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino and Avalon Theatre. Here's a list of what's on: Aug. 2 — OLG Stage The Black Crowes reunited in 2019 and in 2024 released their 10th studio album, 'Happiness Bastards,' 15 years after their previous album of original music. Aug. 3 — OLG Stage Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers has multiple Canadian and U.S. dates as it continues to tour following the release of its greatest hits album, 'Rebel Diamonds.' Aug. 7 — OLG Stage Train, the American pop band known for 'Drops of Jupiter,' has released multiple top 10 albums since that initial smash hit. Aug. 8 — OLG Stage Experience your favourite 1980s songs with a live performance featuring A Flock of Seagulls, Big Country, The Vapors, China Crisis, Icicle Works, Belouis Some, Josie Cotton and the Polecats. Aug. 9 — OLG Stage Legendary R&B/Soul group the O'Jays is on its final tour after more than 60 years of performing. The group includes original members Eddie Levert Sr. and Walter Williams Sr. Aug. 10 — OLG Stage Award-winning country singer-songwriter Jordan Davis released the highly anticipated album 'Bluebird Days,' which included four consecutive No. 1s, including quadruple-platinum-selling 'Buy Dirt' and triple-platinum-selling 'Next Thing You Know.' Aug. 14 — OLG Stage Comedian Jeff Dunham has performed live for millions of people on stages around the world and you can see him during his 'Artificial Intelligence' show at Fallsview. Aug. 15 — Avalon Theatre Marc Martel has been described as a vocal doppelgänger for Freddie Mercury. This tribute show will feature Queen's biggest hits. Aug. 16 — OLG stage The 13-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer has been nominated for Grammys 83 times and his record label has helped launch the careers of Usher, Toni Braxton, TLC, Outkast, Pink and others. Aug. 22 — OLG Stage Country superstar Cole Swindell has been described by Rolling Stone as a 'proven hitmaker' after his fourth studio album, 'Stereotype,' produced back-to-back-to-back multi-week No. 1 hits. Aug. 23 — OLG Stage Two-time Grammy Award-winning R&B group Kool & The Gang formed in 1964 and it hasn't stopped performing since then. Aug. 28 — OLG Stage Comedian and actor Jimmy O. Yang, known for his roles on 'Silicon Valley,' 'Crazy Rich Asians,' 'Love Hard' and 'Space Force,' is on his 'Big & Tall Tour.' Aug. 30 — OLG Stage Rock legend John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame continues a solo career when the band disbanded in 1972 and is now on a Legacy Tour, which celebrates his songs from CCR. Aug. 30 — Avalon Theatre World-renowned Elvis tribute artist Bruno Nesci takes audiences on a journey of Elvis's most iconic concert moments, from his 1968 comeback special to his final concert in 1977. See the full schedule and buy tickets on the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort website . Here's what's on at Pickering Casino's The Arena: Aug. 1 This high-energy show features live performances from Alison Hinds, GBM Nutron, Mical Teja, Farmer Nappy and Lyrikal, a DJ lineup of D'Enforcas, DJ Bad Lad, DJ Spice, and Eternal Vibes and host Giselle the Wassi One. Aug. 9 Destiny Fights Production presents top-tier Muay Thai and kick-boxing action. See the full schedule and buy your tickets on the Pickering Casino Resort website . Casino Rama, located in Rama, a short distance from Orillia, has the following entertainment schedule: Aug. 2 This tribute to Led Zeppelin boasts more than 35 years of dedicated homage to the iconic English rock band. Aug. 8 This Journey tribute band has been entertaining audiences for 32 years with faithful recreations of the American rock band's greatest hits. Aug. 16 Yuk Yuk's presents standup comedy at the casino with sets by Cathy Boyd, Chuck Byrn and Jean Paul. Aug. 17 This show is a musical journey through the California music scene of the 1960s and '70s, featuring music of the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and more. Aug. 23 Award-winning country singer-songwriter Kane Brown performs as part of the High Road Tour. Aug. 30 Legendary Canadian rock band Chilliwack is on its Farewell to Friends Tour, following 55 years of playing. The band hits the stage with special guest Harlequin, another Canadian rock band that has been performing for five decades. See the full schedule and buy your tickets on the Casino Rama Resort website . Caesars has a 5,000-seat venue called The Colosseum. Here's who's playing: Aug. 1 This Pink Floyd tribute band celebrates the 60th anniversary of Pink Floyd's formation and the 50th anniversary of the album, 'Wish You Were Here.' Aug. 7 This musical show celebrates Meat Loaf's 'Bat Out of Hell' and the music of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' Aug. 22 A star-studded lineup of Queens will hit the stage in RuPaul's Drag Race Werq The World Tour 2025. Aug. 29 American country band Old Dominion is performing as part of the How Good is That world tour with special guest Redferrin. Aug. 30 Renowned medium Theresa Caputo performs live. For the full schedule and to buy your tickets, visit the Caesars Windsor website . Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa, formerly Rideau Carleton Casino, is located in the Gloucester area of Ottawa. Here's who's on tap: Aug. 23 Canadian indie pop band Walk Off the Earth are known for jaw-dropping covers and originals. The full schedule and tickets can be purchased on the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa website .
