George BlecherApr 296 minA Misbegotten Macbeth Descends on BroadwayThe knives are out in this scathing review of the Sam Gold production starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga By George Blecher APRIL 28,...
George BlecherMar 147 minIn the shadow of Putin, Trump and a divided AmericaAmidst bipartisan solidarity with Ukraine, Joe Biden’s State of the Union address focused on unity and reconciliation. But in reality,...
George BlecherFeb 25 minBoy Wonder at Mid-CareerPaul Thomas Anderson’s rollicking, serious, endearing Licorice Pizza is well worth a trip to a movie theater. It’s an eccentric take on...
George BlecherDec 4, 20216 minThe Lehman Trilogy—A Probing CritiqueSuper-professional acting, glossy production—but do they make a full theatrical meal? Is this play any more than an inflated biopic? By...
George BlecherDec 4, 202113 minGuilty Pleasures in Covid Time Want to be enticed by movies again? These offerings from this year’s 59th Lincoln Center Film Festival will do it By George Blecher Table...
George BlecherNov 19, 20207 minFragments from a broken mirrorPessimists fear that the Trump phenomenon has not so much derailed American democracy as revealed long-standing problems in the system...
George BlecherNov 2, 20207 minA shining city on a hill. What if anything can American values teach a free Belarus?The United States may not be the best model for a fledgling democracy looking for fresh values. America’s values have never been as pure...
George BlecherJul 22, 20203 minStunned CityAfter three months away from New York, my first impression was that someone had hit it in the stomach with a baseball bat. The city...
George BlecherMay 20, 20205 minI Left My Troubled City Behind. Now I Feel Guilty.My adult son, worried about my health, urged me to flee. But New York doesn’t let go easily. I didn’t want to leave the city. If the...
George BlecherApr 22, 20207 minThe Confused States of AmericaThe first month of the pandemic in the US The Trump administration’s failing response to COVID-19 has prompted governors and mayors to...
george.blecherApr 20, 202014 minGhosts on the Landing The following is an excerpt from a manuscript called HOW TO BE ALONE IN DENMARK, which centers around a 300-year-old peasant's cottage...
George BlecherApr 2, 20203 minThe Virus-ManA guy who says he's the virus-man keeps up with me no matter how fast I run. That's weird because he's sickly-looking, needs a shave, has...
George BlecherApr 1, 202065 minAngst in the Time of Corona JOURNAL OF THE PLAGUE YEAR: DAY 1 3/15/20 Starting Journal of the Plague Year on the Ides of March. Hmm. Today's stats: USA infected...
George BlecherFeb 12, 20207 minTorn-Up Texts and Mini MikeTrump’s 2020 State of the Union address In the midst of a predictably partisan impeachment trial, Donald Trump said not a word about the...
George BlecherJan 21, 202013 minThe Shelf-Life of DemocraciesAn interview with George Blecher on US politics in the age of Trump George Blecher Adam Reichardt Media acceleration puts enormous...
George BlecherFeb 13, 20198 minOld Soldiers and Women in WhiteDonald Trump’s achievements thus far have been rhetorical. But whether Democrats can take advantage of his weakness remains doubtful....
George BlecherAug 3, 201813 minMurder, Politics and Architecture: The Making of Madison Square ParkLATELY, MADISON SQUARE PARK has provided a staging area for provocative art installations, pop-up food courts and outdoor work spaces....
George BlecherJul 3, 20187 minMichael Bloomberg and the US Presidency: A Sign of the Times?As Donald Trump appals and captivates the world in equal measure, another New York businessman is quietly positioning himself for power....
George BlecherOct 24, 20164 minAlone and TiredIn the latest of his Battle Dispatches from the electoral front, George Blecher visits the heartlands of the Trump vote in the swing...
George BlecherAug 15, 20135 minBound to a Place, Despite Life’s ThornsI owned the cottage right from the beginning. Or it owned me. For one thing, it was so old. Later we found it on maps dating back to the...