Barry Willis

2 weeks ago | hifinews.com | Barry Willis

Why does Barry Willis count himself as a ‘reformed record collector’? Because he can’t see past what he sees as the vinyl format’s inherent flaws, from groove distortion to velocity concernsAnalogue fans are in general agreement that the professional open-reel tape speed (linear velocity) of 30in per second (30ips, or 72cm/s) is unexcelled when it comes to capturing both musical detail and dynamics. It can sound really impressive with 1in or 2in tape.

2 weeks ago | marinij.com | Barry Willis

The tragic Greek legend of young lovers Orpheus and Eurydice has inspired innumerable creations across all the arts: paintings and sculptures, ballets and operas. The 1959 film “Black Orpheus” reset the tale in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and introduced Brazilian jazz to the world. Anaïs Mitchell’s “Hadestown” reinterprets the story as a large-scale contemporary musical where the underworld is a walled city at the end of a long, lonely railroad.

2 weeks ago | marinij.com | Barry Willis

Tradition, whimsy, audacity and inventiveness all combine in a new sculpture exhibit at the Sausalito Center for the Arts. A collaboration by the National Sculpture Society and the Sausalito Center for the Arts, “The Art of Form” opened with a well-attended reception last Saturday. Running through June 15, the exhibit features more than 50 sculptures from a couple dozen artists, plus many arresting portraits by painter Paul Morin and others working in two dimensions.

2 weeks ago | marinij.com | Barry Willis

Among the most popular children’s stories since its 1988 publication, Roald Dahl’s novel “Matilda” was adapted into a stage musical by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin. It launched to great acclaim in 2010 and enjoyed long runs in London, New York and elsewhere, garnering many awards. For several years, the play has been available to regional theater companies. Marin theatergoers are lucky that Novato Theater Company landed the rights.

3 weeks ago | marinij.com | Barry Willis

Prolific playwright Lauren Gunderson is a national treasure. She excels at bringing historical events (“Silent Sky”) and historical fiction (“Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley”) to life. Through June 8, Ross Valley Players presents a stunning production of Gunderson’s “The Book of Will,” a riotous tale of a group of Shakespeare’s favorite actors trying to piece together a compendium of the Bard’s works from diverse sources. It’s a few years after Shakespeare’s death in 1616.