What Our Critics Are Looking Forward to in 2024

The Met is preparing to host a major exhibition of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and photographs, titled “The Harlem Renaissance & Transatlantic Modernism,” scheduled to open in February. It is exciting to see that the Met will be displaying a large collection of African American art, which was previously considered unsuitable for the Met. Some of these works are represented by rare loans from historically Black colleges and Universities. The exhibition also promises to position African American modern art as not only a local phenomenon but as an important generator of modernism internationally.

This year will see a number of sequels: Inside Out 2, “Beetlejuice 2,” Joker: Folie a Deux,” Gladiator 2,” Dune: Part Two,” and new films from the “Quiet Place,” “Venom,” and “Paddington,” and “Godzilla,” and even “Despicable Me.” I’m not a big fan of non-original movies, as they are usually just blatant cash grabs that take advantage of existing I.P. Risk-averse audiences. It’s always interesting to see if the sequel will be as good. The one that I am most excited about is Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga. George Miller is returning to direct the origin story of the character Charlize, played in “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), with Anya Taylor Joy in the role of Furiosa. I’m preparing for the release of “Fury Road” by revisiting the previous “Mad Max movies.”

Tom Hollander Tackles Truman Capote

Clive Owen’s portrayal of an aged Sam Spade in A.M.C.’s “Monsieur Spade,” Helena Bonham Carter plays 1970s soap opera actress Noele Gordon in PBS’s “Nolly,” Ben Mendelsohn, Juliette Binoche, and Christian Dior as Coco Chanel and Christian Dior (“The New Look,” Apple TV+), February 14, maybe the most intriguing castings this year. The one casting that makes me most curious is Tom Hollander’s portrayal of Truman Capote on F.X.’s Fight: Capote Vs. the Swans“, which aired on January 31. Naomi Watts and Diane Lane play the women Capote met and used to write his unflattering novel “Answered Prayers.” Chloe Sevigny, Calista, and Naomi Watts also appear.

Sidney, my son, is a musical theatre kid. Sidney’s favorite movie, “The Wiz,” is a musical. For his 8th birthday, we took him to Baltimore, where the 1975 musical premiered, and its current tour began in October. It was so popular that my parents saw at least one of the 1,672 performances it had during its four-year Broadway run. The show won seven Tonys, including Best Musical. Since I am from a family full of “Wiz’ fans, I anticipate the return to Broadway in April this year at the Marquis Theater more than usual.

The Wiz, based on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is a cultural icon, and its revival must include some powerful updates. Schele Willams directs the show, with Amber Ruffin contributing additional writing. It now stars Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, who won the role after a TikTok audition; Melody A. Betts in the roles of Aunt Em and Evillene; Kyle Ramar Freeman playing the Lion; Phillip Johnson Richardson portraying the Tinman; Deborah Cox in the role of Glinda; and Wayne Brady, returning to Broadway as the Wiz. I’m already excited by this dynamic cast and Hannah Beachler’s (Black Panther) kaleidoscopic stage, as well as JaQuel’s choreography.

Itamar Moses Double Dose

It’s all about variety: From February 15 to March 10, Lila Neugebauer will stage “The Ally,” starring Josh Radnor in the role of a Jewish professor who is caught between workerism (the desire to be woke) and freedom of speech when he’s asked to sign a manifesto for social justice. The topicality of the play is out of this world.

David Cromer directed the musical, which features a book and songs by David Yazbek, Erik Della Penna, and Moses. The mummy is that of an Old West gunslinger who was used for years as a sideshow before the truth was discovered. Spoiler alert – I think literally.

The Stacked Cast, Stylish Spy Moves (and One Cat),

The idea at the heart of — that a best-selling writer discovers what she writes is true — instantly reminds me of “Stranger Than Fiction” (I am a sucker for meta stories about storytelling). Matthew Vaughn’s “Kingsman,” a series of devilishly stylish spy movies, suggests he will know how to satirize and play on the spy genre. The cast includes actors who are adept at both action and comedy (Sam Rockwell, John Cena, Henry Cavill), while the cinematography is in the sleek style that Matthew Vaughn has become known for. A frazzled, inconvenient cat is stuffed into a backpack. The cherry on the top.

Larry David does another final.

How did Larry David manage to do that? This is a question that I hear a lot. How did he turn the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict into one of the most hilarious episodes ever on television? How did he handle race, the Holocaust, and Trump without getting into trouble? How did he get us to care about these rich Hollywood types complaining during their golf games? How did he pull off the impossible feat of putting on 11 seasons of a show that was dominated by small talk? These questions are rhetorical, of course, but we all know the answer. Larry David is a really good actor. It’s a sad day for Larry David as his final season of” “Curb Your Enthusiasm premieres on February 4. It’s one of the rare things I watch on T.V. that I don’t tape. I’m not sure what the plot of the new season will be. But here’s an idea: David already wrote a highly anticipated finale for “Seinfeld,” which I thought was excellent. Many people disagreed. Jerry Seinfeld said live on stage he would revisit this final in some way. It’s food for thought.

Girls5eva Hits the Road

My hopes of a renewal when Season 2, “Girls5eva, finished in 2022 were low. No Peacock show had ever made it to the third season. It’s no longer a Peacock production: The third season premieres on March 14 and will be available via Netflix. In Season 2, the girl group from the 1990s released their album. They’re going on tour this season and aren’t prepared for it. I’m looking forward to the warped nostalgia and zingy jokes, but my biggest wish is that another banger will join “Four Stars,” B.P.E.,” and “I’m Afraid.” on my playlist.

Christmas in Spring at The Met

“El Nino is not an opera about weather patterns. John Adams’s eclectic, energetic two-hour score may be opera-length, but it isn’t an opera. This is an oratorio in the style of Handel’s “Messiah” that tells Nativity without characters or naturalistic settings. The story is told through choral and solo numbers, with texts taken from Latin American poetry and the Bible.

The piece was first performed in 2000. It is not always staged. But for its Metropolitan Opera debut (April 23 to May 17), it is being given a grand treat. Lileana Blin-Cruz’s production features the likes of Marin Alsop as conductor, Julia Bullock as soprano, Davone Tine, and J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano, among others. El Nino may be a few weeks late, but it will still be welcomed.

Brittany Howard unveils new shocking songs.

Brittany Howard has been a singer with unbridled emotion, audacious vocals, and sonic ambitions since joining Alabama Shakes in 2012. Her voice is rooted in gospel and Southern rock. She has a Southern soul. Howard’s 2019 solo album “Jaime” is a departure from the revivalist sound. Her co-producer, Shawn Everett, has worked with S.Z.A., Kacey, and Kacey. Howard’s second album”, “due on February 2, has advanced singles that plunge into the turmoil of a failing romance, jumping between the percussive and the ethereal. The full album will feature even more inventive ups and downs. Howard will begin a North American Tour on February 6, with New York City performances at Webster Hall on February 16 and 17.