Theater

TV critic David Bianculli reviews CBS's "Picket Fences."

Conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein would have been 75 today: classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz is a converted fan after hearing the Haydn portion of Sony's new "Royal Edition" of Bernstein performances, complete in 100 compact discs.

Writer and director Susan Sontag. Sontag is just back from Sarajevo, where she has been directing a performance of Beckett's "Waiting For Godot" in the Serbo-Croatian language. She is one of few arts figures to visit the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, a battle she calls "the Spanish Civil War of our time". Her latest novel is the "Volcano Lover," recently published in paperback by Anchor Books. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the original cast recording for Roger & Hammerstein's "South Pacific." (on Sony).

Playwright, female impersonator, and now novelist Charles Busch. His play, the camp classic, "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom," was the longest-running play in Off-Broadway history. His other plays include, "Psycho Beach Party," and "Red Scare on Sunset." He has a new show which parodies the variety shows of the 60s, "The Charles Busch Revue," in which he makes seven costume changes in an hour and 15 minutes. One reviewer writes, "Among New York's drag performers, he is certainly the most congenial.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the original cast recording of the Broadway show "The Who's Tommy."

Actress and Stanford Theater Professor, Anna Deavere Smith. She performs solo, multi-casted pieces, the scripts of which are transcripts of interviews with real participants of events. "Fires in the Mirrors" (aired on PBS) gave voice to the many facets of the Crown Heights riots.

McNally is best known for the script he wrote for "Kiss of the Spider Woman," based on the Manuel Puig novel which was made into a movie and has recently been made into a Broadway musical. His newest play is, "A Perfect Ganesh." McNally helped develop Off- and Off-Off Broadway in the early 70s.

Behind the scenes during the golden age of the Broadway musical: Susan Loesser, daughter of Frank Loesser, composer of the classic songs "Heart and Soul" and "Baby It's Cold Outside". He also wrote the score for "Guys and Dolls" which is now being revived on Broadway. Loesser's new memoir of her father is called "A Most Remarkable Fella."

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the "last" big summer film, the one with Arnold Schwarzenegger: "Last Action Hero".

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the highly-anticiapted Stephen Spielberg film, adapted from the book by Michael Crichton.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new movie by first-time directors, the Hughes Brothers.

Handler has played leading roles in seven Broadway productions including, "Six Degrees of Separation," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," and "Master Harold. . . and the boys." He's 32 now; seven years ago he was diagnosed with leukemia. He had a bone marrow transplant, and he's now considered free of the disease. He has a new monologue, "Time on Fire," about his four year struggle with leukemia.

The theater director and actor is a member of playwright David Mamet's circle of theater innovators. Macy has most recently starred in Mamet's new play "Oleanna", and was featured in his film "Homocide". They co-founded the Atlantic Theater Company, an ensemble which performs mainly original works by American writers. Members of the company wrote "A Practical Handbook For The Actor", from notes taken during acting workshops led by Mr. Macy. One critic writes that the ensemble "has rescued theater from the mindless".

TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new mystery-comedy series NBC seems eager to kill -- once called Smoldering Lust, it's now in a bad time slot with the title "Black-Tie Affair."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Cliffhanger," a flawed movie that somehow works. It stars Sylvester Stallone on a mountaintop.

Regular Stephen Schiff is covering the final days of the Cannes Film Festival. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead fills in with a review of "Sliver".

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead fills in for our regular film reviewer Stephen Schiff. Whitehead reviews "Posse," a new Western by Mario Van Peebles.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews "Wild Palms," the new series coming up on ABC. It's a futuristic drama produced by Oliver Stone.

Verdon starred in "Damn Yankees," "Sweet Charity." "Redhead," and "Chicago." She won four Tony awards, and she's about to receive a lifetime achievement award from the New Dramatists Playwrights Workshop.