Essays in Theater, Opera, Film & Books
Theater · Opera · Film · Books
By Delmington Peregrine
Est. 2025
Opera · October 2026
For almost 240 years we've debated whether Mozart's libertine adventurer is a hero, an anti-hero, or a villain. Where has the debate moved in this era, and what does it say about its oft-ignored co-author, Lorenzo Da Ponte?
October 28, 2026
Books · September 2026
The Proust cycle, and four other gay novels I also read this year, all show the impact of shame on gay lit before Stonewall, affirming a scholar’s supposition that the foundational gay canon doubles as a canon of "homophobic mastery."
September 14, 2026
Film · August 2026
In a way that American TV rarely does, this 1983 series plumbed the psychological depths of statesmen as character studies
August 23, 2026
Theater · July 2026
I saw a surprising seven musicals in July, on stage or and on screen. Here are reflections on each, and the way the musical revives itself in the face of periodic atrophy.
July 28, 2026
Theater · June 2026
Henrik Ibsen was “socially incompetent,” according to his biographer. How did that impact his canon? An examination of five plays I’ve recently revisited.
June 14, 2026
Opera · May 2026
A new book by Caitlin Vincent explores opera’s battlegrounds. Does the war for survival hinge on the perception that melody has been missing from new works?
May 19, 2026
About
Delmington Peregrine is a journalist, writer, and arts critic. These essays trace criticism and history across theater, opera, and film, with sustained attention to the books behind them.