Elisabeth Vincentelli

Go CBC!

The doc series “Downhill Skiers” on Prime gives really good insights into the downhiller mind set. Warning: the hospital scenes give “The Pitt” a run for its money!

At that speed, you must have control, otherwise you will not last a second.

It’s 99% skill. They have specialized skis that are finely tuned (regular skiers couldn’t handle them) but really it’s amazing training. And a brain that doesn’t seem to register fear!

As an avid follower of alpine ski racing all season long, I welcome all the people who tune in once every four years! AMA and I’ll do my best to explain. Like, Super G and GS? Whaaa?

Where are my #biathlon peeps here? Come on, our time is now!

One thing about the Lindsey Vonn saga: it’s brought out people (most of them, it must be said, men) who know nothing about ski racing yet feel they can pontificate about it at will.

If there’s one reason to get a VPN, it’s to avoid NBC coverage of the Olympics. We watch on Peacock on mute.

He's beyond over. That he keeps popping up is just an embarrassment.

NBC’s Snoop-Olympics connection is way past its expiration date. That dude starting a “USA! USA!” chant during the opening ceremony — read the room!

How to Watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Milan Winter Olympics

Thrilled to join the NY Times team covering the Olympics' opening ceremony! I'll have one eye on the broadcast and the other on my laptop. How can anything go wrong? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/w...

So Long to Cheap Books You Could Fit in Your Pocket

In short: the cheap, convenient option disappears. What else is new? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/b...

I just rewatched William Wyler's Detective Story--it's based on a 1949 Sidney Kingsley play that ran for 15 months on Broadway with, insanely, a cast of 34. NY really needs an Encores series devoted to unrevivable plays, which this is, even though it basically invented the police-precinct TV drama.

10 Composers, 2 Directors, 1 Opera: ‘Complications in Sue’

Just because there were a lot of cooks does not mean that there were too many! 10 composers, 2 directors, 1 librettist, 4 singers, 1 Justin Vivian Bond: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/a...

Overheard from counter neighbors at the diner, as one leaves:
- have a good day
- you know I won’t.

I like it but Dawn Upshaw's is my go-to.

I don’t have a single favorite (it changes all the time) but I find myself returning to that one a lot.

Nigella Lawson is replacing Prue Leith on Great British Baking Show. My first thought: can’t wait for her to take Paul Hollywood down a few notches. This entirely unremarkable guy’s ego has ballooned the past few seasons.

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Sondheim

I contributed an early jam to this fab team effort. But really, don’t you want to see what Mandy Patinkin and Michael R. Jackson picked?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/a...

The high-brow version of those crazy mashups that used to attract interest at the Fringe: a hybrid of "Electra" and "Persona" starring Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss and Ella Lily Hyland. "Electrona"? "Perectra"? Date TBA at the National Theater, so we may be able to able to eventually stream it.

A board seems at least a little less dangerous than depending on the whims of one person.

Sure, they can, but it'd have to be to something they don't control. And that seems the problem: for many if not most, control is the point.

To me the best way is going non-profit. Relying on billionaires is a fool’s errand, and that applies to *everything*.

75 mns is the new 90 mns at the theater.

Liberation's Susannah Flood was born into a family of acting teachers. Of course she's on Broadway. This episode’s guest is Susannah Flood, from the play “Liberation” — one of the best-reviewed Broadway shows of 2025 (you can read Elisabeth’s glowing take for The New York Times here).

Susannah Flood is our guest on the podcast, talking about "Liberation" (go see it if you haven't yet!), growing up with acting teachers as parents, and playing the main character's mom in Kristen Stewart's directorial debut, "The Chronology of Water." marksvincentelli.substack.com/p/liberation...

It was wild. Everything I’d hoped for and everything I didn’t know to hope for.

Applying Richard Foreman’s Off-Kilter Aesthetic (and Ducks) to Opera

“What to Wear” at BAM was all that: 70 minutes of pure giddy joy. The show to beat for the rest of the year. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/a...

Strong emphasis on “almost” for me.

Private club play is a very different thing, and that’s what they’re talking about.

Those commenters should drop by the city courts in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where I often play. It’s a great mix of people a far cry from their 1960s or 70s ideas!