Our Guide to the Fall's Fine Arts

Shrek
THEATER: The latest animated hit to be retooled as a Broadway musical. Seattle, through SEPT. 21; NEW York, NOV. 8
PRO: With great design, actors and music, the story of the misunderstood ogre (Brian d'Arcy James) may be a "Lion King"-size success.
CON: A movie's magic can get lost in translation to the stage. Think "The Little Mermaid."

William Eggleston
ART: Retrospective of the great photographer, Whitney Museum, New York. NOV. 7
PRO: The 69-year-old Tennessean made color photography artistically respectable.
CON: You have to dig the subtle difference between the golden brown of bourbon and red brown of autumn leaves.

Equus
THEATER: This Broadway revival of Peter Shaffer's psychological drama about a boy who blinds horses was a hit in London. SEPT. 5
PRO: The cast is stellar, with Daniel Radcliffe, a.k.a. Harry Potter, in his Broadway debut opposite Richard ("The History Boys") Griffiths.
CON: Expect titters from teen fans hoping to catch Harry totally stripped of his Hogwarts uniform.

The Philippe de Montebello Years
ART:The Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrates the retirement of its great director with a show of 30 years of his acquisitions. OCT. 24
PRO: The spectacular goodies include a 1630s Rubens family portrait and Jasper Johns's "White Flag" from 1955.
CON: It's a catchall exhibition, the only theme being a bow to the guy who's getting the gold watch.

The Bonesetter's Daughter
OPERA: The premiere of a new opera by Amy Tan, who adapted her best-selling novel about a woman who discovers a secret in her mother's past in China, with music by Stewart Wallace. SAN FRANCISCO OPERA, SEPT. 13
PRO: A story with a ghostly mystery at its heart.
CON: Fans of this book-group favorite may prefer the page to the aria.

Elizabeth Peyton
ART: The ultrahip New Museum in New York gives its imprimatur to this fortysomething star painter. OCT. 8
PRO: Peyton lifted figurative painting out of the doldrums with edgy portraits of friends and celebrities.
CON: Her work is a little like 1950s Cosmopolitan magazine illustrations, repackaged as cutting edge.

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