Whether it’s Elphaba in “Wicked” or Celie in “The Color Purple,” the star doesn’t choose parts “frivolously”; she wants roles that stay with viewers.

As pop culture continues to fracture, our critic was drawn to art and performances that explored universal themes by way of specific settings.

In “Nickel Boys,” RaMell Ross uses what he calls “sentient perspective” to convey the characters’ view of their world. Critics say the result is stunning.

By breaking the story into two movies, the emphasis in “Part One” shifts to a nation’s potential decline into authoritarianism. Sound familiar?

“Wicked,” which arrives to the big screen this fall, redeems the villain who is barely a character in L. Frank Baum’s classic novel.

Unsubstantiated rumors that the star would appear at the Democratic National Convention, perhaps alongside Taylor Swift, created a daylong frenzy. Then the headliner took control.

The song is a driving force behind Vice President Kamala Harris’s latest campaign ad. But the song’s origins offer deeper significance for a candidate hoping...

With her response to Donald Trump’s comments about her background, Kamala Harris showed that Blackness doesn’t need to be explained or defended — an idea...

The movies explore what happens when authors who focus exclusively on racism in their work push back against political and commercial stresses.

A new adaptation shows how rich Alice Walker’s novel is and how the source material can lend itself to unconventional storytelling.