Nero

NERO At: Royale, Thursday In the evolution of any sub-genre, as it lurches, protozoa-like, from the fetid puddles of cool onto the mainstream shore, it must inevitably assume some characteristics of pop. This is when the early adopters curse the cruel hand of musical Darwinism, and promptly abscond. For dubstep - that most emblematic cultural expression of contemporary youth - this moment has passed. As dubstep ambassadors to the pop arena go, you could do a lot worse than UK duo Nero; and a sold-out DJ set by Nero's Joe Ray at Royale on Thursday illustrated that the transition...

NERO At: Royale, Thursday In the evolution of any sub-genre, as it lurches, protozoa-like, from the fetid puddles of cool onto the mainstream shore, it must inevitably assume some characteristics of pop. This is when the early adopters curse the cruel hand of musical Darwinism, and promptly abscond. For dubstep - that most emblematic cultural expression of contemporary youth - this moment has passed. As dubstep ambassadors to the pop arena go, you could do a lot worse than UK duo Nero; and a sold-out DJ set by Nero's Joe Ray at Royale on Thursday illustrated that the transition...

CAMBRIDGE -- With a profoundly intelligent, complex, and impassioned interpretation of Jean Racine's "Britannicus," Robert Woodruff has turned his final production as artistic director of the American Repertory Theatre into a magnificent parting gift. To feel the emotional and spiritual crackle as this underappreciated classic comes to new and powerful life is to be reminded of what Woodruff can do, and to mourn afresh that, unless he returns as a guest director, he will no longer be doing it here.

ROME - Archeologists yesterday unveiled what they think are the remains of Roman emperor Nero’s extravagant banquet hall, a circular space that rotated day and night to imitate the earth’s movement and impress his guests. The room, part of Nero’s Golden Palace, a sprawling residence built in the first century A.D., is thought to have been built to entertain government officials and VIPs, said lead archeologist Francoise Villedieu. The emperor, known for his lavish and depraved lifestyle, ruled from 37 A.D. to 68 A.D. The dig so far has turned up the foundations of the room,...

Boston Baroque's semi-staged account of Handel's "Agrippina" Saturday night was not just the best production in a week crowded with opera, it was the finest local operatic performance in several seasons. "Agrippina," written by the 24-year-old future composer of "Messiah," is a cheerfully amoral sex farce. The characters are historical figures from imperial Rome; the backbone of the story is about how the villainous Agrippina, the mother of Nero, schemes to install her son as Emperor.

LONDON -- Denis Hills, the writer sentenced to death by Idi Amin for describing the Ugandan dictator as a "black Nero" and "village tyrant," has died. He was 90. Mr. Hills died on April 26 in a home in Richmond, southern England. Amin used Mr. Hills's imprisonment to make Britain "kneel at his feet. " Two British envoys who brought an appeal from Queen Elizabeth II to spare Mr. Hills's life were forced to crawl on their knees through a low entrance to a hut where Amin received them.

LONDON -- Denis Hills, the writer sentenced to death by Idi Amin for describing the Ugandan dictator as a "black Nero" and "village tyrant," died April 26 in Richmond, England, The Times reported. He was 90. Amin used Mr. Hills's imprisonment to make Britain "kneel at his feet. " Two British envoys who brought an appeal from Queen Elizabeth II to spare Hills's life were forced to crawl on their knees through a low entrance to a hut where Amin received them. The day before Mr. Hills was due to face a firing squad, Amin summoned him and said he was being freed.

ROME - Archeologists yesterday unveiled what they think are the remains of Roman emperor Nero’s extravagant banquet hall, a circular space that rotated day and night to imitate the earth’s movement and impress his guests. The room, part of Nero’s Golden Palace, a sprawling residence built in the first century A.D., is thought to have been built to entertain government officials and VIPs, said lead archeologist Francoise Villedieu. The emperor, known for his lavish and depraved lifestyle, ruled from 37 A.D. to 68 A.D. The dig so far has turned up the...

About two-thirds of the way into the ridiculously satisfying new "Star Trek" movie, opening Thursday, there comes a brief shot of the crew on the bridge of the Federation Starship Enterprise. The film has been picking up familiar names as it goes, but you suddenly realize with a jolt that everyone, at last, is here: young, hopeful versions of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto), communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and pilot Sulu (John Cho), Bones (Karl Urban)

IDENTITY FESTIVAL With Kaskade, Rusko, DJ Shadow, and others At: Comcast Center, Saturday MANSFIELD - Electronic music is clearly having another of its ascendant moments, but one area where it still lags is on the summer festival tour. Identity Festival, which landed at the Comcast Center on Saturday, aimed to correct that, and succeeded overwhelmingly, with a nearly sold-out all-ages crowd. The all-day event was a virtual primer on the diverse genre, with 25 acts, both venerable and influential, such as DJ Shadow and Crystal Method and hit-makers at the...

CAMBRIDGE -- With a profoundly intelligent, complex, and impassioned interpretation of Jean Racine's "Britannicus," Robert Woodruff has turned his final production as artistic director of the American Repertory Theatre into a magnificent parting gift. To feel the emotional and spiritual crackle as this underappreciated classic comes to new and powerful life is to be reminded of what Woodruff can do, and to mourn afresh that, unless he returns as a guest director, he will no longer be doing it here.

Boston Baroque's semi-staged account of Handel's "Agrippina" Saturday night was not just the best production in a week crowded with opera, it was the finest local operatic performance in several seasons. "Agrippina," written by the 24-year-old future composer of "Messiah," is a cheerfully amoral sex farce. The characters are historical figures from imperial Rome; the backbone of the story is about how the villainous Agrippina, the mother of Nero, schemes to install her son as Emperor.

LONDON -- Denis Hills, the writer sentenced to death by Idi Amin for describing the Ugandan dictator as a "black Nero" and "village tyrant," died April 26 in Richmond, England, The Times reported. He was 90. Amin used Mr. Hills's imprisonment to make Britain "kneel at his feet. " Two British envoys who brought an appeal from Queen Elizabeth II to spare Hills's life were forced to crawl on their knees through a low entrance to a hut where Amin received them. The day before Mr. Hills was due to face a firing squad, Amin summoned him and said he was being freed.

LONDON -- Denis Hills, the writer sentenced to death by Idi Amin for describing the Ugandan dictator as a "black Nero" and "village tyrant," has died. He was 90. Mr. Hills died on April 26 in a home in Richmond, southern England. Amin used Mr. Hills's imprisonment to make Britain "kneel at his feet. " Two British envoys who brought an appeal from Queen Elizabeth II to spare Mr. Hills's life were forced to crawl on their knees through a low entrance to a hut where Amin received them.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Agent Alan Nero sat in the stands at McCoy Stadium for the Triple A All-Star Game last night, virtually undisturbed. It was one of the most peaceful moments he's had the past few days. Nero, a native Rhode Islander in town to watch some of his clients, also represents Randy Johnson, the name on the minds of all of Red Sox Nation. The phone rang, and wouldn't you know it, Sox general manager Theo Epstein was on the other end. Nero explained where he was and told Epstein he'd call him later.

ROME — A huge chunk of a 2,000-year-old gallery in the complex including Emperor Nero’s fabled Golden Palace collapsed yesterday, Rome’s art officials said. Firefighters searched the area, but found no victims, leading officials to say they believed nobody was inside when the structure collapsed about 10 a.m. Nero’s nearby palace had been closed as workers were doing repairs. The sumptuous palace — built by the infamous Roman Emperor Nero in the first century AD — is known to many by its Latin name Domus Aurea.