Category: people

There’s been so much talk recently about who will be the New York Philharmonic’s next music director, Kurt Masur, the NYP’s current leader has been a bit forgotten. That’s a mistake. The 72-year-old Mr. Masur, who has done so much to restore the orchestra to a lofty international standard of performance since taking it over in 1991, is to remain in place for two more seasons. – New York Times

“The list of the tenor’s accomplishments — as singer, conductor, opera Intendant (in Washington, D.C., and, starting this summer, in Los Angeles) and restaurateur — is unrivaled in today’s opera world; and for a vocalist who, officially, turns 60 this year, his longevity is nothing less than astonishing.” – San Francisco Examiner

Lars Von Trier isn’t a director, he’s a Happening. Picking up the top prize at Cannes only inflamed his supporters and critics. For some, “Dancer in the Dark” confirmed the flamboyant 44-year-old Dane as a posturing charlatan. “The director’s work is undoubtedly ambitious and original, and he has an ardent band of followers. But for many he remains as specious as the fake aristocratic Von he has attached to his name.” – The Telegraph (UK)

A look at Roman Polanski’s turbulent career and the morbid fascinations at the heart of his film work to date. “All are disturbing works which showcase his ability to invest the everyday with psychological terror, and the other way round.” – The Times (UK)

It’s so whorish, isn’t it, all these Hollywood actors skittering over to London to get a little legitimate stage credit under their belts? Not that that’s what Donald Sutherland’s doing, mind you. Sutherland “learned his craft in Britain. He arrived in 1952, aged 18, to study at the London Academy of Dramatic Art before going on to do a seven-year apprenticeship on almost every stage in the country. Afterwards, to hone his vocal technique, he added another year in Scotland at the Perth Repertory Theatre.” Now he’s back, starring at the Savoy. – The Guardian

Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) spent some time in Carson City Nevada developing his writing. And the city wants to advertise the fact in its tourist promotions. Trouble is, Clemens’ estate still holds control of the famous name and the Mark Twain Foundation Trust has warned the city to stop or its lawyers will come a’ callin’. – Washington Post

“At long last, Sylvia Plath’s uncensored journals are published. “Almost from the day she died, readers and scholars, faced with the huge, faceless enigma of her suicide, have been perplexed and thwarted by Plath’s mental condition. The unabridged journals and other new information, some of it reported here for the first time, lend credence to a little-noticed theory that Sylvia Plath suffered not just from some form of mental illness (probably manic depression) but also from severe PMS.” – Salon

John Gielgud’s career stretched out over three-quarters of a century. Why so many movies in his last decades? “It seems that he was also driven towards film by the increasing difficulty of remembering lines. It further transpires that much weight must be given to the financial pressure of Gielgud’s extravagant domestic establishment in Buckinghamshire, which made him chary of refusing any part – even to the extent of making two films with Michael Winner and the ghastly Caligula (1980). – The Telegraph (UK)

Boston’s new theatre impresario dynamo has big plans for the city. In just a few short months he’s already made a mark. “We’re seeing the emergence of a diverse not-for-profit theater community – though I wish to God we could figure out what to call it. In Chicago, it’s the off-Loop community. In New York, it’s off-Broadway. We don’t have a name for it, but it’s very positive.” – Boston Globe