“Lost plays have a romantic pull for theater people, especially for those in love with the past. Resurrecting a forgotten work is a bit like recovering a gold cigarette case from a sunken ocean liner: Wipe away the barnacles and who knows? You may find something that glitters. Of course there’s also the possibility that the thing will simply come apart in your hands. That danger, too, is part of the attraction. And in the case of regional theaters that need to hold on to subscribers, to strike a balance between unorthodox program choices and seat-filling chestnuts, adventurism can come at a price.”
Tag: 01.23.05
Contemporary Africa – A Cinderella Story
“While the traditional masks and figures that so influenced Picasso and other early modernists are now universally accepted as part of the canon of great art, contemporary work has remained on the margins – barely known in the West, even to the regular gallery-goer.” A new show in Europe is the biggest-ever assemblage of contemporary African work. “Yet, if the exhibition gives an exhilarating sense of the creativity of the modern African city – a world where traditional masquerading exists alongside hip-hop, internet cafés and satellite TV – modern African art remains a Cinderella phenomenon.”
TKTS Begins Plays-Only Service
The TKTS half-price theatre ticket booth in Times Square is starting a “palys-only” line. “Tickets to both Broadway and off-Broadway nonmusical plays will be sold at the play-only line, while tickets for both plays and musicals will continue to be sold at the other lines.” The idea is to encourage sales of tickets to plays, which are a harder sell than musicals.
Maestro Switch – What If Philly And NY Had Gone Another Way?
If not for a few details, Christophe Eschenbach might be leading the New York Philharmonic while Lorin Maazel could have settled in Philadelphia. “History could have been reversed. Eschenbach was a top contender for the New York position, and had Maazel not unexpectedly clicked with the Philharmonic in a November 2000 guest-conducting engagement, Eschenbach might now have his job. Just as easily, orchestra chemistry could have conspired to put Maazel in Philadelphia. If that had happened, would their talents have been wasted? Or better utilized?”
Rockwell: Fresh Winds Blowing
Does “crossover” modern into ballet diminish ballet? John Rockwell argues the point: “Ballet is not over. Of course its choreographers should still be steeped in ballet vocabulary; nearly all serious dancers have ballet training these days. Of course experimentation that is silly or destructive should be condemned. Of course different dance genres should maintain their integrity, even as they evolve. But beware of a mind-set that shuts off all innovation for fear of infection. To close oneself off to anything beyond the embattled walls of the academy is to ignore a whole wide world of potentially exciting dance and of ballet evolution.”
That’s (More Than) Entertainment
“It’s no longer sufficient, say artists and educators, for theater and other art forms merely to entertain. Nor is it enough for young people to come away from an art experience being able to articulate ‘that was funny’ or ‘that was pretty’. Both society and entertainment are becoming more socially and culturally segregated (think red state vs. blue state) and academic achievement is being increasingly scrutinized under the cold, unforgiving glare of standardized testing. In that stratified environment, theaters for young people are reaching across the footlights and into classrooms — not teaching them what to think but rather how to think.”
Want Some Music Of Your Own? Why Not Commission It?
“Patronage of music by individuals may seem like a throwback to the days when noblemen maintained court orchestras with composers to write for them. Today, a few private donors have made names for themselves commissioning new music (notably Betty Freeman, who since the 1960’s has supported the likes of John Adams, Steve Reich, Morton Feldman and John Cage), but most of the big patrons of contemporary music are linked with institutions, giving money to symphony orchestras, operas and new concert halls. As it turns out, anyone can commission a piece of music.”
Hollywood’s Plastic People
Plastic surgery is a way of life in Hollywood. “Our screens are crowded with freakishly plumped lips and breasts so round they look drawn by protractors. Easiest to spot are the plastic-surgery casualties: the character actor with misaligned ears, the actress who looks permanently stuck in a wind tunnel. These are surgery’s cautionary tales, the waning careers and lost souls who, in attempting to hang onto fame, become grotesques. The bigger the star the better the surgery. But even when you look at the best face money can buy, something seems wrong with the picture.”
Rival Exposure – Commercial Radio Broadcaster Aids Small Public Station
Tiny Minnestoa public radio jazz station KBEM is struggling. Oddly, the station’s closest rival KJZI, owned by media giant Clear Channel, has come to the station’s aid, giving it money and offering to help promote it. “In addition to the cash infusion, Clear Channel will broadcast messages on several of its Twin Cities stations asking listeners to support KBEM. It also plans to help the station with its winter jazz festival and future pledge drives.”
Death At The National Gallery (What Caused Cancer Outbreak Among Staff?)
Between 1997 and 2002, five security guards at the National Gallery of Australia were diagnosed with cancer. Nine others were also diagnosed over an unspecified period. “As management learned of the cancers, an investigation was already under way into the health and safety of the building, prompted by long-running allegations by staff and former staff that it was damaging their health and the priceless collection.” An investigation showed staff has been exporsed to “a potentially deadly chemical.”