Elaine Paige: ‘I Don’t Want To See A Lot Of Old People Waffling On’

The veteran West End musical theatre star rejects the movement to create more roles for older actresses. “As an audience member myself, watching a film, let’s say, I don’t want to see a lot of old people waffling on really. I want to see youth and beauty, because, like any art form, you want it to be beautiful and wonderful, and to inspire you.”

National Theatre’s Phedre Screening Drew In Lower-Income Viewers

“Research into the National Theatre’s live screening of Phèdre last year has revealed the cinema audiences had a lower average income than theatregoers who saw the performance in the NT’s South Bank home. However, 91.3% of the cinema-goers had seen a play within the last year, and 41.3% had been to the National Theatre within the last 12 months.”

Kathryn Bigelow Is Poised For A Hollywood First

“Because it’s so rare that the DGA winner doesn’t go on to win an Academy Award – only six times in 61 years – odds are Bigelow could be the first woman director in the Academy’s 82-year history to crash the celluloid ceiling. … But I’m skeptical that Bigelow’s … possible win will represent any substantive change for women in Hollywood.”

Classical Music, Giving The People What They Don’t Want

There is a widespread “idea that audiences should be open to new things, and that they should be convinced to give them a try.” And yet a person “who comes to the movie theater to see ‘Avatar’ is not necessarily going to be thrilled if I show him ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ instead, even if I’m convinced that he would really love it if only he would watch it.”