“Those who don’t know the name almost always recognize the voice: a folksy, honeyed, sometimes firm, usually schmaltzy flow that can comfort without condescension and make you want to heed even the harshest advice. That voice is the essence of the show, and during my time in the studio, caller after caller told her how its tone alone has provided comfort at some of their lowest points.”
Tag: 02.14.16
Top Posts From AJBlogs For 02.14.16
Editors’ Choice: Some ArtsJournal Stories You Shouldn’t Miss From The Past Week
1. This week in What-Does-The-Audience-Want?Cheaper tickets, for sure. Or at least the opportunity to pay what they want. One theatre converted its season to pay-as-you-want and saw a 50% increase in audience. But perhaps it’s… … read more
AJBlog: DiacriticalPublished 2016-02-14
Coming into land
Shouldn’t ballet have previews? Wouldn’t it help dancers and choreographers alike? As with most bad things, the money says no. Ballets have short runs, so you slap ’em on stage and get reviews and… … read more
AJBlog: Performance MonkeyPublished 2016-02-14
From Palestine via Belgium
Badke, a Belgian-Palestinian dance production, comes to New York Live Arts. Badke. Maalii Maali (L) and Samer Samahnah; visible at back: Mohammed Samahnah (L) and Ameer Sabra. Photo: Yi-Chun Wu There is no light in… … read more
AJBlog: DancebeatPublished 2016-02-14
The Old Catchup Game (Part II): Geller, Magris, Washington, Diehl, Wheeler
Not to make too big a deal of it; I know I’ve mentioned it once or twice before. But it’s impossible to keep up with the torrential flow of jazz releases. All we can do… … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2016-02-14
Is there a Canadian cultural policy crisis?
At the Globe and Mail, Kate Taylor writes: The policy tools that have protected and nurtured Canada’s cultural industries since the 1970s are unknown to transnational distributors of foreign content – that would be… … read more
AJBlog: For What it’s WorthPublished 2016-02-13
Celebrating Bernard Herrmann
A towering figure in twentieth century American music,Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975) has long been pigeon-holed as a “Hollywood composer.” Though he is widely acknowledged the supreme American composer for film (Citizen… … read more
AJBlog: Unanswered QuestionPublished 2016-02-12
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The Woman Who Runs PR For Hollywood During Oscar Bait Season
“Ms. Siegal, 68, has employed sharp elbows and inexhaustible energy reservoirs to claim a unique social position in New York and the Hamptons: as a host for hire for clubby, insider-only film screenings and dinners for the influential, she stands at the crossroads of Hollywood power and New York society (or what’s left of it), functioning as a spin doctor, salonista, celebrity confidante and, occasionally, bouncer.”
‘The Revenant’ Sweeps The BAFTAs As We Edge Toward The Oscars
This is the list of winners, but don’t miss the rather funny Guardian liveblog as well, linked here.
The English National Opera Is Still In Major Trouble
“It requires the wisdom of Solomon to work out how cutting one of the finest opera choruses, and possibly an orchestra too, can conceivably be the only honourable deed.”
Joel Grey Comes Of Age, And Comes Out, At 83
“Despite his successes on stage and screen – that rare Tony and Oscar for the same role, the M.C. in Cabaret – Mr. Grey has not always felt that luck was on his side. As his book reveals, the journey from child actor to teenage nightclub phenomenon (who knew?) to established Broadway name contained its share of bumps, and his personal life was no less rife with conflict and complication.”