“What’s the mood like in Ballet B.C. rehearsals for its first new work since the trauma of shutdowns and near collapse?” A visit to rehearsals of James Kudelka’s new piece, The Goldberg Variations Side 2: Adam & Eve & Steve, indicates that the dancers are reinvigorated and working harder than ever.”
Tag: 02.19.09
J. Max Bond, 73, Pioneering African-American Architect
“Bond’s relatively low profile outside the profession wasn’t the result of racism, but rather his decision to work at the head of a big corporate firm doing big corporate work. […] This position may not have won him celebrity, but it allowed Bond to show, through tireless work and professional activism, a generation of African-American architects (and architects of African descent worldwide) the way to success in an overwhelmingly white, upper-class profession.”
Grammys Lose Some Of Their Merch-Moving Mojo
“It used to be that every year around this time the Grammy Awards laid a few golden eggs for the music industry, by helping the night’s winners sell lots and lots of records in the week that followed. Those jumps still happen, but the numbers aren’t what they used to be.”
Eric Zeisl, The Emigré Who Got Away
“You won’t find much about this composer – who fled Vienna in 1938 and joined the ranks of important foreign musicians in Southern California – in the studies of those émigrés that have been coming out lately.” But lately they’re starting to rediscover him out in L.A.
Lucian Freud Designs Wine Label
“Freud, the world’s most expensive living artist, has joined the ranks of a select group of artists: those who have designed labels for Château Mouton Rothschild wine.” Among the artists to have designed a Mouton label are Picasso, Dali, Chagall, Warhol, Keith Haring and (erm) Prince Charles.
Padel Is Frontrunner For Oxford Poetry Post
“Prize-winning poet Ruth Padel is emerging as the frontrunner for the prestigious post of Oxford University professor of poetry, after poet laureate Andrew Motion ruled himself out of competition for a post he said was ‘in desperate need of an overhaul’. The position, established in 1708, is the most important in poetry after the laureateship, and sees the incumbent – who is elected by Oxford graduates – giving three lectures a year.”
Sesame Street Onstage: Bert & Ernie Musical Takes Shape
The Minneapolis-based Children’s Theatre Company got three Tony nominations for “A Year With Frog and Toad.” The show’s 2003 Broadway run also “drew the attention of the makers of ‘Sesame Street,'” who asked the company “if there was any interest in putting together a musical from their popular children’s show.” The resulting adaptation, “Bert & Ernie, Goodnight!,” starts previews at CTC in September.
Dennehy Falls Off Stage, Continues Performance
“At a key moment of ‘Desire Under the Elms,’ the character of Ephraim Cabot thanks God for the arrival of his new child. At Tuesday night’s performance at the Goodman Theatre, the actor Brian Dennehy took that rapture a step too far. He fell off the stage. … But Dennehy, an actor of the old school, batted aside assistance, gritted his teeth, assured the audience that the baby (played by a doll) was unhurt and demanded that the show continue.”
Do Ticket Touts (A.K.A. Scalpers) Get A Bad Rap?
“As the Guardian reports today, the government is launching a consultation that will encourage events promoters and football clubs to toughen up their ticket security and squeeze out the touts. No one likes to be ripped off, but are there upsides to touting? Did a sinister-looking individual enable you to catch that unforgettable early-90s Swervedriver gig?”
Fight, Team, Fight! (Or: How Music And Football Are Alike)
“Football managers and conductors are basically in the same line of business, and the good ones are cut from the same cloth. Most aim, ultimately, to conjure that old Bill Shankly miracle: getting their forces to play better than they ever thought they could. But it’s not always the big-name managers and maestros who achieve this.”