“The Pinter estate is under no obligation to explain its thinking, of course, regardless of how much theatregoers might disagree. But the premature closure of this production is a loss not only to the respective bodies of work of Harold Pinter and the Wooster Group, but to the theatre in general.”
Tag: 02.22.16
China: No More Weird Architecture!
A directive issued on Sunday by the State Council, China’s cabinet, and the Communist Party’s Central Committee says no to architecture that is “oversized, xenocentric, weird” and devoid of cultural tradition. Instead, buildings should be “suitable, economic, green and pleasing to the eye.”
‘Hamilton’ Wins $100K Award For Historical Drama
“The hit Broadway show, which uses hip-hop and other contemporary musical styles to chronicle the life and death of Alexander Hamilton, seems tailor-made for the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, which, as its name suggests, seeks to honor ‘a new play or musical that enlists theater’s power to explore the past of the United States.””
Top Posts From AJBlogs 02.22.16
Pat Martino And Kenny Barron At The Portland Festival
Pat Martino and Kenny Barron, two of the many Philadelphians appearing at the 2016 Portland Jazz Festival, led their groups in a concert at the Winningstad Theatre. First up, guitarist Martino’s trio with organist … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-02-23
Misprision
In performing Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life,” some singers deliver the subtle, and possibly difficult to pronounce word combination “distingué traces” as “distant gay traces.” A British lawyer or Harold Bloom might call this a “misprision.” … read more
AJBlog: PianoMorphosis Published 2016-02-22
Charles Lloyd & Gary Peacock In Portland
Rather than the electrified two-guitar quintet he calls the Marvels, the saxophonist CharlesLloyd brought his traditional quartet to the Portland Jazz Festival. They played a memorable concert. Supported by players decades younger, the … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-02-22
Swingin’ with Mezz and Menck
Mezz Mezzrow is one of those fascinating, exceedingly odd figures in jazz history about whom I could write instructively and at length if I felt so moved. Alas, I don’t, at least not today, so … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-02-22
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Umberto Eco Taught The World To Think About Conspiracies And Fascism
“Suddenly Eco was back in my feed, being used to prove that one of the most notorious presidential candidates in US history was no worse than Mussolini or even Hitler.”
Just Another ‘Hamilton’ Award Post (Hint: More To Come)
“‘Hamilton,’ the hit Broadway show, which uses hip-hop and other contemporary musical styles to chronicle the life and death of Alexander Hamilton, seems tailor-made for the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, which, as its name suggests, seeks to honor ‘a new play or musical that enlists theater’s power to explore the past of the United States.'”
Use This One Little Word In Your Thriller Title To Turn It Into A Bestseller
“There’s this sort of shorthand that if it has ‘girl’ in the title, then I know what to expect.”
Ukraine Uses Eurovision Competition To Send Pointed Message To Russia
“The lyrics begin: ‘They come to your house, they kill you all and say: ‘We’re not guilty’.'”
Why Are So-Called Bad Words Actually Bad?
It might have little to do with the sound or force of the words: “Swearing is a form of dispreferred linguistic behaviour.”
Advice For The New Contemporary-Focused Met, From Contemporary New York Artists
“The half-hearted attempts at diversity, minor noodling with the canon, and ‘re-presentations’ of collections are not enough. New histories are needed, a major reboot, if these institutions want to be relevant to future audiences.”