Franklin Webster “proposed one of the most grandiose schemes that has ever been seriously suggested. His intention was to transform Washington, D.C., into a capital of such beauty and cultural advantage that never again would an American be tempted to go abroad for artistic or intellectual reasons.”
Tag: 03.25.18
Why Is “Angels In America” Still The Primary Theatre Piece About AIDS?
“I’m a 40-year-old AIDS researcher who understands that Angels in America is not a particularly interesting or honest representation of those early years of the plague. Indeed, there have been many better representations of AIDS in America for decades now, but none have achieved canonization quite like Angels has.”
Steven Spielberg: TV Is Engangering The Movie Business
“I don’t believe that films that are given token qualifications, in a couple of theaters for less than a week, should qualify for Academy Award nominations,” he said. “Once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie. If it’s a good show, you deserve an Emmy. But not an Oscar.”
Liam O’Flynn, Founder Of Planxty And A Modern Master Of The Irish Uilleann Pipes, Has Died At 72
O’Flynn collaborated with everyone from John Cage to Sinéad O’Connor – and even poets: “A further pairing was with the poet Seamus Heaney, who explained his love of O’Flynn’s playing: ‘The pipes call and raise the spirit. They also quieten and open up the daydream part of people.'”
Religious Films Are Suddenly Doing Well At The Box Office
What gives? Faith and religion used to be the kiss of box office death. Now, as many other box office certainties fall, the film “I Can Only Imagine” has picked up pretty solid box office numbers, coming in second only to “Black Panther” and “Tomb Raider” in its first week of release. “Other recent successes include Heaven Is for Real, the story of a boy who briefly dies, which grossed $91m in the US. Fireproof, about a porn-addicted fireman, made $33m from a $500,000 budget. God’s Not Dead, which follows a college student whose faith is challenged by a philosophy professor, made twice that.”
Is It Possible To Make Theatre Out Of Slam Poetry?
Kit Yan, whose shows have been selling out American Repertory Theatre and winning awards, says it’s a challenge. “Director Jessi Hill and I have had a lot of conversations about what is slam poetry and what is theatre. The rules of slam poetry include a microphone, a time limit, no props … all these things you can’t do. Putting slam poetry into a theatre and just taking some of those rules out frees up the story in so many ways.”
Allegations Of ‘Inappropriate Comments,’ And A Sudden Retirement, For MassArts Photographer
Nicholas Nixon, known for his series “The Brown Sisters” – portraits documenting the same siblings over the course of 40 years- “abruptly retired from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design midsemester following allegations of inappropriate behavior, the college announced this month.”
Buell Neidlinger, A Bassist Who Helped Establish Free Jazz And Also Played With John Cage, Has Died At 82
Among many, many other accomplishments, Neidlinger helped Barbara Streisand write songs, served as the principal bassist for the LA Chamber Orchestra, and was the principal bassist for the Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra.
El Sistema Founder José Antonio Abreu, 79
Well into his 30s in 1975, he formed a small orchestra of a dozen young musicians that would become the seed for El Sistema, or the System. Four decades later, the government-financed program claims to currently put 1 million Venezuelan children in contact with classical music through a network of hundreds of youth choirs, orchestras and music centers spread across the country.
Top AJBlogs From The Weekend Of 03.25.18
Replay: Pierre Boulez conducts Debussy’s Jeux
Pierre Boulez and the New Philharmonia Orchestra perform Claude Debussy’s Jeux on the BBC in 1966: (This is the latest in a series of arts-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, … read more
AJBlog: About Last NightPublished 2018-03-23
Almanac: Winston Churchill on how to live
“Nature is merciful and does not try her children, man or beast, beyond their compass. It is only where the cruelty of man intervenes that hellish torments appear. For the rest—live dangerously; take things as … read more
AJBlog: About Last NightPublished 2018-03-23
Catching Up (Well…Giving It A Good Try)
The John Coltrane project described in this post is completed and awaiting release by Concord Jazz. However—I am happy to report—other free lance assignments have developed. Rifftides progress slows a bit while … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2018-03-22
Paul Taylor and His Cohort
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance at Lincoln Center through March 25th. The Paul Taylor Dance Company in Doug Varone’s Half Life. Photo: Paul B. Goode I think I finally got it straight: Paul Taylor American … read more
AJBlog: DancebeatPublished 2018-03-22
Why Did the Attorney General Cave in Berkshire Museum Case? My Q&A with the Rockwells’ Lawyer
Those, like me, who were caught off-guard by the astonishing deal (now awaiting court validation) cut last month by the Berkshire Museum and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey feel justifiably blindsided by the AG’s about-face. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrlPublished 2018-03-21