“The British aversion to the I-word seems to be at odds with the facts. This country has an impressive array of lively, creative and argumentative minds. And if you doubt that, just watch them take this thesis to pieces.”
Tag: 05.08.11
Giverny’s New Head Horticulturist On Keeping Monet’s Garden
“You have to look at it with a painter’s eye, rather than a gardener’s eye. … It has the straight lines [typical of French gardens], but it also has natural, soft plants. I see people leaning down and expressing wonder over a simple pansy, taking photographs. They would never do that in a public park. Because it’s Monet’s garden, the poetry takes over.”
The Pain Of Playing Shylock
Half a dozen actors, from Patrick Stewart to Anthony Sher to Angus Wright, talk about the difficulties of performing the role, from the nastiness of the emotions to abuse from castmates.
Civil War Re-Enactors – Why On Earth Would They Want To Do What They Do?
Historian Glenn W. LaFantasie: “Why would anyone want to replicate one of the worst episodes in American history? Why would anyone want to pretend to be fighting a battle that resulted in lost and smashed lives on the field and utter grief among the soldiers’ loved ones back home? Is there any uplifting message to be derived from such playacting?”
Magazine Targets Ticketing “Service” Charges
“This month’s Which? magazine features an investigation into the “almost overwhelming” assortment of fees charged by agencies and venues. Its own survey of almost 3,500 members showed that only 9% think these fees are a fair representation of the cost of the service.”
Does Philadelphia Need An Orchestra?
“That this is playing out primarily as a dispute between musicians and management is the first clue that what we have here is a labor negotiation masquerading as a bankruptcy case. Does this case belong in bankruptcy court?”
Rising Star: American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland
At 28, she is not only a soloist at American Ballet Theatre–the first black woman in decades–but she also has a good shot at becoming its first African-American principal female dancer. “It’s not like she’s going, ‘Hey, look at me,’ ” says frequent partner Craig Salstein. “But she can be so ethereal, you just have to.”
A Look At Ai Weiwei’s Art
“What about his art? Is it even any good? Well, though Weiwei himself came to denounce the Beijing Olympics as a “PR sham” hiding China’s “disgusting” political reality, his stadium was a big hit, its twirling trusses suggestive of a bird’s nest or woven basket of Chinese yore.”
San Francisco Breaks Ground On A New HQ For Jazz
“Located a block from Davies Symphony Hall in the city’s performing arts corridor, it will be the country’s first major stand-alone facility built specifically for jazz.”
Pictures, Photos, And What They Mean
“Photography is a kingdom of glamour and banality. The photograph, whatever its cultural pedigree, does not so much exalt the everyday as establish the aesthetic parameters, the peaks and troughs, of everydayness. The camera may record astounding events or reveal shocking truths, but always within the context of the ordinary, the literal, the real.”