The Tony nominations haven’t been announced yet, but the competition behind the scenes is hot and heavy. “The three sure bets for Best Musical are Spring Awakening, Curtains and Grey Gardens. Every nominator I spoke to says so. The fourth slot is up for grabs, the contenders being Mary Poppins, LoveMusik and Legally Blonde… The most hotly contested acting category is for Leading Actor in a Play.”
Tag: 05.12.07
A Fancy Theater Does Not A Neighborhood Make
When Minneapolis’s Guthrie Theater opened its dramatic new home on the Mississippi riverfront last summer, critics lauded both the building itself, and the new residential and commercial district growing up around it. But historic preservation standards and lack of effort have left the new neighborhood decidedly incomplete. “It’s been well-planned, probably as well as any city district. But no one’s in charge of the little things that, in a city, mean so much.”
TV On The Brink
It’s too early to say for sure, but this spring’s TV ratings books indicate that viewership is on the verge of falling off a cliff. “Everyone has a theory to explain the plummeting ratings: early daylight saving time, more reruns, bad shows, more shows being recorded or downloaded or streamed. Scariest of all for the networks, however, is the idea that many people are now making their own TV schedules. The industry isn’t equipped to keep track of them.”