“Monks, hoteliers, soldiers, musicians — the members of Japan’s celebrated percussion outfit Drum Tao are in some way an amalgam of all four. There is no performing troupe quite like them in the world.”
Tag: 07.07.08
Redefining Theatre In A German Park
“For many of the writers from German-speaking countries, the so-called post-dramatic theatre (theatre writing that has dispensed with any semblance of character or narrative) has become de rigueur. But despite the differences in style and approach, a common theme emerges. Practically every play – whether it’s set in a Turkish morgue, a Slovak village or 1980s Romford – seems to be exploring the same ground: a sense of displacement, of borders breaking down and shifting, of exile and immigration, of loss of homeland.”
Why Theatre Has Disappeared From Schools
“In my day, it was just accepted that theatre was part of school life. Every summer term, each class would participate in the drama competition, putting on a play from scratch. By the time I’d left St Anne’s, I had been involved in devising, writing, directing, designing, acting in and stage-managing seven plays, with almost no adult input. Today this would be impossible. “There are too many exams, not just in the summer but throughout the year. There just wouldn’t be the time.”
The Reviews I Regret
“Curiously, it’s not the pans but those reviews that turned out more positive than I intended that nag like a wobbly tooth.”
Good Times For (Almost) All In Columbus
The Columbus Symphony may be folding up its tent, but other arts groups in the city are apparently doing just fine. “Most notably, Opera Columbus, hampered by a $1.2 million debt only two years ago, has ended its season with a surplus… And BalletMet Columbus, whose leaders about a week ago feared ending the fiscal year with the company’s first major deficit, will balance its budget after all.”
Elvis’s Influence
Elvis Mitchell’s new film criticism TV show, Under the Influence, is attracting attention for its serious approach to the subject in an increasingly personality-driven industry. “The show tries to pretend it’s been shot inside a champagne glass at Cannes and very nearly pulls it off.”
Jersey Boys Go Smokeless In Chicago
“The Chicago production of “Jersey Boys” has gone smoke-free in the last few days. It is as if the Four Seasons never took so much as a drag… As the anti-smoking law is written in Chicago, no such exception is possible. And the law makes no distinction between tobacco and herbal cigarettes.”
Why Critics Are Never Wrong (Sorta)
“The reality is that critics are creatures of their particular time and place, that even the most rarefied criticism is at its core opinion shaped by all the personal and societal forces that shape anyone’s taste. Just as you can’t be wrong or right if you prefer Italian food to Chinese, it’s hard to be right or wrong about what we like in a film, no matter how much we think we can.”
Opera Fly Gets Swatted By Critics
“Reviews of the opera version of the David Cronenberg horror movie, which opened at Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet last week, were lukewarm, although the work got a prolonged standing ovation on opening night.”
TV Critics Meeting – A Buzzless Bust
“The biggest buzz this year stems from the fact that there’s pretty much no buzz at all. The writers strike squelched development and therefore the number of new series, and the actors’ contract negotiations have left everyone questioning the event’s relevance this year. Then we have the journalism angle. Newspapers all over are dropping critics like so many rotten tomatoes.”