“Into the Woods Sr. and other musicals tailored to older casts are the brainchild of Freddie Gershon, [Music Theater International’s] co-chairman, who first developed similarly shortened ‘Junior’ productions more than 20 years ago for elementary and middle schools, earning him a Tony Awards honor.” Reporter Nancy Coleman looks in on a production of the senior-ized Sondheim show. – The New York Times
Tag: 07.09.19
Is The Director Who Turned The Indianapolis Museum Of Art Into Newfields Democratizing It Or Destroying It?
“Critics have accused [Charles] Venable of dumbing down the museum with his crowd-pleasing, cost-conscious changes. But his program has also touched a nerve as institutions around the country confront a tough new calculus.” Andrew Russeth visits Newfields and does a deep dive on the changes there. – ARTnews
Actor Rip Torn, 88
“[He] was equally at home in the comedy of the Men in Black film series or TV’s The Larry Sanders Show (for which he won his Emmy) and in the drama of Sweet Bird of Youth or Anna Christie, to name two of the numerous classic works of theater in which he appeared. … Successful onstage, in films and on television, the actor nevertheless carried a sense of persecution,” which was made worse by “his tendency toward erratic behavior.” – Variety
Artist Thrown Out Of Show For Right-Wing Views, And Controversy Nearly Causes Show’s Cancellation
“It has been a turbulent year for the Leipzig Annual Exhibition — so much so that the show was even cancelled at one point because of an outcry over the inclusion, then exclusion, of an artist who sympathises with the far-right party AfD … It eventually went ahead — six days later than scheduled, and without the artist, Axel Krause.” – The Art Newspaper
Jack Renner, Co-Founder Of Telarc Records, 84
“I used to say that my recordings are made from the perspective of the best seat in the house,” he told Stereophile. “And immediately, of course, somebody says, ‘Well, who are you to say what’s the best seat in the house?’” – The New York Times
Cold, Dead White
Posset was a drink that, in the 16th century, solidified, a sheer nightmare with emollient richness I can only say is a spoonful of lacks — texture, diversity, surprise. On its face, raw tofu comes close — until you cut, taste, wake up. – Jeff Weinstein
BlogBack: A CultureGrrl Reader on Critic Douglas Crimp, Met Curator Douglas Eklund & “The Pictures Generation”
“We seem to be fighting similar battles,” wrote a CultureGrrl reader in response to my appreciation, posted Monday, of the critic/scholar, 74, whose pioneering work defined what became known as “The Pictures Generation.” – Lee Rosenbaum
What Our Behavior In Masses Means For Predicting The Future
Rapid progress in information technology has led to the ‘big data’ revolution, in which gigantic quantities of information can be obtained and processed. Patterns of human behaviour can be extracted from records of credit-card purchases, telephone calls and emails. Words suddenly becoming more common on social media, such as ‘demagogue’ during the 2016 US presidential election, can be clues to hot political issues. – Aeon