Scott Morfee is “an example of an almost extinct breed: the creative commercial Off Broadway producer. At a time when the Off Broadway model has been declared broken and financially unworkable, he continues to steer long-shot propositions into the Barrow Street. So far he has beaten the odds: his productions regularly win good reviews and eke out yearlong runs.”
Tag: 07.15.07
Twice The Piano (And Some New Gymnastics)
“The double-keyboard piano sounds like a piano, but with fuller chords and denser harmonies. Unlike an organ with additional stops and pipes or a harpsichord with separate strings for the second manual, the double-keyboard piano still has only one set of hammers and strings. And Christopher Taylor still has only 10 fingers. But the two keyboards, one with the usual 88 notes, the other with only 76, lets him try some intriguing moves.”
Who’s Going To Movies In Scotland? Older People
“Audiences over the age of 45 doubled in the past decade, from 19 million to 38 million. The weekend, traditionally the most popular time for the cinema, made only 60% of total box office receipts last year. That figure is down from 68% in 2002, partly because older audiences are going to see films during the week.”
Is Italy Finally Getting Modern?
For all its rich artistic tradition, Italy is lacking a single major museum devoted to contemporary art. “The absence of a high-profile contemporary art museum has been keenly felt, not least of all by Italian artists. [But] now, the wait might be over. In the spring, the city of Venice entered into a renewable 30-year agreement with François Pinault, 70, one of Europe’s most active art collectors.” Pinault is to develop a modern art museum at Dogana di Mare, “an extraordinary Renaissance-era customs warehouse.”
Polish Books Flying Off UK Bookshelves
Borders has begun carrying a line of Polish books in the UK, a reflection of the growing influence of Polish culture in the country. Polish immigrants abound in Britain, and “it seems culture has joined food, banking and aviation as the latest sector of the economy to catch on to the power of the ‘Polish Pound.'”
Thinking Forward On Housing
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants to build 3 million new housing units for Britons of all income classes by 2020, and that presents a distinct architectural challenge. The key to success, says Stephen Bayley, is to “avoid the hideous mistakes of the past and replace dogma with design.”
The Scent Of Great Literature
There’s nothing like a new book. The physical beauty, the perfectly printed pages, the… smell? “As a book reader (and as someone who enjoys the physical object that is a book), I’ve come to identify this particular smell as being intricately connected with the beauty and wonder that great art books and artfully produced books can provide.”
What’s Wrong With The Emmys
“The Emmy system is broken. Unlike the film community — the members of which watch most, if not all, of the top Oscar contenders — the vast majority of people who make TV don’t watch TV. And these days, the explosion of cable programming means there’s far more TV than even the most diligent members of the academy can keep up with. Despite some tweaks to their awards-giving systems in the last few years, the Emmy powers that be refuse to truly acknowledge that these serious, systematic problems are making their awards process even more of a joke.”
Are The Ultrarich Good For The Culture?
As the gap between the ultra-rich and everyone else continues to grow, some have speculated that we could be entering a new Gilded Age, and the billionaires making it happen think it could be a very good thing. Of course, they would think that. “The new titans often see themselves as pillars of a similarly prosperous and expansive age, one in which their successes and their philanthropy have made government less important than it once was.”
Four Takes On Harry Potter
The Harry Potter film franchise now stands at five films, with four different directors tackling JK Rowling’s boy wizard. And that diversity of directorial viewpoints (along with fast-evolving technology that has made ever more spectacular wizardry possible) has given the series a distinct evolving style, as the movies have gone from wide-eyed and innocent to dark and dangerous.