“How do you distill 7,400 episodes, 2,000 storylines and 1,700 characters into two hours of live theatre? That was the task presented to writer Jonathan Harvey when ITV asked him to write a play to celebrate 50 years of Coronation Street, the world’s longest-running soap.”
Tag: 08.03.10
Helpmann Award Noms Snub Cate Blanchett, Love Jersey Boys and Opera
Sydney Theatre Company’s well-known production of A Streetcar Names Desire, starring company co-director Cate Blanchett and directed by Liv Ullmann, received one nomination, for sound design. Leading the pack with 11 nominations is composer Brett Dean’s operatic adaptation of Peter Carey’s novel Bliss, followed by the Australian production of Jersey Boys with 10.
In Perth, Reviving the Church as Arts Patron
“Over the past two decades, a quiet revolution in the life of St George’s Cathedral has brought it alive” – using professionals rather than amateurs – “with activities involving music, visual art, sculpture, architecture and literature, harking back to medieval traditions in Europe that placed churches at the heart of communal cultural life.”
After 45 Years, Norman Scribner Steps Down From DC’s Choral Arts Society
“The resignation is not immediate but will become effective on August 31, 2012, allowing the organization a period of two years to decide on a successor. Whoever takes up that torch will have some challenges to face: the group’s revenue was reportedly down by 20% last year.”
CSI: Summer Camp
“Hoping to capitalize on America’s littlest TV addicts, the latest crop of summer camps are borrowing themes from popular shows. In place of kayaking, swimming and capturing the flag, campers are solving crimes, playing with polymers and honing their kitchen-knife skills.”
Why The Authorities Are Afraid Of Music
“People who do not believe in an open and tolerant society have always been wary of music. The ancient Chinese philosopher Mo Tzu advised rulers that in order to maintain a firm upper hand, they must forbid music.”
Connecticut Attorney General Investigates Apple, Amazon Book Pricing Agreements
“According to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, they are too high, too uniform, and the method by which they are set is too much like a violation of antitrust practices.”
Bolshoi Abruptly Replaces Music Director
“Composer Leonid Desyatnikov called his position as the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre musical director ‘an interlude,’ and it is over. The theatre is entering its next season with a new musical leader, [63-year-old] conductor Vasily Sinaisky.”
The Tempest, The Revisionist Filmmaker’s Favorite Shakespeare
Julie Taymor’s soon-to-open adaptation, starring Helen Mirren as Prospera [sic], is but the latest cinematic re-imagining of Shakespeare’s romance: there have been unconventional versions by Paul Mazursky, Derek Jarman, and Peter Greenaway (Prospero’s Books, starring a naked John Gielgud).
Fifty Years as a Broadway Publicist
In a 500-show career, Merle Debuskey fought with Lauren Bacall, punched out Mort Sahl, made out with Kim Stanley, fought off Irene Pappas, and rescued Zero Mostel.