“Virtually all musicals of any vintage or scale have long been dependent on orchestrators for their aural color and character. Imagine “Mamma Mia!” on a lone guitar or “The Phantom of the Opera” on piano. Mel Brooks may be a brilliant writer and director, but without Doug Besterman’s orchestrations, his music for “Young Frankenstein” would sound bland. The same is true of countless Broadway scores through the years.”
Tag: 08.13.08
Pondering London’s Cultural Olympics
“There is a great deal at stake in the 2012 Cultural Olympics by way of national pride and economic interest, more than is fully apparent, or fully accepted by the creative industries. The run-up to next month’s cultural jamboree has been notably unhappy.”
Japan’s National Theatre In Crisis
The Japanese theater world is currently in crisis over the question of to whom public theaters belong, since the decision by the New National Theatre Tokyo (NNTT) to appoint new artistic directors for each of its three divisions.
Valery Gergiev, Grand Commissioner Of New Opera
“Recently Gergiev has exercised his enormous power at the Mariinsky to enthusiastically uncork an area that had seemed deadened by the loss of the vast Soviet theatre subsidies: new Russian opera. Shchedrin’s was commissioned by Lorin Maazel for New York, but back home Gergiev has ordered up no fewer than five new Russian operas for the Mariinsky – a feat of commissioning on a Tsarist scale.”
Want To Charge Libel? Come To London
In a report published yesterday, the UN’s Committee on Human Rights criticises the phenomenon of “libel tourism”, where foreign businessmen and millionaires use the High Court in London to sue foreign publishers under claimant-friendly defamation laws.”
Baltic Center gets Its Fourth Director In Four Years
“The £46m Baltic opened to great fanfare in 2002, riding the wave of the Tate Modern in London’s popularity. While it has been popular, it has undoubtedly had problems. The first director, Swede Sune Nordgren, left a year after the Baltic opened.” Three directors later, Godfrey Worsdale takes on the challenge…
How Iranians Are Getting Their Work Out To The World
“Many banned works, or works that are not put through the Bureau of Guidance for publication permission are embedded in blogs, accessible to the whole world, until the blogs are discovered and shut down – and then they are embedded in new blogs. So … despite tremendous obstacles, Iranians have found ways to express themselves in their art.”
A-List Actors’ Group Aims For SAG Union Takeover
The group, Unite for Strength, made its announcement Wednesday. It’s trying to wrest control of SAG’s 71-member national board from a coalition called Membership First, which has seen talks with studios come to a standstill.
Penguin Wins Back Rights To Steinbeck Books
“A U.S. court was wrong to award rights to some of John Steinbeck’s best-known novels, including The Grapes of Wrath, to his son and granddaughter, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday. The appeals court said Penguin Group, a unit of Pearson Plc, can retain publishing rights to about 10 early works by the author.”
Literary Pilgrimages – And Benefits For All
“Ever since the biographies of writers came to be seen as an aid to appreciating their writings, their places of birth, education and residence have been scanned for presages and echoes. Because admirers bring custom, institutions and municipalities eagerly advertise associations. On occasion, indeed, they have exaggerated the links.”