“People will always want entertainment, even if times are hard. That’s the message coming from London’s top impresarios and producers, who remain bullishly upbeat as the credit crunch crunches ever harder. … There have been no early closing notices in London to match the sudden spate of closures on Broadway.”
Tag: 10.15.08
A Reversal Of Fortune For Russia’s Wealthiest
“Over the past few years, there have been a lot of stories done about the super-wealthy in Russia. They benefited from Russia’s oil-boom economy, and spent millions on luxury homes, works of art and lavish lifestyles. But in the recent financial turmoil, Russia’s rich have lost billions of dollars.”
Liberal Views Prevail Onstage (In Other News: Dog Bites Man)
“During this election season theatergoers in New York can see a dozen or so overtly political plays, about Iraq, Washington corruption, feminism or immigration; what they won’t see are any with a conservative perspective.” The absence is just as pronounced in the rest of the country.
Singapore Encourages Art Museums With Reduced Rent
“Singapore is offering state-owned properties in prime locations at reduced rent to encourage art collectors to open private museums in the city-state.”
So How Well Does Met Player Work, Anyway?
The Metropolitan Opera launches its online audio and video streaming service, Met Player, next Wednesday. Daniel J. Wakin tested it out. “Several times during the trial an attempt to stream a 2007 high-definition performance of ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ hiccupped and caused the browser to close. But the process worked on the next try. The sound was clear and rich, and the video sharp.”
So Gehry, Foster and Calatrava Are Really Con Artists?
Jay Merrick decries “the sugar-rush appetite for architectural icons” – “Is your town a bit frayed? No problem: just commission a piece of ‘iconic’ architecture. Is your city perceived as not quite remarkable enough? Ditto.”
Lovelace: The Rock Opera
Yes, seriously. Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Gos and Anna Waronker of the band “that dog” have created a musical on the life of the woman who was called “Miss Holy-Holy” in high school and went on to become a byword for 1970s porn and (later) a feminist cause célèbre.