“The reasoning goes: Film reviews are available through wire services, and local news isn’t. So the film critic goes. We could discuss the pros and cons of this – believe me, I have – but it’s happening throughout this troubled newspaper business. In Florida it’s already claimed critics (fine ones) in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. Now it’s happening here.”
Tag: 10.26.07
Salonen In Transition
Esa-Pekka Salonen will leave his longtime podium post in Los Angeles in 2009, and will rededicate himself to his composing career, even as he becomes chief conductor of London’s Philharmonia. It’s an unusual career move, but Salonen says he planned it this way all along. “Many years ago, I made up my mind to leave when things were still good… This has been an amazing experience for me, the major journey in my life as a conductor. Whatever I do in the future will be different.”
Broadway Increasingly Enslaved To Tony Hype
“You might think nine months would be a bit early to start worrying about prizes, but that’s to underestimate the singular ecology of Broadway, a street that never met a trophy it didn’t like… In a climate whose strategic thinking increasingly mirrors that of Hollywood’s annual Oscar race, producers carefully position shows to open so as to maximise their Tony potential.”
Taking Children’s Theatre In A Very Serious Direction
A children’s theatre production in London is sparking controversy because it deals with mature subject matter such as murder and criminal rehabilitation, even though the characters are children. But shouldn’t older children be exposed to serious issues in theatrical productions? More to the point, why is it that “presenting these issues on stage at the Unicorn, a building dedicated to work for children and young people, causes such controversy when similar themes are explored in TV and in novels for young people without attracting similar outrage?”
Goldin Photo Officially Cleared Of Kiddie Porn Charge
“A photograph owned by Sir Elton John and seized from an exhibition as part of a child pornography inquiry has been judged not to be indecent… The image, by the US photographer Nan Goldin, is entitled Klara and Edda Belly-Dancing 1998 and features two young girls, one of whom was sitting down with her legs wide apart.”
Ford Theatre Gets An Upgrade
“Ford’s Theatre, a melancholy landmark in downtown Washington for 140 years, is planning a multimillion-dollar expansion that will give visitors interested in history a more comprehensive look at President Abraham Lincoln.”
Tenor Felled By Brain Tumor
“Opera singer Russell Watson is in a critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery to treat a bleeding brain tumour.”
Building Without Ego (That’s New)
“After a decade of museum design and other civic commissions being dominated by starchitects such as Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, and Santiago Calatrava, two of the most sought-after architects at the moment, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, project little in the way of ego, either in person or in their buildings.”
The Pavarotti Story Gets Weirder
“Tragic opera is too simple a description of the crazy imbroglio that has developed since the mighty tenor died of pancreatic cancer on September 6 in his home town of Modena, in northern Italy. A synopsis of the plot might help to illuminate the story. Then again, it might not. That is how it is with this particular Italian libretto.”