“Most of all, Fiddler persists because it’s a beautifully built show that offers all the storybook satisfactions and memorable songs of the best mid-century musicals, while also advancing the form by taking it into some unusually dark realms: the first-act curtain comes down on a pogrom, the final one on a mass eviction.”
Month: October 2015
Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.08.15
Flights of crazy fancy
Now my fourth — and next to last — post on changing the conservatory curriculum. … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2015-10-08
Blank Space: What’s Missing from the Metropolitan Museum’s “Ancient Egypt” Show?
The Metropolitan Museum’s monumental Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom (Oct. 12-Jan. 24) displays some 230 objects, ranging from monumental stone sculptures to delicate jewelry — “the first comprehensive exhibition to be presented of Middle Kingdom art,” … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-10-08
Is it all about grit?
From a young age, we’re told that if you work hard and practice every day you can achieve your goals. This often requires focus on few or only one thing in order to reach a desired level of success … but for most – we’re just not wired that way. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-10-08
Which path is the right path?
Informational interviews are one of the most beneficial ways to understanding what you need in order to get where you want to be. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-10-08
How to Get Lucky (It’s Not What You Think)
We’ve talked about lots of different elements that factor into a career path. We’ve shared words of wisdom, scholarly articles, tools and frameworks. But I think we’ve yet to talk about what is arguably the biggest factor in one’s career – luck. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-10-08
Mays & Company Revisit The Seasons
This weekend, The Seasons Performance Hall in Yakima, Washington, marks its 10th anniversary with two concerts by pianist Bill Mays, the hall’s first performer. In its first years the decommissioned Christian Science Church, an acoustic … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-10-08
And Tipu’s Tent Too — the stuff of India
What would your house look like if Indian textiles had never been exported? Mine would be bereft of cushions, chair covers, hand towels, tablecloths and napkins, wall hangings, garden parasols, … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2015-10-08
Sweet enough for you?
Advance booking for the theatre can backfire. I saw Medea at London’s Almeida Theatre yesterday, so missed the UK’s major television event – the final of the Great British Bake-Off. Medea was, yeah, interesting … read more
AJBlog: Performance Monkey Published 2015-10-08
The Grand Both/And
For a long while, my teaching in arts management has emphasized “balance” … the nuanced navigation of opposing forces, the careful and reflective response to instability. … read more
AJBlog: The Artful Manager Published 2015-10-08
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Matthew Bourne: Traditional Ballet Is Evolving Into Something New
“There seems to be this cross-fertilisation going on that’s never happened before. The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, our two biggest ballet companies, are commissioning contemporary choreographers more and more to work with them. Things are getting blurred in a way and and the dancers are having to be very versatile to take on those different movements.”
Does Today’s Great TV Rival The Best Novels Of Yesterday?
Like novels, box sets require an investment of time, attention and emotional energy. They are complex and subtle enough to repay rewatching – in the same way as good books repay re-reading. Also, some of them star Sean Bean in bearskins and leather, which is a plus even the greatest bookworm cannot deny.
“Owning” Music These Days Is Problematic. Even When You “Bought” It…
“Good luck working out if you still have a right to use the music if Apple goes out of business. I’d have a hard time working it out, and I’ve been a copyright lawyer specializing in high-tech issues for 25 years.”
Poetry Is Popular In The UK. So Publishers Should Invest In It
Roger McGough: ”People in other countries get very jealous that there is so much interest in poetry in this country. We should pat ourselves on the backs. In my day, poetry was seen as intellectual or dull.” He says in the past, “if people wrote poetry, they generally kept it to themselves. But these days, the profile of poetry is bigger.”
Canada’s Governor General Awards Finalists Announced
The Governor-General’s Literary Awards, which have been handed out since 1937, announced finalists in seven categories in both official languages on Wednesday. The winners, who each receive $25,000, will be revealed on Oct. 28.
Handicapping Philip Roth’s Chances Of Winning A Nobel
“When will Philip Roth win?” has been the question since 1993, when Toni Morrison became the last American to win the prize. At this point, I doubt even Roth cares. (OK, he probably cares a little bit.) But his partisans care deeply, and they grumble loudly every year he’s overlooked.
Daily Beast
More Lines To The Ancient Gilgamesh Epic Have Been Discovered
Since the poem has existed in fragments since the 18th century BC, there has always been the possibility that more would turn up. And yet the version we’re familiar with — the one discovered in 1853 in Nineveh — hasn’t changed very much over recent decades. The text remained fairly fixed — that is, until the fall of Baghdad in 2003 and the intense looting that followed yielded something new.
A Lost Frank Lloyd Wright House Is Found
The house Linda McQuillen bought for $100,000 was part of Wright’s effort to develop and market well-designed homes at a more affordable level — his first effort to reach a broader audience. Only 16 were ever built, and only 14 still standing.