Hans Haacke’s record proves he’s not anti-Semitic, no matter what the charges whirling ’round his controversial Whitney work. How did the press get such a definitive sense of what Sanitation will look like, when it’s not even finished yet? One theory is that the Whitney is responsible. The museum’s director, Maxwell Anderson, has acknowledged that he informed City Hall about the Haacke installation ‘as a courtesy.’ The Whitney is battling a conservative image, and its director is widely dismissed as a newcomer to the New York scene. ‘Now he’s demonstrating that he’s young enough, strong enough, and activist enough.’ The Haacke affair is ‘the first counteroffensive by the New York museum world, telling Giuliani to keep his hands off.’ How does this theory account for the outburst from the Whitney heirs? “They’ve been out of running the museum for some time, so they may be feeling aggrieved, and this may be the way to show their anger.” – Village Voice
Author: Douglas McLennan
DOES HE HAVE THE CHOPS?
“Ross Stretton, the sixth director in the Royal Ballet’s 70-year history, may at first seem a rank outsider. His career as both a dancer and a director has been confined to America and Australia. Yet Stretton trained in Melbourne under Peggy van Praagh and Robert Helpmann, whose links with the Royal Ballet could hardly be more gold-plated. So even if he is a Covent Garden outsider, he is the insiders’ outsider.” – London Times
“I THINK THE COMPANY NEEDS TO BE REVITALIZED”:
Ross Stretton is the surprise choice as new director of London’s Royal Ballet. He admits he doesn’t know the Royal Ballet well, but suggests new directions are in order. – London Telegraph
VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN in Britain –
– Stretton is credited with reinvigorating the Australia Ballet. – New York Times
TIME FOR A SHAKEUP
Royal Ballet needs someone to steer it in new directions. – The Guardian
“A STAGGERING LOSS”
Ross Stretton is leaving the Australian Ballet to be the first non-British director of London’s Royal Ballet. Stretton was the Canberra boy made good in New York, welcomed like the prodigal son when he took up the directorship of the Australia at the beginning of 1997. – Sydney Morning Herald
DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
When the Australian Ballet named Ross Stretton as their last artistic director, they went to great measures to make sure no one knew they had him slated for the job. They assigned a code name to him – “Sir Robert Helpmann.” Now that Stretton is leaving to take over as artistic director at London’s Royal Ballet, the secrecy behind “Operation Helpmann” is revealed. – The Age (Melbourne)
HOME NO HOME
The Ontario government has withdrawn from a deal with the Canadian Opera Company to sell a prime site for construction of a new opera house. – CBC
- City and federal government help pave way for Canadian Opera Company’s new home. – CBC 03/14/00
DOWNLOAD HORROR
Stephen King’s latest book was published on the web yesterday, but who could get it? The publisher’s website was churning at 100 percent capacity all day, while all over America, many who tried to download the horror tome found their computers crashing. – Boston Globe
LAST ONES STANDING
New research suggests that there may have been some 20 prehistoric human types that may have existed. But now only Homo sapiens remain. Did we off the other humans? Were we just stronger? What exactly did we do to all the others? New Canadian TV show explores the mystery. – The Globe and Mail (Canada) 03/15/00