“The moments of beating and crucifixion are sparse in the Gospel accounts, but modern Passion plays match our culture’s taste for visual realism. The audience viscerally experiences each of the 39 lashes delivered onto Jesus’ body and each of the four stakes driven into his limbs. Christians have long dwelled on the details of the suffering of Christ, but with today’s theater techniques, nothing has to be left to the imagination.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Schwarzenegger Buys Sculpture For Calif. Kids To Play On
“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has reintroduced the grizzly bear to California. On a recent business and skiing trip to Aspen, Colo., the governor popped into an art gallery and became transfixed by a large-scale bronze sculpture of a grizzly bear. … So he reached into his personal bank account and ponied up for the bear — as well as the shipping costs to Sacramento last month — and there it now sits, outside Mr. Schwarzenegger’s office….”
Marian Anderson’s Philly Home Is Off The Tourist Trail
“The great contralto used to live in this two-story house at No. 762 on South Martin Street, now known as Marian Anderson Way. She entertained in the basement during those inhospitable years of segregation when she feared what unkind words might ricochet her way in the city’s downtown eateries. … [H]ere, on a quiet street in South Philly, you can get a feel for the life she lived and the family she came from.”
Money At Issue As D.C. Philharmonic Postpones Concerts
“In March, with much fanfare, a new orchestra called the D.C. Philharmonic announced its inaugural concert program, scheduled to take place tonight and tomorrow night. Yesterday, it announced that both concerts have been postponed until this fall, scarcely 36 hours before the first was supposed to start.” The orchestra had contracted with musicians from the Washington National Opera and the Baltimore Opera.
At Ballpark, Washington Nationals Take A Stab At Art
“At their best, baseball and fine art are a lot alike. Both are esoteric, meaning everything to fans and little to outsiders. Both push up against a convoluted set of rules. Both get a lot of their meaning from the great plays and players of the past, and how new ones stack up against them. But what was unveiled yesterday in our new ballpark is a version of contemporary art that’s so simplified and trivialized that it’s like baseball without the subtle rules that make the game deserve a die-hard fan’s attention….”
Anti-Semitism Fades In Poland, Thanks In Part To Culture
“Culture, despite the virtual absence of Jews here, has … helped shift attitudes in this country, not entirely but significantly. Walk into a Polish bookstore these days, and you’ll find shelves heaving with volumes about Jewish history and culture. There is a Jewish book fair here in Warsaw, a Jewish cultural festival in Krakow, not to mention Mr. Halbersztadt’s museum, planned to open in 2012.”
Movies’ Recession Success Is About More Than Escapism
“Business is booming at the nation’s movie theaters. Revenue and ticket sales are each up about 10 percent over the first quarter of last year. Box office records have been smashed. Why are movies doing so well while so many people are doing so poorly?”
Cleveland Play House Is Moving Downtown
“In a blockbuster arts and real-estate deal, the Cleveland Play House will sell its longtime home in Midtown and move downtown to PlayhouseSquare’s Allen Theatre along with Cleveland State University’s drama program. … Play House managing director Kevin Moore said Tuesday that renovating the 2,500-seat Allen into a 550-seat theater and a 350-seat theater – and adding state-of-the-art scenery and costume shops and a third, 175-seat theater alongside the Allen – would cost about $30 million.”
Salander Gallery Director Pleads Guilty To Felony
“The director of a New York art gallery whose proprietor has been charged with stealing $88 million from investors, collectors and Bank of America Corp. has pleaded guilty to falsifying business records.” Steven Harvey was the director of the bankrupt Salander-O’Reilly Galleries. Last month, gallery owner Lawrence B. Salander was arrested on a 100-count indictment.
Philadelphia Orchestra Sharply Contracts Summer Season
“The Mann Center, built in 1976 as a summer venue for the Philadelphia Orchestra, has received notice that the orchestra will perform a mere five concerts there this season – the smallest number as far back as the orchestra can trace. … The impetus for the reduction – from last season’s nine – is the financial condition of the orchestra, said executive director and chief executive officer Frank P. Slattery Jr.”