“Looking for the American theatre to say something about the presidential election? You’ll be lucky. On screen, we have the imminent release of Oliver Stone’s W, while in music Madonna has made it clear that Sarah Palin is not welcome at any of her concerts. But on Broadway there’s barely a squeak.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Amid Financial Crisis, British Theatre Will Hurt, Not Perish
“Inevitably, the West End will find it harder to attract investors and harder to shift tickets,” but might there be an upside for smaller companies? “Perhaps the credit crunch will mean that many more wake up to the fact that fringe tickets are often terrific value and offer an overall experience that is often far more enjoyable than that in the West End.”
Le Clézio Deserves The Nobel — And More English Readers
“While the storm in an imperialist teacup about the award of this year’s Nobel prize for literature to JMG Le Clézio rages on, and the debate about the ills and virtues of American writing simmers away, I fear the fierce debate is overshadowing the fact he is a most worthy winner of the prestigious prize. That he is virtually out of print in English is both sad and a reflection of our traditional insularity and lack of curiosity for foreign culture.”
Bidding Begins On Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization
“The first round of bidding has begun for the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, the privately held company that controls what is probably the most valuable back catalog in the theater business. Gag orders seem to be all over the place, but word is that the bidders include Disney, Sony, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Ambassador Theater Group, a London-based company.”
More News You Can Use: Tips On Theatre Bargains In NYC
Far be it from us to interpret the appearance today of cheap-ticket tips in two New York City dailies as a portent of doom. Nonetheless: “The new and improved TKTS booth opens next Thursday at 3 p.m. – and not a minute too soon. With the economy tighter than the Naked Cowboy’s trunks, saving dough is more than ever on everyone’s mind.”
Can Only Liberals Write Good Fiction?
“At a Litquake tribute to Tobias Wolff, writer Stephen Elliott described a link between fiction writing and political bent: ‘Literary fiction is character driven, and to write good characters you have to have empathy, and if you have empathy, you’re a liberal.'”
Design Challenge: A Beautiful, Muscular Bike Rack
“There’s no single reason why bicycle commuting has gone into high gear, though spiraling gas prices, concern about greenhouse-gas emissions, and an appreciation of messenger cool are surely contributing to the crowded bike lanes.” But parking for bikes in Philadelphia has not kept pace, and existing racks are aesthetically and practically displeasing. “The time has come to build a better bike rack.”
Poets As Paid Professionals
“Everyone is talking about the creative economy, but the first-ever Massachusetts Poetry Festival is doing something about it. … The festival is a celebration of poetry for its own sake, but could also be a tool to expand and capitalize on a precious cultural asset.” That includes thinking about professional development for poets.
The Love Life Of Emily Dickinson (Really!)
In the popular imagination, Emily Dickinson “is forever the lovelorn spinster, pining away in her father’s mansion on Main Street in Amherst, Mass. … Her exile on Main Street has seemed a necessary part of the Dickinson myth, so necessary, indeed, that contrary information–which happens to have been piling up lately–has often been discounted or ignored.”
In South L.A., A Black Theatre Takes Root
The Ebony Repertory Theatre opens its first production tonight in South Los Angeles, an area that “has lacked a significant theater presence for more than a decade.” Company founder/producer Wren T. Brown says he “wanted to ensure that the so-called minority community had a place to go see theater where the standards are high and not compromised.”