“Theatre in the UK has never been cheaper, we’re told. The internet’s overridden with offers, deals on West End shows put Broadway prices to shame and the National’s £10 Travelex season has convinced many that a night at the theatre doesn’t have to be horrifically expensive. That’s all very well – I love a bargain – but maybe thrifty theatre-going comes with a hidden cost. You might save a few quid, but does it leave you with a miserable experience?”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
An Ode To The Public Library, Where Imagination Plays
“When politics gets mean and dumb, you can cheer yourself up by walking into a public library, one of the nobler expressions of democracy,” Garrison Keillor advises. “The library is the temple of freedom.”
On The Undeniable Power Of “Demoiselles d’Avignon”
“Even Picasso’s loyal patron Gertrude Stein deemed the picture a ‘veritable cataclysm.’ And you know what?” Peter Plagens asks. “It’s still pretty ugly. Well, maybe not ugly-ugly, but certainly hard to take. Even with generations of artists trying mightily to out-rad it … the painting refuses to go down smoothly. That’s only one reason, though, why ‘Demoiselles’ is the most important work of art of the last 100 years.”
Glyndebourne’s Jurowski Sets New Generation’s Style
“Looking for the busiest conductor in Britain, the most active and influential? You won’t find him in the obvious places,” Norman Lebrecht writes. “The baton who spends most time in Britain is music director at Glyndebourne and head of two orchestras, both of them resident at the reopened Royal Festival Hall. Vladimir Jurowski has more bands on the run than any boss since Thomas Beecham.”
Monet, Beethoven, Brontë, Et Al.: Their Letters Are Here
“O stalwart Sussex postman, who is / Delivering the post from Lewes, / Cycle apace to Charlton Firle / While knitting at your plain and purl / Deliver there to good Clive Bell / (You know the man, you know him well / He plays the virginals and spinet) / This note – there’s… nothing in it.” That’s T.S. Eliot in a 1948 postcard to Clive Bell, two of the many boldface names in Swiss lawyer Albin Schram’s soon-to-be-auctioned collection of letters.
It’s Not Just The Pops Crowds Who Are Getting Rough
“You think it’s tough out there on the streets? Try going to the theatre. That was my first reaction upon reading of a homophobic incident the other evening at the West End musical Spamalot. … This particular musical has developed – both on Broadway and, evidently, here as well – a reputation for recognisably blokeish audiences at odds with the women and gay men who make up musical theatre’s traditional constituency. But verbal abuse? That’s a new one on me.”
15th-Century Manuscript To Stay In Britain
“The British Library has raised £635,000 to save a rare 15th Century manuscript from being exported. The manuscript, called The Wardington Hours, was sold to a German dealer at auction in December. But culture minister David Lammy placed an export ban on the book to give the library a chance to match the price.”
Orchestra League Trades ASOL For LAO
“The American Symphony Orchestra League has for years struggled with its unfortunate acronym. And while in recent times its administrators have valiantly tried have it be known as, simply, ‘the League,’ rather than ‘ASOL,’ the latter has never left parlance within the industry. Yesterday, a long overdue change was unveiled, effective in the fall, to the ‘League of American Orchestras….'”
Librarian Drill Teams: Geeky, Sure. But Stodgy? Nope.
“The librarian from Ohio popped a wheelie on his book cart, and the audience went wild. The team of librarians from Texas wore red, white, and blue feather boas as they danced the boogie-woogie while pushing their book carts in pinwheel formation. The Delaware team outfitted their performance vehicles in silver lamé and dressed in rhinestones, as they executed their signature ‘wave-canon’ maneuver. Welcome to the Third Annual Bookcart Drill Team World Championships….”
Annie Dillard On Love, Writing And Ping Pong
“From her 12′ x 16′ wood cabin in the Virginia mountains, Annie Dillard spoke with Daniel Asa Rose in an exclusive phone interview. (ROSE:) So you granted Book World your only in-depth interview for this book. Was it because of that affair we had back in ’82? (DILLARD:) [Laughing] It slipped my mind. Refresh my memory.”