The ornate Belle Epoque theatre had lost its luster, visually and artistically, by the end of the last century. But the house’s director, Olivier Mantei, is determined to bring excitement and audiences back. So he’s overseen a meticulous restoration of the building to its original splendor, reopened it with a spectacular revival of a grand opera not seen in Paris for 246 years, and even commissioned a patisserie to create a new cake for the occasion.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Dinner After The Show With The Woman Who Disrupted ‘Julius Caesar’ In Central Park
Reporter Andrew Marantz: “[Laura] Loomer provided several rationales for her actions: that she had merely used words, whereas the left engages in actual violence; that she felt it was her patriotic duty to stop the play, which was ‘a form of terrorism’ that would ‘bring us closer to civil war’; that the Public Theatre is ‘aligned with ISIS, politically.’ The only incontrovertible fact was one that she never uttered aloud: that the stunt would do wonders for her personal brand.”
Forget ‘Julius Caesar’ – *This* Is The Shakespeare Play The Pro-Trump Folks Should Worry About
Susan Rella: “Now let me tell you about another play. It involves a king so bogged down by the personal and political conflicts of his staff of toadies that his ability to govern is utterly compromised. False narratives are spun on all sides until even the king doesn’t know what’s true. There are accusations of money laundering, of treason, of murder. While feigning innocence, the king stokes conflict by proposing a duel between the fighting factions, WWE-style … Come to find out, the king has not only depleted the royal coffers but he’s – get this – personally profiting off government business. …”
Jeff Koons Gives A Present To Paris – And Paris Is, Let’s Say, Ambivalent
The gift is a large sculpture – a hand holding a bouquet of the artist’s signature balloon tulips – in honor of the victims of the 2015 terrorist attacks. But it’s a problematic present: it’s too heavy for the site Koons wants, not everyone cares for it (one museum director says, “I think it will be much less kitsch in several years”), and the city is having trouble raising the required €3.5 million to have it made and installed. (Koons’s donation, you see, isn’t the completed work; it’s the concept.)
Could This Be A New Funding Model For Dance?
“Using the sports marketing model, where major brands advertise to capture the sporting fan market,” the National Performing Arts Funding Exchange “will target corporate underwriters for various [small and independent] dance organizations. [Founder Cliff] Brody is convinced that companies will jump on the bandwagon to put their names behind dance.”
‘Fearless Girl’ Wall Street Statue Wins Three Awards – At Advertising Festival
“McCann New York’s Fearless Girl statue, placed on Wall Street for State Street Global Advisors as a symbol of the power of women in business, enjoyed a spectacular first day here at the Cannes Lions festival, sweeping the first three competitions by picking up the Grand Prix in the Glass, PR and Outdoor Lions.”
Mass Resignations At Boulder Museum Of Contemporary Art After Allegations Of Malfeasance
“The museum and its ex-employees are offering starkly different accounts as the museum is reeling after losing five full-time staffers, at least two part-time visitor-services workers, and seven contract support staff and educators on June 13.”
Time Warner Gets $100 Million Deal To Make Video For Snapchat
“Under the two-year deal with Snap Inc., Time Warner – which owns Warner Bros. as well as cable networks CNN, HBO, TBS and TNT – will develop and produce up to 10 made-for-Snapchat shows per year. The projects will span genres, including scripted dramas and comedies, and will reach across Time Warner’s networks and entertainment properties, meaning that Wonder Woman or Batman could one day end up on Snapchat.”
Toronto’s Biggest Theatre Company Sets Up Camp In New York For A Month
“Soulpepper Theater Company isn’t moving everything to New York for the month of July. Its theater in Toronto’s Distillery District will still be open, with six productions on two of its three main stages. But a dozen other Soulpepper shows are headed for Manhattan, and 65 artists are making the trip. Add support staff, and it’s quite a hefty operation.”
Calgary Arts Orgs Ask City For $2 Million From Economic Development Fund
Ten major organizations, among them the Calgary Opera, Alberta Ballet, and the National Music Centre, are arguing to the city council that they’re the best bet for increasing tourism. Says Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maître, “If we develop a thriving cultural sector, they may stop by in the city for a while before they get out to the mountains and before you know it, it won’t just be Banff that’s thriving right now.”