Matthew Westphal – Page 1298 – ArtsJournal Wayback

Casting A Deaf Actor As The Who’s Tommy (Why Didn’t Anyone Think Of This Before?)

“‘I call this ‘The Metaphor Strikes Back,” says [director Suzanne] Richard of ‘the deaf, dumb and blind kid,’ as the ‘Pinball Wizard’ lyrics un-gently describe the traumatized title character of Pete Townshend’s seminal rock opera. ‘I think it’s time for the metaphor to get a dose of what the real experience of disability is like.'”

Why Did Vincent Van Gogh Slice His Ear? There’s Some New Evidence

The most common explanation has been that Vincent had a psychotic episode after a fight with Paul Gauguin, but a scholar has found evidence that points to Theo, Vincent brother and lifeline.

‘A Subsidised Critic Is The Thin End Of A Dangerous Wedge’

“The danger, in such a situation, is not that the critic will give a soft ride to her fellow beneficiaries.” Longtime Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington explains where he feels the dangers do lie.

Can Matthew Bourne Pull Off ‘The Red Shoes’?

“With such works as his funny and homoerotic Swan Lake, he’s attracted a whole new audience to contemporary dance and made himself a household name. But despite his past successes, Bourne knows that he’s taken on a monumental challenge with his … adaptation of the Powell and Pressburger film.”

Maurice Sendak’s Estate Wins Lawsuit Against Small Museum

Over the years, Sendak had deposited thousands of books and drawings at the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia. But Sendak never formally gave them to the Rosenbach, and after he died in 2012, his executors decided they wanted most of that collection back. So the Rosenbach sued the estate. Now the judge’s ruling has arrived.

World’s Oldest Working Actor Dies At 101

Vladimir Zeldin was called back from the front in World War II by Stalin himself, because a film Zeldin was shooting wasn’t finished yet. He went on to join the company of the Red Army Theatre in Moscow, where he performed for 71 years.

Mastermind Of Acid Attack On Sergei Filin Is Back At Bolshoi

“Pavel Dmitrichenko, the Bolshoi dancer convicted and jailed for ordering the infamous acid attack on his boss at Russia’s chief ballet company, is reported to have been back in the Bolshoi doing ballet class for the past month, hoping to return to the stage.”

Latest Battle In Russia’s Culture Wars: Theatre Director Vs. Biker Gang

In a speech decrying growing censorship, Konstantin Raikin, director and lead actor of the Satirikon Theatre, said, “I see how people are itching to change things and send us back to the past. And not just to the time of stagnation, but further back – to Stalin’s times.” Putin’s spokesman gave a “no, but” denial – and then the Night Wolves got involved.

Natalie Babbitt, 84, Author Of Young-Adult Classic ‘Tuck Everlasting’

“Mrs. Babbitt wrote or illustrated more than two dozen books, among them Kneeknock Rise (1970), a recipient of the Newbery Honor. But she was best known for Tuck Everlasting, a volume that became required reading in many schools and a favorite of children and parents alike. Novelist Anne Tyler once described it as ‘one of the best books ever written – for any age.'”

Author: Matthew Westphal