Brian Logan: “‘This is an American-style hour,’ says Ari Shaffir at the top of his Edinburgh festival show. ‘So there’s no theme and no crying.’ So is that the American style of comedy? … I’ve seen a handful of US acts this first week on the [Edinburgh] fringe, and it’s interesting to note the features that, to some degree, make them distinctive.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Getting Italy’s Most Popular Museum Under Control
“Overseeing the Uffizi, with its world-class holdings and public-sector staffing, is a bit like running the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the same time. … As [new director Eike Schmidt] fights to manage the crowds, generate more revenue and improve the museum experience – including its chaotic ticketing system and long lines – will he continue to marshal popular support and prevail against a morass of bureaucratic restraints, vested interests and political intrigue?”
Women-Centered Hollywood Hits Were Once The Norm
“Ghostbusters and Ocean’s Eight don’t mark a turning point for Hollywood so much as a return: From the 1920s to the ’50s, women drove box-office revenue – in drama, comedy, and ensemble films.”
Chautauqua Symphony Musicians Vote To Strike
“Musicians of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra last month overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization for the first time in the symphony’s 87-year history. That raises the possibility that a strike could be approved between Dec. 31, when the contract expires, and the start of the 2017 season in June.”
Chamber Opera On The Buenos Aires Subway
In Opera Periferica’s adaptation of Pergolesi’s La serva padrona, “Serpina, the ‘servant turned mistress,’ launches her plan to seduce her master, the aging millionaire bachelor Uberto, first on one end of the H Line – which runs north and south through the capital connecting the richest area with the poorest – and then on the other.”
Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Plans $25 Million HQ Expansion
“Enrollment at the company’s school has surged since it moved into the custom-built space in 2005. That has created bottlenecks and scheduling conflicts at the building … The plan would add more than 10,000 square feet – including four new studios and classroom space – to [Ailey’s] home base at Ninth Avenue and West 55th Street” in Manhattan.
When Ballerinas And Boxers Trade Places
When a Twin Cities ballet company found itself in new space next door to a boxing gym, the dancers and fighters left their stereotypes and squeamishness behind, and each side learned the other’s disciplines could add to its own skills. (includes video)
Top Posts From AJBlogs 08.16.16
Bots and ticket prices and supply and demand
I can see Mr. Miranda wanting something done about bots – he wants ticket prices sold at a lower rate than obtains in the secondary market. But. … read more
AJBlog: For What It’s Worth Published 2016-08-16
A Master, A Mysterious Girl and An Unsolved Question
When I traveled to Berlin earlier this summer, I spent about four and half hours at the Gemaldegalerie (not enough time) – a full hour of which was spent looking at Portrait of a Young Girl (1470) by Petrus Christus. … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-08-16
Chrome Yellow: the Colour of the 2016 Edinburgh Festival
Last year’s was the first Edinburgh Festival I’ve missed for twenty-something years, and I was very pleased to return this year, if only briefly, to attend half a dozen performances at the International Festival … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2016-08-16
Fifth Anniversary Highlights: Considering Whiteness
One of the most pressing issues facing the future of the nonprofit arts industry is the role of race and culture in our work. … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-08-16
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A New Opera Company Run By And For Mid-Career Singers
“The Victory Hall Opera, in Charlottesville, which will open this month with three performances of a new chamber production of a stripped-down Rosenkavalier, was conceived and set up – and is run – by a group of mid-career singers who found themselves, after some years of high-level professional experience, wondering whether opera might offer them more artistic freedom than they were finding on the standard professional circuit.”
Wait, The God Of The Ancient Hebrews Wasn’t Male?
“In fact, the Hebrew Bible, when read in its original language, offers a highly elastic view of gender. And I do mean highly elastic: In Genesis 3:12, Eve is referred to as ‘he.’ In Genesis 9:21, after the flood, Noah repairs to ‘her’ tent. Genesis 24:16 refers to Rebecca as a ‘young man.’ And Genesis 1:27 refers to Adam as ‘them.’ … Why would the Bible do this? These aren’t typos.” Rabbi Mark Sameth explains his theory.