The traditional rivals “joining forces to prevent what will now be called the Lewis-Gibson Genizah Collection” – a huge collection of documents from Cairo’s old Jewish quarter covering centuries of history – “being sold to a foreign institution or, even worse, split up.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Major Phoenix Theatre Cancels Remainder Of Season
“Actors Theatre, one of a handful of professional theater companies in the Valley, has canceled the final two productions of its season and laid off six of eight employees as it takes a ‘pause’ to reinvent its business model.”
Can London’s Historic Gallery District Be Saved From Developers?
“Over the past 90 years, Cork Street, a quiet road in London’s gilded district of Mayfair …, has become as synonymous with art as Savile Row has with bespoke men’s tailoring. Now plans for a multimillion-dollar development that will see several of the galleries on the road having to leave means the character and future of Cork Street is under threat, say those campaigning to preserve it.”
Sergei Filin Regains Some More Vision After Surgery In Germany
“The sight of the Bolshoi Ballet’s artistic director is improving after an operation in Germany to save his vision following an acid attack.”
Making Room For Afro-Brazilians At Carnaval In The Heart Of Afro-Brazilian Culture
Though historic Salvador do Bahía is 80% black, the city’s two main Carnaval circuits, now heavily commercialized media events, are largely white. This year, Salvador’s blocos afro (drumming groups-cum-social service organizations) are joining to campaign for their own new circuit and a purpose-built stadium.
Salvaging America’s Sound Recording History From A Bewildering Variety Of Formats
The recordings – news broadcasts, field recordings, interviews and radio dramas as well as music – which the Library of Congress project aims to preserve were made on media ranging from early wax cylinders and big aluminum discs covered with lacquer to turn-of-the-21st-century digital files created with software its makers no longer support.
Elizabeth I With The Mask Of Beauty Off
Most official portraits of the Virgin Queen depict a regal, smooth-faced Gloriana more or less impervious to the ravages of time. A recently authenticated painting now on view in Washington shows Elizabeth looking as queenly as always, but like the sexagenarian she was at the time.
Is Jane Austen Overrated? Not At All, But …
Ron Rosenbaum: “But it’s begun to seem like she’s now assumed the role of the designated highbrow writer for light readers. It’s not that she’s overrated. It’s that she’s in dire jeopardy of being overhyped – and dumbed down in the process.”
Can Retooling On The Road Fix Jekyll And Hyde?
The Frank Wildhorn musical, which ran for nearly four years on Broadway in the late ’90s despite widespread critical scorn, is being reworked and (everyone hopes) improved over the course of a seven-month US tour prior to a new Broadway run beginning in April.
A 3D Printed House, Fabricated In Three Weeks And Put Up In A Day
“London architecture collective Softkill Design has joined the race to build the world’s first 3D printed house, announcing plans for a plastic dwelling that could be built off-site in three weeks and assembled in a single day.”