“Sir David Hare is in a quandary. He doesn’t know how to write about today’s politics. … ‘It’s very hard to write when it seems that individual countries or governments are not in control of their own destinies. They seem to be at the whim of a system that failed catastrophically, and which is held to be faulty by those who supported it in the first place’.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Immersive Theatre Meets Video Gaming (For Fun And Profit)
“This is a piece called … and darkness descended, the latest project from immersive theatre pioneers Punchdrunk. Collaborating with PlayStation for the upcoming release of Resistance 3, Sony’s flagship sci-fi horror series, the company has created a terrifying and brilliantly authentic-feeling world beneath the railway arches at Waterloo station.”
Meeting The Last Of Afghanistan’s Traditional Jesters
“I had thought Afghanistan’s maskhara to be an extinct species. For centuries, maskhara had entertained the country’s monarchs with their japes and buffoonery, and by lampooning them.” Jon Lee Anderson encounters one of the last of the breed – at a dinner party hosted by an Afghan warlord.
Is Addiction Efficient – Neurologically Speaking?
“The world itself is nothing but a source of activation of the brain’s chemical keyboard. So the addict — in a way — has the right idea: to hell with the world, I’ll turn my gaze inward and use drugs or other behaviors to play the keyboard of my brain myself!”
They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That Anymore: Admiring The Dancing In Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
Wendy Perron stumbles across the 1954 Hollywood western-musical on cable television and marvels anew at the choreography and the cast.
Is Close Encounters Of The Third Kind The Founding Work Of Postmodern Art?
Jonathan Jones: “I have been watching Steven Spielberg’s 1977 science-fiction film and it struck me as a work of art, almost a filmed installation, that defines what ‘postmodernity’ is, or was, or will be.”
Where Shakespeare Meets Puppets And Rock Guitar
“The Isle Is Full of Noises: The Tempest Puppet Music Show is a collaboration between German puppeteer Philipp Pleßmann and his friend Nick McCarthy – guitarist with Franz Ferdinand. The pair met two decades ago in Bavaria, where McCarthy grew up” – which gives them what they see as a healthy lack of respect for Shakespeare.
Vandal Sacks Roman Fountains
“A man accused of vandalising the Moor Fountain in Piazza Navona has been arrested by the Italian police. … The man, who subsequently attempted to damage Rome’s famous Trevi Fountain, was tracked down by local police through his distinctive footwear.”
James Levine Cancels All Fall Dates; Met Opera Names New Principal Conductor
Last week, while recovering from a back operation, the ailing conductor fell and injured a vertebra. As a result, he has withdrawn from all of his scheduled appearances at the Met through the end of this year. While Levine retains the title of Music Director, the Met has appointed Fabio Luisi as Principal Conductor, effective immediately.
Does It Matter Who Wrote Shakespeare’s Plays? Hell, Yes.
“The fact is it matters utterly, otherwise there would be no conspiracy theories in first place.”