Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb, co-founders of the once-powerful theater production company Livent – the enterprise behind such juggernauts as Show Boat, Ragtime and Phantom of the Opera – have been convicted of forgery and defrauding investors following a lengthy trial in Toronto. They each face a maximum of 34 years in prison.
Author: Matthew Westphal
New Orleans Pianist Eddie Bo, 79
“Eddie Bo, a potent, eclectic New Orleans pianist, singer, songwriter and producer who inspired a dance craze with his 1962 hit ‘Check Mr. Popeye’ and later directed fans to ‘Check Your Bucket,’ died Wednesday, March 18, of a heart attack. He was 79.”
Tiny Dancers: Alberta Ballet To Present New Elton John Work
“The Alberta Ballet, which created a well-regarded dance to the music of Joni Mitchell in 2007, has announced it will produce a new work based on the music of Elton John. ELTON will be a contemporary work, choreographed by artistic director Jean Grand-Maître and his design team.”
(Good) Music Aids Recovery In Stroke Patients
“Music was the best medicine for four stroke victims whose cognitive impairments lessened while listening to songs they loved. The music stimulated neurological pleasure centers adjacent to damaged brain regions, apparently producing a therapeutic crossover effect.” (Kenny Rogers worked best, it seems.)
Vancouver Chorus Begs For Tenors In The Streets
Choir directors everywhere bemoan the perennial shortage of higher male voices. This week, the Jubilate Chamber Choir, a 24-voice group that’s now down to its last two tenors, resorted to having four members stand at the foot of Vancouver’s Burrard Bridge at rush hour holding up signs in an attempt to locate new members of the elusive species.
Plays By Coen Brother Headed To NYC
“The Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham will lead an 11-member ensemble cast for the Atlantic Theater Company’s world premiere of Offices, a set of three one-act comedies by Ethan Coen, the Oscar-winning filmmaker (No Country for Old Men).”
Australia’s PM Dismisses Sydney Opera House Revamp
“Plans to upgrade the interior of the Sydney Opera House appear doomed after Kevin Rudd baulked at sharing the $1 billion [Aus] cost with the NSW Government. […] While conceding that he was open to being persuaded about the job-creation opportunities of the proposal, Mr Rudd said the money could be better spent elsewhere.”
Guerilla Artist Hangs Nudes Of Irish PM In Dublin Museums
“Two unorthodox portraits – one in the National Gallery showing the Taoiseach on the toilet, and another in the Royal Hibernian Gallery showing him holding his Y-fronts – appeared mysteriously in Dublin among paintings of the country’s other famous citizens in more decorous poses.”
Cleveland Orchestra Cuts Salaries, Concerts
“So serious is the orchestra’s position, in fact, that music director Franz Welser-Möst and executive director Gary Hanson volunteered to take pay cuts of 20 percent and 15 percent, respectively, reductions amounting to over $300,000.” In addition, some subscription and touring programs will be dropped: “The orchestra will cancel any concerts projected to be unprofitable.”
Ann Arbor’s Daily Paper To Shut Down
“The Ann Arbor News will close in July after publishing as the city’s daily newspaper since 1835, publisher Laurel Champion announced today. […] A new Web-based media company called AnnArbor.com LLC will be launched later this year. In addition to publishing continuously online, AnnArbor.com will publish a print edition twice a week.”