“Yet for all the attention and accolades that have been lavished on the three young actors who take turns playing Billy, let us pause for a moment to praise the Sisterhood of the Tumbling Tutus that is seriously upping the charm quotient of Broadway these days.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Broward Center Promotes General Manager To CEO
The board of the Fort Lauderdale performing arts center has named general manager Kelly Shanley as president and CEO. “The Coral Springs resident, 42, will oversee five venues that jointly present more than 650 performances – from pop to theater to opera – seen by more than 700,000 people annually.”
Cats and Phantom Meet Grand Theft Auto
“Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Really Useful Group is developing a range of video games based on the theater impresario’s musical stage shows… the group says two industry shifts have prompted its interest: the emergence of more female gamers in the traditionally male-dominated game consumer demographic, and the popularity of singing- and music-based titles like Playstation’s Singstar and Xbox’s Lips.”
Washington National Opera Announces Ring-Less ’09-10 Season
“Without the [complete] Ring [planned for next year and now postponed,] though, the season displays the hallmarks of a money-saving year: a number of less-known singers, revivals and productions from other companies, without a single wholly new production in the bunch.”
New Director At Louisville Ballet
“The Louisville Ballet today named a new executive director: Dwight E. Hutton, a former dancer and dance administrator who most recently led the Smuin Ballet in San Francisco. He takes over in Louisville from Jack R. Lemmon, who resigned last month to become executive director of the Colorado Ballet in Denver.”
Miami City Ballet Running Deficit In Face Of Recession
“In December, the ballet canceled live orchestral music for the rest of the season because of flagging ticket sales and donations. It also laid off at least two teachers, and now a Miami Beach city official says the group has depleted a $2 million reserve.”
A New Plan To Preserve Ancient Babylon
“The World Monuments Fund is launching a project with Iraq to preserve the ancient city of Babylon… [The site] has sustained damage in recent years from Saddam Hussein’s efforts to make it a tourist attraction, from looting after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and from being used as a military base during the Iraq War.”
Kerfuffle In Chicago Over Blackface Emperor Jones
African-American publisher Third World Press has called for a boycott of the Wooster Group’s staging of Eugene O’Neill’s play, currently hosted by the Goodman Theater and nearly sold out. The widely-traveled 15-year-old production features white actress Kate Valk, performing in blackface, as the African-American title character.
National Mall in D.C., Badly Underfunded, Shows Severe Wear And Tear
“Patches of the once-lush lawn have been trampled to dust. Half of the underground sprinkler system doesn’t work. The sea wall around the Jefferson Memorial is sinking, and lately, wildlife is dying in the unfiltered waterways.”
Madoff Victim Has 12 Rothkos; Collectors Salivate
Financier J. Ezra Merkin’s investment funds reportedly lost more than $3 billion in Bernard Madoff’s gigantic Ponzi scheme. Now that Merkin might need some cash, there’s a great deal of interest in the dozen Mark Rothko canvases he’s collected. They’re not currently for sale, says Merkin’s art adviser, but “everything has a price.”