“About 50 people packed the inside of the Children’s Book Cellar, where is was shoulder to shoulder, like a rainbow mosh pit. Ophelia, a drag queen from Topsham, read from two books about inclusion.” “Across the street, another much smaller group, called An End to Child Indoctrination at the Cellar Bookstore, said their message was not about hating anyone.” – The Morning Sentinel (Waterville, Maine)
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Opera That Won The Venice Biennale Is Running Out Of Money, With Number Of Performances Slashed
The creators of Sun and Sea (Marina) at the Lithuanian pavilion say they had never really expected more than 15 visitors at a time and certainly never expected to win the Golden Lion or draw crowds. So the funding plans they had weren’t adequate to what actually happened. They’ve cut down from daily performances (when the press and judges were in town) to once on Saturdays; they say that “[adding] a Wednesday performance is our maximum ambition.” – The New York Times
For First Time Since 1993, Japan’s Movie Theaters Have Raised Ticket Prices
Two of the country’s four major chains have raised the price of a standard ticket from ¥1,800 ($16.50) to ¥1,900 ($17.50), citing the costs of new IMAX and 4D equipment as well as “anti-earthquake measures” (aren’t those standard in Japan already?). – The Guardian
Staff At Belgian Theatre Balks At Being Merged With Country’s Most Famous Dance Company
The dramaturg at the Kaaitheater, a Flemish company in Brussels, has written an open letter arguing hard against a merger between the Kaai and Rosas, the company of choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. The directors of both companies have called the letter, and the worries expressed in it, “premature.” – The Brussels Times
What’s in a Name? New Music Needs New Genre Labels
This is the second in a series of posts by guest blogger Milton Moore, a longtime music critic who has covered a wide array of genres. – Scott Timberg
Propwatch: the stuffed duck in ‘Rutherford & Son’
There’s barely a scrap of frivolity in the Rutherford home. The seat of a Tyneside manufacturing family in the 1910s, it’s imposing, substantial, stuffed to the gunwales with heavy furniture – yet you struggle to spot anything that isn’t grimly functional or solid enough to break your toe should you drop it. Whatever else it is, the house of Rutherford is not a house of fun. – David Jays
Review: Alan Broadbent’s ‘New York Notes’
New York Notes finds Broadbent leading a trio, the setting that brought him to the attention of audiences and critics early in his career. His associations with Woody Herman, John Klemmer and Charlie Haden’s Quartet West were milestones in his progress. This album is another. – Doug Ramsey
It was the first all-African American opera. And now, ‘Treemonisha’ is getting new life
“Despite not being staged while [composer Scott] Joplin was still alive, Treemonisha has had a lasting legacy. It was first performed in its entirety in the 1970s, and in 1977 Joplin posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for music. It’s been staged again since then, but now, it’s being rewritten and expanded with an entirely new team at the helm. [The Toronto company] Volcano and … a multitude of [creators and] performers are reviving the opera for its premiere in 2020. The entire creative team — and the orchestra, once the opera goes public — is composed of Black women.” – CBC
‘I Didn’t Feel That There Was Any Casting Couch”: Ann Reinking Talks About Her Relationship With Bob Fosse
“I never thought he was abusive that way at all. I think everybody he was with was completely willing to be with him. I never perceived him as using a part as being manipulative. And I’ll tell you how I knew that — it was instinctual. … I trusted Bob. I trusted Gwen. And I was right to. My instincts weren’t incorrect at all. They never hurt me, and they were on my side.” – The New Yorker
Website Caught Trying To Sell Reviews At Edinburgh Fringe
“The site, The Mumble, is contacting artists appearing at this year’s festival to offer ‘a digitally sophisticated Skyflyer’, comprising a review and interview, for £50. Opting for just a review would cost £30.” – The Stage