“‘Give me a little booty! Show off! Glissade, glissade, tombé, ballonné, piqué, yessssss!’ William Forsythe called out ballet steps, bouncing through them on sneakered feet. ‘Let’s go, let’s go!’ sang Barry White as ‘Sha La La Means I Love You’ played over the speakers. … Mr. Forsythe turned happily to a few observers: ‘Isn’t ballet delightful?'” – The New York Times
Author: Matthew Westphal
Philadelphia’s Academy Of Music Is Shedding
Well, it’s really called “spalling” — chipping and splintering by the brick, concrete or other materials on the exterior of the handsome theater, the US’s oldest opera house, now owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra and the venue (these days) for touring musicals, the Pennsylvania Ballet, and Opera Philadelphia. Peter Dobrin explains why it’s happening and what’s being done. – The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Astounding Life Of André Previn
“[He] was not only among the most charismatic performers of his day, but also enjoyed one of the greatest classical-music lives since Berlioz and Liszt.” David Patrick Stearns surveys an amazing lifetime: Not only were there film scores and Broadway shows, Oscars and Grammys, classical compositions galore, music-director posts at major orchestras and prestigious guest conducting gigs — there were comedy shows, TV appearances, five marriages to glamorous women (including a movie star and a world-famous violinist), and what he called “the divorce that didn’t work.” – The Guardian
Broadway Producer And Harper Lee’s Estate Are Shutting Down Local ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Productions All Over America
“The theaters were planning to stage an adaptation of the novel by the playwright Christopher Sergel, which has been widely staged by adults and students for decades. Lawyers for the producer Scott Rudin, backed by the Lee estate, are telling the theaters that their productions are no longer permissible because there is a new adaptation, by the screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, which opened on Broadway in December.” – The New York Times
Former Balanchine Dancer Sues Balanchine Trust And Its Founder (And She’s A Board Member)
“Susan Gluck, a trustee of the George Balanchine Trust, which administers the rights to perform Balanchine’s ballets, filed a petition Thursday … seeking a full accounting of the financial management of the trust. She danced [under Mr. B. at New York City Ballet] from 1978 to 1986.” Gluck petition charges that Barbara Horgan, for many years Balanchine’s secretary, “has leveraged the trust to consolidate her power … and maximize her income to the detriment of other trust beneficiaries.” – The Washington Post
American Repertory Theater To Move Across River From Cambridge To Boston
Greater Boston’s leading resident theater company has been on Harvard Square for decades, but it’s just been given $100 million by hedge funder David E. Goel and his wife as the lead gift for a “research and performance center” in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. (No timeline has been announced.) – The New York Times
Edinburgh Wrestles With The Question ‘How Much Festival Can One City Take?’
It’s not just the ever-growing Fringe: the International, Film, and Book Festivals are expanding, too. But yes, the Fringe is the biggest issue: it regularly sets attendance records and is now Scotland’s most lucrative event. But as it continues to surge, the side-product problems are causing worry among residents, campaigners, and the government: “It’s clearly not sustainable, but on several levels. The question that everyone is asking is: is growth the only metric of success you have?” – The Herald (Scotland)
WOMAD Is Having Trouble Booking Artists, Who Are Spooked By Brexit
Last year, the headache for this world music festival was that performers were either denied UK visas or found the process of trying to get them too tortuous to deal with. This year, organizers say, in addition to that problem, artists are afraid they’ll get to the EU but won’t be allowed to cross the Channel. – The Guardian
A Crowdsourced Archive To ‘Provide The Foundation’ For Rebuilding Aleppo
The project, called Aleppo Built Heritage Documentation and based in Berlin, “[has] assembled the largest repository of information on Syrian heritage outside the country — more than 200,000 photographs, as well as archaeological reports, maps, plans, drawings and oral testimonies.” – The Art Newspaper
Philippe Vergne, Pushed Out Of Directorship Of LA MOCA, Lands New Job
The 53-year-old curator, who left Los Angeles after the controversy over his firing of chief curator Helen Molesworth (among other troubles), will be director of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto, Portugal’s second city. His predecessor there left last September after another controversy, this one over a Robert Mapplethorpe show. – ARTnews