“With characters like ‘Buggeranthos,’ ‘C__tigratia,’ ‘C__ticula,’ ‘Clytoris’ and of course ‘Fuckadillia,’ the late seventeenth-century play Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery would seem to be little more than pornography. And yet, in certain critical respects, this bawdy play embodied the Restoration. … This traumatized world, where all inherited beliefs and moralities were questioned, called out for a poet laureate. [John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester], a debauched dilettante, answered that call.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
San Francisco Ballet Unveils Festival Of 12 World Premieres
“The aptly named Unbound Festival runs at the War Memorial Opera House Friday April 20- May 6. The range of the choreographers is astounding to find all in one place, from Alonzo King, artistic director of LINES Ballet for 35 years, to Justin Peck and Myles Thatcher, who are still dancing in the New York City Ballet and S.F. Ballet, respectively; and from Christopher Wheeldon, who is creating his 10th work for S.F. Ballet, to David Dawson, Cathy Marston, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Dwight Rhoden and King, who are all premiering their first pieces for the company (though they have all created a prolific amount of work for other companies around the world).”
A Skeptic Tries Out A Session Of Ecstatic Dance
“On an otherwise unremarkable Tuesday evening, I found myself facing a stranger, swinging my arms back and forth, and hooting like an owl. … Ecstatic dances are essentially free-form dance parties, and the directions for the one I attended … were pretty simple: no shoes, no drugs or alcohol, no phones or cameras, and no talking on the dance floor. The only directive: Allow your body to move exactly how it wants to move.”
In Wake Of Curator Firing, Is MoCA’s Director About To Resign?
“Is Museum of Contemporary Art Director Philippe Vergne on his way out? That’s the question swirling in the art-world air following his surprise firing of MOCA’s chief curator one month ago, the sudden cancellation of the museum’s annual gala fundraiser and, perhaps most important, the pending expiration of Vergne’s contract. … Vergne has placed his $4-million Hollywood Hills mansion on the market, and on Tuesday, real estate websites showed a sale pending.”
John Oliver, Longtime Director Of Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Dead At 78
He founded the choir, the Boston Symphony’s resident ensemble, at the BSO’s summer home in 1970 and directed it until he retired in 2015. In addition, “he led his own John Oliver Chorale and taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 32 years. He also was a faculty member and choral director at Boston University.”
FBI Recovers Stolen Chagall Painting Missing For 30 Years
“The painting, titled Othello and Desdemona, belonged to retired jeweler and art collector Ernest ‘Pick’ Heller and his wife Rose ‘Red’ Heller, and was stolen from their New York apartment back in 1988, along with numerous other paintings, sculptures, and art objects including jewelry, carpets, silverware, and Steuben china.”
Composer Jennifer Higdon Wins $100K Nemmers Prize
“Jennifer Higdon has been awarded the $100,000 Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition for 2018, given to contemporary classical composers of exceptional achievement ‘who have significantly influenced the field of composition’ … by the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.” The award, which has previously gone to (among others) Steve Reich, Kaija Saariaho, and both John Adamses, also includes a two-year residency at the Bienen School and a performance by the Chicago Symphony.
Mitzi Shore, Owner Of LA’s Comedy Store, Dead At 87
“For at least a dozen years, she was ‘all-powerful, during a remarkably fertile time for stand-up comedy – the 1970s and early ’80s – when many of today’s comedy stars showed up in L.A. to go onstage at the only place that mattered.'”
After Brief And Embattled Tenure, Director Of Berlin’s Volksbühne Theater Resigns
“Following intensive protests against the decision to install Chris Dercon as director of Berlin’s radical theater with a strong left-wing tradition, the former head of London’s Tate Modern has decided to call it quits. … ‘Both parties have agreed that Chris Dercon’s appointment has not worked out as hoped, and the Volksbühne promptly needs a fresh start,’ stated Berlin public radio station, RBB, when first reporting the news.”
Play About Gay Soviet Poet In 1920s Is Sleeper Hit Of Moscow Theater Season
“The Trout Breaks the Ice is based on the story of Mikhail Kuzmin, who disappeared into the official obscurity imposed by the Soviets on artists considered deviant or who were out of favour. The play’s success comes amid fears that the relative freedom enjoyed by Russian theatre is under threat.”