Author: sbergman

Why Denver Needs A Better Hall

The debate is on in Denver over a proposed $550m bonding package funding various cultural and infrastructure projects that will come before voters in November. $60m of the money would go towards an overhaul of the city’s aging concert hall. Kyle MacMillan says that the importance of a great hall should not be taken lightly. “There has been much talk in recent years of trying to transform [Denver] into a world-class city. By definition, such cities have world-class cultural amenities, and Boettcher Concert Hall does not come close to making that grade.”

How Did Minnesota Lose Its Broadway Connection?

“Once upon a time, Minneapolis and St. Paul were trendy spots to road-test new musicals before they hit the Great White Way. Nowadays, those tryouts are going to other cities – taking prestige, money and jobs with them.” So what changed in the Twin Cities? “It’s not that local theater folks aren’t trying… [but] local markets can be so eager to have the imprimatur of a pre-Broadway tryout that they’re willing to virtually give away the theater space for the weeks and months of rehearsal leading up to performances.”

What Would A Writers’ Strike Mean?

If Hollywood’s screenwriters go on strike, as they have said they will in the absence of a new contract, TV viewers will be inconvenienced. But the impact on the industry could be much more severe. “During the last Hollywood writers’ strike in 1988, a five-month impasse over residuals – payment for shows and films that aired in perpetuity – nobody won. Writers were out of work for half a year; production support workers – caterers, gaffers, crew – were, too; networks had to push their fall schedules back to mid-winter; viewership dropped by 10 per cent. Enter a fragmented media universe of cable TV; some say it never recovered.”

The Tower That Ruined Philadelphia?

Philadelphia is a huge city with a relatively understated skyline, so any new incursion into the downtown airspace is likely to be quite noticeable. Recently, a new building was added to the skyline just down the street from the city’s architecturally stunning City Hall, and Philadelphians are aghast. “The 32-story mixed-use tower flounces onto venerable South Broad Street like a sequined and over-rouged strumpet. Sheathed in a sickly shade of pink concrete, the building resembles, as one blogger wittily observed, a giant Pepto-Bismol bottle.”

Will Young Frankenstein Open Without Its Lead?

Critics’ previews for the new Mel Brooks musical, Young Frankenstein, start running on Broadway this week. But the show’s star, Roger Bart, has been out of rehearsals with serious back problems. “One scenario has his doctor pumping him with cortisone so he can play the critics’ performances and opening night, then take time off to heal. But that, as any dancer will tell you, is extremely risky.”

Gehry Branches Out

Frank Gehry is known for revolutionary buildings made to stand for centuries, so what is he doing designing a stage set for a Portugese fado singer? “The challenge is to envelop the audience in the taberna atmosphere, where singers perform in close quarters, often mingling with the audience.”

Changing Ethics And Stolen Art

The debate over looted art and ownership is hardly as cut and dry as some would like to believe. “Even when museums draw up codes of ethics to help ensure that they won’t abet the plunder of another nation’s cultural heritage, the measures are not legally binding.” Worse, “national laws adopted to combat the illicit export of valuable cultural property sometimes actually encouraged smuggling.”

A Chinese Experiment Fights For Recognition

China’s avant-garde music scene is a small one, encompassing “only a few dozen musicians around the country,” but its impact is beginning to be felt internationally. Still, “though China may be in the beginnings of a new love affair with consumerism, rigid cultural controls are still in place, and discovery and transgression are values not widely held by the Communist government.”