An experimental play running at the Edinburgh Fringe probes the question of whether you can have theatre without actors. “Only two people at a time can participate in this work (there is no other audience; so much for the producer’s fantasy). It requires the audience-members-turned-actors to follow a recorded script and essentially perform for one another. The show, which makes the point quite creatively that every conversation is a performance, opened in London in February and has been performed in Portugal, Argentina, Germany, Norway, Italy and Minneapolis.”
Author: sbergman
Signature Move Foiled Again
“Having already lost a place it had been promised at ground zero, the Signature Theater Company now finds its downtown plans scuttled again: It will not relocate, as planned, to Fiterman Hall on West Broadway. This Off Broadway company, whose current lease on West 42nd Street expires in 2011, was encouraged by the city last spring to set its sights on Fiterman Hall… But the project has proved too complicated and costly, people involved say, so the city is helping the theater look for other sites.”
Romanian Folk Hero Dies
Singer and actor Florian Pittis, who became a beacon of hope to many Romanians living under the brutal Ceausescu regime, died Sunday at age 63. “His actual gestures of defiance may not look like much today. A word here, a song there – but for many, it was a sign of hope… His energy was legendary and magnetic. For a few hours, he gave you a taste of freedom.”
The String Quartet As Dramatic Centerpiece
A new play running in New York delves deep into the inner lives of professional musicians, providing a glimpse of the low-level politics, high drama, and endless sexual tension that pervade the industry. “Granted, most of the sex is in the past or the future, and the drugs are more medicinal than recreational. But it hardly matters… ‘Opus’ considers the matter of music making with an intimate, appraising eye, showing us the sweat, the drudgery and the delicate balance of personalities that lie behind the creation of a seemingly effortless performance.”
Edinburgh Int’l Fest Director Lashes Out Over Funding
The newly minted director of the Edinburgh International Festival has threatened to quit the post or severely scale back the scope of the massive event if funding is not increased. “The International Festival — one of several held in Edinburgh during August — receives £4 million of public money, but its programme costs this year are more than £8 million, and it has a deficit of £500,000.”
Masekala: South African Leaders Afraid Of Music
“Virtuoso trumpeter Hugh Masekela claims that many of the talented musicians whose voices became symbols of protest against white domination are finding it hard to get bookings in South Africa because the ruling ANC is ‘terrified’ of music as an agent of change. “
Is Pinault’s Art Worthy Of A Museum?
“The billionaire collector Francois Pinault is showing off his wealth in Venice,” in the form of a new museum under construction on the Grand Canal, which will house Pinault’s vast contemporary art collection. But Michael Glover says that the quality of Pinault’s holdings is up for debate.
Art That Puts Its Viewers First
Two art festivals of very different levels of national fame are underway in Scotland at the moment, and Ruth Wishart says that each is proving that it is possible to draw diverse and intelligent crowds to see high art without dumbing down the product.
Sounds About Right
The political life of Tony Blair is fodder for not one, but two musicals currently playing at the Edinburgh Fringe. “The shows – called, perhaps a touch confusingly, Tony Blair – the Musical, and Tony! The Blair Musical – have a surprisingly similar take on the Blair years, portraying a fresh-faced, optimistic figure gradually tarnished by time, experience, and war with Iraq.”
A Low-Key Year For The Booker?
The long list for the Man Booker Prize is out, and it’s decidedly short on star power. “In contrast with previous years, 2007’s list is restricted to a ‘Man Booker dozen’ – a mere 13 titles, compared with the usual 18-24. This new brevity coincides with a year in which few of the biggest literary names have chosen to publish; as a result, the longlist contains only two authors… who can genuinely be described as household names.”