Let Ivan Brunetti break it down for you: Comics are “an incantation beckoning us to enter their world. The simplicity of their superficial concision can reveal surprising density, layers, and multivalence.” – Paris Review
Author: ArtsJournal2
A Fired Artistic Director Won’t Continue Her Lawsuit To Be Reinstated At Pina Bausch’s Dance Company
Sounds like the Tanztheater Wuppertal might not be the easiest place to run: Adolphe Binder, who was dismissed in 2018 after only a year in the job, was the fourth person to run the troupe since Bausch died in 2009. “During her brief tenure, she commissioned works from the choreographers Dimitris Papaioannou and Alan Lucien Oyen — the first full-length pieces to be created for the company since Bausch’s death. They were well received and have toured widely. But in a statement issued at the time of her dismissal, the board suggested that Ms. Binder’s managerial and organizational abilities were harmful to the functioning of the troupe.” – The New York Times
Peak TV Is Surprisingly Like Peak Books
They’re not at all the same – and the internet is more distracting from books than TV is – but: “As with classic unread novels, certain TV shows have begun to carry with them a hint of obligation. There are so many shows that people assure me are really good, really smart, really fun, shows like Breaking Bad and Borgen and Schitt’s Creek. Then there are the documentaries that promise to teach history: Ken Burns’s Vietnam, Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, Ken Burns’s Country Music, OJ: Made in America—actually, I did watch OJ, and it was incredible. I would like to watch it again. But then I’d like to read Middlemarch again, too.” – The Millions
Netflix Says ‘The Crown’ Will End One Season Earlier Than It Was Supposed To
Well, this is interesting. As the series gets closer and closer to the present, perhaps some members of the Royal Family have expressed strong displeasure. One wonders. In any case: The role played by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman next goes to Imelda Staunton. Writer and producer Peter Morgan: “At the outset I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop.” – The New York Times
John Le Carré Gets A Major Award, And Says Brexit Broke His Heart
Le Carré, as he accepted the Olof Palme prize: “I want a Palme for my country, which in my lifetime hasn’t produced a single statesman of his stamp. I want him now. I’m not just a remainer. I’m a European through and through, and the rats have taken over the ship, I want to tell him. It’s breaking my heart and I want it to break yours. We need your voice to wake us from our sleepwalk, and save us from this wanton act of political and economic self-harm. But you’re too late.” – The Guardian (UK)
Does Classical Music Have A ‘God Status’ Problem At Conservatories?
The answer, students say, is absolutely yes – and the #MeToo movement hasn’t yet begun to filter through many conservatory halls. “Over the past year, The Atlantic talked to more than four dozen young musicians about their experiences with classical-music education and sexual misconduct. Their accounts reveal a culture built on hierarchy, critique, and reputation, and show how such a culture can facilitate abuse.” – The Atlantic
When Writing Your Novel Means Facing Unsavory Realities
Writer Abi Daré wasn’t planning to deal with a new novel, and a normalized practice among middle-class families in Nigeria, when her 8-year-old wouldn’t unload the dishwasher. But inspiration strikes where it will. She says, “When I was writing it, I did not think it would get published. So I was really telling myself a story.” – The New York Times
Disney Sheds Hulu’s CEO, But Hulu’s Future Seems Assured
While Disney wants to “integrate” Hulu into its own streaming services operations, Hulu isn’t going anywhere – yet. “Hulu, known for original series such as the Emmy-winning The Handmaid’s Tale, is also a key part of Disney’s streaming strategy. While Disney+ is the home to more family friendly-content, Hulu is expected to carry edgier programming from Disney-owned properties.” – Los Angeles Times
The Grim ‘Secular Funeral’ Music Of Brexit
So this is how Great Britain’s time in the EU ends, not with a bang, but … “Edward Gregson, the British composer charged by Radio 4’s PM programme with the tricky task of composing a piece to mark the UK’s departure from the union, uses Beethoven’s theme as the basis for his ‘Notes Between Friends,’ a brief, melancholic duet for piano and cello (played by the composer and Peter Dixon, principal cello of the BBC Philharmonic). Gregson insists he has been even-handed in his treatment – the brief called on him to give ‘a middle-of-the-road view’ of Brexit, ‘not too joyful, not too sad’ – but in reality this is about as far from an ode to joy as it is possible to imagine.” – The Guardian (UK)
Protests Around The ‘West Side Story’ Dancer Bring His Dancer Girlfriend Into The Limelight
Alexa Maxwell is the girlfriend of Amar Ramasar, the dancer who was fired, and then rehired, by City Ballet for his role in sharing nude photos and videos of dancers – including Maxwell. “‘I am not a victim in this,’ the dancer, Alexa Maxwell, said in a news release. She explained that Mr. Ramasar had expressed his regret over the situation and that she had forgiven him.” (She was not, however, the only one whose images were shared without permission.) – The New York Times