When actor Kevin Spacey took charge of London’s Old Vic, hopes were high that he would breathe new life into the place. But with the early closing of a Robert Altman-produced version of Resurrection Blues, many are saying Spacey isn’t up to the job. “While the odd flop is forgiveable, Resurrection Blues is simply the latest in a series of duff experiences at the Old Vic… If Spacey is determined to run the theatre as a commercial enterprise – and he has rejected all suggestions that he should seek subsidy – he must listen, learn and quickly realise two things: that he is the Old Vic’s biggest drawing-card, and that audiences are currently hungry for classics.”
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Psycho Inspiration’s Farm Banned From eBay
“Land that was once home to a murderer whose story inspired the movie Psycho was pulled from an online auction” after eBay officials decided that it violated the site’s policy banning “murder memorabilia.” The land, which was purchased at auction in 1958 after being seized by the state of Wisconsin, remains up for sale.
Horrible, Inspiring, Terrifying: Inside United 93
Trailers for the new film, United 93, have been playing in major cities for some time now, and from the outraged reaction of some, it’s clear that not all of America is ready for a fictionalized account of one of the darkest days in the country’s history. But for those who worked on the film, it was a tribute to bravery, and nothing like the callous exploitation some fear it will be. “If this is a horror movie, it is an edifying one, a history lesson with the pulse of a world-on-the-line suspense film.”
Britain’s Forgotten Innovator
“He ushered in contemporary drama, drew up the blueprint for a national UK company, and wrote gripping, complex plays, yet Harley Granville-Barker is little known today… Granville-Barker demanded that the text must come first, and that the director, designer and actors must serve it with clarity, lucidity, realism and grace. He established the premise of modern theatre design by showing that scenery had to be expressive and avoid being decorative or literal.”
Getting Inside Kandinsky’s Head
A new exhibition of work by the Russian abstractionist Wassily Kandinsky will include a collection of letters and poems written by the painter, none of which have ever before been published in English. Curators say that the written materials will “shine a light on the painter’s path to abstraction.”
The Movie’s The Message
Think there have been a lot of message movies lately? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet…
Whatever Happened To Letting The Music Speak For Itself?
Charlotte Higgins has had about enough of the hyperbole and exaggeration being employed by London’s opera companies in an effort to sell tickets. “It’s a sad sign of an artform that’s on its uppers when you have to resort to desperate measures to attract the crowds… [and] often enough promoters don’t even need to make absurd claims for shows, since they tend to have carefully filleted press quotes to do it for them.”
It’s Lang Lang V. Yundi Li
Two young Chinese pianists born in 1982 are locked in a rivalry. “The rivalry between two young pianists just out of protégé puberty has already gone too far. Nothing good — unless you think short-term record company profits are all that matter — can come from it.”
Classical Brit Noms Announced
“Singer Bryn Terfel and composer Karl Jenkins have both been nominated for two Classical Brit Awards alongside Scottish teenager Nicola Benedetti… US soprano Renee Fleming and German counter-tenor Andreas Scholl are nominated alongside bass-baritone Terfel [for singer of the year.]” The Classical Brits are a major event in the UK, with listeners to the country’s popular ClassicFM service picking the winners.
TV’s Rush To Web
TV producers are rushing to get shows to the web. “Analysts say networks have little choice but to try multiple strategies as viewers watch less TV in primetime and embrace technology that lets them watch shows whenever and wherever they want, including on computers and portable devices, such as an iPod. Studios also want to offer a legal alternative to the many file-swapping services that offer pirated copies of shows.”