The new Lord of the Rings musical costs $23 million. “This is one of the most expensive theatrical productions ever, and it comes on the heels of an Oscar-winning film trilogy of the Tolkien classics, of which more than 100 million books have been sold worldwide. On top of paring 1,200 pages to 3 1/2 hours of text and music to tell the by now familiar tale of hobbits, elves and humans pitted against evil wizards and their henchmen, the creators faced the challenge of assembling a team of 75 technicians from around the world, a cast of 55 — classical actors, singers, dancers and acrobats — and a 25-piece orchestra.”
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Tonys Ban Voter Swag
Oscar “goodie bags” were worth more than $100,000 to presenters. There will be no such largesse to voters for the Tonys. “The Tony Awards Rules Committee has adopted resolutions that ban the distribution of “any campaign or promotional materials to voters, other than a script or a cast recording” tied to a show in award contention. The resolutions also prohibit nominees’ promotion through any communication that disparages or casts “any negative or derogatory light on a competing production, element, person or achievement.”
Violinist Sues Seattle Symphony
The complaint alleges “intentional emotional distress arising out of the hostile environment and harassment … over a long and extended period of time.” The violinist, who has an anxiety disorder that developed in his late teens, said in his suit that he has suffered “persistent and severe discrimination.”
Tere O’Connor On Dance:
“I feel it’s unfortunate that people feel that there’s a hidden intellectualism in dance, but it’s one of those places where marginalization looks elitist and it’s not. Lace-making is not a popular thing, and in a way it’s the same thing with dance. We’re small, not because we don’t want more people, but because this is a different way of looking at the world that isn’t born out of capitalism or religion.”
Who Owns The Public?
“The practice of street photography has a long tradition in the United States, with documentary and artistic strains, in big cities and small towns. Photographers usually must obtain permission to photograph on private property — including restaurants and hotel lobbies — but the freedom to photograph in public has long been taken for granted. Remarkably, this was the first case to directly challenge that right. Had it succeeded, “Subway Passenger, New York City,” 1941, along with a vast number of other famous images taken on the sly, might no longer be able to be published or sold.”
Do American Museums Need An Exit Strategy?
The Metropolitan Museum has made a deal with the Italians to return artwork. But this is just the beginning. “With the Italians playing their cards close to their vests and other nations, such as Greece, Turkey and Egypt, examining the prospects of making their own claims against American museums, worried museum officials are wondering who’s next.”
Reinventing America’s Tallest Building
Chicago has approved the construction of what will be America’s tallest building. “The design for the $550 million tower, which was breathtaking but hardly flawless when it was introduced last July, has taken some important steps forward, both in the sky and along the ground. Now here’s the trend part of the story: If this tower and Jeanne Gang’s sensuous Aqua high-rise both get built, Chicago will be running a clinic in the new aesthetic possibilities offered by skyscrapers that are places to live rather than work.”
Can Chicago Repeat “Wicked”?
“Wicked” has been a huge hit in Chicago. Can its success be repeated? “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” hopes to do just that. “In Chicago, at least, “Spelling Bee” and “Wicked” have some notable similarities. Both musicals currently are successful — and profitable — on Broadway. Both share a New York-based producer in David Stone. Both will have open-ended, dedicated, sit-down Chicago productions (as distinct from mere stops on a tour) that hope to be around for years.”
The Little Station That Could
“In this big-money era of consolidated station ownership and homogenized program formats, smaller, independent stations like Chicago’s WVON – with its tiny audience of mostly older listeners, weak broadcast signal and modest revenues-face oblivion. Yet the station perseveres, in large part because it fills a niche no general-market station would: providing a venue for its mostly African-American listeners to express their anger, hurt and pride and to share information about which politicians to believe in-a short list-or when to show up to protest a school closing or how to break off a little piece of the American Dream. WVON is more than a radio station; it’s a family business that has become a community trust.”
Do Buildings Build Jobs? Not What The Economists Say…
“For a decade and a half, the belief that sports teams were economic drivers helped persuade cities and states to shower billions of dollars on major league sports teams, most of it to build state-of-the-art stadiums.” But “a small community of economists who have taken up and methodically rejected many of the claims made about the economic benefits of major league sports teams: that they create jobs or bring money to local businesses or otherwise spur economic growth.” So why are cities still falling for these arguments?