What’s the formula for success in the theatre, asks Michael Billington? “I’ve argued till I’m blue in the face that, in the arts, caution kills while risk ultimately pays off. It’s an approach made possible only by subsidy. But if you look at which theatres have prospered in recent decades, it is invariably those that have been artistically daring.”
Blog
West End Considering Matinees (Is This Really Good For Theatre?)
Producers in London’s West End are considering adding Sunday matinees to their schedule. “This makes complete sense from the perspective of the public. Alongside retail and sport, all other forms of secular entertainment are now freely available on Sunday afternoons, when it’s cheaper to drive into city centres and park. It’s also better for families and older people to be on their way home by 6pm, it’s nice not to have to rush straight from work, and you can easily eat before or afterwards. Broadway has been doing it for years, so why don’t we?”
Checking Out Broadway’s 2004 Numbers
“Overall, according to the report, the past season generated the third-highest attendance in Main Stem history, rising to 11.6 million tickets purchased from 11.4 million during the prior season and nearing the all-time record of 11.9 million achieved during the 2000-01 season. The numbers can be analyzed another way, however: In a sign of just how difficult it has become to mount plays on Broadway, 10.02 million people saw a musical last season, a new record, versus the 1.57 million who saw a play, the lowest figure in almost a decade.”
How Did Shakespeare Die?
“A study conducted by an infectious diseases specialist concludes that the bard likely had syphilis and that mercury, used to treat the disease, could have poisoned the playwright and contributed to his death.”
Savion Conquers Classical
“When it comes to God-given talent that can mesmerize an audience today, Savion Glover is some kind of miracle. He tells us, among much, about sheer aliveness onstage, the joy of performing, the gift of speed and dazzling improvisation, the exactness of rhythm, the ability to listen, the emotion of sound and music beyond all words. There are times when performers are so scintillating at what they do, all you can do is shake your head in disbelief. They’re too good; they’re so good, it’s laughable. “Astonish me!” was Diaghilev’s mantra and artistic prayer. Mr. Glover astonishes us every time.”
Are Suburbs The New Arts Capitals?
“At a time when many cities are basing their long-term hope on exploiting their traditional dominance in arts-related industries, the suburbs are beginning to provide some serious competition for both patrons and donors. This evolution has its roots in basic demography and economic trends. Since 1960, more than 90% of all population growth in America’s metropolitan areas has taken place in suburbia. Today roughly two out of three people in large metropolitan areas live in the suburbs.”
Shouldn’t Some Arts Institutions Be Allowed To Die?
So some Seattle arts groups find themselves financially imperiled. Again. Who says, asks Roger Downey, that failing arts groups ought to be bailed out just because they’re arts groups? “Even individual artists are expected to live by the economic rules that govern all the rest of us. Somehow only arts organizations are allowed to claim immunity from the laws of financial gravity; for them, there’s no connection between supply and demand, balanced budgets are for profiteers and sissies, and water runs uphill when we tell it to.”
Trump’s Apprentice As A Musical?
“Reality superproducer Mark Burnett and Donald Trump, executive producers of NBC’s reality hit, are developing “The Apprentice: The Musical.” Burnett is writing the book for the musical, which is under way, with several songs already written.”
Selling Off Some Jazz History
Major icons of the jazz era are being auctioned. “Jazz artifacts have been auctioned before, through Christie’s and Sotheby’s, but there has been no single auction of this size entirely dedicated to jazz. And though there have been jazz collectors of one kind or another since the 1930’s, it seems to have taken many of the families of jazz’s royalty this long to dislodge the once mundane items, long buried in closets, that now have great value not only to jazz aficionados but also to the larger community of collectors.”
Guggenheim Loses Its Whale
The Guggenheim has lost its chairman and biggest donor. Citing “differences in direction,” Peter B. Lewis, the Cleveland philanthropist who has been a trustee of the museum since 1993 and most recently its chairman, resigned yesterday. He has given the institution about $77 million, nearly four times as much as any other board member in its history.