Andrew Lloyd Webber’s last two shows didn’t do well. Now he’s got another show opening and a chance o get back on track. “Whether something is actually any good is quite different from whether it is commercial. This time I have gone out as far along the operatic route as I have ever done, if not further. It’s what I wanted to write at this particular point.”
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Off-Broadway’s New Palace
Dodger Stages is “a gleaming new theater complex” on the edge of the Broadway theater district. It is “one of the most expensive Off Broadway theater projects ever – $23 million – and includes five theaters and a range of amenities not always found in the regions Off Broadway, including ample air-conditioning, big dressing rooms, three bars and – its owners proudly point out – “more women’s bathrooms than you’ll find in any space like this.” The company hopes “the new complex would provide the company with an opportunity not only to produce theater without breaking the bank but also to regain some of the youthful energy of the company’s early days.”
The Abbey’s Black Cloud
Dublin’s powerhouse Abbey Theatre is having a dreadful year. “Last week the incredulous staff were told that one third would have to go, the axe falling hardest on those engaged in bringing on new writers, which they felt was particularly unfortunate in an institution known worldwide as a “writers’ theatre”. The theatre’s studio space, the Peacock, may be closed and its director sacked. To top it all there was an organisational foul-up about the dates for an ambitious run of “18 plays in 14 days” during the Dublin theatre festival later this month.”
Electronica Linz
This year’s Ars Electronica Festival in the Austrian town of Linz transformed the city into a giant art installation. “Huge speakers lined the banks of the Danube River as well as the streets and rooftops of Linz. Music — classical, folk, cyberpunk and sounds that simply defied classification — were piped in through some speakers. Others produced interesting sound effects intended to enhance or alter a listener’s experience of a place — a loop of placid brook babble playing at a crowded bus stop, for example.”
FCC Fines 20 CBS Stations Over Superbowl Breast
The FCC has fined 20 CBS stations a record $550,000 for singer Janet Jackson’s bare breast flash earlier this year during the Superbowl halftime show.
Moore: Fahrenheit Could Forego Oscar Contention
Michael Moore says he’s willing to make Fahrenheit 9/11 ineligible for the documentary Oscar by showing it on TV this fall. Academy Award rules say movies shown on TV within nine months of their theatrical release are not eligible for an Oscar.
News Alliance – Public Radio And Newspapers
An increasing number of public radio stations are getting their news reporting from newspapers. “The journalistic and promotional deals range from occasional on-air interviews of newspaper reporters to elaborate newscasts based in print newsrooms, but they carry similar benefits. Pubcasters gain access to large news staffs, investigative resources and the credibility of the area’s news leader. And the dailies, eager to retain or build readership, gain exposure to news consumers who may not be in the habit of subscribing.”
Sign Of The Times: Downsizing Sweeney Todd
“A 1989 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd at Circle in the Square that used just 14 actors and a synthesizer band of three was wittily re-dubbed “Teeny Todd.” Now a new cut-price West End version of this tale of throat cutting employs only nine actors and no band — the actors double as musicians — to become Teeny-Tiny Todd.”
Expert: David’s Bad Posture
“For centuries, Michelangelo’s statue of David has been regarded as the epitome of male beauty and perfection, but now it is claimed he is more an example of human frailty, a physical wreck whose poor posture would result in a bad back, a weak hip and ankles and poor flexibility.”
Court: Rappers Must Pay For Samples
“An American federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that rap artists should pay for every musical sample included in their work — even minor, unrecognizable snippets of music. Lower courts had already ruled that artists must pay when they sample another artists’ work. But it has been legal to use musical snippets — a note here, a chord there — as long as it wasn’t identifiable.”