Blog

Met Opera Raises New Objections To Lincoln Center Plan

Only three months before construction on a $325 million redevelopment plan for Lincoln Center was supposed to begin, the Metropolitan Opera has raised objections. “The Met had agreed to the 65th Street plans in April, along with 11 other participating groups. But the opera now says a recent traffic study it commissioned indicates that plans to move a garage entrance would cause delays at curtain time, inconveniencing patrons.”

Study – Learning A Little About Dance

The British government improbably conducted a study into the state of dance. Predictable? Funny? Ok, but the researchers actually took the time to learn something. “They heard about the funding ceiling encountered by mature choreographers, the difficulty in moving up from small to larger-scale productions that British and foreign theatres want to see. They concluded that the Arts Council’s woolly and obscure processes were at fault, that the Council should focus on excellence and leave social agendas to Government departments.”

The Bolshoi’s Rebuilding Program

The Bolshoi Ballet brand has been seriously degraded in the past decade. “The ballet company was booked into dubious venues – Las Vegas, the Royal Albert Hall – by dodgy impresarios; tours by troupes styling themselves Stars of the Bolshoi proved to be anything but.” Now though, the company has taken some significant steps in restoring its honor.

Ashtoniana

“No one that I have read has ever been able to explain why the general public likes ballet so much, and why, when other troupes are pulling in half a house, ballet companies are able to fill the seats. I can’t explain it, either, nor, presumably, could Ashton. But he had the magic formula. The stories, the wisdom—that was one part. But the other part was just ballet, this set of apparently meaningless steps and poses that somehow—probably by seeming the noblest possible action of the body, the body that we basically are—ratify the story, make us believe in it.”

The Continuity Trap

Behind any story is the concept of “continuity.” It gives stories coherence, a logical framework in which the story can unfold. But “we have reached the point where continuity is almost an end in itself. Film directors and comic-book writers and TV producers will go to incredible lengths to make sure their creations have a natural-seeming history. This has resulted in some pretty strange narrative contortions.”

Living The Living Theatre

“Founded in 1948 by Judith Malina and Julian Beck, the Living Theatre is so much a part of American theater history that many people are surprised to learn it’s still active. It is, though. The company that pioneered off-off-Broadway performance in the ’50s, and became an icon of experimental techniques and radical anarcho- pacifist commitment in the ’60s, is still going strong — in both Italy and New York, where it’s building a new theater, and conducting political-theater workshops all over the world.”

MIA – Good Political Campaign Music

The disappearance of decent election music is a sad reality in this age of artistic angst. In previous generations, well-crafted campaign songs were as plentiful as gas-guzzling four-door sedans and helpful service from government employees. Democrats could adopt catchy little tunes such as Happy Days Are Here Again (Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932) or High Hopes (John F. Kennedy in 1960) and be assured that nothing in the impossibly peppy lyrics would inspire impressionable youth to burn down their school or have unprotected sex on a Ferris wheel. At some point in the late 1960s, it was no longer commercially viable for most mainstream musicians to be happy, and campaign-worthy songs became an endangered species.”

CD’s Aren’t Forever After All

When CDs were first introduced, they were advertised as almost indestructable. Turns out that isn’t true. “CD deterioration may start with a smattering of pinpricks or what appears to be rust creeping inwards from the edge of the disc. Certain tracks jump or emit clicking noises. Eventually, the CD loses all data and is better used as a shiny coaster.”