“When Matthew Bourne was on the way up, it was generally accepted that what he did was choreography. When his 1995 Swan Lake became a huge success, however, dance critics began to say that he was not a choreographer but a director. The (sniffy) implication was that London is full of mere directors, whereas the world has few true choreographers. That Bourne was proficient at arranging a piece of theatre was not to be denied; but how efficient was he at making a dance?”
Blog
Some NBC Affiliates Refuse to Carry Saturday Night Live
“Over the weekend, half a dozen or so NBC stations refused to show “Saturday Night Live” because Al Sharpton, a presidential candidate, was hosting. They objected either because of the equal time rules or out of fear the 90-minute program would embarrass them by amounting to more political coverage than most TV stations offer in six months.”
Wright: Melbourne Theatre Stuck In The 19th Century
“According to Tom Wright, theatre in Melbourne has become stylistically mired in late-19th-century naturalism and has lost its intellectual edge. ‘There’s a discourse in Melbourne, mostly led by Adrian Martin, that takes cinema seriously and contextualises it as an art form. That’s exactly what’s lacking in theatre. No one’s providing a sense of historical perspective, and that makes it easy for theatre companies to develop a certain plodding sensibility where comfort becomes the major factor’.”
Coetzee Shows Up For Nobel
JM Coetzee turns up in Stockholm to accept his Nobel. “Although he did not turn up to collect either of his Booker Prizes in 1993 and 1999, he delivered this year’s Nobel Lecture last night and will receive the prize itself on Wednesday. What Coetzee will not do is make himself available for interview. He belongs to that small band of heroic writers who – without being as reclusive as Pynchon or Salinger – have declined to make themselves available for publicity purposes.”
Of Thee I Sing (Won’t Anybody Listen?)
Why is choral music such an outsider in the larger music world? Indeed, choral music has almost as much trouble gaining acceptance as new music. “Could it be that the choral world has too strong a hold on its citizenship? Are the immigration policies too stringent to allow “non-choral composers” inside, and likewise, to allow “choral composers” opportunities to sell their wares to the outside world? Certainly composers such as Arvo Pärt are becoming known in the choral world almost to the point of being appropriated into that ‘community,’ albeit willingly. On the other hand, many composers find it difficult to break into, but not for lack of desire.”
DC Gov Gets Into The Arts Biz
Historically, Washington DC government has not funded the arts in much of a significant way. But DC recently approved $20 million towards a new downtown home for the Shakespeare Theatre. The city’s mayor wants to dramatically increase cultural funding – “despite the city’s general fiscal troubles – by pitching theaters and galleries as economic development projects and arguing that they should be funded through sources that do not directly compete with routine city services.”
Why “Angels” Is So Powerful
“Angels in America is, like any good funeral, more for the living than for the dead. That’s where “life beyond hope” comes in. Even if an AIDS cure were announced tomorrow, survivors and caretakers couldn’t simply block out the last quarter-century and groove on the latest Rufus Wainwright disc. You’ve seen the purple leg – in the flesh – and there’s no going back.”
Goodspeed – Embarrasment Of Riches
Connecticut’s Goodspeed Musicals has been offered a sweetheart deal to leave the town it’s called home for 127 years. Maybe the theatre could operate in two venues? “While it would be great to support two theatres, I don’t think it’s possible. We have to choose between the two towns. The clock is ticking: We want to finally get this theatre built so we’re not going to drag our feet in making a decision.”
Kennedy Center Honors
Comedienne Carol Burnett, country music star Loretta Lynn, soul legend James Brown, film and stage director Mike Nichols and violinist Itzhak Perlman get their Kennedy Center Honors. “In time-honored style, each was enveloped in adulation, encomiums supplied by a parade of fellow celebs.”
Why “Angels” Don’t Fly On TV
The TV version of “Angels in America” has been well-hyped. Jan Herman watched and came away disappointed. “The common complaint that big films come off poorly on the tube applies doubly in this case to big plays. It’s hard to imagine how Nichols spent $60 million when the production looks like a routine TV drama, despite the special effects. Actually, in contrast to the play, which largely dispensed with realistic scenery and left most of the design to the imagination, Sunday night’s “big event” often looked so set-bound and old-fashioned in the way it was shot that routine TV dramas have more edge.”