Justin Cartwright puzzles over the allure of Shakespeare in other languages. “I have often wondered what lies behind foreign-language productions of Shakespeare. We would be very different if he had not existed, much more different than if Germany had succeeded in invading, for instance. Hamlet, possibly because of its obvious political themes, is the most produced play in the world and Shakespeare the most-produced playwright.”
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Non-Profits Find a Little For-Profit On The Side
“For a long time, pop music acts have been selling T-shirts, videos, coffee mugs, beach towels and the like as a separate revenue stream. Now, increasingly, non-profit arts groups are getting into the act.” Want a piece of Disney Hall? It’s yours, for a price…
Aussie Stages – Buy Australian
Is there too much American theatre on Australian stages? “Australians should get out and see their own stories told on stage, says Playbox Theatre artistic director Aubrey Mellor. He argues that cultural cringe is alive and well and that we know more American and British history than our own.”
Cutting Off Hollywood’s Nose To Spite Its Face
Hollywood’s attempt to crack down on movie piracy by banning the age-old practice of sending advance copies of Oscar-nominated films to Academy voters is misguided and laughable, writes Peter Howell. “[Fpr Your Consideration] screeners are more than just an ego stroke. They allow critics and awards voters to see many more movies than might otherwise be possible, especially the small gems that get swamped by the blockbusters during the brief window when a large number of films are opening at theatres. The practice contributes to greater awareness on the part of voters, and isn’t that a good thing?”
The Evolution Of The TV Theme
TV shows are as identifiable by their theme songs as by their content, and as the TV age has evolved, so has the character of the jingles which call us to the screen. “Older TV themes shun subtlety in favor of eager exposition… [But today,] viewers are greeted with savvier, less overtly cheesy intros, from pitch-perfect indie rock matches (‘Crank Yankers’ and Fountains of Wayne; ‘Malcolm In the Middle’ and They Might Be Giants) to savvy instrumentals (the sweeping Irish-tinged cellos of ‘Angel’; the sassy cha-cha of ‘Sex and the City.’)”
Carnegie Establishes Education Center
Carnegie Hall gets a $24.7 million gift to extablish a music education center. It is the largest single donation in the hall’s history. “We think we can make a difference in music education. When you think about how audiences are declining, or you go to concerts and see the age of the audience, you’re looking at a major void.”
Thinking Too Small In KC?
Kansas City’s massive new performing arts center will be many things to many local arts organizations, or at least that’s the assumption. Among the individual components of the PAC will be a concert hall for the exclusive use of the Kansas City Symphony. The orchestra is grateful for having been included, but complaints are mounting about the small size of the hall, and some KCS staffers are wondering if the orchestra could ever hope to make money, or grow as an organization, in a hall with only 1,200 seats.
The Biennale Of Florence – Tangled In Paperwork
“When the first Florence Biennale was held, more than 40 years ago, it was a trailblazer for the international art market, attracting scores of foreign dealers, 120,000 paying visitors and another 40,000 invited guests. But in the decades that followed, it lost ground to rivals as the Paris Biennale established a reputation for chic glitz and the small Dutch town of Maastricht attracted the world’s most important dealers, collectors and curators to its art fair.” Italy’s draconian art export laws are so tough, they have played havoc with the biennale.
Mozart, Muti, and the Movie Man
Mozart will be 250 years old in 2006, and plans are underway for a massive celebration at Milan’s famed La Scala opera house. Music director Riccardo Muti plans to mount a new production of the Austrian composer’s comic classic, Cosi Fan Tutte, with none other than Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar in charge of the staging. “Muti’s choice suggests a change of attitude by the maestro, who has been accused of trying to block attempts by the general manager of La Scala, Carlo Fontana, to popularise the repertoire.”
Elevating Elgar
Edward Elgar was so revered in his home country England that his picture adorns the back of the £20 note. “Yet a recent YouGov poll found that three-quarters of British adults were unable to recognise his portrait on the back of theirs. They were more likely to say the man with the droopy moustache was the imperialist Lord Kitchener than England’s greatest home-grown composer since Henry Purcell.” A new initiative aims to raise Elgar’s profile.