“House of Flowers” was supposed to be the big Broadway hit of 1954. An O. Henry Prize-winning short story by Truman Capote, lyrics by Capote and Harold Arlen, music by Arlen’s, director Peter Brook (fresh from Covent Garden), George Balanchine choreographing, and Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll starring. But the show flopped, and remained dormant for almost 50 years. Now it’s back for another look…
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Moving With The Opera
Dance has been a part of opera since its beginnings in the 17th century. But “the biggest difference between choreographing for an opera and a concert dance is not time or money — it’s the role of the choreographer. ‘Your goal is to realize the director’s vision, not your own. Different art forms have more in common than people think. What makes good opera also makes good dance — structure and the ability to tell a story.”
The Age Of Irony
Is Post-Modernism dead? No – it’s deeply embedded in popular culture. “The increasing influence of postmodernism on pop culture is born of our overfamiliarity with the tricks of conventional storytelling, according to Poe. We now have generations growing from infancy bombarded by TV and film that employ narrative conventions. What used to be necessary storytelling devices – a recognizable chronology, character development, emotional identification with characters and situations – are becoming clichés. Fans of postmodernism think of themselves as too educated and too smart to fall for those clichés. Postmodernism is ironic; it’s always winking at the audience and making them part of the game, enlisting them as co-conspirators.”
No More Money – So Deal With It, Says Culture Minister
Despite harsh public criticism in the past few weeks, the Scottish culture minister says there will be no injection of cash to help the arts. Nor will there be a bailout of the Scottish Opera, which is in dire financial condiction. And what of the National Theatre plan? That, says the minister, will still go ahead, and he hopes to attend first performances there while he is still in government. But with a static arts budget, observers are skeptical.
Women Gaining Power At The Box Office
Women are featuring much more prominent roles in the movies of the past year. And their box office clout has been climbing. In an industry where male stars are routinely paid more than their female counterparts, the shift in the balance of power is changing the industry
Two American Performers’ Unions Talk Merger
The two major American performers unions have taken the first step in merging to form a new union. “At a joint meeting, the national boards of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on Saturday approved principles of consolidation that are the first step in forming a new union. Supporters said consolidation would maximize their strength and resolve jurisdiction fights, such as who represents actors in digital productions.”
Curry Kicker Cancels Project
A British performance artist was paid £12,000 to kick a carton of curry through the middle of the town of Bedford. But the event was canceled today for “fear of too much interest” and large crowds. The proposed stunt got a lot of publicity this week after controversy when some declared the idea a “waste of taxpayers money.” The concept behind the take-away box performance was “to highlight rowdy Saturday night behaviour” and “destabilise and question this revelry by kicking a take away curry and carton from one end of the High Street to the other.”
Librarians Protest Porn In Libraries
Young men in Ottawa public libraries are logging on to hard-core porn in full view of other library patrons. “The beleaguered librarians, feeling they have been left to deal with the problem by see-nothing, do-nothing managers, have filed grievances through the Canadian Union of Public Employees. And they’re not alone. Behind it lies a major philosophical dispute about what libraries are for. Management, whose views are reflected in the stance of the Canadian Library Association, see this as an intellectual-freedom issue. They are afraid that censoring even the worst pornography will start a slippery slope, and eventually all sorts of Internet content will be banned, including a good deal that is legitimate and essential.”
English National Opera Chooses New Director
English National Opera has chosen Sean Doran – currently heading the Perth Arts Festival in Australia – as the beleaguered company’s new artistic director. It will be a tough job. “By the time he arrives in April, the result of the strike ballot among the 68 members of the chorus, faced with one in three redundancies to reduce the company’s deficit, will be known, and the Musicians’ Union will have decided whether to initiate grievance procedures over the treatment of the orchestra.”
Manchester And Liverpool Pull Ahead On Museum Spending
After a decade of big spending on museum spending in London, last year the northwest pulled ahead. “Manchester and Liverpool profited to the tune of £100m with the money spent on two new culture palaces, one extension and one revamp, in a year when just £33.7m was spent on new or updated buildings in the capital.”