The latest fad being embraced by the type of folks who rented tae-bo tapes by the case back in the late ’90s, and swore by their carrot juice in the ’80s is “taiko, one of the biggest crazes to hit the boomer generation since pilates and green tea.” It’s not a new idea, really: taiko combines the idea of music as personal therapy with the undeniable truth that it’s fun to make a lot of noise and bang on stuff. But this is more than a new-age experiment in self-esteem. Taiko ensembles are springing up all over, and the noise they make is real music, taken very seriously by those who create it.
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More Than Just The ‘Wrapping Artist’
A new exhibit at a private estate in Florida is providing a unique look into the process and development of one of the world’s best-known and most controversial artists. Christo, the large-scale installation artist who is reportedly in talks to mount a massive work in New York’s Central Park, may be best-known for wrapping the Reichstag, but he and his collaborator insist that they are neither one-trick ponies nor cultural commentators. They believe in letting art just be art, even if their work occasionally causes political firestorms.
Who Was Shakespeare?
The debate over who wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare has spawned a cottage industry of conspiracy theorists, with Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, and Queen Elizabeth I all contenders as the ultimate pretender. But some Shakespeare devotees think there’s some pretty shoddy detective work behind the drive to discredit the Bard. “For example, elaborate scenarios have to be concocted for the lives of Marlowe, Rutland, Oxford, and Elizabeth I because they all died many years before the final play was written.”
No Strads for New Jersey?
“New Jersey philanthropist Herbert Axelrod’s 2-for-1 challenge grant, issued last Monday to help the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra buy 30 of his rare, 17th- and 18th-century Italian string instruments, has so far only netted a few thousand dollars for the NJSO. For every dollar contributed to the orchestra by today, Axelrod offered to take two dollars off the purchase price of $25 million, to a maximum of a $10 million drop in cost. Yesterday, though, it appeared that only a few thousand would be coming off the price tag,” and the orchestra will likely not be able to complete the sale.
Virtual Marbles
The British Museum still doesn’t plan to return the Elgin marbles to Greece anytime soon, despite growing support for such a transfer, but a new exhibit in the UK shows what the marbles would look like were both pieces to be reunited in Athens. The exhibit uses virtual reality technology to simulate the joining.
Broadway’s Newfound Success
Historically, Broadway’s success as a national theatre district has come from the tremendous number of tourists it draws to its glitzy, glittering shows. But new figures show that Broadway has rebounded from its post-9/11 largely by targeting New York audiences – in fact, New Yorkers accounted for a majority of tickets sold for the first time in recent years.
Crystal Ball gazing On Broadway
Which hit show will fold this year without returning its investment? Who’s the next big star on Broadway? Michael Riedel makes his predictions about the bright lights of Broadway…
Practice Makes Perfect? (Or Is It A Myth?)
How long does it take to produce good work in the theatre? “Cash-strapped Canadian theatres have often complained that they can’t afford enough time to do their best work, but this long-held grievance got a particularly vigorous airing in 2002 as directors hotly debated whether they were facing a crisis – or a myth.”
Movie Musicals That Never Went Away
Many are touting the movie “Chicago” as a return to movie musicals. But in truth, the movie musical never really went away, it adapted. “Though Broadway adaptations have largely fallen on their dancing feet since ‘Grease’ became a $378 million hit in 1978, the spirit of the musical is alive and well on film, from ‘Moulin Rogue’ to ‘Billy Eliot’.”
Trapnell Quits As Guthrie Managing Director
Susan Trapnell, who came to Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theatre a year ago as managing director, has quit the theatre, citing personal reasons. “By the time the announcement was made Tuesday, Trapnell already had returned to Seattle, where she was executive director of the Seattle Arts Commission and managing director of the nonprofit playhouse A Contemporary Theatre.”