In one, concentrating on songs with winter themes, she is accompanied by a distinguished European quartet. A second album finds her alone with the harmonically resourceful and swinging Chicago guitarist Andy Brown. – Doug Ramsey
Blog
What We Learned From The Madison Square Garden Performance Of “Mockingbird” And 18,000 Kids
Artistic Directors like me have been wringing our hands over the same question for decades. How do we get younger audiences to come to our theatre? How do we engage young people today in our ancient art form? How do we not only hold their attention but excite them enough to want to come back to our theatre? This week, one answer came. And it showed me that maybe we’ve been asking ourselves the wrong question. Sometimes we must bring the mountain to Muhammed. – Intimate Excellent
Why The Right Chooses To Fight For Classical Architecture
A big part of the appeal of classical architecture for the right is this perceived ability to endure. Buildings can be read as part of an unbroken chain, supposedly embodying an uncomplicated continuity between the past and present, with little or no “revisionism” getting in the way of our admiration of the way things were. – The Guardian
Sondheim Is The Shining Genius Of Musical Theatre (But What Does That Mean?)
He revolutionized the Broadway musical with “Company” in 1970. And since, he has created brilliant shows lauded for their originality. But few hits. And where’s the legacy? – Commentary
Yale Shuts Its Art History Survey Course – The End Of Western Civ?
“For outside observers, this was yet one more sign of the American university’s dereliction of its responsibility as the carrier of Western culture. Yale “has succumbed to a life-draining decadence” (Wall Street Journal), perpetrated by “a band of hyper-educated Visigoths” (New York Post). As Visigoths go, Yale comes late to the pillaging; for a generation now, universities have quietly been shelving their introductory surveys. Had Yale done so in the 1990s, as Harvard did, it would have passed unnoticed. Or perhaps not, for Yale holds an exceptional place in the history of American art education.” – Commentary
Iranian Directors Are Talking About Censorship And Not Backing Down
As the Iranian government grows more repressive of artists, director Mohammed Rasoulof was banned from leaving the country and jailed for a year. “Punishment like Rasoulof’s is an all-too common story in contemporary Iranian cinema, a thriving, internationally respected scene. Yet despite the government’s repressive measures — its approval is required for shoots and screenings — he and other directors have grown more emboldened to speak out, in formal letters, on awards stages, through social media and on film.” – The New York Times
The Next Stage For Interpretive Dance: The Disney Parade
So of course there are floats and princesses and the requisite Disney Doing Disney Things going on with the Magic Happens parade, but: “The stars of Magic Happens are the dancers, significantly elevated from their traditional role revving up the crowd with upbeat moves between set pieces. The 90-or-so performers are graced with heavily theatrical choreography, which at times borders on interpretive dance. In turn, Magic Happens possesses a keen awareness of dance as a language.” – Los Angeles Times
If TV Ends, What Comes Next?
Snapchat is trying to figure it out, but guess what? Condensing narrative into tiny, smart-phone-attention-span-sized pieces is a challenge. “There’s no time for slow builds on mobile.” – Vulture
The Walkout At The ‘French Oscars’ Shows The Massive Fracture In French Film (And Society)
Unsurprisingly – but not a great look for the men of French cinema – mostly women have supported Adèle Haenel after she walked out when Roman Polanski was awarded for his film about the Dreyfus Affair. But even France’s Minister of Culture doesn’t think the award looks good at a moment when the #MeToo movement is truly starting to explode in France. – Le Monde
The Met’s New Dutchman
What’s new? Well, a new Dutchman (Bryn Terfel got hurt, preventing him from singing at the Met again), a new Senta, and an entirely new production that’s dream-like, “a heady mixture of painted elements, video and dance that continues throughout the intermissionless performance.” – The New York Times