Category: people

REDCAT – located below Disney Hall, and operated by CalArts – is a center for contemporary performance. Murphy quickly established the interdisciplinary performance and multimedia arts center as one of Los Angeles’ most influential centers for contemporary and avant-garde work from around the globe, and an influential resource for local artists to develop new work.  – Broadway World

“As an actor and writer, Busch is among the most prolific and influential drag artists of his generation, giving us memorable women (and men) in solo performance, and in plays and films such as Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, Psycho Beach Party, Die Mommie Die and The Divine Sister. … But in cabaret, a form Busch has dipped into at various points with his musical director Tom Judson, he began to question his approach.” — The New York Times

Young’s Greenwich Village music store, the Folklore Center, “was also equal parts hiring hall; Schwab’s Pharmacy, where young hopefuls awaited discovery; matchbox recital space for organized performances and impromptu jam sessions; nerve center for gossip on a par with any small-town barbershop; and forum for continuing, crackling debate on the all-consuming subject of folk music, which thanks in no small part to Mr. Young was enjoying wide, renewed attention.” — The New York Times

There is so much brio in his sheer commitment to his many apparent lies that it’s hard to avoid feeling delighted. He comes off like a classic con artist, as smooth and consistent as his beloved Mr. Ripley. It’s just fun. But… – Vox

“During an era in which scholars developed increasingly specialized interests, Dr. Rabb adopted a sweeping academic approach, ranging from economic history to politics to painting, emphasizing the broad scope and lasting influence of ideas that flowered during the Renaissance. … [He] taught that the values of Western culture are an inescapable, invaluable fountainhead of modern life.” — The Washington Post

Nobody has accused Dan Mallory of breaking the law, or of lying under oath, but his behavior has struck many as calculated and extreme. The former colleague said that Mallory was “clever and careful” in his “ruthless” deceptions: “If there was something that he wanted and there was a way he could position himself to get it, he would. If there was a story to tell that would help him, he would tell it.” This doesn’t look like poetic license, ordinary cockiness, or Nabokovian game-playing; nor is it behavior associated with bipolar II disorder. – The New Yorker

“Aretha stands at the pulpit, her eyes closed, her chin raised. She hums her way into and around the first note. Then breathes deeply, exhales the music. She sings the first word’s first syllable once on its own, turns a simple “Ah” into a ladder: “Ahhhh-ahh-ahhhh.” She repeats, joins it to the next syllable, holds that sound—“Ah-maayyyyy”—as long as she can, angling upward as she goes. The choir, even before she hits “-zing,” raises their hands in praise.” – New York Review of Books

“It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that … It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it. I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing.” — The New York Times

“Over a career spanning seven decades, Mr. Lee wrote nearly a dozen volumes of historical fiction, but his best-known work was his debut novel, The Flower Drum Song, which brought instant literary stardom upon its release. He was called an overnight sensation, but in fact, he had spent years toiling in obscurity after having arrived in the United States from China on a student visa during World War II.” — The Washington Post