“It’s three years since Kevin Spacey became artistic director of [London’s] venerable Old Vic Theatre, where John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier cast big shadows… Slammed repeatedly by the critics, roughed up by interviewers in glossy magazines, and condemned by outraged snobs for daring to take time away from the Vic to appear in a Superman movie, Spacey has had [a] bumpy showbiz ride… But this season, Spacey has become a hero, delivering such a moving and richly layered performance as O’Neill’s wasted, drunken womanizer that there is rarely an empty seat these nights at the Old Vic.”
Category: people
Cold Comfort
Charles Frazier was a complete unknown as an author when he published his debut novel, Cold Mountain, in the mid-1990s. His own hopes for its success weren’t high: “I hoped there’d be 8- or 10,000 people in the South that would enjoy it and that the reviews would be good enough to get me a better teaching job.” Four million copies, a National Book Award, and an Oscar-winning film version later, Frazier just scored a whopping $8m advance for his next novel.
Opera’s Monster Couple
“The world prefers its opera stars to be divine monsters. And opera’s so-called ‘golden couple’, Roberto Alagna and his wife Angela Gheorghiu, have become increasingly willing to oblige. Management are driven mad by the demands of the Burton and Taylor of the operatic world, but they know the duo are a bonanza at the box office. Both sides ramp up the process: the top houses compete furiously for the stars’ services; the stars become ever more outrageous in their behaviour. And so it goes on, until something snaps.”
Vaclav Havel Finally Gets His Awards
Vaclav Havel finally collected the three Obie Awards earned decades ago. “Havel was previously unable to collect his Obie Awards in person because, following the New York opening of The Memorandum, he returned to his home in Prague, where he was almost immediately placed under house arrest by the then Soviet-controlled government of Czechoslovakia.”
The Ballerina And Her New CBE
Ballerina Darcy Bussell has been awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth. “The former Royal Ballet principal dancer was awarded the honour for her services to dance. Last year the 37-year-old announced her retirement as company principal of The Royal Ballet, but is continuing to make appearances as a guest artist.”
Oboist Ralph Gomberg, 85
“Ralph Gomberg, the former principal oboist who held sway at the Boston Symphony while his brother Harold did the same, on the same instrument, at the New York Philharmonic, died on Saturday.”
The Eccentric Art Maven
Louise McBain has bought a number of art magazines. “Unlike other art-world players, who are at least occasionally spotted in galleries and museums, MacBain rarely goes to see art. She zips into art-world stops like Art Basel and the Venice Biennale on her private jet for press conferences about her new business plans and acquisitions, sometimes making speeches with autocues. As the art-media business loses money, it has become boring to her.”
Jerome Robbins – My Difficult Life
Choreographer Jerome Robbins was a nasty man. “Community was always beyond Robbins’ grasp, as much as he longed for it. How could a man so divided within himself make a commitment to others? And who would want to commit to him?”
Tenor Banned From La Scala
Robert Alagna will not be returning to La Scala, after the tenor walked off stage in the middle of a performance. “His behaviour has created a rift between the artist and the audience, and there is no possibility of repairing this relationship.”
Art Historian Robert Rosenblum, 79
“Robert Rosenblum, an influential and irreverent art historian and museum curator known for his research on subjects ranging from Picasso to images of dogs, died on Wednesday at his home in Greenwich Village.”