Category: theatre

“London’s Royal Court could stage the play which prompted violent protests among the Sikh community in Birmingham. Royal Court theatre bosses said it had obtained a copy of Behzti with a view to possibly staging it in the new year. Behzti had its run cancelled in Birmingham after three police officers were injured when 400 demonstrators protested outside the theatre. Protesters said the play, which depicts sex abuse and murder in a temple, portrayed the Sikh faith negatively.”

British newspapers line up to editorialize against the closing of a controversial play in Birmingham because of threats of violence.

New York club comedians aren’t paid very well. So they’ve banded together to ask for more. “Hardened by decades of low wages and even lower self-esteem, some 300 New York comedians have decided to unite to ask the city’s comedy clubs for, well, a little respect. (Oh, and more pay.) Two weeks ago, the group, the New York Comedians Coalition, sent a letter to the owners of 11 clubs around the city, asking for $120 for a 10 to 20 minute set on the weekends, up from the current average of $60. They are also seeking a small increase in weekday pay, which runs about $15 to $25 a set, as well as holiday pay for regulars.”

After 14 months, the Broadway show Wicked has earned back its $14 million capitalization and is now officially profitable. “Wicked was greatly helped by factors including an effective, broadbased marketing campaign, a bigger theater and a pair of splashy performances by its two original female leads.”

A Birmingham theatre company canceled the remaining performances of a play depicting rape and murder in a Sikh temple after violent protests were threatened. “This is thought to be the first time a play in Britain has been halted during its run by violent religious protests and raises the question of freedom of speech.”

Playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti went into hiding after threats of violence over her play caused a UK theatre to cancel. She said she had “fled her home and warned “mob rule” was endangering freedom of expression.Protesters say that her play Behzti – Dishonour – demeans Sikhism by showing rape and murder within a gurdwara, or temple. But the row took a new twist as a second Birmingham theatre company offered to stage the play, just hours after officials at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre scrapped it over public safety fears.”

New Haven’s Schubert Theatre has a storied past as a Broadway out-of-town tryout venue. But “the insistence of the Shubert board to put most of its eggs in the Broadway basket in the ’90s in either pre-Broadway or post-Broadway shows put it in difficult financial straits for what was viewed as the Fenway Park of theaters: charming, but with a limited box office.” Now the theatre has fallen on hard times, needing a plan for how to reinvent itself.

The hottest thing in London theatre? It’s nothing in the West End. “In five revolutionary years showbusiness has faced the fact that many of its biggest commercial names are stars of children’s TV shows.” The new ‘arena shows’ for the pre-school generation are drawing thousands. “Such shows, based on Thomas the Tank Engine, The Tweenies, Bob the Builder and Andy Pandy, draw in thousands of families who would not normally consider themselves theatre-goers. More than one million parents and children have now paid up to £20 a head to see the shows. A new ‘super-show’ of the CBeebies hit, Balamory, is expected to be seen by more than 55,000.”

Phantom of the Opera has played for what seems like forever. What’s the attraction? “It’s the same as any big hit. All you have to do is tell the audience something they want to hear. The enduring Broadway masterpieces affirm something that matters profoundly to the audience. Do you want to believe that everyone is entitled to their 15 minutes of fame? You’ll love A Chorus Line. Is it important to feel confident that your culture will endure despite political upheaval? Fiddler On The Roof is just the show for you. So what does The Phantom Of The Opera tell us? It’s such a big hit because it sends out two reassuring messages. No matter how inadequate you feel, it’s possible that the person you’ve dreamed about can be yours, if just for a moment. And the second message?..”

So how is Kevin Spacey’s reign at London’s Old Vic going? “Spacey, 45, is in need of a hit with the critics. His tenure got off to a wobbly start when a production he directed, Cloaca, by Dutch playwright Maria Goos, received a critical mauling, although advance ticket sales were impressive. Months earlier a major presentation in which Spacey announced his plans for the Old Vic, one of the nation’s most historic theatres, was overshadowed by tabloid probing about a strange incident in a nearby park” where Spacey said he was mugged.