Category: theatre

Friday March 30

BROADWAY’S RECORD YEAR: Broadway is having a record season, and could take in $700 million by the time the season closes. “That’s an impressive milestone when you consider that the take for the 1998-99 season was a measly $588 million, then a record. As of Sunday, the League of American Theaters and Producers was reporting the current season’s total to be $533.6 million, up 14.4 percent from the running total a year ago. Attendance is also up, with an additional 640,000 theatergoers compared with the same period in 1999-2000.” New York Times (AP) 3/29/01 (one-time registration required for access)

THE SHAPE OF THEATERS TO COME: Is the redesign of Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre a model for the future of theatre in Britain? The proscenium has been raised and extended into the auditorium, to abolish the distance between the audience and the performers – and thereby make theater more accessible and immediate. “It is the most dramatic symptom so far of a growing recognition that Britain’s traditional theatres may no longer meet the demands of today’s drama or attract new, young audiences.” The Telegraph (London) 3/30/01

Wednesday March 28

CLASSIC SELL-OUT: The fastest-selling show in the history of London’s West End? Not Les Miz or Phantom – it’s Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of “My Fair Lady” which has sold £4.7m for its forthcoming run at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. Why? “Instead of being dated and being a show about language, it has become a show about making it on your own terms, which is why it has struck such a nerve.” The Independent (London) 03/28/01

• PROFITING FROM THE LADY: The show was first staged at the National Theatre and is being transferred to the West End. Some have been critical that the National’s Trevor Nunn will profit from the commercial run. The Guardian (London) 03/18/01

THE SHAKESPEARE’S NEW HOME?The Royal Shakespeare Company plans a new theatre in Stratford-On-Avon. “With its productions enjoying critical acclaim, and the Arts Council promising £50 million of lottery money for redevelopment in Stratford, it is in bullish mood, and desperate to replace the main theatre, which it considers to be outdated and unsuited to modern audiences.” The Independent (London) 03/28/01

Monday March 26

PUT IT WHERE IT’LL DO SOME GOOD: When England’s Arts Council announced the coming year’s annual subsidies for the arts last week, the numbers were eye-popping, particularly in the theatre department. But there is concern that Britain’s best theatres have developed a habit of putting far too large a percentage of their funding into “concepts” and “paradigms,” and not nearly enough into what actually goes on on stage. New Statesman (UK) 03/26/01

Sunday March 25

SAVING THE SHUBERT FROM ITSELF: “Backstage dramas in New Haven are more interesting these days than the action on stage. And much of the real-life drama is happening at city hall, where the worlds of the arts, economics and politics are colliding. The future of the Shubert Performing Arts Center is being shaped, not in the administrative corners of the theater but in the office of Henry Fernandez, the city’s economic development administrator.” Hartford Courant 03/25/01

WHERE’S THE RISK? London’s National Theatre director Trevor Nunn is being criticized for staging such a safe commercial hit as “My Fair Lady.” The National is subsidized by the government because it is thought not to be commercially viable, but when the play transfers to the commercial West End it promises to earn Nunn and the theatre substantial profits. The Observer (London) 03/25/01

Friday March 23

POP GOES THE MUSICAL: The West End is losing its audience for traditional musicals – so pop stars are stepping in to reinvigorate the format. In the works are new shows by or about Boy George, Freddy Mercury, and the Pet Shop Boys – not exactly a list of current hitmakers. “Stars who no longer trouble the chart compilers may hope that their beloved rock opera will become an excellent pension scheme as a West End hit. But audiences should beware. Rock opera is for the prawn sandwich and chablis brigade who want to ‘keep in touch’ with their music without getting sweaty at a concert. The same people went to see the Three Tenors thinking that was opera.” The Times (London) 3/23/01

Wednesday March 21

THE TV MUSICALS: Broadway (and the movies) aren’t making old time musical theatre these days. So TV is stepping in with revivals set to play in prime time. “The fact that studios have abandoned this genre — and Broadway is offering extravaganzas, for the most part, rather than traditional musicals — means there’s an opening for us.” The New York Times 03/22/01 (one-time registration required for access)

Tuesday March 20

THE PLAYWRIGHT AS PUBLIC MAN: Harold Pinter is almost as well known for political activity as for writing plays. “You can’t make those determinations – about truth and lies – in what we loosely call a work of art…. Whereas, in the actual, practical, concrete world in which we live, it’s very easy, from my point of view, to see a distinction between what is true and what is false. Most of what we’re told is false.” The Progressive 03/01

Monday March 19

WHY WE DON’T LIKE THEATRE: A new survey of patrons of London theatre reveals widespread unhappiness. Among the complaints: paying for programmes, which are about £3. Also, paying premium prices for a show with a big star, only to find that the star is replaced by an understudy for that performance. The Independent (London) 03/19/01

THE BLAME FOR THEATRE: There has been a lot of criticism of Australian theatre. But is it the theatre to blame? “The saddest judgment I can make is that our audiences don’t care a lot about theatre. The reasons are complex, but boil down to the fact that theatre, as culturally constructed in this country, is only an entertainment.” Sydney Morning Herald 03/19/01

Sunday March 18

TV TURNS TO THE STAGE: The next few weeks will see an astonishing number of stage plays make their debut on the small screen. And while the struggling world of theatre is certainly in need of the boost TV can provide, there is always the risk that the dumbed-down, sound-bitten world of the tube can suck the life out of a great stage piece. San Jose Mercury News 03/18/01

Monday March 13

BERKLEY’S SECOND STAGE: A new $20 million 600-seat second-stage theatre for Berkley Repertory Theatre is anchoring the renewal of a whole neighborhood. The New York Times 03/13/01 (one-time registration required for access)

IT’S A BLUE WORLD: Blue Man Group has risen over the years from an off-Broadway curiosity to a full-blown industry, complete with multiple franchises around the country. In fact, they have become the official inspiration for offbeat and unusual performance artists who dream of making it in the too-often homogenous world of American theatre. Their success is one possible answer to the eternal “alternative art” question: “How do you achieve global commercial domination and not lose your soul?” Chicago Tribune 03/13/01

Sunday March 11

DEFENDING THEATRE: After a week when English theatre has been bashed, battered and bemoaned, a critic, two theatre directors and an agent take up the defense. “In an age of increasing mechanical reproduction, theatre is holding its own, and that’s terrific.” The Telegraph(London) 03/10/01

HUMANA’S NEW TURN: Louisville’s Humana Festival has been America’s foremost showcase for new plays. But in the past year the festival’s longtime leadership has left, and now questions about what direction Humana will take. New York Times 03/11/01 (one-time registration required for access)

Friday March 9

OUT FROM THE SHADOWS: The film “Shakespeare in Love” was most people’s first exposure to Christopher Marlowe, whose plays (“Doctor Faustus,” “Edward II,””Tamburlaine”) have always been overshadowed by his more famous contemporary, Shakespeare. But now the world’s waking up to his talents and recent months have seen more productions of Marlowe’s plays than ever before. “Written 400 years ago by a master playwright, [“Edward II”]’s as subversive and contemporary as anything being written now.” The Times (London) 3/09/01

Thursday March 8

“SAVING” ENGLISH THEATRE: The British Arts Council announces massive new funding for theatre. “There will be increases in funding for 270 theatres and companies. More than 170 of these will receive whopping rises of more than 25%. There is an extra £12 million going into regional theatre in England in 2002 and some £25 million more the following year. The intention is to “save” theatre. If it is a shot in the arm, the arts council also intends it as a kick up the backside. Results are expected and in some moribund organisations heads will roll.” The Herald (Glasgow) 03/08/01

WILL PLAY FOR MONEY: London’s Royal Shakespeare Company was looking for funding to mount the Henry VI cycle. No money was forthcoming at home, so when the University of Michigan made an offer it was accepted. In return for money, the RSC has pledged to go to Michigan three times in the next five years for residencies. “The deal follows partnerships with producers in Japan who bankrolled the acclaimed version of Macbeth starring Sir Antony Sher in return for the show going to Tokyo last year.” The Independent (London) 03/08/01

Wednesday March 7

MARLOWE WAS SHAKESPEARE? Christopher Marlowe is hot right now in England and his work is playing again. Not much is known about him, other than he was a writer and a spy. “The problem with any campaign to raise Marlowe’s profile is the so-called Marlovians. Not only do they believe the playwright was as great as Shakespeare; they insist he was Shakespeare, writing under a pseudonym after faking his death in 1593.” The Guardian (London) 03/07/01

Monday March 5

• SECOND HAND (RATE) THEATRE: There is a rash of new plays in Canada being adapted from novels. “It’s the essential pointlessness of most of these endeavours that confounds – particularly when there is so much good and original Canadian drama out there, drama that is crying out to be produced.” National Post (Canada) 03/05/01
• RIGHT DIRECTOR, RIGHT PLACE: She had the good fortune to direct the hit ABBA musical. Now Phyllida Lloyd is rich and can afford to direct all those plays she always wanted to do (like the new Mamet) without worrying where the next Peugeot is coming from. The Times (London) 03/05/01

Sunday March 4

• THEATRE NEEDS TO CHANGE: A London conference on the state of theatre heard a lot of bad news last week. The consensus: theatre is an artform in trouble. “Theatre thinks ‘we’re very worthy, we earn about no money, so sit on bad seats because we’re poverty-stricken and we will tip you out into the cold night without a drink at the end.’ The cinema learnt its lessons. Theatre hasn’t adjusted itself to the lifestyles of the people it wants to come in.” The Independent (London) 03/03/01
• STATE OF THE ART(OF WRITING ABOUT IT): America’s theatre critics gather in New York to talk about the state of their art: Too many critics write snap judgments, critics shouldn’t be writing plays or acting in communities in which they write, and the jury’s still out on theatre coverage on the internet. Philadelphia Inquirer 03/04/01

Friday March 2

• ONE WAY TO CUT LOSSES: Sending immediate shockwaves through Britain’s theatre world, acclaimed director Richard Eyre told a conference investigating why UK theatre audiences were falling that the nation’ subsidized theatres (including the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre) should be disbanded, rather than continue churning out stale work. “We have to acknowledge that theatre companies have a finite life span and that few manage to sustain artistic ardour beyond seven years.” The Telegraph (London) 3/02/01

Thursday March 1

• PUTTING PEOPLE OFF: Theater-ticket sales are declining in London’s West End, amid cries of an impending “crisis point” due to traffic congestion, poor public transportation, and escalating street crime. BBC 2/28/01
• GIVING IT YOUR ALL: Why are so many actors rushing to take their clothes off onstage? And what, if anything, does nudity contribute to an otherwise traditional production? “Playwrights will talk about the need for ‘realism’, actors will talk about performing naked so long as it’s ‘not gratuitous’, directors will argue that nudity is valid. But so contrived, so commonplace, has nudity become that it no longer surprises, confronts, informs, challenges. It distracts. It embarrasses.” Sydney Morning Herald 3/01/01
• BOSTON THEATER BOOM: Boston was long seen as a one-theater town, with American Repertory Theater’s shows the only ones worth seeing. But now the reinvigorated Huntington Theater is making a splash of its own. A new artistic director, city funds to build two new South End theaters, and the audiences are pouring in… New York Times 3/01/01 (one-time registration required for access)
• HOW DID LORENZ HART DIE?: The show-biz legend is that the famous lyricist arrived drunk at a Broadway opening, was thrown out of the theater, collapsed in a snowbank, was taken to a hospital, and died of pneumonia. But his nephew Larry Hart says it just ain’t so. There was no snow in the city that night; Hart went home to relatives; he was taken to the hospital from his own apartment. New York Post 02/28/01
• A MID-SUMMER NIGHT’S PIPE DREAM?: Traces of cannabis have been found in pipes which Shakespeare may have used. The pipes were dug up from the garden of his home in Stratford-upon-Avon; South African scientists speculate that the Bard used the drug as a source of inspiration. “But the conclusions of the scientists have been dismissed by Shakespeare experts who feel suggestions he used drugs as an aid to writing undermine the bard’s accepted genius.” BBC 03/01/01

ednesday February 28

• URBAN & UPTEMPO: Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater Company is producing a new work by Kurt Elling that purports to examine, through high-energy jazz and cutting-edge poetry, life in America’s three biggest cities. This topic is nothing new, of course, but what makes “LA/CHI/NY – A Journey Through the Streets of America” unusual is that it actually succeeds in communicating the distinct urban feel of each metropolis. Chicago Tribune 02/28/01

Tuesday February 27

• GUIDING THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE: Adrian Noble has been heading up London’s Royal Shakespeare Company for a decade now. Noble wiped out a £3.5 million deficit he inherited when he took over the company; for the past 15 years the RSC has earned money on “Les Misérables,” a show whose success has “effectively cushioned the RSC from financial disaster.” Now the company is producing another West End musical with hopes of a hit. The Guardian (London) 02/27/01

Sunday February 25

• SECOND-CITY SUCCESS STORY: It’s not as if Chicago theatre ever went anywhere, but with high-powered theatre districts popping up all over the country in recent years, the Windy City was, for a time, in danger of becoming somewhat complacent. No more: a slew of new buildings and revitalized companies are once again making Chicago a drama-lover’s dream come true. Washington Post 02/25/01
• TWAIN BOUND FOR BROADWAY: Let’s be honest: Mark Twain probably would have hated the Broadway musical. He certainly wouldn’t have been able to picture his rural, rough-spoken characters kicking up their heels in full chorus numbers. But, for the second time in the last twenty years, a Twain classic is being redone for the musical stage. Hartford Courant 02/25/01
• NEW DIGS: One of the byproducts of the economic boom of the 1990s was the appropriation of countless millions of public and private dollars for arts groups seeking to upgrade or replace their performance space. Next month, the historic Berkeley Repertory Theatre moves into their new home, and the change will reportedly be breathtaking. San Francisco Chronicle 02/25/01

Thursday February 23

• LAGS AND WALLAHS: The London theatre’s most prestigious awards – the Oliviers – are to be given out tonight, but the judges and host for the event are under attack. Critics have called judges for one category “old showbiz lags and free ticket wallahs.” The Independent (London) 02/23/01

Wednesday February 21

• FEAR OF THE NEW? “Next Friday in London, this year’s Olivier Award for best director will go to a play first produced in either 1981, 1957, 1947, 1904 or 1879. Given the chance to strut their stuff, to examine their times, to challenge the establishment, these directors have dutifully ploughed their energy into what? Revivals; classics. What’s wrong with them? Are they so scared of new plays?” The Independent (London) 02/21/01
• PASSAGE TO INDIA: All things Indian are suddenly very hot in London right now. Even Andrew Lloyd Webber is putting together a “Bollywood epic called Bombay Dreams. Over in Covent Garden, the Royal Opera is a developing a Bollywood version of Turandot. But why here, and why now?” The Guardian (London) 02/21/01

Monday February 19

• END OF ACTING? Is the actor an endangered species? “I think the first big leading indicator was baby boomers’ abandonment of live theater. This is an overstatement, a gross generalization, but it’s also true: for cosmopolitan people of my parents’ generation, experiencing live actors on stage was an obligation—a kind of secular humanist sacrament in a way that it simply isn’t for people who came of age in the 1960s and 70s. Younger people tend to find live theater too intimate, too unmediated, too real, too creepy.” PublicArts 02/18/01

Sunday February 18

• THE IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL THEATRE: There’s been a recent surge of political theatre in Britain. This after a long period when it seemed to disappear. “Does the decline of political theatre matter? Desperately, I would say. I am not claiming it is the sole function of theatre to analyse government and society. But if drama withdraws from engagement with the public world, it is inevitably diluted.” The Guardian (London) 02/17/01
• IN-YER-FACE ON THE OUTS? In the past five years shock theatre has been a constant presence on the London stage. ” ‘In-yer-face theatre’ is the best way of describing this type of drama, which uses explicit scenes of sex and violence to explore the depths of human emotion. Characterised by a rawness of tone, it is aggressive, confrontational and provocative.” But maybe its time is passing. The Telegraph (London) 02/17/01
• THE SUCCESSFUL MUSICAL: What makes successful musical theatre? Is it the score or is it the book? New York Post 02/18/01

Friday February 16

• FAIR-WEATHER FANS: Andrew Lloyd-Webber, whose musicals have generally been dismissed by theatre critics as unchallenging and pandering to the masses, picked up his first London Theatre Critics Circle Award Thursday for “The Beautiful Game.” “There was, however, a sting in the tail. For while the press were won over by the story of love across the Ulster , the public turned on him. Only 3% in a poll of 6,500 West End theatregoers thought the musical worthy of the award.” The Guardian (London) 2/16/01
• THINK YOUNGER: The Sydney Festival’s new director Brett Sheey announced his strategy for putting his own stamp on the annual arts event by attracting younger audiences with bold programming – a philosophy that differs dramatically from his predecessor. “It was no secret that Leo’s great loves were opera and Western classical music; my great loves are theatre, dance and contemporary culture – multimedia, hybrid arts and those fusions which are reflective of the 21^st century.” Sydney Morning Herald 2/16/01

Thursday February 15

• SLAMMIN’: Poetry slams have been around for at least a decade, and are even considered passe in many cutting-edge poetry circles. But even as the slam breathes its last in smoky basement clubs around the country, it is becoming a hit in the venue perhaps most well-equipped to supply the medium’s insatiable need for fast-paced, high-energy poetic performance: high schools. San Francisco Chronicle 02/15/01
• UP OR DOWN?: Dublin’s Abbey Theatre is on the brink of announcing a major redevelopment scheme, but not until it reaches a consensus on one of two very different proposals: redesign the current structure by adding on three storeys, or relocate to a site across the River Liffey? “Not since Lady Gregory opened Ireland’s first National Theatre in 1904 has the Abbey faced such a critical choice.” Irish Times 2/15/01
• LOCALS WEIGH IN: “Anything that helps them do better. The Abbey is in a shocking state for a national theatre. They actually have two theatres which are badly designed. There are people on the Abbey roof in Portakabins.” Irish Times 2/15/01
• CHICAGO THEATER BOOM: Chicago’s theater world has been growing steadily since the mid 1970s, when Steppenwolf and several other small companies established themselves. Now, with five solid nonprofit productions currently running, all of which are locally produced and cast, “Chicago’s theater exudes independence and a deserving hometown pride.” New York Times 2/15/01 (one-time registration required for access)

Tuesday February 13

• WHY YOU SHOULD BEFRIEND A SENATOR: It took the intervention of Senator Christopher Dodd to get it, but the National Theater for the Deaf has been granted $2.7 million out of the federal budget, to be paid over the next four years. The theater had lost a large chunk of federal money last year due to a miscommunication. Hartford Courant 02/13/01
• REVIVING FARCE: In the UK farce has had a bit of a bad name – it is considered lowbrow and not important theatre. But of late there has been a rehabilitation of the form. “This is farce for the 21st century. We’ve gone beyond PC.” The Independent (London) 02/11/01

Monday February 12

• VAGINA POWER: Saturday night “18,000 people were expected to attend a celebrity-packed performance of “The Vagina Monologues” at Madison Square Garden, just one of 50 observances nationwide of V-Day, the anti-violence movement Eve Ensler developed to put her feminist words into action. This week 250 colleges – including American, George Washington, Georgetown and Howard universities – will also observe V-Day (V also stands for Valentine).” Washington Post 02/11/01
• ENCOURAGING THE YOUNG: Are “elderly, reactionary critics” putting young people off going to the theatre? Director Deborah Warner thinks so, and she’s slashing prices for some of the best seats at her West End hit ‘Medea’ to encourage young people to come to the theatre.” The Independent (London) 02/12/01
• TROUBLED ACTORS’ UNION: “The Screen Actors Guild is undergoing revolutionary changes; some call it turmoil. Age-old relationships with the franchised agents, with AFTRA, and with regional branch offices, seem on uncertain ground. Some of the guild’s top leaders are making exits. The financial situation is a bit rocky. Partisan rivalries continue to fester. And all this is taking place on the eve of another serious contract negotiation. Furthermore, as many guild leaders admit, communication with members and with the media has been lacking.” Backstage 02/12/01

Sunday February 11

• TRYING TO NEUTRALIZE THE CRITICS: “The Bells Are Ringing” is currently playing in Connecticut before heading to Broadway. But producers, perhaps fearing the kind of critical storm that harmed “Seussical” earlier this season, have announced thta critics are not welcome at performances. “The reason given is that the producers don’t see the Stamford run as an out-of-town tryout. It’s part of its review-free Broadway previews, they say, as though that fabled strip extended through Harlem, the Bronx and into Connecticut.” Hartford Courant 02/11/01
• THE MAKING OF A LEGEND: Edward Albee was proclaimed a genius early in his career, then knocked down until his success in 1991 with “Three Tall Women.” Now he can do no wrong. “Why this change of critical heart came about, I’m not quite sure. Perhaps it’s because there’s a new team of reviewers in place, guys who do not have a vested interest in demanding that Albee repeat the much-admired ‘Virginia Woolf’ ad nauseam.” New York Post 02/11/01

Friday February 9

• THEATRE IN SOUTH AFRICA: “The South African government has drastically reduced arts spending. Government subsidy for European cultural expressions no longer exists. Whatever the reasons for this, whether to help promote an indigenous African culture or to punish those who voted against the ANC, in Cape Town the policy has already resulted in the loss of the city’s opera company, ballet company, and symphony orchestra. The theater still survives after a fashion, partly because it can still draw on private funding.” The New Republic 02/12/01

Thursday February 8

• HARE ON TOP: David Hare is one of Britain’s most prolific and political playwrights, and his plays are being produced in record numbers by regional theaters on both sides of Atlantic. Somehow he manages to tackle big subjects, yet retain a devoted audience of audience and critics alike. “Hare proves that you don’t have to be banal to be box office.” The Telegraph (London) 2/08/01
• THE ALBEE CYCLE: Edward ALbee has been writing plays so long he’s had time to go out of fashion and then come back in. On the crest of his back-in-fashionness, what to make of his latest play? Don’t be fooled – it’s not in the same league as the earlier masterpieces. New York Observer 02/07/01

Wednesday February 7

• SOMETHING IN THE WATER? What is it that makes Irish plays so different from English ones? And how is it that such a small country has produced so very many world-class playwrights? “It’s extraordinary. There are fewer than 4m people in the Republic of Ireland. But in the past century we’ve produced Synge, O’Casey, Shaw, Wilde, Joyce, Beckett, Friel, Tom Murphy, Billy Roche, Sebastian Barry, to name a few. Their plays have shaped the way people think and are performed all over the world. Why the disproportion?” The Guardian (London) 2/07/01
• HEIR APPARENT: Director Michael Grandage (currently associate director at the Donmar Warehouse) is seen as a likely successor to Trevor Nunn, if and when Nunn vacates his seat at London’s Royal National Theatre. “I believe in doing what you want. If I’m not passionate about a play, why should anyone else be?” The Guardian (London) 2/07/01

Sunday February 4

• RETHINKING THE SECOND STAGE: It used to be that every theatre wanted a second stage, a black box. “Today, in a changing artistic and economic climate, companies of all sizes are rethinking the old equations. Many larger companies are moving away from the mainstage/second stage dichotomy. It’s an important issue for audiences, since the kind of theater they see – or don’t see – depends to a large extent on the size and nature of the available architecture.” San Francisco Chronicle 02/04/01
• LIFE AND DEATH THEATRE: “Theatre has shot itself in the foot by giving in to this cult of success, status and glamour. Theatre has been taken down this glitzy route that has destroyed its validity and truth. Will there be any theatre in 10 or 20 years’ time? Every other art and entertainment medium is engaged in a life-and-death struggle with new technology and the multiplying distractions of contemporary life. Theatre, meanwhile, is examining its collective navel.” Sunday Times (London) 02/04/01
• GIVING IN? London’s Globe Theatre is going to cut and trim its Shakespeare for children next summer. The director “feels teachers fail to prepare school parties and schools make Shakespeare boring. Disruptive children had forced him to limit the number of schools attending performances. Instead, the Globe will mount abridged productions of Macbeth, devised solely for schools, with a narrator to help children to follow the plot.” The Independent (London) 02/03/01
• THEATRE IN THE FUTURE TENSE: In South Africa it’s hard not to make theatre that reacts to the country’s recent political past. But “a new generation of writers and performers each in their own way are approaching being South African in a way that is enriched by new-found freedoms. They are exploring new ways of being and discarding a theatrical approach that relies exclusively on reacting to the past or on seeing the present purely in terms of being a victim of the past.” The Independent (South Africa) 02/03/01
• MODEL ENTREPRENEUR: 88-year-old Donald Seawell worked as a counter-intelligence agent, wrote speaches fpr Roosevelt and Truman, produced Broadway plays and published the Denver Post. Last season he took considerable risks to produce a 12-hour production of “Tantalus” that drew theatre lovers from all over the world. Now he’s helped bring the production to London… The Guardian (London) 02/03/01
• LA’S A TOUGH SELL: “Los Angeles’ relationship to classical theater–the Western canon generally thought to include everything from Greek tragedy to vintage Americana, with emphasis on such giants as Shakespeare, Ibsen, Shaw and Chekhov – has always been different from that of other major cities.” In short, it’s a tough sell. Los Angeles Times 02/04/01

Friday February 2

• THE REMARKABLE SHUBERTS: With $188 million in assets and its fingers all over Broadway, New York’s Shubert Foundation is a force to be reckoned with. One of the foundation’s crowning achievements was the deal it worked out with the Internal Revenue Service to be able to run its commercial theatre empire and still remain a non-profit. The Idler 02/02/01

Wednesday January 31

• THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES: It was years in the making, revised numerous times, and given every advantage. But “Napoleon” the musical, is closing after a short run in London. “On the plus side, there was no loss of life. On the negative side, even the positive reviews were depressing. ‘An average musical,’ raved one London critic. ‘A nice score,’ added another, ‘with lyrics that are mediocre but satisfying’.” The Globe & Mail (Canada) 01/31/01

Tuesday January 30

• A MODERN MEDEA: Have 2,400 years of performance history been unfairly cruel to Medea, one of Greek drama’s most vengeful women? Fiona Shaw discusses the role she currently plays on the London stage with director Deborah Warner. “Previous performances make us have dangerous misconceptions about so many of these heroines. You have a 2,400-year-old stone to crack to get at the fossil within.” The Guardian (London) 1/30/01

Monday January 29

• STARTUP: Can’t get a job in the theatre? Then start your own company. Several hot London companies were born this way. Actors hope “the work will be seen by the agents and casting directors who might propel the members to higher-profile productions. But there’s always a chance that ventures such as this will die quietly as soon as that goal has been achieved — or missed.” The Times (London) 01/29/01
• FREE SPEECH CASE? Canada’s literary establishment has rallied in support of an 11th-grade student who read a violent monologue that contained death threats at his school and was later arrested. “The teen admitted his hands were shaking as he showed off a gift from Margaret Atwood, one of a dozen authors speaking in his support.” Toronto Star 01/29/01

Sunday January 28

• CRAZY FOR BLUE: The off-Broadway performance art troupe “Blue Man Group” is an unlikely success story. In the so-often unimaginitive, copycat world of New York’s famous theater district, this group of mute, aqua-painted men has gone from a minor curiosity to a mainstay of American theater. Not only that, but they’re providing a showcase for avant-garde music and visual display that might not get a chance anywhere else. New York Post, 01/28/01
• THE BARD COMES TO MISSOURI: This summer, St. Louis unveils its new Shakespeare Festival, at an outdoor amphitheatre in Forest Park. The atmosphere will be informal, with most members of the audience sitting on blankets on the lawn, and nightly pre-shows featuring period entertainment such as jugglers, jesters, and wandering musicians. The director is going for an overall effect: “You’ll smell the food, you’ll hear the music, you’ll see the beauty of the park all at once. And then we’ll have Shakespeare.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 01/01/28

Friday January 26

• SYNTHESIZING BROADWAY: The American Federation of Musicians is fighting mad at two national touring productions of popular Broadway musicals over the producers’ decision to cut more than half of the standard pit orchestra musicians in favor of computerized, synthesized accompaniment. The producers say they’ve done nothing wrong. Detroit Free Press (AP), 01/25/01

Thursday January 25

• TAKING SHOTS (OR BEING FRANK?): Dominic Dromgoole, artistic director of the Oxford Stage Company has written a now-infamous book for the jibes it takes at British theatre luminaries: “John Mortimer (he ‘has the look of a Faust who has said yes to the devil so many times that he has got nothing to trade with’) and Tom Stoppard (‘it’s rather like dealing with a lunatic who keeps telling you he’s got a map showing where he buried his underpants but he’s eaten it’). The Independent (London) 01/24/01
• DEATH OF AN ART? Cabaret as an artform is 100 years old. But will it survive much longer? “Admittedly, we’ve been hearing about the death of cabaret for years. And many young comedians who once considered themselves the heirs to this form of entertainment are now over the hill. Nevertheless, the developments of recent years are hard to ignore. Almost all the major ensembles have either disbanded or lost their relevance.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 01/24/01

Tuesday January 23

• MAKING THEATRE BETTER: “Should we ban all new Australian works from our stages for five years with the note, ‘Write better’? Clearly, most plays being written at any time, anywhere, are third-rate literature. Even a good play rarely bears comparison with the wit and complexity of a fine book of essays, the complexity and mystery of a great novel, the mystery and beauty of a great poem. But a play script isn’t literature; it’s one limb of that deeply complex, mysterious and volatile organism called theatre. Promising playwrights won’t become good playwrights by being kept at arm’s length from the activity of theatre-making.” Sydney Morning Herald 01/23/01
• IN THE WRONG CAMP: Richard Move’s parody of Martha Graham has had a lot of attention. But “parody is one thing but inept parody is another. Graham was the great image maker of 20th century dance, a fact that Mr. Move did not keep in mind in his satires of Graham’s ‘Phaedra,’ ‘Episodes’ and ‘Lamentation’.” The New York Times 01/23/01 (one-time registration required for access)
• BROADWAY BLUES: A dismal week on Broadway at the box office, though closing notices caused a spike in sales for “Copenhagen,” and “Seussical” had a good week after Rosie O’Donnell stepped into the cast. Variety 01/23/01

Monday January 22

• THE DYING FRINGE? Is greed killing the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? “We are in danger of killing the goose that laid the golden egg. People operating within the fringe – such as venues and property owners – should take a long hard look at themselves. There is a raft of people who are cashing in. People seem to think that the fringe is a cultural Klondyke but is far from it.” The Scotsman 01/22/01

Sunday January 21

• DREAMING OF HOME: The challenge for a small-budget theatre – finding a home to call its own. “The dream of a [theater] director is to have a space. If you’re an artist, you have your studio – or at least your easel. Without your own [theater] space, you have to put up shows in different theaters and reinvent the wheel every time. That challenge can zap your creativity.” Chicago Tribune 01/21/01
• MARLOWE, EVERYWHERE MARLOWE: There’s a significant revival of the late 16th Century playwright Chrstopher Marlowe, in part sparked by the movie “Shakespeare in Love.” The New York Times 01/21/01 (one-time registration required for access)
• ALBEE ON WOOLF: Edward Albee visits Howard University to talk about updating his “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” “The conversation between Albee and aspiring actors came about because the students had questions about adapting the play to the new century and about dealing with the descriptive checkpoints that don’t quite fit the African American cast.” Washington Post 01/21/01
• A THREAT OR JUST ACTING? An 11th grade student in Ontario is jailed after a monologue he delivered in school that contained violent threats. Some in Canada’s arts community have taken up the boy’s cause as a matter of free expression. The Globe & Mail (Canada) 01/21/01

Friday January 19

• ACTING OUT: Canada has a new theatre award, believed to be the country’s richest. “The $100,000 Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize will be given to an artist in mid career who has made a significant contribution to Canadian theatre.” Toronto Star 01/19/01

Thursday January 18

• LEADING THE NATIONAL: With Trevor Nunn leaving London’s National Theatre, a search begins for his successor. But “there is growing evidence that the theatre’s board is split over the future of the 25-year-old institution. Should our National Theatre continue to be run by one supremo with a policy of mainstream productions underpinned by musicals – or is it time to recognise the need for more radical solutions?” The Telegraph (London) 01/18/01

Wednesday January 17

• ON THE ATTACK: The storm of controversy surrounding the Australian production of Terence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi” continues to gather force. “Leaders of the Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic, Anglican and Islamic religions are united in condemning the play and want the State Government to withdraw funding.” The Age (Melbourne) 1/17/01

Tuesday January 16

• SAME PLAY, SAME THREATS: Terrence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi” is opening in Australia to the same controversy it faced in the U.S. in 1998. Islamic activists have condemned the play, which features a homosexual Christ-like character. The Melbourne producer has defended the production as “a parable and did not say that the historical figure of Christ was gay.” Times of India (AP) 1/16/01
• BROKEN PROMISES? Britain’s regional theatres were thrilled when the government announced an extra £25 million to rescue the country’s ailing playhouses. But now suspicions are running high over exactly how the money (due to be allocated in 2003) will be spent. “The main cause of disagreement is simple. The 50 building-based English theatres that produce their own work feel betrayed. They believe that the entire £25 million increase should have been passed directly on to them, and are alarmed that the Arts Council is apparently keeping back nearly a third of the money for other projects.” The Times (London) 1/16/01
• THE CULT OF THE CLOWN: The Russian clown troupe Derevo has won acclaim worldwide for its intense and unusual performances. But they’ve also ” been likened to a cult because its performers explore the limits of their art with almost monastic intensity.” The Telegraph (London) 1/16/01

Sunday January 14

• THE WELL-MADE PLAY? “Nowadays, unfortunately, plays often abandon all pretense at being well-made or even being “made” at all, preferring to sound like a series of edited (hopefully) tape-recorded conversations. The irony is some dramas rely so heavily on well-constructed formulas, that they stumble nevertheless.” New York Post 01/14/01

Friday January 12

• TAKING BACK THE WEST END: Spurred on in part by the recent run of American actors trodding the boards in London, a group of popular British actors – including Jude Law and Ewan MacGregor – have founded a London-based theatre company that will produce work using only British writing, directing, and acting talent. London Evening Standard 1/12/01
• NEW KING: August Wilson’s “King Hedley” almost took a nosedive on Broadway this week after its star decided movies were more his metier. “But after a flurry of behind-the-scenes negotiations that concluded yesterday afternoon, the producers had a new star: Brian Stokes Mitchell, who won a Tony last year for his performance in ‘Kiss Me, Kate’.” New York Post 01/12/01

Wednesday January 10

• PLAYWRITING’S GOLDEN AGE: Dominic Dromgoole, the author of a new anthology of contemporary playwriting cites the 1990s as a decade of unrivalled talent hitting the British stage. Why then? “My guess is that its source was the world, rather than the theatre, and it could not be unconnected to the upheavals that shook the world at the end of the 1980s. A door swung open to a whole new world, to be addressed in new terms – those of the spirit, of identity, of individual morality, of imagination and sensuality. And of course a whole new politics. These are the terms that theatre is ideally placed to use.” The Guardian (London) 1/10/01
• SAVING THE ARENA: Molly D. Smith, a little-known artistic director from Alaska, was brought in to try to save Washington’s ailing Arena Stage three years ago. “Now, as Arena commemorates its 50th year, it looks as if the gamble has paid off. Subscription renewals are at a high of nearly 90 percent.” The New York Times 01/10/01 (one-time registration required for access)
• FINANCIAL INDUCEMENT: Ever wonder who gets paid what in a Broadway show? ‘The Producers’ is the the most-anticipated new show of the spring, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. Here’s how the hoped-for box office gets split among the principals. New York Post 01/10/01

Monday January 8

• MOVING UP: Several London theatre productions are moving to larger theatres. Switching a popular show to a bigger theatre can multiply box-office revenues by 500 per cent or more. But it can also be a big risk too. The Times (London) 01/08/01

Thursday January 4

• RX FOR RUSSIAN THEATRE: “Who is going to create the future in Moscow theater? Here is what I see in my murky crystal ball: 1) The repertory system — essentially theater as a family group — will continue to erode, although it will not disintegrate completely; 2) we will see a drastic change in the list of the city’s most influential figures within a decade; and 3) contemporary playwrights will continue their resurgence that began in earnest two seasons ago.” Moscow Times 01/04/01

Wednesday January 3

• THE PLAY’S THE THING (BUT MAYBE NOT ON CABLE) One year ago this month, the Broadway Television Network (BTN) kicked off an ambitious plan to broadcast Broadway musicals on a pay-per-view basis. The channel has had mixed success. Although executives maintain that BTN’s development is modelled on a five-year plan, first-year viewership figures and scheduling have been lacklustre. “…On Broadway, questions are being raised about BTN’s future.” New York Post, 01/03/2001
• THE INNOCENT: A staged reading of a new script based on the statements of 87 prisoners wrongly convicted and sentenced to the death penalty and later proven innocent attracts a star cast: Debra Winger, Richard Dreyfuss, Steve Buscemi, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. The Guardian (London) 01/03/01