Category: theatre

David Shiner, the star of the troubled musical “Seussical,” apparently can’t sing, dance or act. In trying to fix the show before it opens for real on Broadway November 30, the producers decide to replace him with Andrea Martin. But the show’s creative team fights the move. – New York Post

The Screen Actors Guild may have recently settled the strike with Hollywood’s commercial producers, but an internal report says the union is fractured and lacking focus. “SAG lacks a clear, shared mission and strategy, which is the foundation of an effective organization,” the report says. “There is no consensus regarding SAG’s mission, which is essential for establishing a shared consensus about SAG’s goals.” – Backstage

Indian film star Rajkumar has been released after being held hostage for 109 days in a forest by one of India’s most notorious bandits. The kidnapping saga had gripped India for months, inciting riots and an outpouring of emotion for the former matinee idol. – BBC

Supertitles have become common in opera houses. But what about the theatre? No, not for translation purposes – the Royal Shakespeare Company experiments with using supertitles to aid audience members who are hard of hearing. – The Guardian

It was a project that was supposed to take a year or so. But the six-volume World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre, just released, ended up as a 15 year project that always seemed to be about a year behind in its funding. – National Post (Canada)

The chorus of boos for London’s National Theatre director Trevor Nunn is growing. “Like circling vultures, half of what used to be called Fleet Street have pounced on the events and suddenly accused Nunn of every sin in the book: artistic incompetence, overspending, pandering to white middle-aged audiences, sticking to the boring programming of safe, well-tried classics or musicals at the expense of cutting-edge contemporary drama and, last but not least, of arrogance for trying to run the ship himself and not appointing associate directors to help him pick plays for the National’s three stages.” Is the criticism justified? – The Telegraph (UK)

Last year “in a survey of 10 to 14-year-olds in Birmingham and Norwich, fewer than one in a hundred listed theatre as one of his or her preferred weekend activities, whereas 100 per cent of the sample were cinemagoers. Many dismissed theatres as “overpriced, stuffy and unfriendly”, offering plays that were either ‘babyish or too serious’.” Now an attempt to get kids into the theatre. – The Times (UK)

As the fall Broadway season began, “Seussical” the musical was considered the hot property. But after unhappy road tryouts, the show has floundered. “How the charmed musical that could do no wrong turned into the ‘troubled Suessical’ that could do no right has become a parable about how much Broadway has changed. What in the past might have gone unremarked as a new show’s routinely bumpy road to Broadway instead became a matter for public scrutiny.” – New York Times

The Public Theatre, under fire recently for some of the artistic and business decisions that have been made, gets some expert help. – New York Times

Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director Robyn Nevin said in a recent lecture that the Australian government’s long-awaited arts blueprint – which was intended to increase funding for performing arts organizations – has in fact fallen far short of delivering enough funding to enable the theater to thrive. By comparison, “Britain’s National Theatre received 20 times the subsidy granted to the STC though its audience base was half that of Sydney’s and its average ticket prices were about 40 per cent higher.” – Sydney Morning Herald