Category: theatre

Women are stealing the show in London musicals this summer. “You should never underestimate the power of being female, 40-ish and sexually ripe. That would seem to be the lesson of London theater in general this summer, with midlife resurrections translating into big box office.” – New York Times

Actor Nathan Lane stomped off a New York theatre TV show after being asked why his movie career hadn’t gone so well as his stage career.  “On his way out the door, the actor was overheard barking into his cell phone: ‘I did not come on this show to defend my movie career!’ “ – New York Post

New York’s fourth annual International Fringe Festival kicks off this week, and phenomenal growth and diversity in its programming (175 productions from 17 states and 12 countries) reflect a boom in alternative theatre’s popularity. The role of a fringe festival? “To rebuild the infrastructure of off-off Broadway theatre, which has replaced off-Broadway as the center for theatrical research and development. After all, off-Broadway now plays host to star-playwrights because Broadway is so expensive.” – Backstage

When the Globe Theatre in London was rebuilt and reopened, it was clear a very special director would be needed to guide the theatre. Hiring Mark Rylance, a young actor with a reputation for otherworldliness but without much experience running a company was a big risk. But it has paid off. – The Globe and Mail (Canada)

While many theater lovers bemoan that Internet culture is eroding the audience for live performance, one critic at least sees it differently. “The current state of play is actually decidedly encouraging on many fronts. I would hazard a guess that the recent drive towards cheap TV programming and its dumbing down have driven ranks of citizens out of their living rooms in search of better arts and entertainment in public venues.” – The Independent (UK)

• — 43 years ago this week, becoming an instant sensation and setting a new standard for American musical theater. Playwright Arthur Laurents (who wrote the book) and Chita Rivera (who originated the role of Anita) reminisce about the fateful collaboration. “We had a vision of what we called lyric theater, and it was something intuitively we all shared and all felt.” – NPR [Real audio file]

The Olympic Arts Festival next month in Australia would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase aboriginal plays and playwrights to the world. Instead, “the festival program sends out a loud message to people from overseas who may want to spice their sports with a bit of theatre or opera from the country they’re visiting: it has none.” – Sydney Morning Herald

There was a time when Broadway seemed to get most of its musical hits from London. No longer. – New York Post

“While American theatergoers lament that nonmusical drama on Broadway belongs to the British (and in the ’80s so did a large share of the musicals), the English busily stage works that writers such as Arthur Miller or Tony Kushner can’t get premiered in the United States. This probably says something about the relatively greater sophistication of British audiences. Still, the fascination with secondary plays by our first-rank playwrights can be mystifying to an American – rather like that French thing for Jerry Lewis films. What’s the attraction?” – Washington Post

“Mr. Wilson is probably the most prolific theater artist in the world. An astonishingly tireless man who presents premieres of 8 to 12 new projects each year in an array of far-flung countries, he directs, designs the sets, co-designs the lighting and usually choreographs them all. He also organizes an army of loyal acolytes in the presentation of twice as many touring productions of older shows throughout the world. He estimates that he spends 10 days a year at his apartment in New York.” – New York Times