Category: theatre

Stephen Sondheim goes to London and sounds off about the current state of theater: “It’s quite discouraging to see that London is slowly becoming like Broadway,” he says. He bemoans the fact that Americans are drawn to productions whose values are based less on the words and the music than the length of the spectacle and the number of scenery changes. He is most frightened by the lack of serious plays on Broadway. In his opinion, audiences in London have broader tastes, attend more regularly and treat the theatre as enjoyment rather than a chore. The British hunger for challenging productions has helped to provide opportunities for new talent, from the West End to the fringe. – The Sunday Times (UK)

For 22 years playwright August Wilson has been writing plays to tell a story of Black American history of the 20th Century; along the way refinements, but the goal has remained constant. – Chicago Tribune

A historic first-meeting of Shakespeare experts from around the English-speaking world in Stratford sparks raging debates about performance practice for the Bard. – Backstage

“Stories may make plays, but people make stories. People come first. Why, I wonder, do so many playwrights have such a hard time with this seemingly simple notion? Why do their characters seem an afterthought, making little sense and possessing little substance? Why do writers for the stage persist in putting ideas ahead of people, rather than permitting themes to emerge, peekaboo-style, from the welter of human feelings and behavior?” – Philadelphia Inquirer

Chicago theater, written, rehearsed and performed in a 24-hour period – theater without a net. – New York Times

New Chicago series mounts old Broadway musicals that haven’t been produced in years. The classic shows are resurrected and produced in concert version. – Chicago Sun-Times

Elie Wiesel is a great writer. But as a playwright… – Dallas Morning News

A new book finds British theater critics in a state of disarray. Some blame editors for making their jobs harder. Others report a dichotomy between older and younger critics. “The older generation instinctively sees theatre as central to our culture. Younger critics won’t talk about theatre as a serious art medium. They question it all the time.” – The Independent (UK)

• London’s Globe Theater, a replica of the building where Shakespeare’s plays were first performed, announces a new exhibition, said to the be the largest ever dedicated to England’s greatest writer. The exhibit is expected to attract up to 400,000 visitors a year. Those visitors “will be able to compose their own sonnet with a quill, watch displays of swordplay and even join in a production through micro-camera technology.” – The Times of India (Reuters)

— has some in the theater business lamenting the Disneyfication of Broadway and wondering if there’s a crisis in American theater. – CBC