“For those who savor a good Broadway catastrophe, Dance of the Vampires is near the top of the shortlist of infamy. But for the Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski, that flop 2002 musical, based on his 1967 film The Fearless Vampire Killers, deserves – no, demands – another chance.” And it’s getting one, in Paris.
Category: theatre
“A Capacious Sensibility” – Mike Nichols As Theater Director
“It made perfect sense that the man who was one of the original producers of the musical Annie was also the Broadway director of Hurlyburly, David Rabe’s cocaine-strewn drama about Hollywood hedonists. Or that after hitting box office gold with the musical spoof Spamalot, he switched gears and concentrated on dramas by Clifford Odets, Arthur Miller and Harold Pinter … He had tremendous instinct not only for what was funny but what could grab an audience, surprise them, wake their minds, move them to indignation or, better yet, tears.”
Can Theatre Make Audiences Better Citizens?
A report from early this year argues that performing arts “are inherently social arts and provide a necessary opportunity to develop the skills of socialisation and communication required by a healthy democracy.” Maddy Costa writes about how she’s exploring that idea in her London theatre festival, Dialogue.
Times Square Livecast Of “Side Show” Was Not, In Fact, Live
“A bid to make Broadway history by broadcasting a scene from the opening night performance of the musical “Side Show” live in Times Square didn’t come off as planned, though the crowd that gathered to watch in the rain may not have known what they were missing at all.”
Shubert Organization, A Broadway Giant, Buys Off-Broadway Theaters
“The Shubert Organization, which owns 17 of Broadway’s 40 theaters, has completed a deal to take over New World Stages … The move creates a significant opportunity for the Shubert Organization to shepherd fading Broadway shows out of their theaters and into New World Stages, where new profits might be reaped because of the lower Off Broadway production costs.”
Looking At L.A.’s Center Theater Group – And How To Wake It Up
“For Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty, Michael Ritchie’s 2005 takeover as artistic director of the Center Theatre Group was the beginning of a roller coaster ride. McNulty reflects on the ups and downs, and offers a plan to revitalize the Mark Taper Forum.”
Royal Shakespeare Company Earns More At Box Office But Sees Overall Income Drop
“It sold 1.7 million tickets globally, across 1,982 performances of 22 productions in 2013/14. In 2012/13 it sold 1.5 million tickets. Of the company’s £61.3 million income, 74% was self-generated, up from 73% the year before, with trading income amounting to £5.5 million, up 15% on 2012/13 figures.”
Playwrights Get A New Venue – The UK’s Guardian Newspaper, Online
The plays “cover topics such as music, fashion, politics, sport and education and are all around five minutes long.”
Can A City Have Too Much Theatre?
“Overall, theatergoers seem to be increasingly reluctant to commit to season tickets. They prefer flexibility, and most companies sell some version of a flex pass that allows theatergoers to choose an a la carte menu from the season.”
Dear Britain: It’s Time To Loosen Your Grip On Shakespeare
“It’s time to ditch the idea that the best Shakespeare comes from the UK, and the world should experience it courtesy of us. I’d rather watch Font, Bhardwaj and Qinxin, whose apparoches are as far from each other’s as China is from Spain.”