“There is this ‘generic Latino’ that is suggested in schools and it’s kind of… useless. (And frankly, offensive.) It’s made up. It’s a construct of the Taco Bell dog and Scarface.”
Category: theatre
On The National Theatre’s 50th Birthday …
“Today, British life seems unthinkable without it. The National, the people’s theatre, continues a fine tradition of licensed mischief: it entertains, occasionally sponsors outrage, and often inspires great performances.”
A Short History Of The National Theatre – And Media Response To It
“Looking back, it is astonishing to recall the hostility that greeted the opening of the National theatre. We had waited more than a century for it to be built. Now that it was finally there, the media constantly moaned about an unsustainable white elephant.”
Julie Taymor Is Making Theater In New York Again
After directing both the most successful musical of all time (The Lion King) and the most expensive and possibly the most troubled (a project she now refers to as “that other show”), Taymor is staging A Midsummer Night’s Dream. One early decision she made: no flying actors.
John Kander Enjoys A Creative Renaissance In His 80s
The composer half of Kander & Ebb – the team that gave us Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Scottsboro Boys – is working on three new full-length projects with writing partner Greg Pierce, who is five decades his junior.
Two Canadian Universities Dump Fuel On Shakespeare Debate
“Insofar as York University is supporting free and open inquiry and the asking of questions, that’s great. Insofar as we are lending credence to a theory that is very dubious – and dubious at best, and often not founded on rigorous scholarship – I find it troubling.”
The Lion King Set To Become Broadway’s First Billion-Dollar Musical
“Although Disney’s behemoth … has shown no signs of wavering since its debut in 1997, the smash hit is about to conquer a musical theater milestone, becoming the first Broadway musical to top $1 billion in cumulative grosses.” (That’s on Broadway alone, not worldwide.)
New Off Broadway Theatres For Midtown
The complex will include three theaters with different capacities — 99 seats, 199 seats and 249 seats. “General managers consistently tell us that the West Side of Manhattan in Midtown is where every producer wants to be, but there are too few venues.”
Stephen Sondheim Preparing Gay-Themed Revision Of Company
“The biggest change in this new [version] would be the central character of Bobby. Whereas he has always been a straight man struggling with commitment issues and multiple girlfriends, he has been reconceived … as a gay man with commitment issues and multiple boyfriends.”
London’s Old Vic “Desperately” Needs Renovation
“The Old Vic in London is to submit a planning application to the local council to create a dedicated space for its talent development arm as part of major restoration works aimed at securing the future of the ‘crumbling’ building.