Category: theatre

“Patrolling the city since March last year, this group of mute, sad-faced, black and white-clad mediators [on stilts] stalk the city’s busy bar strips on weekend nights, gently encouraging people to drink, smoke and chat at a lower volume.” And it actually seems to work.

“Where will we change costumes? Will we even fit into the costumes? Will we be believable? Will the audience be distracted and confused? It can be an uphill battle.”

“The memories it springs are so generational. Everybody still alive in this city can still remember the first time they walked into this gorgeous theatre.”

“In just 10 short years, Washington’s theaters have undergone a transformation unlike any in the city’s history.”

As a series of high-profile productions opens in New York this season, writes Charles Isherwood, “fellow New York Times writers and I will be regularly posting commentaries on aspects of them, engaging larger questions about how today’s theater artists approach these canonical works, and inviting you to add your opinions about how vitally Shakespeare continues to speak to modern audiences.”

“Germany has had a kick-me sign on its back for comedians at least since Kaiser Wilhelm donned a spiked helmet more than a century ago.” (Think Charlie Chaplin, Mel Brooks’s The Producers, Hogan’s Heroes, Mike Myers’s Sprockets.) But all those acts were outsiders laughing at Germans. Germans are getting in the act now. … Lederhosen-wearing Hilby the Skinny German Juggle Boy is among a growing group of German comedians who get laughs mocking Germany.”

“Social media has a significant presence alongside professional reviews. Close to one in four (24%) “tweet” about the performance they are about to see or have already seen, increasing to nearly half (47%) of 16-19 year old attendees.”

“Four out of every five people admitted to whispering during plays or musicals, while 21 per cent had taken photographs during a live show.A third claimed they had checked their phone during shows, with one in ten arguing it is acceptable to tweet or use social media at live events.”

Four cast members of an Irish-Bosnian co-production of The Conquest of Happiness “were detained … on Monday evening after the bullets, which were sewn into the lining of a jacket worn by one of the actors on set, were discovered by a scanner.”

“What has fur, four legs and a leather collar? If you guessed a dog, you probably haven’t yet seen David Ives’s dark sex comedy Venus in Fur. But you should have plenty of chances, as the play is set to be the most-performed play in American theaters in the 2013-14 season, with 22 productions across the country.”