Category: theatre

“On New Year’s Eve the hugely influential English director Peter Brook finally ended his 36-year tenure at the experimental Bouffes du Nord theatre in the French capital. Friday night’s performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute was the 85-year-old’s last production as the artistic head of a venue that has become synonymous with inventive, avant-garde work.”

“Turn up five minutes late to a restaurant reservation and your table will be waiting … but turn up even two minutes late to the theatre and you’re greeted by the disappointed face of the usher which seems to say ‘Where have you been? Look, the doors are shut – and behind those doors are literally HUNDREDS of people simply more competent at everyday life tasks than you’.”

“On January 2, 2011, the New York production of Disney musical The Lion King will play its 5,462th performance, making it the seventh longest-running show in Broadway history.”

“From the vantage of our den on Central Park West, where my mother, Judith Ross, co-wrote the book, or the living room, where my parents held readings of the script to attract investors, or the dining room, where they debated every aspect of the show, I watched them build the perfect beast. A spectacle like no one had ever seen.”

“The news of so many showbituaries has produced nervous hand-wringing among seasoned arts patrons. Many can’t help but ask: What is wrong with Broadway? The answer is: nothing we didn’t already know.”

“[To] acquire acting skills that could help the rest of robotkind interact more fluidly with humans. And boy, do robots have a lot to learn. Present-day robots can often be annoying, creepy or just plain rude in their interactions with us.”

“For actors who have been with their shows for several years, from workshops to Broadway, closing-night tears often sting more sharply. Playing the same character eight shows a week will do that to a person.”

Stephen Sondheim appeared on ABC’s “Nightline” on Tuesday night, and during the interview, the theater legend disclosed that he found the words to his 1957 masterpiece “West Side Story,” written with Arthur Laurents and Leonard Bernstein — are you ready for this? — “embarrassing.”

“Because I think once you have a situation where there is $65 million at stake, it’s very hard for anybody to say no. An actor who says, ‘No, I won’t do that; it’s unsafe,’ is basically an actor who’s saying, ‘I’ve got to quit my job.’ “

David Rooney: “[A] smooth pate is rarely a major social asset on a white guy. Except perhaps in a Broadway theater. In recent seasons I have been showered with unexpected attention during more than one show because of the gleaming beacon of my fur-free head.”