Category: theatre

In a 500-show career, Merle Debuskey fought with Lauren Bacall, punched out Mort Sahl, made out with Kim Stanley, fought off Irene Pappas, and rescued Zero Mostel.

Speaking to The Independent, Miller, aged 76, confessed he had no idea about the state of contemporary theatre because he preferred to give it all a miss. “I don’t bother,” he said. “I’m not interested in theatre, I never was. I don’t want to go to the West End; I hate travelling, I prefer to be at home with my grandchildren, and just go to Marks & Spencer.”

“The downbeat look is out; sequins and red lipstick are very much in. For while it may be true that standup comedy is still king of the fringe, sophisticated cabaret and its brash theatrical sister, variety, will be giving comics a run for their money this month.”

“Every act at the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe dreams of making it big, and a special few succeed. As performers gather for the 2010 event, illustrious predecessors tell Arifa Akbar and Harry Morgan about the Scottish nights when their careers took off.”

“I can only see a place for these if you’re very fat or six years old. Sitting down for dinner while Countdown is on feels deeply weird, and nothing is less conducive to appetite or pleasure than checking your watch every three minutes, or drinking the wine quicker than you’d like because you don’t want to waste it.”

“You can’t increase your programming and cut your marketing budget and expect that you’re just going to fill the seats magically. It’s not working. I mean, I’m sure you’re noticing acres of empty seats around you as you see what’s going on.”

“Sometimes, in bitter moods, I totally get why this weirdo likes to boycott Disney stores. But one of the great things Disney has done (besides inventing animatronics) is put a massive amount of money behind one of America’s dying art forms–the theatre.”

Should cultural institutions — organic and homegrown as so many of them are — strive to hire local for their creative leadership?

“The Cherry Lane Theater will not produce plays on its main stage for a year beginning in September, and possibly longer, to buy time to cope with a deficit of roughly $167,000 through the 2010 fiscal year.”

Marc Wolf, author and performer of Another American Asking and Telling: “I soon discovered that my worries about preaching to the choir were unfounded because, where gays in the military are concerned, there has never been a choir to preach to.”