Category: theatre

“There were no evacuations from Broadway theaters. all Broadway matinee and evening shows will go on as scheduled today.”

So, just how does it feel to be the most powerful female in theatre-land? “Do you know, I’ve never really thought about it like that. It’s all a load of nonsense, isn’t it? I think you are as good as your work and as good as the theatres you run,”

“John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, creators of the stage hit Chicago (actually Kander plus the heirs of the deceased others) vs. Miramax Film Corp. and Walt Disney Pictures is headed to a courtroom near us in a fight over proceeds from the 2002 hit film version of the musical. The original stage version opened on Broadway in 1975.”

“According to the useful review aggregator StageGrade, New York critics gave Enron a median grade of B, which includes an outright slam from Ben Brantley of the New York Times. … Given the hype that preceded Enron, the turn of events is surprising. But then, it should shock no one that British critics raved about the show …”

“In fact, the evidence from the famous 76 rules agreed between the parties is that great effort has gone into suppressing any hints of theatricality. The reaction of the live theatre audience is carefully contained: rule 40 stops it applauding, rule 71 ensures its grimaces and smiles are hidden from us.”

“So, you have a term paper on Euripides due tomorrow and you haven’t even cracked Medea, The Trojan Women or any other of the ancient Greek writer’s tragedies. … The publishing house Smith & Kraus perhaps has the answer. It has recently launched a series titled ‘Playwrights in an Hour’ that consists of 27 slim volumes dedicated to different dramatists.”

Charlotte Higgins: “It is possible that I am just too old for this kind of thing. But for a start, Twitter’s public, right? So it somewhat stretches credibility to think that Romeo and Juliet would use it to conduct their secret love affair. Second – the whole thing’s interminable. It’s been going for a fortnight, and we’ve only just had Romeo and Juliet falling for each other.”

“A Night Less Ordinary, the government-launched free theatre initiative, has come under fire yet again after it emerged that the entire communications budget for the scheme has already been exhausted, despite the fact that the project has nearly a year to run and is still well short of its stated target of giving away in excess of 500,000 free tickets to under 26 year olds.”

“Most of us became critics because we love the theatre and, while battling the meretricious or shoddy, are thrilled when we’re able to chronicle a promising career, point to achievement and, maybe, discover greatness. And, yes, we possess the knowledge to do so with some authority. Think of us as educated and experienced audience members, not some snooty elite from another planet.”

“What used to mean bellowing ‘Look behind you’ in chorus with a crowd of infants now means taking centre stage in plays that are all about you. This is interactive theatre, an artform in a hurry, from the fringes of experimental theatre to the heart of the mainstream.”