Category: theatre

“The Abbey Theatre may be moved to the GPO building on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, site of the 1916 Rising that led to Irish independence. … [The] aim is to have a new national theatre in place by 2016, the centenary of the Rising.”

In Shanghai, director Meng Jinghui’s murder mystery is no mere Broadway translation. The show’s lyricist explains: “If you take Rent on stage in China, it doesn’t make sense. We don’t have bohemia, we don’t have so many drug users or gay people, and we don’t do threesomes.”

“Despite a generally healthy Broadway economy that has seen box-office receipts climb for many shows, Shrek: The Musical posted a closing notice [for Jan. 3] today on the heels of rumors that the DreamWorks Theatricals production had been struggling to cover its weekly costs.”

“The Society of London Theatre questioned 716 people about the influence of TV talent programmes on the productions they were likely to see. … [A] third of people were more likely to attend any musical – not just the one they saw on television; and nearly a quarter would consider a play or comedy as well.”

“Fall’s been strong on Broadway, with several shows posting weekly grosses of more than $1 million. But at ‘Shrek,’ that number is stubbornly stuck at about $500,000, nearly $300,000 short of the show’s weekly running cost.”

“This has nothing to do with lack of respect for actors; just a lack of respect for the language they learn – perhaps at acting school – to describe what they do.” There are the verbs, like “nourish,” and the nouns, like “craft” and “journey.” “Does anyone else on the planet talk about their jobs like this?”

“While Broadway is having one of its strongest fall seasons in overall ticket sales in recent years, that unusual financial success is being driven by the star-studded productions of three plays, obscuring challenges facing several other shows.”

“For some reason theatre folk seem to find the often tedious process of journalism more fascinating than it really is. Why else would they be so determined to put it on stage?”

“Nick Bowling’s TimeLine Theatre production of ‘The History Boys’ passed the examinations of the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee and emerged triumphant at Monday night’s ceremony at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. It won five Jeffs, including for best midsized play.”

“For better and worse, Simon’s plays–in their complacency, insularity, and, yes, hilarity–connected with their audience on a level that theater almost never does anymore. Simon’s wisecrack-laden comedies made him, by many estimates, the most commercially successful playwright of all time.”