“We certainly have been through downturns before — with the city fiscal crisis in the ’70s, another one in the ’80s, the tech bubble in 2000, and after 9/11. But this is the first time that all quarters of the economy that affect theater are taking a hit at the same time.”
Category: theatre
In Singapore, Children Barred From Seeing All-Male Earnest
“Presenting Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ with an all-male cast dressed as men has raised a few eyebrows in conservative Singapore, leading the media regulator to request the company to prominently display an age advisory of ’16 years and above’ on all its publicity material, with the notice, ‘Re-interpretation, all-male cast.'” The production “has particular resonance in Singapore, where homosexuality is still a criminal activity.”
If Shakespeare Was Sexy … Well, So What?
Heavy breathing over the handsome man in the might-be-Shakespeare portrait reflects our culture of celebrity and no more than that. “There’s nothing wrong with speculating about what Shakespeare looked like nor about what he might have gotten up to in bed. … The problems begin when baseless speculation about the life is used to interpret–and, more often than not, misinterpret–the work.”
Disney Notices It’s Expensive To Take Kids To The Theatre
“Disney Theatrical Productions announced a new ticket-discounting strategy on Wednesday to boost sales for its three Broadway shows, offering a $15 companion ticket to any theatergoer who buys a regularly priced ticket this spring. The promotion will apply to ‘The Little Mermaid,’ which has lost considerable ground compared with a year ago, as well as ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘The Lion King.'”
A Playwright’s ‘Necessary Irresponsibility’
Stephen Brown, author of Future Me, a piece about pedophiles: “Writing a play about child abuse isn’t easy. But it helped when the [UK government’s] home office asked me to stop.”
Russia, Show Us Your Classics!
“If Russia is worried about its identity abroad, it could spend less time on the defensive and more time promoting its rich cultural heritage. There is a vast multitude of ‘lost’ Russian classics. Not lost to Russians, but lost to the west – or, to put it another way, ripe for rediscovery.”
Failed Company Gives Its Funds To University Drama Dept.
“Milwaukee Shakespeare, which closed suddenly in October when it lost its principal funder, is giving its remaining financial assets,” about $38,000, “to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee theater department. … The money is being given to the UWM Foundation for an endowment that will help underwrite student Shakespeare productions.”
This Season, Broadway Gives Screen Stars A Workout
“Broadway’s the happening place for stars like [James] Gandolfini with a yen to moonlight. And the trend is accelerating. It’s becoming ever rarer for a straight play to arrive without a brand-name eminence. This spring has yielded the most crowded field in memory.”
Critic Nicholas de Jongh To Leave London Evening Standard
After 17 years at the paper, “de Jongh said he had decided to step down to spend more time writing. He is working on a film version of his West End play, Plague Over England… and is also writing a book.”
Assault Charges Against Conductor/Maria Judge Simon Lee On Hold
“Charges have been stayed against Simon Lee, the British stage conductor and longtime Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborator, over an incident that was alleged to have taken place in Toronto last summer during the finale of CBC-TV’s How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?“