Readying For Battle On Broadway

“In what is shaping up to be one of the most bitter showdowns in Broadway history, theater producers and musicians have begun negotiations on a new contract that will hinge on the size of orchestras. Producers say union rules on the minimum number of musicians squeeze the producers at a time when Broadway rents, salaries and production costs have made mounting a musical almost prohibitively expensive. Union leaders say they are fighting for musicians’ jobs and the tradition of live music in the Broadway theater. Both sides are making preparations for a strike.”

And Then There Were Two

Two finalists have been named in the competition to determine what will be done with the space known as Ground Zero. Architect Daniel Libeskind, whose proposal includes much use of concrete and preservation of the Ground Zero site as a memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks, is one finalist. The other final slot goes to the THINK Team, headed by Rafael Viñoly, which proposes to construct an elaborate complex of glass and steel, dominated by two transparent latticework towers where the original Twin Towers once stood. The winning design will be announced by the end of the month.

Made To Order (But Whose Orders?)

A good building is the result not just of a good architect, but a good client. The two finalists for the WTC site have interesting proposals, but whether or not either one is able to actually build what they propose over the next decade will be complicated by just exactly who the client is – and there are competing jurisdictions…

Another “Cultural Strategy”…blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…

This week, London’s mayor Ken Livingston delivered a proposal for the city’s “cultural strategy.” And…. “I spent a dreary weekend ploughing through ‘London: Cultural Capital’s’ 170-odd pages, all of them replete with the cliches of the current culturespeak. Meaningless pleas for excellence, creativity and access abound. Innocent trees have been felled to provide the paper on which Ken laboriously explains how he wants London to be green and prosperous, and its cultural diversity to be respected. The art of stating the bleeding obvious lives on in strategies and this one is jumping with it. Beyond the waffle, what is proposed?”

Clinton & Gorbachev And Peter & The Wolf

Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev are narrating a new recording of “Peter and the Wolf.” “The last leader of the Soviet Union will join the former US president in a special performance of Prokofiev’s work by the Russian National Orchestra under the command of the Grammy-winning conductor Kent Nagano. The recording will be Mr Gorbachev’s English language debut.”

Waiter/Art Thief Faces Prison For Art Theft Spree

A waiter who stole paintings worth tens of millions of dollars over a six-year period, faces a ten-year prison term. “Stéphane Breitwieser targeted mostly small museums in France and Switzerland, but he has admitted to dipping into collections in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Austria.Among the vandalised canvasses were works by Antoine Watteau and Peter Bruegel. About 110 objects, valued at more than £6m, have been recovered including glassware, china, and musical instruments. But up to 60 paintings have not been found, and investigators fear they were destroyed” by the man’s mother.

Berlin To Keep Staatsoper Independent?

For two years cash-strapped Berlin has been trying to decide what to do ith its three opera houses. Proposals were made to merge operations, but that plan was vigorously opposed by Staatsoper director Daniel Barenboim. Now it looks like the companies may be saved. “Under proposals announced by the city’s arts chief, the Staatsoper and its renowned orchestra, the Staatskapelle, would retain their independence. But the three opera houses would pool a wide range of technical and administrative facilities and their ballet companies.”

Protesting The Protesting Poets

Roger Kimball was looking forward to going to the White House next week for lunch with Laura Bush and a symposium on “Poetry and the American Voice.” Then he heard the event had been cancelled after Copper Canyon Press founder Sam Hamill had organized an anti-war protest around the event. “What about the many distinguished poets who believe Sam Hamill is a publicity-craving nonentity who spoiled their chance to celebrate American poetry at the White House? They, of course, have not been mentioned much. ‘Poets for Responsible U.S. Foreign Policy’ is not news.”