Clive Barnes appreciates Assassins is Sondheim. But Assassins isn’t necessarily good Sondheim: “There’s more ironic style here than theatrical substance, and the total effect is like a master marksman shooting blanks.”
Tag: 04.23.04
Marks: A Sondheim Classic
Does Assassins belong with other Sondheim classics? Peter Marks says yes: “Joe Mantello’s spectacular production for the Roundabout Theatre Company reveals it at long last to be one of Stephen Sondheim’s most original, disturbing and exquisitely scored shows.”
An Assassins Tony?
They’re already talking about “Assassins for a Tony. But will it be in the new musical category or revival? “If “Assassins” is ruled a revival, it is almost certain to snatch the award from “Wonderful Town,” which is limping at the box office and will be sunk if it doesn’t win. But if “Assassins” is deemed a new musical, it will elbow “Bombay Dreams” and “The Boy From Oz” out of the field of nominees – which, in addition to “Assassins,” will surely be made up of “Wicked,” “Caroline, or Change” and “Avenue Q.” Sondheim will be eligible for his score, and will probably win.”
How Do Dancers Communicate?
“Unlike the actor’s, the dancer’s body inevitably resists being given away. The more fully a dancer throws themselves into dancing a part, the more they come across physically as completely themselves. It is a paradox, not just of dance, but of our own existence, that often when physical being is at full tilt, the human essence seems most visible. When a dancer is giving it all they’ve got, what we see is no illusion, even if they are performing a “role”: the animating spirit cannot be borrowed or faked, it is the dancer’s own.”
Acting Students – Are There Jobs?
What happens to the young acting students schools turn out each year? “It is an oft-quoted cliche that acting boasts a permanent 90% unemployment rate. And while David Cox, drama administrator at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, is at pains to insist that ‘90% of our students work professionally within 12 months of graduation’, he does admit: It is very rare that they’ll be able to make a living during the first year or two.”
Scotland To Undertake Major Review Of Arts Policy
“A ‘once in a generation’ review of the arts, which makes widening access to arts and culture a cornerstone of public policy, was announced by Scotland’s culture minister yesterday”
Scotland: Culture Review Short On Specifics
What will Scotland’s year-long culture review consist of? “The culture minister, Frank McAveety, called the review the start of a ‘new era’ and a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”. But there were few specifics in the “cultural policy statement” that the executive produced yesterday in a glossy brochure. Mr McAveety talked repeatedly of changing a “20th- century” arts infrastructure in Scotland and of “trimming unnecessary bureaucracy” to achieve ‘best value’. But the document offered no concrete working proposals.”
Sanitary Music
“The prevalence of swearwords in modern pop has led to the rise of ‘radio friendly’ versions of singles, in which obscenities are muted, leaving only either the initial consonant or an isolated vowel. When swearing is the very point of a record, this approach results in a quite bizarre stop-start patchwork of noise and silence. Perhaps this is a cunning marketing ploy.”
The Electronic Paper Book (Wow!)
A new electronic book reader mimics the look of paper. “The quality of the display will come as quite a shock to any seasoned user of mobile devices; it looks more like paper than the computer screen it is. The closest comparison is to think of old-fashioned ink on pulp you’re likely holding now, unless you’re reading this online, in which case the Librie looks far better. In fact, as it’s a reflective screen, it looks the same whether you read it indoors or out.”
Brit Art Plays Well In Teheran
You might have thought that a show of contemporary edgy British art in Teheran might have set off a few fundamentalist fireworks. But “the mullahs kept quiet, and the show ended last week after a noisily popular run. Thousands crowded in during the first few days; thereafter it drew a record 600 visitors a day on average.”