Mind you, this isn’t a question of mime or dance. Chris Jones considers the implications of The King’s Speech, in which Britain’s King George VI learns to use his voice properly, and Lucas Hnath’s recent play Dana H, in which the star (brilliantly) lip-synchs to a recording of the playwright’s own mother recounting a horrific experience and its aftermath. – Chicago Tribune
Tag: 09.25.19
Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” Sequel Breaks Canadian Bookseller Records
The novel, which is a sequel to Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, sold more print copies in the first week than any other Canadian book since BookNet Canada began tracking sales data in 2005. – CBC
Co-Founder Jann Wenner Steps Down From Rock Hall Of Fame
In time, Wenner, who founded the Rock Hall with the record executive Ahmet Ertegun, became more associated with the institution than any other figure — becoming its top negotiator in the industry, as well as the person blamed, fairly or unfairly, for its shortcomings. – The New York Times
How Tiny Intimate Sounds Have Become A YouTube Phenomenon
Over the past two years, ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) videos have ballooned on YouTube, where some of their creators — known as “ASMRtists” — boast millions of subscribers and hundreds of millions of views. Popular ASMR video-makers include Gibi, Fluffy, Pelagea, ASMR Darling, Sophie Michelle, Tingting, and Caroline. Perhaps the most famous is Maria, whose channel, Gentle Whispering, has more than 630 million views. – Los Angeles Review of Books
Pop-Up Replica Of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre Collapses; Brexit Gets Blamed
The actual theatre didn’t physically collapse, though: the company that operated the venue in York for the past two summers, with a second replica at Blenheim Palace near Oxford this past summer, has run out of money and is liquidating. Audience numbers this year were barely more than half what was projected; for this, the company’s owners blame Brexit. – BBC
Massive New Zaha Hadid Airport – World’s Largest – Opens In Beijing
The new mega-airport, the second in Beijing, was designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid in the shape of a starfish with five connected concourses. It is said to be the world’s largest single-building airport terminal. At 700,000 sq metres, with four runways, it is expected to be able to handle 72 million passengers a year by 2025. By 2040, the airport is expected to expand to eight runways and accommodate 100 million passengers a year. – The Guardian
How Should Opera Companies Have Handled Complaints About Placido Domingo?
Justin Davidson: “Society has changed, and the Met is limping to keep up. When the news about Levine’s transgressions broke, the company called in lawyers to run an investigation, bury the results, and settle the case. The Domingo protest makes it clear that’s not enough to restore harmony within and trust without.” – New York Magazine
Google Tells France It Won’t Pay Publishers For Search Listings And Will Change How It Shows Results
The announcement pours cold water on publishers’ hopes of obtaining more money from the tech giant for displaying their content under the European Union’s new copyright regime, which France was the first to transpose into national law. – Politico
Time For Peter Gelb To Step Down From The Met Opera
Zoe Madonna: “It’s time for Gelb to go, and take the board with him. Time to bring in a team that wants to reclaim the beautiful living tradition of opera for the 21st century, this messy epoch that people still see as a newborn despite its being old enough to vote and almost old enough to drink. And until that happens, the Met Opera deserves every empty seat inside that house.” – Boston Globe
Stanley M. Freehling, One Of Chicago’s Greatest Arts Philanthropists, Dead At 95
“What was the crowning achievement of Stanley M. Freehling, the extraordinary philanthropist, fund-raiser and all-around arts agitator for the State of Illinois? Was it the saving of the Goodman Theatre? The creation of Ravinia, as Chicagoans now understand it to be? The salvation of the ailing Arts Club? Creating a key foundation for the world-class contemporary art collection at the Art Institute of Chicago? Or was it his offering up arts education for arts-averse Illinois politicians? It all depends on who you ask.” – Chicago Tribune