“On Broadway, I think reviews are less and less relevant. So much of the Broadway audience now is tourists, who want to approximate the experience of going to a theme park. At the moment we are in the midst of ‘the theatre of celebrity’. If you can get a star, preferably from TV or the movies, and especially if they are willing to take their clothes off – you are guaranteed a hit.”
Tag: 10.03.05
Download Music Sales Up, Total Sales Down
Sales of downloaded music have tripled in the past year and now account for 6% of record industry sales, worth $790 million. “However, revenue from sales of physical music formats, like CDs, fell 6.3% and the overall market by 1.9%. That translates to a global drop in the market from $13.4 billion (£7.6bn) to $13.2 billion (£7.5bn), for all music sales – regardless of format.”
The Hurricane, The Violinist, And The Violin Maker
Samuel Thompson survived Hurricane Katrina with little more than the violin that is his professional livelihood. He became famous after a photographer took a picture of him playing for victims at the Superdome. The Massachusetts woman who made Thompson’s instrument was glad to see her instrument…
Is Arts Coverage About To Change At The LA Times?
“After five years of sagging circulation and advertising, new managers at the Times are pushing for more coverage of Hollywood and celebrities. They want shorter stories and more regional reporting in the intensely competitive bedroom communities around Los Angeles.”
“Atomic” Explodes
“New operas are always big events, but the hype surrounding this one went off the scale. This climax contains some of the most powerful and haunting music Adams has written. It relies on one of the most astonishing bits of stagecraft Sellars has conceived. It expands your consciousness in the way opera is uniquely qualified to do on those rare occasions when the art form is working with all its cylinders firing.”
Michael Feingold: Remembering August Wilson
“Soft-spoken, easygoing, and modest, August was the least grandiose and least arrogant artist imaginable to achieve something so big. You might expect the man who could envision and create a 10-play cycle illustrating African American life in the 10 decades of the 20th century to be haughty, self-demonstrating, full of pronouncements about the high meanings of his work. That was not August’s way.”
An August Wilson Legacy
“He inspired a generation of black theater artists. And he will be greatly missed by many who knew him, in Seattle and beyond, as a generous friend and remarkable storyteller.”
Italy Says Getty Will Return Three Artifacts
Italy’s culture minister says the Getty Museum will return three artifacts to Italy. “Italian officials traveling to Los Angeles will receive the artifacts ‘within the next few days’ in the form of a donation from the Getty, ministry spokesman Walter Guarracino said. He said the donation formula allows the museum to avoid admitting any wrongdoing in the acquisition of the objects and doesn’t alter Italy’s position in its trial against Getty antiquities curator Marion True.”
August Wilson’s Place In History
“This period of time will ultimately be characterized by the work of the playwrights who gave voice to the American experiences that are not from the Anglo European tradition … playwrights such as David Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Nilo Cruz and others. But August’s work will tower above all. He turned cultural history into dramatic poetry. You have to look back to the Henry cycle of Shakespeare to find a similar artistic accomplishment.”
Levy Wins Orange’s Best Of The Best
Andrea Levy wins the Orange Prize for Fiction’s best of the best award, for her novel “Small Island”. The award was granted for the best of the first 10 winners of the Orange Prize which aims to recognise and promote women’s fiction. The chairwomen of judging teams from each year chose Levy – who won the prize in 2004 – as the overall winner.