You can’t turn around these days without bumping into a theatrical production that is little more than an excuse to showcase music that was wildly popular a few decades ago. From Mama Mia to Movin’ Out, Broadway is rife with such shows, and the new season will include new revues featuring the work of The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash. “A quick look at the demographic of the theatre-going public reveals that once again — as in so many other places — the dreaded boomers have a stranglehold. It’s no wonder, then, that producers will try to woo them with material from their happily remembered youth.”
Tag: 10.16.04
Colorado Looks To Renew Its Arts Tax
Colorado’s Scientific and Cultural Facilities District is the fancy name for a sales tax that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for arts and cultural groups in the state. But the tax is up for a renewal vote this fall, and the public is likely to want tangible assurances that the money is having a positive impact. “Cultural organizations have bigger budgets and larger staffs because of the tax. And SCFD funding has helped create cooperation among groups in terms of programming (even some shared mailing lists), and more sophisticated, persistent marketing.”
Ohlsson’s Crosstown Doubleheader
It happens to the best of us: a busy day combines with a brief brain lapse, and suddenly, you’ve double-booked yourself. It’s a tricky situation for anyone, but when you’re one of the world’s most popular concert pianists, it’s a major headache. Enter Garrick Ohlsson, who is scheduled to appear in both Newark and Montclair, New Jersey, this coming Friday night. Unfortunately, cancellation was not an option for either concert; fortunately, the two towns are only 12 miles apart. The solution: Montclair’s concert will be pushed up by half and hour, and as soon as he is done taking his bows, Ohlsson will dash off to Newark, arriving minutes before he is scheduled to take the stage.
More Than Just The Backup Band
Most classical music enthusiasts are aware that the Dallas Symphony has elevated itself over the last decade or so to a position in the top ranks of American orchestras. But toiling in the shadow of Dallas is another outstanding ensemble that usually gets mentioned in the national press only as the resident orchestra for the Van Cliburn piano competition. Once a regional chamber orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony has thrived under the leadership of music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and William Littler says that the group deserves to be taken seriously in any discussion of North America’s top orchestras.