Increasingly, off-Broadway hits making the transition to Broadway are doing more than minor tweaking in between shows. Some are asked to change nearly everything that made the show appealing in the first place. “Urinetown and Avenue Q showed it was possible to go Broadway without shedding one’s eccentric or unconventional Off Broadway appeal.” But that hasn’t changed Broadway’s insatiable appetite for commercially safe, non-controversial theatre, and many are left wondering whether a move to Broadway is even worth the trouble.
Tag: 10.29.06
U.S. Cultural Diplomacy Getting A Boost
“This summer, the United States Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, once again made its presence felt on the cultural scene by sponsoring a photo exhibition, an experimental jazz performance, a classical music concert and a visit from the Whiffenpoofs, Yale University’s a cappella singers. Americans have been teaching hip-hop in Indonesia, Malaysia and Jordan. Chinese and American filmmakers are getting together to talk shop. Videography is coming to Belarus. And all of it is thanks to Uncle Sam.”
Appointment TV? That’s So Last Decade.
Critics have been practically begging viewers to support a raft of new serialized dramas on American TV this fall, but reality (in the form of ratings) seems to suggest that few viewers have the time or interest to commit to watching a complex and ongoing story week after week.
Charge: Reading Lolita Is Propaganda
Is Azar Nafisi’s bestselling memoir, ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ “neoconservative propaganda aimed at Islam?”
Gordimer Attacked During Home Invasion
Nobel Prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer was attacked on Thursday at her home in South Africa, according to local authorities. Gordimer, who is 83, was not seriously injured when burglars broke into her home and made off with cash and jewelry.
Quiet. Please.
A Canadian ecologist is on a crusade to preserve silence in his country’s national parks. Specifically, Gordon Hempton wants the government to legislate certain areas in which all kinds of man-made noise – airplanes, traffic, electric generators, even overly chatty campers – are forbidden.
Is There Anybody Out There?
Radio orchestras have a long and distinguished history in Germany, where their proliferation was a major part of the postwar rebuilding of the country’s infrastructure. “Unlike regular symphony orchestras, they did not have to worry about selling tickets, and focused on studio recordings of unusual repertory, including contemporary music… [But] radio stations no longer have deep pockets; licensing fees have not risen to keep pace with inflation. And in the age of CD’s and iTunes, studio recordings made for broadcast are no longer essential.” Despite efforts to adapt, many radio orchestras are teetering on the brink as Germany attempts to square budgetary concerns with its record number of professional orchestras.
They’ll Still Call Themselves “Cleveland,” For Old Time’s Sake
The Cleveland Orchestra has always been a bit of an anomaly among America’s major orchestras, based as it is in a low-profile, mid-sized city with a history of economic problems. The challenge of maintaining one of the world’s top bands in a community that doesn’t really have the money or the population to support it has caused the ensemble to begin seeking periodic residencies away from home, notably in New York, central Europe, and beginning this year, at Miami’s new performing arts center.
China Rising
“Anyone who likes classical music is aware of the changing face, literally, of this Old World art form. Increasingly, its new virtuoso practitioners are coming from Asia, and especially from China, where European art music has entered a golden age.”
We Have The Technology, But Do We Have The Interest?
When satellite radio was first launched, its proponents promised that it would revolutionize the music business, and allow consumers to discover untold amounts of new music that didn’t fit the increasingly narrow playlist of terrestrial radio. But have satellite and other new music delivery services delivered on their promise, and more importantly, is the public buying into it?