Michael Billington is distubed by a “disturbing European trend that Britain has largely escaped: one where the director is an unassailable monarch and classic texts are pieces of clay to be shaped to his often infantile needs.”
Tag: 11.10.03
Sony’s Latest Gamble
Sony is preparing to begin selling a new type of copy-protected CD in Germany, with hopes to expand worldwide if consumers embrace the new technology. The CDs do not allow users to share their contents on illegal file-swapping sites, but contain a compressed digital copy of the music which individual consumers can “rip” to their computers and later download to Sony-based portable music players. In what has become a familiar dance, the company is calling its new CDs a breakthrough for consumers, and consumer groups opposed to copy protection of any sort are claiming that the discs can cause computers to malfunction, and are unfairly limiting in any case.
Company’s Coming
A new book asserts that the company as an organizational model is indispensible to progress. “The most important organisation in the world is the company: the basis of the prosperity of the west and the best hope for the future of the rest of the world.”
What NPR Ought To Do With Its Money
The Boston Globe editorial page offers some suggestions to NPR on what to spend some of its $200 million windfall: “Bring back music and culture programming. NPR’s news reports are thoughtful and compelling. Its talk shows are topical and a nice way to bring listeners into conversations. And “Car Talk” is great entertainment. But occasionally all this talk is wearying. Balance could be provided by music shows and radio documentaries.”
Eubie Blake Musical Gets A Second Chance (60 Years Later)
“More than 60 years after its premiere, the musical that Eubie Blake and Andy Razaf considered their masterpiece – ‘Tan Manhattan’ – finally is getting a second chance. To the songwriters’ considerable dismay, the show died in February 1941, after just a few engagements…”
Voters – Wanna See A Movie?
With the Motion Picture Academy declining to send DVD copies of movies to voters of awards, studios are getting creative about getting voters in front of their pitcures.
Disney As Hard Rock Cafe?
Alex Ross goes to Disney Hall: “Gehry’s building is enjoying a mammoth wave of publicity, the like of which has not been seen in classical parts since Lenny partied with the Panthers on Park Avenue. My first reaction was of slightly disappointed déjà vu; if more of these silver-winged creations touch down in cities around the world, they will begin to resemble quarter-of-a-billion-dollar Hard Rock Cafés.”
Tough Anti-Copy Laws Come To UK
European digital rights management comes to the UK. “While much of what home users do with their CDs, DVDs and videos could now be legally questionable, the directive is instead aimed at large-scale privacy outfits.”
Royal Shakespeare Company Denies Demolition Plans
The Royal Shakespeare Company denies it hs decided to tear down its Stratford theatre. “The Sunday Times said plans to demolish the RSC’s grade II-listed venue to make way for a £100m ‘theatre village’ were being scrapped. An RSC spokesman said demolition was ‘the least likely of our options’ but no definite plans had been finalised.”
Chicago’s New Theatre – It Works
Chicago’s new theatre for mid-size arts companies had its debut over the weekend. It’s not the warmest space to be in, reports Sid Smith. But “on the plus side, the seats are comfortable, and a steep rake, especially in the balconies, makes for superb sightlines, particularly for dance. The well-equipped stage is wide and deep, but flexible, able to accommodate both the large corps de ballet from George Balanchine’s ‘Serenade’ and the natural intimacy of duets during Saturday’s inaugural gala.”