British novelist and critic Malcolm Bradbury, who died this week, will be remembered as much for his famous writing classes as for his own satirical style. “He believed that a work of prose fiction or drama is seldom perfectly achieved in its early drafts, but that it emerges like a sculpture from a block of stone only through intellectual vigilance and meticulous rewriting.” – The Telegraph (UK)
Tag: 12.01.00
THE NATIONAL’S IDENTITY PROBLEM
All the fuss about the running of London’s National Theatre doesn’t matter much. The real concern is whether a successor to current director Trevor Nunn be found who can realize the place’s potential. “The ongoing off-stage drama of the National Theatre is an instructive parable. It’s the story of a great arts institution that has, from its inception, had a built-in identity problem. It’s the story of the tail wagging the dog – of an art-form that is all about the creation of magic in the here-and-now being in thrall to a building that is – in both the good and bad sense of the word – history.” – The Independent (UK)
“SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL” OPENS on Broadway —
— and the early reviews aren’t pretty: “Whoever the many chefs were, the finished product is a flavorless broth.” – New York Times
LACKING FOR TALENT: “There isn’t much wrong with the new musical “Seussical” that a comparatively small earthquake could not put more or less right. In fact, apart from its routine music, limp lyrics and diffuse book, it is really only the concept that goes grievously wrong. It puts whimsy where talent should be.” – New York Post
ON THE CONTRARY: ” ‘Seussical the Musical’,’ which spent an awkward adolescence at Boston’s Colonial Theatre in September, has matured into a sleeker, more confident show for its Broadway bow.” – Boston Herald
THE SEUSS INDUSTRY: The Grinch and “Seussical” are only the beginning of a flood of Seuss-based projects in the wings to be brought to life. – New York Daily News
LONG JOURNEY INDEED
The producer of the London production of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (starring Jessica Lange) had hoped to transfer the successful show to New York. “But now, it seems, any transfer may be blocked by a messy battle with a New York-based producer who says he holds the Broadway rights to that American classic.” – New York Times
INVESTING IN THE BIZ
Two of the producers of “Rent” on Broadway are plowing some of the millions they earned on the show back into the business. They propose to build a new Off-Broadway performing arts center. “The proposed eight-story building will include two state-of-the art off-Broadway theaters (one with 499 seats, the other with 450), dance studios, rehearsal halls, office space and condominiums. The cost of the project is $15 million.” – New York Post
SALES SLUMP
After booming sales earlier this year, Australia’s art market is showing signs of cooling off. At this week’s major auctions, buyers were cautious and even important works attracted scant interest – due in part to the recent imposition of a countrywide GST. “Instead of the frenetic bidding that had turned the big art sales of the past into gladiatorial contests, the salesroom at Christie’s was as quiet as a picnic.” – Sydney Morning Herald
HORSE SENSE
A painting by George Stubbs (an equine painter who died in 1806) fetched an astonishing £2.7 million at auction this week. “The story of how Stubbs rose from minor specialist artist to auction house megastar involves an American millionaire, a Derby winner, and a contender for the Turner prize…” – The Guardian (UK)
UNLIKELY BENEFACTOR
Russia’s struggling Sakharov Museum, which “aims to promote the ideas of human rights and civil society,” has been offered a boost from an unlikely source. Boris Berezovsky, the industrialist accused of embezzling $1 billion from Aeroflot airlines and who fled the country last month, has gievn the museum $3 million. “The donated sum is almost twice the museum’s total budget over the four years of its existence, which was about $1.7 million. That money had come from foreign grants, the bulk of which were from the U.S. Agency on International Development, which stopped funding this fall.” – Moscow Times
MULTIPLE EDITIONS?
Just before the Turner Prize winner was announced this week, Glenn Brown, one of the nominees was accused of plagiarizing the work of a science fiction artist. Now another artist has come forward to make a similar claim about another Brown painting. – The Times (UK)
REMEMBERING BRADBURY
British novelist and critic Malcolm Bradbury, who died this week, will be remembered as much for his famous writing classes as for his own satirical style. “He believed that a work of prose fiction or drama is seldom perfectly achieved in its early drafts, but that it emerges like a sculpture from a block of stone only through intellectual vigilance and meticulous rewriting.” – The Telegraph (UK)