Chicago’s new $46 million Goodman Theatre promises to play an enlightened role in the ongoing drama of downtown Chicago. “And that is good news for those seeking to breathe life into the city’s moribund theater district.Yet this is Chicago, where no good design deed goes unpunished by meddling from City Hall or its allies, so there’s a catch.” – Chicago Tribune
Tag: 12.12.00
MAYHEM GOES MAINSTREAM
David Blaine’s recent death-defying ice stunt looks an awful lot like the performance art of the ‘70s. The difference? Now it’s televised and nobody’s shocked. “What used to be some of the more extreme or esoteric forms of performance are suddenly crossing over into the mainstream. It brings up a familiar question: Is it possible to be adversarial anymore?” – Village Voice
WHAT ABOUT THE ART?
At a recent symposium for curators there was a lot of talk about museum expansion, but very little about the transformative power of art. “Museums are great. The problem is, too many of them have started to believe what they’re doing isn’t just good, but necessary. Too many curators seem to want to teach or preach to us; many are more interested in being do-gooders than in doing good by art.” – Village Voice
HIP-HOP PROFILING?
“The usual argument in support of the rappers-are-criminals theory boils down to this: If an artist boasts on record about beating people, shooting people, taking or selling drugs or abusing women, why shouldn’t the police consider them to be prime suspects? The answer is we should expect people, especially police, to distinguish between fantasy and reality.” – Boston Herald
CLEAN FOR WHAT?
To have their music sold in stores like Walmart, artists whose work contains profanity or controversial lyrics often record cleaned up versions. “You might think that these edited-for-content discs would be a popular alternative in an age of edgy music. Wrong. Young fans and artists hate them, many merchants disdain them, parents are confused by them, and even industry honchos find them wanting in quality.” – Los Angeles Times
THE COW IN BARBARA HENDRICKS’ POOL
“The intruder, either hungry for better grazing or charmed by the American diva’s voice, had broken through a series of fences before ending up in the water.” – Ninemsn (AAP)
LONG-LOST ULYSSES
“A newly revealed handwritten manuscript of the longest and most important chapter of James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’, which came to light last summer after being kept in a blue Moroccan-leather slipcase for close to 80 years, is scheduled to be auctioned on Thursday at Christie’s in Manhattan.” – New York Times
BETTER READING THROUGH PSYCHOANALYSIS?
- A psychological assessment of A.A. Milne’s children’s books suggests Winnie the Pooh’s seemingly tranquil forest is full of characters afflicted by obsessive compulsion behaviour, anxiety, dyslexia and severe depression. “It is clear to our group of modern neurodevelopmentalists that these are, in fact, stories of Seriously Troubled Individuals, many of whom meet [medically standard] criteria for significant disorders.” – National Post (Canada)
DANCING FOR PROFIT
Since the South African government has discontinued funding for dance a new for-profit company has stepped in to see if dance can be commercially viable. The obvious first choice? “Nutcracker” of course. – The Daily Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)
THE GUARDIAN’S CRITICS TRADE BEATS FOR A WEEK (Part One)
“Critics are experts in their fields, but is that always a good thing? Or can a fresh pair of eyes offer new insights?”
- MOVIE CRITIC DOES VERDI: “The experience of watching opera renders superfluous the cinema critic’s expertise in assessing the composition of a ‘shot’. Often force of habit had me complaining for a fraction of a second: surely this set-up is wrong?” – The Guardian 12/12/00
- MUSIC CRITIC DOES THE DALMATIANS MOVIE: “Yes, but it’s only a story. Don’t take it so literally. Try and be an echt film critic. You see, I’ve got the vocabulary.” – The Guardian 12/12/00