The reviews were terrific, but three well-thought-of plays have failed to find audiences on Broadway. “Among the theories floated by people involved in these productions are the absence of stars in the casts, a strong season of straight plays on Broadway, subject matter that invites resistance (apartheid, the African-American experience, workplace tension) and the general difficulty of making straight plays economically viable these days.” – New York Times
Tag: 12.26.00
UNCERTAINTY AT CARNEGIE
Plans for Carnegie Hall’s future are uncertain in the wake of the resignation of its director. For months long-time tenants of the hall have been having difficulty booking future dates, and it’s difficult to know what the concert hall’s policies will be. – New York Times
THE INTERNATIONAL ART
“Just as no football fan would ever mistake a Brazilian forward for a German one, so the seasoned ballet-goer likes to think they can tell an American or a Russian from the back of the gallery. Go to any performance of The Nutcracker in London or Manchester this week and you’ll see Danes dancing with Spaniards, Italians dancing with Japanese. Look hard and you may detect subtle differences of style. Yet stereotypes need to be handled with care: the surnames tell only half the story.” – The Telegraph (London)
FIRST NIGHT ALMOST LAST
Boston’s First Night New Year’s Eve celebrations are the biggest in the country, with hundreds of performances and artists participating. But last year, “to match large-scale celebrations planned in other major U.S. cities, First Night doubled its budget last year from $1.3 million to $2.7 million and spiffed up programming to include extras such as three days of cultural events, citywide laser shows and five fireworks displays.” Out-of-control costs nearly sank the popular event. – Boston Herald 12/26/00
THE ART OF APPEARING PRESIDENTIAL
A new exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington DC shows how artists through the past 224 years depicted presidents of the United States. – New Jersey Online (AP) 12/26/00