ANALYSIS
Economic woes will put creativity in the red
Times (UK) Nov 4, 08 5:05 PM CST
(Newser)
-
The end of the Bush era could mean tough times for the arts, the Morgan Falconer writes in the Times of London. Not only will artists, filmmakers, and writers lose the muse who has inspired critical works, but the economic crisis will drain financial support. John McCain already implied he would trim federal backing, and Barack Obama would likely be forced to do the same.
More »
theater review
Supporting performer is center of attention in Broadway production of All My Sons
E! Online Oct 17, 08 5:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
In a perfect world, stars John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest would be the center of attention in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons . “In this world, however, Mrs. Tom Cruise is playing a supporting role,” writes Natalie Finn of E!. So with tabloid-lovers watching and Anonymous protesting outside, how did Katie Holmes do in her Broadway debut? Not bad, critics say, but not great.
More »
Bumpy life of Deep Throat star hits LA stage
Los Angeles Times Oct 15, 08 2:05 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Slut or victim? Porn star or feminist? A Los Angeles stage production tackles the contradictions of Linda Boreman—better known as Linda Lovelace, of 1970s hit Deep Throat , the Los Angeles Times reports. The creators of Lovelace: The Rock Opera “wanted to know Linda as a person, beyond the controversy,” Anna Waronker says. “She was an incredibly brave person whose every change in life was put on display.”
More »
"The Philanthropist" opens next April
Associated Press Oct 7, 08 9:35 CDT
(AP)
-
Matthew Broderick will return to Broadway next spring in a revival of "The Philanthropist," a comedy by English playwright Christopher Hampton. Broderick, in his first Broadway appearance since the 2005 revival of "The Odd Couple," portrays Philip, an insular college professor. Directed by David Grindley, the Roundabout Theatre Company production will open April 26, 2009.
More »
OPINION
With musical version making way across US, a look at its ageless appeal
Chicago Tribune Sep 30, 08 10:10 CDT
(Newser)
-
Baby is back, but her teen spirit never really left us. With the stage version of Dirty Dancing already a hit in London and starting a US tour this weekend, the Chicago Tribune runs down 10 reasons why fans are still having the time of their lives. It features "dirty" dancing. It's a how-to on having sex with your clothes on. It made Keds cool. Even Dancing With the Stars novices don't get to wear gym shoes.
More »
theater review
Harry Potter star delivers 'intense' performance
New York Times Sep 26, 08 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Daniel Radcliffe takes on a “mothball-preserved, off-the-rack part” as a teenage stable boy who blinds horses in the Broadway debut of Equus , and “wears it like a tailor’s delight,” writes Ben Brantley of the New York Times . Radcliffe’s “beautifully understated” acting and his “luminously intense eyes" dominate the dark psychodrama about our inner madness, Clive Barnes agrees in the New York Post.
More »
10 years after gay student's murder, authors revisit Laramie
New York Times Sep 17, 08 11:19 CDT
(Newser)
-
The creators of The Laramie Project have returned to Wyoming to explore the legacy of Matthew Shepard’s murder 10 years later, the New York Times reports. In revisiting the people whose words make up the script, the theater company found that there has been progress —albeit slow.
More »
Unusually large purse will allow him to spend less time in Hollywood
New York Times Sep 16, 08 9:22 CDT
(Newser)
-
Tony Kushner will be the first recipient of a new biennial prize for playwriting, with a whopping $200,000 purse the benefactors hope will allow recipients to focus full-time on not-so-lucrative theater. Although Kushner is widely regarded as one of America's greatest dramatists, he has spent the past several years writing screenplays in Hollywood, the New York Times reports.
More »
Hugely popular musical takes a break from Broadway
New York Daily News Sep 7, 08 5:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Twelve years and 5,124 performances later, Broadway bids adieu today to Rent , the New York Daily News reports. The beloved musical, which follows a group of bohemians and street folk through AIDS-ravaged, early-1990s East Village, “speaks to people's hearts," an original cast members tells the AP. It also spoke their wallets: The award-winning musical has grossed more than $280 million on Broadway.
More »
Associated Press Aug 6, 08 8:37 PM CDT
(AP)
-
Archeologists think they have found the theater where Romeo and Juliet debuted and where William Shakespeare himself may have trodden the boards. The possible foundations of what is known as simply "the Theatre" were unearthed by builders excavating the London site—a vacant garage—for another structure. Museum archaeologists were called to the location and had a eureka moment when they noticed the angled walls common in the 16th century.
More »
Debate over who really wrote Shakespeare's plays rages on
NPR Jul 6, 08 12:37 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Did William Shakespeare really write the plays attributed to him? The question remains the subject of an intense academic debate, NPR reports. Those who doubt the “man from Stratford” penned his plays point to a lame rhyming epitaph on the supposed bard’s headstone, and to lack of documents tying him to his works—or even suggesting he was a writer.
More »
Tickets aren't selling, and producers fear
the worst
New York Post Jul 2, 08 11:41 CDT
(Newser)
-
Katie Holmes is not drawing the tickets sales for her Broadway debut producers had hoped for, the New York Post reports. "I bought 1,000 tickets to the show," one broker says of the September revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons . "I still have them." Some had predicted Holmes' turn would rival Julia Roberts' box-office success with Three Days of Rain in 2006.
More »
August: Osage County wins best play
New York Times Jun 16, 08 5:22 CDT
(Newser)
-
Last night’s Tony Awards featured an eclectic mix of new shows and revivals, an acceptance-speech rap from a first-time writer, and performances from a variety of musicals young and old. The winners: Best Musical: In the Heights Best Play: August: Osage County Best Revival of a Musical: South Pacific Best Revival of a Play: Boeing-Boeing
More »
Appreciation
Second City co-founder, dead at 80, saw movement reach SNL heights
Chicago Tribune Jun 3, 08 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
For a performer, Paul Sills kept a pretty low profile. But make no mistake: The Second City co-founder was a massive influence not just on improvisational comedy, but on comedy and theater in general. Without Sills, who died yesterday at 80, there would be no Chicago improv scene, no Saturday Night Live , no 30 Rock , Chris Jones writes in the Tribune .
More »