Archives for: December 2008
12/31/08 [updated 3:42PM EST]
By Andy Propst on Dec 31, 2008 | In Days Top News
LATE AFTERNOON ADDITIONS
Variety
Broadway critics leave Gotham
A string of departures in the Broadway critics corps, several of them spurred by the attrition of print media in the struggling economy, has left old-school observers questioning the longevity of theater criticism as a journalistic institution.
Associated Press
Cloris Leachman to Be Rose Parade Grand Marshal
Don't look for Cloris Leachman to do something wacky while she's riding in the Rose Parade as grand marshal.
Los Angeles Times Culture Monster Blog
Monster Mash: News and Headlines
-- Locally, the economic casualties include David L. Abell Fine Pianos on Beverly Boulevard, whose customers over nearly 50 years have included Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Jackson Browne, Andre Previn and Ronald Reagan.
Playbill
* Samonsky Will Succeed Morrison in South Pacific; New Roles for Anderson and Caplan, Too
NOONTIME ADDITIONS
AmericanTheaterWeb
2008 in Review - Some Highlights ("Bests") Month by Month
Associated Press
Playwright Harold Pinter Buried in London
Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter was buried at a London cemetery Wednesday in a small private funeral attended by family and close friends.
Bloomberg.com
Craig Fights Nazis in Forest; Viggo's `Good' German Professor: Rick Warner
When I heard that blond, blue-eyed Daniel Craig was co-starring in “Defiance,” a prosaic drama about three Jewish brothers who waged a guerrilla campaign against the Nazis in World War II, I assumed he would be playing an SS officer or some other role suited to his Aryan looks.
Village Voice La Daily Musto Blog
Eartha Kitt, RIP
Celebrities usually die in threes, so after the beloved triology of Yma Sumac, Nina Foch, and Betty Page passed on, I was horrified to find that Harold Pinter and Eartha Kitt had joined them on the great red carpet in the sky. Are celebs dying in fives now? And I'm not even counting Van Johnson!
Chicago Tribune Theater Loop Blog
Theaters going dark? Not in this town
TheaterMania
* Suzzanne Douglas to Star in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill at Bickford Theatre
* De Shields, Mann, Templeton, et al. to Participate in NYPL Acting Teacher Panel
* The Great American Trailer Park Musical Set for MMT's 2009-2010...
Gothamist
Village Voice Fires Nat Hentoff, Lynn Yaeger
Los Angeles Times Culture Monster Blog
Ian McKellen's high-priced 'Lear' to be a freebie on TV
San Jose Mercury News AEI Blog
The curtain may fall on SF’s Magic Theatre
About Last Night
TT: Dumber and dumber
The TV was on at my sister-in-law's house last night, so I happened to see the famous-dead-people-of-2008 feature on ABC's World News Tonight. Not surprisingly, Eartha Kitt and Paul Newman (in that order) got the deluxe....
The Producer's Perspective
The Producer Of The Year Is . . .
The 2008 and first annual Producer's Perspective Producer of the Year Award is given to . . . Mr. Gerry Schoenfeld.
Daily Telegraph
No Man's Land read at Pinter's funeral
Harold Pinter, the Nobel prize-winning playwright, has had his funeral conducted in accordance with his carefully planned instructions
The Stage UK
Irish theatre hit by Arts Council funding cuts
Next year's funding for Ireland's national theatre, the Abbey, has had a 16% cut imposed by the Arts Council, reducing its annual grant from €10 million to €8.35 million.
EARLY MORNING ADDITIONS
Playbill
* Bertish, Chadwick, Hibbert and Sisto Cast in McCarter's Mrs. Warren's Profession
The Stage UK
Mackintosh tops Stage 100 as most influential person in British theatre
Theatre owner and producer Cameron Mackintosh has topped this year's Stage 100 - the newspaper's guide to the most influential people working in UK theatre today.
London Theatre Guide
Sheen honoured by Queen
British actor Michael Sheen has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list. Actors Liz Smith and Earl Cameron and Graeae Artistic Director Jennifer Sealey also receive honours.
New York Post
Riedel: 2008's final curtain calls
Recalling the stars who died this year
Edge New York
’Torch Song Trilogy’ Headed Back to Manhattan
For the first time since its three-year run of 1,222 performances, Harvey Fierstein’s acclaimed play "Torch Song Trilogy" returns to Manhattan for a revival by Black Henna Productions.
New York Daily News
Piven plows ahead
Mercury is rising everywhere for Jeremy Piven these days, including his love life.
Bloomberg.com
Broadway Theater Owners' Tiny Fees Add Up, Nibble Profits, Irk Producers
With more than a dozen Broadway shows closing through January, you’d think theater owners would see this as a good time to ease the pain for producers by killing some of the fees that fatten ticket prices and flatten sales.
Variety
Playwright Greg Suddeth dies at 55
'Verry Cherry' writer also acted...SAPERSTEIN Playwright, screenwriter and actor Greg Suddeth died Dec. 19 in Los Angeles. He was 55. Suddeth had 12 plays produced and was the recipient of several...
TheaterMania
* Bob Hope to Be Honored With 2009 Commemorative Stamp
http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/16818
Associated Press
Actors Bacon, Sedgwick Among Madoff Victims
Call it six degrees of Bernard Madoff.
Star-Ledger
How the recession is impacting New Jersey arts
Time Out Chicago
Theater & the economy
Who's in good shape and who's in trouble during the downturn.
Los Angeles Times Culture Monster Blog
Larry Gelbart's 'fatal stroke' just another setup for waxing comical
A funny thing happened to Larry Gelbart yesterday on the way to death's door: Having already placed himself in select comic-writing company over the past half-century and more...
L.A. Weekly
Bringing Frank Zappa's Garage to Life
San Francisco Weekly
The recession is hurting A.C.T. and others
On December 14, I received an e-mail from a theater director friend. It had been forwarded to her from an actor, who had in turn received it from...
Extra Criticum
How Much is Too Much? - Take the Dramatists Guild Poll
Recently, there's been a good deal of discussion swirling around the theatre community about what percentage of future royalties first producers have a right to demand from the lucky playwrights whose work they mount.Craig Lucas (Longtime Companion, Reckless, Prelude to...
The Guardian Performing Arts Blog
Carrie Dunn: West End girl: Can Barack Obama replace George Bush in Avenue Q?
Plus: will The Toxic Avenger Musical cross the pond, and what will become of Connie Fisher?
XML Feeds