"When the housing scheme opened in 1938, it offered 3,000 residents modern kitchens with integrated waste disposal, as well as communal nursery and launderette facilities in what was then the largest social housing complex in Britain." Fifty years later? All gone. - The Guardian (UK)
His non-Broadway role as a Michael Jackson impersonator gave him away - and federal investigators attended LA and San Francisco performances where actor James Beeks was playing Judas (yes, Judas) in a road show of Jesus Christ Superstar. - Washington Post
"For arts institutions looking to make the changes the public wants to see, the numbers couldn’t be clearer: lowering ticket and entry prices should be at the top of their list." Also important: "Improving equity and inclusion ... and engaging more diverse groups." - Hyperallergic
The entire run of Paradise Blue has been canceled. The playwright wrote on Facebook "that her decision came after she discovered that Black women artists involved with the show were being 'verbally abused and diminished.'" - Los Angeles Times
A Harry Potter universe free of J.K. Rowling's anti-trans commentary! A universe where the fanfiction pairing "Wolfstar" is real. It's 500,000 words long, even longer than several of the books together. Perfect for the winter months, perhaps? - Slate
"After months of relative normalcy, Europe’s opera houses, concert halls and theaters are reintroducing measures all too familiar from earlier phases of the pandemic, restricting audience numbers and mandating testing, if not canceling shows outright." - The New York Times
"His achievement is Shakespearean. Like Shakespeare, he inherited an art form and theater scene from a previous generation, then pushed the boundaries of what theater could do again and again. ... His work follows us through each stage of our own lives." - Slate
"It seemed important to hold a space for folks to feel whatever they needed to, to sing and cry and laugh and be with people who understood what a loss this was to those who love theater." - The New York Times
Impossible to sum the central figure of American musical theatre up, but: "Sondheim not only bound music, lyrics and book inextricably together, but he explored in far greater depths the human condition in all its anxieties and moral complexities." - Washington Post
It is one of the country’s leaders in funding — its $38 million is one of the nation’s largest per capita — but it has been mired in controversy. Since 2018, it has weathered a censorship scandal, turf battles with the mayor and a series of short-tenured executive directors. - Washington Post
If computers gave each and every one of us a better way to gauge where to put our resources and energy and everyone of us had a better shot at living longer healthier lives, would that be a positive development? - Cody Pallo
James Beeks, who performs in Superstar under the stage name James T. Justis, is charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with obstruction of Congress, a felony, as well as a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds. - Deadline
“Social media is amplifying local challenges and they’re going viral, but we’ve also been observing a number of organisations activating local members to go to school board meetings and challenge books. We’re seeing what appears to be a campaign to remove books.” - The Guardian
To “yassify” something is to apply several beauty filters to a picture using FaceApp, an A.I. photo-editing application, until its subject — be that a celebrity, a historical figure, a fictional character or a work of fine art — becomes almost unrecognizably made up. - The New York Times
Latin America’s ballroom scene is relatively new. It started in 2013 when a group of dancers began hosting vogue battles in Brazil, and has since spread to Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina and Colombia. - The New York Times
