“The Philharmonic’s leadership has clearly internalized the fact that an orchestra is not just a crew of musicians assembled to deliver the megaliths of the musical repertoire; it’s an elastic organization whose assets include curiosity and clout.”
George Takei Is Now Everybody’s Favorite Wisecracking Activist
“Like Betty White, Mr. Takei has used naughty-oldster humor to fuel a late-career surge. But his ribaldry is often in the service of social causes, whether gay rights or Japanese-American visibility.”
Wealth Management – The Trick Is How You Spend Your Time
“In the case of someone who isn’t otherwise poor, poverty of time is an unpleasant inconvenience. But for someone whose lack of time is just one of many pressing concerns, the effects compound quickly.”
What Theatre Awards Are Good For (And What They’re Not Good For)
“Theater awards matter because theater vanishes. Paintings, sculptures, novels, and poems can last for centuries, or millennia. And, while scripts live on, productions themselves last only as long as that magical assemblage of actors, stagehands, musicians, stage managers, craftspeople and front-of-house staff are together.”
Actor Sam Kelly, Star Of “‘Allo, ‘Allo”, Dead At 70
“Equally at home in panto and Pinter, sitcom and Shakespeare, Sam Kelly … was a quirky, instantly recognisable character actor, often playing beyond his natural age, and often peering through rimless spectacles like a mole pushing through to the surface. And once there, he quipped and cavorted with the best of them.”
Angelin Preljocaj’s Heart Of Darkness
“There is a very, very dark side in humanity,” says the Albanian-French choreographer. “There is something light and beautiful in humanity, but my way of fighting against the very hard part is to show it and not to answer a question but to ask a question on that.”
Hurray For That Tony. Now Where’s The Money?
“All of the ads will also try to reinforce a recognizable brand for the musical — an orange color scheme — much like green makes many theatergoers think of the blockbuster hit ‘Wicked.'”
Dublin Will Always Have James Joyce, And Every Street Will Be Suffused With Meaning
“If you live in Dublin, if you are yourself a Dubliner, no matter how many times you read the book, it will always reveal something profound and essential and unrealised about the city and its people.”
What Happens When You Bring Virginia Woolf Back To Life In 21st Century Manhattan
“She loved clothes; I think she would have enjoyed Bloomingdales.”
This Artist Recreates The Eerie Beauty Of Huge Intelligence Gathering Centers
“The Central Intelligence Agency, not surprisingly, refused his repeated requests to photograph its headquarters in Langley, Virginia.”
The Day An American Pilot Invented The Flying Saucer
“What happened next—the precise manner in which flying saucers, as a concept, transferred from the mind of Kenneth Arnold to that of the nation—remains unclear.”
Sure, Students Might Be On Facebook During Class – But That’s How Learning Goes
“You want students to close their machines and pay attention? Put them in a smaller seminar where their presence actually registers and matters, and be engaging enough—or, in my case, ask enough questions cold—that students aren’t tempted to stick their faces in their machines in the first place.”
Outside Of The World Cup, Brazil Sees A Resurgence In Architecture
“Drawing on the country’s bold, progressive tradition of aggressive concrete and urban engineering, a generation of architects is crafting new spaces at home in a more democratic spirit.”
Small Publishers Succeed Between The Cracks Of The Big Ones
Small, independent publishers “can also move much quicker and with less bureaucracy.”
A Critic’s Take On Why Casey Kasem, Voice Of The Top 40, Mattered
“For those of us looking for an introduction to the world of music, Kasem and his team delivered streamlined content and history, and they humanized both the artists and the ideas driving their hit songs.”
The BBC Hatches A Plan To Lure Elementary-School Kids Into Music
“While classical music is in robust health, its future popularity is not guaranteed unless more children and young people are exposed to it.”
Top AJBlogs For 06.15.14
On cultural pessimism
AJBlog: For What it’s Worth | Published 2014-06-16
A Museum Where “Beauty Reigns”
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-06-16
Diary of an Image
AJBlog: Dancebeat | Published 2014-06-15
The Charm of Impossibilities
AJBlog: PostClassic | Published 2014-06-14
Museum-Going: Getting Even More Virtual
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-06-13
How ArtsBoston Is Pioneering New Data Marketing In The Arts
“It’s already changing the world of arts marketing. Before, we did marketing mostly from the gut or instinct, with limited hard data. But this is real, deep data that allows you to spend less on marketing for better results.”