Extra Criticum

My Last Play Closes

The final curtain (figurative, of course) has come down on Ed Schmidt's brilliant My Last Play.

See previous posts on the show by Duane Kelly and Roland Tec.

Big National Drop in Theatre Subscriptions

As reported on the Chicago Tribune's Theater Loop blog:

According to Theatre Facts 2010, the annual research snapshot released by the TCG lobbying and support organization, subscription income is dropping at American theaters at an alarming rate.

full story here.

E.S.T. Auctioning off entire contents of its upstate retreat

As a sad symptom of the financial health of our overall economy, not to mention the state of the arts in this country, Ensemble Studio Theatre is selling its upstate property, as well as all its contents. The property had long served as an upstate summer retreat for artists affiliated with the theatre. But times are tough. And I suppose holding on to the property has become more of a fiscal burden than a benefit. Here's the info, if anyone's planning a trip up north during foliage season.

Piling on Julie Taymor. Enough Already!

There's an edge that creeps into people's voices lately whenever they start trading tidbits about the train wreck that is Julie Taymor's Spiderman. The quality that creeps into the voice is something approaching glee. I suppose, it might be expected that a certain degree of schadenfreude might set in when such vast amounts of money are spent on one production. But, personally, I'm starting to find it a bit off-putting. And I can't help thinking: this is symptomatic of a larger cultural sickness. We have some sort of endless need to prop up artists as demi-gods and then topple them down with gusto at the first signs of cracks in their facade.

Today's Julie Taymor trash fest is reminiscent of similar public outcries that another female theatrical genius director suffered throughout her tumultuous (and spectacular) career. Her name was Sarah Caldwell. And she was the visionary Founding Artistic Director of Opera Company of Boston. Check out this little item from John Rockwell of the New York Times, dated January 20, 1982:

Charlie Sheen is making me quit writing.

Charlie Sheen is now broadcasting his own show.

The King's Speech Production Design Most Unorthodox

Big thanks to E.C. pal Aaron Mack Schloff for pointing us to this juicy tidbit. Remeber that fabulously distressed studio from The King's Speech, the one in which Geoffrey Rush did his best work? Well... apparently some other men have also done some of their best work there in roles of a different sort. Who knew that that distressed wall (which, you've gotta admit is pretty amazing) also served as a backdrop for naked gay British blokes in a porno shoot?!!

Here's the full story on Queerty.com.

Sale of Huffington Post a betrayal?

This just in from the folks at Adbusters. An open letter to bloggers everywhere regarding the recent sale of The Huffington Post to AOL:

I second that emotion: Rocco's right.

Speaking at the much-anticipated new play development conference at Arena Stage last week, Rocco Landesman put it bluntly: “You can either increase demand or decrease supply,” he said. “Demand is not going to increase, so it is time to think about decreasing supply.” [see Times story]

Fact is, for a long time, I've felt precisely the same way.

Steppenwolf Commission Helps Sell Tickets

I recently learned about a commission by Steppenwolf Theatre, from Ken Davenport’s blog The Producer’s Perspective. No, not a new play (I’m still waiting for their call about that), but big-league market research that studies “Millenials” – the market segment between ages 15 and 31.

Street Theatre: Granny Peace Brigade Stops Traffic

Here's a pic taken yesterday everning around 5:30PM when members of the Granny Peace Brigade stood across Broadway at 44th Street and, in less than 10 min. accomplished what Mayor Bloomberg has been trying to do for months -- they stopped traffic!

Some protesters also lay down on Broadway, which gives new meaning to the term "sacrifice." Hope they had their shots. Seriously though, is it true that the over-65 set have coopted bravery? Are twenty-somethings ready to take this lying down? (pun intended). Step up, kids! There's a war on. And we should be sick to death of it by now.

I say: "Serves 'em right... Suckers!"

OK. So, have you heard the recent scandal on the Upper East Side of Manhattan? The 92nd Street Y hosted a public conversation with Steve Martin Nov. 29th and, apparently he was so dull that they've now decided to offer a refund to all 900 audience members. (You heard me!)

Here's the deal, kids. We live in a celebrity-obsessed culture, so much so that people will fork over fifty bucks just to sit and listen to anyone who's famous chat. The problem is, if you're bored enough to go for this sort of "talk-show-tainment" then you ought to be ready to suffer the consequences when the celebrity you've chosen is having a bad day. A dull day. A quiet, introspective day.

"Bring me the head of Levi Johnston!"

TV Week reports today that a Wisconsin (naturally) man got up, fetched his rifle and pumped his television full of bullets after watching Bristol Palin's performance on Dancing with the Stars this past Monday night. He then turned the gun on his wife, driving her from the house and, after she called 911, holding the police at bay for 15 hours.

Perhaps he was spending that time phoning in his vote (my guess: not Palin).

It's only November and Crazy Man in a Small Town Season has only begun. Usually we have to wait for February and cabin fever to set in before this kind of thing happens. It's sort of like Ground Hog Day - you can tell how much longer the crazy will last if they see (and shoot) their shadow.

Banksy and the not-so-subversive Simpsons sequence

By now, you may have heard about slave-labor opening sequence created by graffiti artist Banksy for Sunday's episode of The Simpsons, but since few of us in the coastal elites actually watch the show anymore, here it is:

ABC News Considers Midday News Show

 
The other day over at The Observer, Felix Gillette wrote that ABC is considering creating a midday news and lifestyle program. You can read the article here but seriously, here is what you need to know without a single click: ABC wants to kill their daytime dramas because it takes too much effort and too much money from their bottom line to produce. They would rather put on cheap news shows instead.

As I've written before, the net has been trying to kill the genre for years but, God love 'em, soaps fans will not go quietly. Unfortunately for soap fans the petitions and crabbing on Television Without Pity is falling on deaf ears as far as the network is concerned... but I don't really understand why advertisers are on board with this. Isn't it less desirable to be a sponsor for a show that no one watches (coughjaylenocough for example) than a show that a small but loyal fanbase watches? I guess the bottom line - effort vs return on investment is at play here - it's easier to make a cheap talk show and get a few viewers than have to employ a couple hundred people to put on a daytime drama (which, you know, is wooorrrrk!)