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Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City

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Archives for February 25, 2016

The cellphone scourge

February 25, 2016 by Terry Teachout

In today’s Wall Street Journal “Sightings” column I discuss a problem that has become an epidemic in the world of American theater—cellphone abuse—and offer a solution. Here’s an excerpt.

* * *

o-CELL-PHONE-facebookYes, cellphone abuse has reached pestilential proportions, but everybody in the profession privately admits that existing announcements, be they clever or straightforward, do next to nothing to reduce it. Why? Because the announcements aren’t made in such a way as to seize the attention of playgoers and persuade them to change their ways. Instead, they’re either cutesy-pie or pro forma, both of which signal that they needn’t be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, Patti LuPone’s widely reported in-your-face technique of shaming errant cellphone users by singling them out from the stage doesn’t seem to work any better. That doesn’t surprise me. Instead of insulting them, the trick is to get their attention—and get them on your side.

The only truly effective cellphone announcement I’ve ever heard was was made during the Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 2009 revival of “American Buffalo,” a play by the famously foul-mouthed David Mamet. Before each performance, an unseen announcer shouted, “TURN OFF YOUR F—— PHONES!!!”

It worked, too.

Short of that, here’s what I’d do….

* * *

Read the whole thing here.

A curtain speech by Patti LuPone, made after a 2015 Lincoln Center Theater performance of Shows for Days:

So you want to see a show?

February 25, 2016 by Terry Teachout

Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.

BROADWAY:
• An American in Paris (musical, G, too complex for small children, reviewed here)
• The Color Purple (musical, PG-13, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Fun Home (serious musical, PG-13, many performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Hamilton (musical, PG-13, all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• The King and I (musical, G, perfect for children with well-developed attention spans, reviewed here)
• Matilda (musical, G, reviewed here)
• Les Misérables (musical, G, too long and complicated for young children, closes Sept. 4, reviewed here)
• On Your Feet! (jukebox musical, G, reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:
• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)
• Prodigal Son (drama, PG-13, closes March 27, reviewed here)
5• Sense & Sensibility (serious romantic comedy, G, remounting of 2014 off-Broadway production, closes April 10, original production reviewed here)

IN SARASOTA, FLA.:
• Ah, Wilderness! (comedy, PG-13, closing April 10, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK OFF BROADWAY:
• Smart People (serious comedy, PG-13, closes March 6, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK ON BROADWAY:
• Noises Off (farce, PG-13, nearly all performances sold out last week, closes March 6, reviewed here)

Almanac: Francis Poulenc on contemplation and the artist

February 25, 2016 by Terry Teachout

INK BOTTLE“I am writing little for the moment and I prefer to think rather than to realize.”

Francis Poulenc, letter to Georges Jean-Aubry, June 10, 1919

Terry Teachout

Terry Teachout, who writes this blog, is the drama critic of The Wall Street Journal and the critic-at-large of Commentary. In addition to his Wall Street Journal drama column and his monthly essays … [Read More...]

About

About “About Last Night”

This is a blog about the arts in New York City and the rest of America, written by Terry Teachout. Terry is a critic, biographer, playwright, director, librettist, recovering musician, and inveterate blogger. In addition to theater, he writes here and elsewhere about all of the other arts--books, … [Read More...]

About My Plays and Opera Libretti

Billy and Me, my second play, received its world premiere on December 8, 2017, at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach, Fla. Satchmo at the Waldorf, my first play, closed off Broadway at the Westside Theatre on June 29, 2014, after 18 previews and 136 performances. That production was directed … [Read More...]

About My Podcast

Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I are the panelists on “Three on the Aisle,” a bimonthly podcast from New York about theater in America. … [Read More...]

About My Books

My latest book is Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington, published in 2013 by Gotham Books in the U.S. and the Robson Press in England and now available in paperback. I have also written biographies of Louis Armstrong, George Balanchine, and H.L. Mencken, as well as a volume of my collected essays called A … [Read More...]

The Long Goodbye

To read all three installments of "The Long Goodbye," a multi-part posting about the experience of watching a parent die, go here. … [Read More...]

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