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About Last Night

Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City

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Archives for November 19, 2018

Theater vs. film

November 19, 2018 by Terry Teachout

The twenty-second episode of Three on the Aisle, the twice-monthly podcast in which Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I talk about theater in America, is now available on line for listening or downloading.

Here’s an excerpt from American Theatre’s “official” summary of the proceedings:

This episode, the critics talk about the musical spectacle King Kong: what it means for Broadway going forward, how long it might last, and whether it will one day earn a place on Joe Allen’s infamous wall of flops.

Then the critics speak with Academy Award-winning screenwriter, director, and playwright Kenneth Lonergan about the Broadway production of his play The Waverly Gallery, as well as the different skill sets required in writing for the stage and screen, not to mention his method for getting into the minds of the characters he creates.

To close the show, the critics recall times their critical quotes were taken out of context in the advertising for shows, and discuss their feelings on Beetlejuice at the National Theater in D.C., American Son Broadway, and Melissa Errico’s new album Sondheim Sublime.

To listen, download the latest episode, read more about it, or subscribe to Three on the Aisle, go here.

In case you missed any previous episodes, you’ll find them all here.

Hear me talking to you (cont’d)

November 19, 2018 by Terry Teachout

Titus Techera, who hosts a podcast for the American Cinema Foundation on which he and his guests discuss important films of the past and present, invited me back to talk about Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity on his latest episode. Our hour-long chat is now available on line.

Here’s Titus’ summary of our conversation:

Titus and Terry Teachout talk about the pluperfect noir: Double Indemnity, written by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler. Every element of the all-American tragedy is present here, for the first time. We talk about the conflict between love and law, the different claims of eroticism and friendship, and also where insurance stands to the all-American future.

To listen to or download this episode, go here.

* * *

The original theatrical trailer for Double Indemnity:

A scene from the film:

Just because: Artie Shaw’s “Symphony of Swing”

November 19, 2018 by Terry Teachout

TV CAMERA“Symphony of Swing,” a 1939 Warner Bros. short starring Artie Shaw and His Orchestra and directed by Joseph Henabery. Also featured are Helen Forrest and Tony Pastor, Shaw’s vocalists. The songs performed in the film are “Alone Together,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “Deep Purple,” and “Lady Be Good”:

(This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)

Almanac: Moshe Halbertal and Stephen Holmes on the outward appearance of madness

November 19, 2018 by Terry Teachout

INK BOTTLE“One of the essential features of madness is psychic exposure. A mad person sheds the thin layer that ordinarily masks the chaos of inner life from the outside observer. He walks in the world stripped of the psychological skin with which the ‘sane’ shield themselves.”

Moshe Halbertal and Stephen Holmes, The Beginning of Politics: Power in the Biblical Book of Samuel (courtesy of Jess Epstein)

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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