Marketers are leaning in. Wicked and Gladiator II, both releasing November 22, don’t seem to have the same built-in opposition, but they do have the bare minimum: A musical adored by women and gay men, versus the Roman Empire. - San Francisco Chronicle
Thus, the audience at the Old Vic got to watch - or hear - the penalty shootout (and its good result for England’s men’s team) before the play began. - BBC
Andrea Munro yesterday wrote an essay for the Toronto Star detailing the abuse, her mother’s response, the ways her father (owner of Munro’s Books in Victoria) treated her, and the legal case she brought against her stepfather, who was found guilty. - The New York Times
“Once a niche that independent booksellers largely ignored, romance is now the hottest thing in the book world. It is, by far, the top-selling fiction genre, and its success is reshaping not only the publishing industry, but the retail landscape as well.” - The New York Times
Uh ... is the Pope Catholic? “It's an unfortunately common experience for Indigenous artists, according to Meika Ellis, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property who's based in Ottawa.” - CBC
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!’s creator and star, “has been a revered cult figure in the comedy and New York cabaret scenes for more than 15 years. But they’ve never come close to such exposure.” - Washington Post
“Our new fictional nightmares are all about being trapped: mice running in an endless maze, too cowed by the complexity of the system to plow through the dead ends and find freedom.” - The New York Times
The front of house folks and stagehands would like to have a word - perhaps a few words. So far, no one has even asked them what they think. - Oregon ArtsWatch
“This country has endured quite a bit of trauma in recent years, but we are not doing ourselves any favors by continually leaping from ‘problem’ to ‘end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it catastrophe’ about everything.” - Los Angeles Times
A big donation means dancers will get paid for the entire year. The board chair: "We are extremely proud to be able to set this precedent in the hopes that it will galvanize other companies and philanthropists to provide greater support for dancers.” - Stir (Canada)
That’s right, physical media. DVD sales are down, true - but Blu-Ray sales are climbing, and after Paramount axed the entire Comedy Central website, people may be more interested in ever than owning their own movies and TV shows. - Slate
The reset “is the time before a show when the theatre becomes a hive of backstage buzz, as cast and crew ensure everything is in order before the audience take their seats.” One photographer described it as “pretty bonkers.” - The Observer (UK)
Leslie Bruicusse wrote “Pure Imagination,” “Talk to the Animals,” “Goldfinger,” and so many more - and now that his papers are at the Library of Congress, interest in him is on a steep rise. - NPR
