Oskar Eustis, the Public's artistic director, said proudly that bringing Under the Radar to the theater was "the first artistic choice I made" in his then-new job. Yet the pressures that led the Public to stop hosting the festival are serious, and they aren't going away. - The New York Times
I think it’s not an accident that after his passing, the gravitational pull toward his work and what he left us with, and the way it has changed us as artists, is so strong. I also I think it’s not an accident that they’re happening at the particular societal moment that we’re in. - American Theatre
As if coaxing people back to the theater wasn’t difficult enough — weekly Broadway ticket grosses are still millions of dollars short of pre-pandemic levels — the ceremony has had to adjust to labor strife of a magnitude that will affect what viewers see Sunday night. - Washington Post
"At the heart of the 10th festival stands the divisive figure of Attila Vidnyánszky, artistic director of the Theatre Olympics and director of the National Theatre in Budapest" — and a strong supporter of Viktor Orbán. And, of course, the Russian invasion of Ukraine looms large. - The Guardian
This may be surprising in a genre that's both deeply Japanese and family-based — but it's less surprising than you might think. Maholo Terajima Ghnassia's father is French, but his mother is well-known actress Shinobu Terajima, and his grandfather is the current leader of an eminent Kabuki dynasty. - AP
The Black American playwright was inspired to adapt Lennon's In His Own Write by her son's Beatlemania. To her initial surprise, Kenneth Tynan picked up the play, and she watched the first performance next to Olivier, her hero. Most of the rest of the experience, though, was more dispiriting. - The Guardian
"Tim Sheader …, who currently runs Regent's Park Open Air theatre, will take over from Michael Longhurst in March 2024 and will also be the Donmar's joint chief executive alongside executive director Henny Finch." - The Guardian
"The union is demanding a 19-piece live orchestra, as mandated by contracts, barring 'special situation' exemptions. Producers want the show as it has been for 10 years, with actors singing mostly to pre-recorded backing tracks, which they say is an inherent reflection of the karaoke culture of the Philippines." - Variety
Attention must be paid to the core audience that has stuck it out and been filling these doddering old venues with their seasoned laughter and empathy. The Tony Awards on Sunday really ought to add one more prize to the evening’s roster — a special award to the stalwart Broadway theatergoer. - Los Angeles Times
We can all thank Jeremy O. Harris, who didn't want to miss it but was out of town during its run at BAM. "Harris quickly enlisted some producing vets, such as Sue Wagner and John Johnson, and set about finding a theater." - Variety
"Even with Broadway budgets for musicals regularly topping $20 million, suddenly adding 19 people (the theatre minimum according to the collective bargaining agreement in place) to the payroll would be a significant additional expense at the last minute." - The Stage (UK)
Sure, David Byrne is trying to make do with no orchestra in his show, but check out Sweeney Todd, Camelot, and Some Like It Hot. Philippa Soo, who plays Guinevere, says "she feels supported by the big orchestra, not just musically, but dramatically." - NPR
“We did this workshop,” Foley told me. “And he came to see it, and . . . he did not like it. It was a really awful experience, because everybody was, like, What did Sondheim think? What did Sondheim think? And . . . I had to lie. - The New Yorker
"The artisan Nakamura Mitsue employs her four decades of experience as she cuts, carves and paints, gradually forging an eerily lifelike human face from a single block of wood." (video) - Aeon
Succession comes by its theater DNA honestly. A number of its writers are working playwrights, with impressive produced work under their belts, and executive producer Frank Rich was the New York Times’s chief theater critic from 1980 to 1993. - Vox
