A play is causing a ruckus amongst our friends on the other side of the pond. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Marat/Sade (The Persecution and Assassination of Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade) — originally written by Swedish playwright Peter Weiss — seems to be too “perverse” for British audiences. Ironically, the production was first staged at the RSC in 1964, where it was applauded for its progressive, avant-garde approach. Nearly 50 years later, up to 80 audience members a show are walking out on Marat/Sade — which is set in an insane asylum and revolves around inmate the Marquis de Sade’s play about the assassinated Jean Paul Marat. This play isn’t the first controversial theatrical work that upset audiences, however. Hit the jump for a look at other “shocking” stage productions.
Read More »
Why is it that everywhere we look, another member of the Degrassi mafia is hitting it big south of Niagra Falls? First there was skinny mini Shenae Grimes scoring the lead role in the new 90210, trading her Canadian character Darcy in to become a 21st-century Brenda Walsh. Then it was Aubrey Graham (who performs as “Drake” but is better known, among Degrassi-philes at least, as Jimmy Brooks), who has been spotted canoodling all over the place with Rihanna and may or may not officially be her new man. Now, Jake Epstein has been tapped to star in the national tour of Spring Awakening. Read More »
Arts Beat reports that Spring Awakening, which won the 2007 Tony for Best Musical and made more than $57 million stateside, is closing in London on May 30 after a brief five-month run. From the producers’ statement: “It is with overwhelming regret that we have had to announce the closure of Spring Awakening. Despite the most positive critical response to a theatrical production in recent years, the enthusiasm of the media, accessible ticket pricing and the incredible response audiences give the show each night, simply not enough tickets are being sold.” Read More »
So: what happens to a musical in its post-Broadway existence? Often, it goes something like: cast-album, and if they’re lucky, a national tour, a UK production, maybe even a telecast. But what about foreign-language productions? Does Cats get lost in translation? Answer: hell no! Yes, theater freaks exist everywhere, and there’s a large concentration of them in Asia. And if you read the New York Times last Friday, you might’ve learned that (A) South Korea is a huge theater market, especially when it comes to musicals, and (B) the South Korean production of Dreamgirls is such a big deal, Kim Jong-Il is considering full-scale nuclear disarmament in exchange for a pair of house seats.
Read More »
Interesting piece in the New York Times last week on the Public Theater’s new agreement they’re using to help transfer their production of Hair — which appeared this summer in Central Park — to Broadway. To sum it up: the piece discusses the Public’s hits and misses with Broadway transfers, and the great risks associated with either (A) selling the rights to the show (thus potentially compromising the artistic integrity of it) or (B) producing the show with their own cash, which is a huge risk for a nonprofit to take.
Read More »
