WELCOME to the #TheatreClique Round Up — my (mostly) weekly newsletter dedicated to clicking on some of the most interesting, intriguing & noteworthy writing about drama, theatre & performance (at least, so says me)…
This Week's #TheatreClique-ing:
For this week’s opener, I lift one of my favorite songs sung by the extraordinary Bob McGrath (1932-2022) — perhaps best known as “Bob from Sesame Street.” Among my many favorite random NYC theatre encounters, one of my most treasured is that time — right after my second trip through A Strange Loop at Playwrights — when I turned to see that “Bob from Sesame Street” had been sitting right behind me throughout this raw, sexual, very adult, very queer musical. Our eyes locked. We could each see that the other was gobsmacked by the show. We both started laughing. Soon we were walking out of the theatre together, exchanging our admiration for what we had just witnessed — the writing, the performances, the choreography, the layers of meaning — and, finally, as we readied to exit the theatre, I had to interrupt. I thanked him for his work and for his gentle, guiding presence on Sesame Street. I rambled a bit about growing up in rural New Mexico — as a bookish, tv-obsessed, gentle kid — and how much it meant to me to have a Bob in my life. He listened, kindly, clearly accustomed to such testimonials. Then, he asked, “what are you doing now?” I told him and he replied with some version of “That’s wonderful — I’m so proud of you.” In a wild instant, time disappeared and I felt like a five-year-old hearing Bob from Sesame Street say he was proud of me. And I believed him. Blessings, dear Bob — and thank you…
And here is some what’s been clicking since my last newsletter…
EDITOR’S NOTE: whenever possible, whenever I link to pieces posted behind a paywall, I do so using the “gift” function that certain publications now afford subscribers. So clicking out to articles in the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal should neither present hassle nor burn through your monthly allotment of free views. Here’s hoping more outlets — hello LATimes! — adopt similar technologies soon...
this week’s clicks underscored the ongoing and multi-faceted crisis in contemporary journalistic performance criticism… first, the passing of Michael Feingold (1945-2022) stirred remarkable tributes — like that from fellow critic Charles McNulty writing for AmericanTheatre — to Feingold’s erudition, dedication and humanity while also providing a potent reminder that the journalistic landscape that allowed a writer like Feingold to flourish is a thing of the 20th century past • next, WashingtonPost’s Sarah Ellison breaks the news that the person who got the Pulitzer Prize the year Feingold was a finalist — dance critic Sarah L. Kauffman (one of the last full-time dance critics in the country) had been laid off by the Washington Post • then, Playbill’s Logan Culwell-Block reports that an abusive cycle of nonsensical online attacks had descended upon the Washington Post’s theatre critic Peter Marks in response to recent review published under troll-instigating headline, "Downstate is a play about pedophiles. It’s also brilliant" • and, finally, came that moment when a particular high-profile critic published their review of a noteworthy new musical… sigh…
on Facebook, writer/composer Howard Ho offers a critical annotation of Jesse Green’s review of the new musical KPOP in the New York Times • at FairyPrincessDiaries, actor/advocate Erin Quill evinces the many reasons why things went so awry with this particular review • Playbill’s Logan Culwell-Block reports on (and shares the full text of) on the open letter from KPOP’s producers requesting an apology from Jesse Green • at Medium, dramaturg/performance-maker Katy Zapanta offers what she calls “Another Open Letter to Jesse Green” • meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal’s Ashley Wong assesses the question of whether KPOP can sell Broadway tickets • but if you read nothing else about about this particular social media maelstrom, do yourself the favor of reading scholar/dramaturg Christine Mok’s well-considered review of KPOP at 3Views…
meanwhile, clicking away from the crisis in contemporary criticism for now…
at Wired, journalist Eve Fairbanks digs into the true cost of a Twitter implosion, especially in terms of reputational and social wealth for culture workers • while grieving a dear friend and collaborator, theatre technologist/advocate Jared Mezzocchi threads an impassioned defense of the “digital access” afforded by remote performance for audiences and artists alike • Today’s Jordan Greene profiles the work of the Hawaiian language theater program at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa • The Asian American Theatre Revue publishes the “sacred timeline of Asian American theatre” • People Magazine’s Michael Gioia talks to actor Fedna Jacquet about making her Broadway debut while 5 1/2 months pregnant • at BroadwayNews, arts writer/critic Brittani Samuels reflects on “what Trevor Noah’s Black Theater Night talkback revealed about A Strange Loop” • and at TDF, arts writer/critic Raven Snook activates a wide-ranging discussion with arts leaders Rebecca Martínez (WP Theater), Julia Greer (The Hearth) and Susan Bernfield (New Georges) about showcasing gender-marginalized artists…
at the New York Times Magazine, writer/critic Scott Brown profiles legendary playwright Adrienne Kennedy who — at 91 — is about to make her Broadway debut • at Rodgers & Hammerstein, scholar/artist Masi Asare teams up with musicologist Todd Decker to explain the “enduring relevance of Show Boat” (which enters the public domain in January 2023) • Princeton Alumni Weekly asks theatremaker Aaron Landsman to recommend three books about civic engagement and the arts • TheForward’s J.P. Grisar explains why Stephen Sondheim shows up in Glass Onion • Playbill’s Talaura Harms talks to actor/singer Mare Winningham about why “she never thought she would do musicals” • Vogue’s Marley Marius talks to playwright Jordan E. Cooper about making his Broadway debut with Ain’t No Mo • Variety’s Gordon Cox talks to theatre producers Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti about how they “produced” the Museum of Broadway • and Essence’s Brooklyn White asks “why aren't more people talking about the death of Joyce Bryant (1927-2022)…
at The Santa Fe New Mexican, freelance journalist Marianne Todd profiles New Mexico arts leader Argos MacCallum’s “lifetime in the theater”• The Albuquerque Journal’s Adrian Gomez profiles Yjastros’ historic achievement in becoming the first American flamenco company to be invited to Festival de Jerez in Spain • at StyleWeekly (in Richmond VA), freelance arts writer David Timberline profiles the “dream team” assembled for the University of Richmond’s production of Miss You Like Hell • and at NoticiasNY1, journalist Jennifer Cabana profiles the collaborators bringing the new “Mexican musical” Desparecidas to the stage in Brooklyn…
And Lest I Forget — This Week in Fornésiana…
Wherein I highlight noteworthy recent or upcoming engagements with the life, work and legacy of legendary playwright, director and teacher María Irene Fornés...
The latest issue of Theatre Topics brings the publication of a new essay by artist/scholar Erin Joy Schmidt that digs poignantly into the not-uncommon phenomena of a theatremaker’s “rediscovery” of Fornés long after their first encounter with the playwright — in this case, as they introduce Fefu to a rising generation of young theatremakers… Schmidt’s essay is definitely worth the read and — as always — if you are not academically-affiliated, or if your institution does not subscribe to TheatreTopics, shake the social media trees to see if some academic somewhere might hook you up with the pdf. Or check with your friendly neighborhood librarian to see if they can help. But whatever your means of access, try to download the pdf directly if you can... because ACADEMIC CLICKS COUNT too!
Until next time, dear #TheatreClique, please share this newsletter with those friends, colleagues and students who might appreciate the opportunity to encounter the many voices gathered in each week’s edition. Errors and oversights published in the newsletter will be corrected in the archival versions. And, in the meantime, keep clicking those links — good writing needs good readers and our theatre clicks count!