theater

Andrew Lloyd Webber, famed creator of "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera," is selling four of his London theaters in order to reduce debt. Described as "mid size" music houses the Palace, Her Majesty's, the Cambridge and the New London are all going for a total of 4,900 seats sold in all. 6,100 seats in the larger Palladium, Theater Royal Drury Lane, and the 50 percent owned Adelphi are all staying.

Webber had prostate surgery last year and post-operative complications since then have made things difficult. "It has been a totally gut-wrenching decision for me to decide to sell the four theatres," he said in a statement. "However, following my illness last year I was advised to reduce the debt in the family company."

The sale is expected to be finalized in January and details are not yet available except to say that in addition to reducing debt some of the proceeds will also be re-invested back into the Palladium and the Theater Royal Drury Lane.

When I saw the Korean movie Joint Security Area a few years ago, I was floored. The plot itself wasn't a big deal – think Law & Order in the DMZ – but it's a South Korean film that offers a sympathetic, almost brotherly view of its miltaristic neighbrs to the north. A decade after the movie caused a stir on the peninsula, it's getting ready to hit the stage. Singing and dancing will be used to convey the complex messages of politics and culture in Panmunjom.

According to the Muk Company, which hasn't begun casting yet, "The musical will be different from both the original novel and the film. It will be a totally new production with a twist, which will touch upon sensitive issues, reflecting the 2010 relation between the two Koreas." Like the film version, the musical is expected to have an all-star cast.

Interestingly, Muk adds, "The production will also mark the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War this year."

Sad news out of Southern California tonight. The Pasadena Playhouse, a theater which was founded back in 1917, will be closing on February 7 after it finishes its run of Camelot. It is the latest cultural institution to fall victim to economic turmoil. The LA Times reports that the theater company's lenders are looking at ways to clean up the financial mess including a possible bankruptcy filing.

The playhouse, which was designated in 1937 as the state theater of California, essentially ran out of cash and has more than $500,000 in debt due immediately with another $1.5 million in long-term debt including bank loans. A capital campaign raised $6 million to renovate the playhouse building itself but that fund remains separate. The playhouse had hoped for a miracle in the form of a donor who would be willing to donate $5 million in return for having naming rights to the 684-seat main stage.

The playhouse has gone dark before, including 16 years in the 1970s-1980s and but had enjoyed successes in the late 1990s and in recent years. Television and movie stars took to the stage but as the recession began to make Los Angeles culture lovers check their wallets ticket sales slowed.

On Monday the Pasadena Playhouse will host the Concert for Haiti. Proceeds will go to support three relief funds -- Save the Children, UNICEF and the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund-- and tickets for the concert are $25, $50 and $100. The concert will be directed by Iona Morris, with Gerald Sternbach serving as musical director. Scheduled performers include Loretta Devine, James Barbour, Billy Blanks, Jr. , Dawnn Lewis, Shoshana Bean, Sharon Lawrence, Yvette Cason, Sharon Brown and others.

Can a play about accounting really deliver? Well, according to a review in Bloomberg News, "Enron" really adds up. Close to a decade after the company that was once #7 on the Fortune 500 list collapsed, bringing accounting firm Arthur Andersen with it, Lucy Prebble has brought it to the stage in London, now at the Neal Coward Theatre. Singing, dancing and slapstick are mixed with a healthy dose of realism to guide the audience through rise and fall of Enron.

Dinosaurs and light sabers are brought into the action to illustrate the work of then financial wizard Andrew Fastow (played by Tom Goodman-Hill), whose off-balance sheet companies, called "raptors," came to life as named and a project called "Death Star" led to the crossing of weapons a la Jedis.

The performances are said to have become profound, with Samuel West's Jeffrey Skilling showing the horror of the fall and Amanda Drew's Claudia Roe (fictional) adding a human touch as the character who represents the opponents Skilling pushed out of his way.

It's been a while since Enron dominated the headlines, and we've since had the mortgage-precipitated financial crisis to remind us of the power of greed. But, Enron kicked off the new millennium, a single company that destroyed vast amounts of value ... and now it's all set to song.

Broadway in New York City got hit hard as the current recession is keeping theater fans from attending performances. Who can blame them? Even for culture devotees, $100 or more per a ticket can seem like a spurious expense when times are tough. The good news is that quality performances are still available at reasonable prices. One such example is a theatrical showcase of up and coming writing and acting talent in Los Angeles. The show is called "Leads & Misfits" and is playing three shows on May 12th (already past), 19th, and 20th - for just $10 per a ticket.

So why see it? A lot of good reasons. This is not old-style boring theater. Think of it as acting for the attention deficit generation. 21 scenes are packed into an hour and half, and the show includes 19 up-and-coming actors with 8 additional writers. The scenes are edgy and amusing. Take for example a parody of CSI Miami done in a comical Shakespearean style. The showcase includes diverse talent from New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Included in the price are also wine and hors d'oeurves. A pretty good deal for a night of culture and rising talent in a past-faced, fun to follow performance. Best of all, you can experience culture in LA without the traditional cost associated with it.

May 19th and 20th shows are at 8pm at the Lyric Theater at 520 La Brea Ave in Los Angeles. For tickets, reservations or inquires, please contact leadsandmisfits@gmail.com.

On LA Weekly here.

Want to support the arts and see a great show? Volunteer usher. it's a great way to get involved in your arts community without spending a dollar.

Years ago, I went to see Eddie Izzard in Boston on his "Circle" tour, and I loved the show so much, I wanted to see it again! I contacted the theater's house management department and asked if they were looking for volunteer ushers. Result: I got to see Eddie Izzard again, and because he's such a brilliant improvisationalist, the show was totally different! I laughed till I cried all over again.

Since then, I've volunteer ushered for a number of shows. Sure, you have to take a few tickets or pass out a few programs, but the experience of seeing a live show is irreplaceable.

Seattle has its own website, volunteerusher.com, and if you search "volunteer usher" and the name of your own city, you just might be surprised by all the opportunities, especially from smaller, under-the-radar organizations it's always fashionable to support. Often times, you even get to meet the performers or the cast!

If there's a show you want to see, contact the theater's house management department and see if they're looking for volunteers. It's just another easy way to make life more lux for cheap or free.

This past weekend I've been reading The Billionaire's Vinegar which touches on the wine collection of William Koch but it's his brother David who has been in the news most recently. David H. Koch who is said to be the wealthiest person in New York City has, according to the NY Times agreed to contribute $100 million toward the renovation of the New York State Theater. The gift will put Koch's name on the door and will also be the largest private capital donation in the Lincoln Center's history. Koch says that he has been going to the New York State Theater for 40 years (he's 68) and he was aware the theater needed modernization. As of this fall it will be known as the David H. Koch Theater making it the same big name change of a New York institution in four months for a $100 million gift. The New York Public Library will be naming its main building after the Wall Street financier Stephen A. Schwarzman in return for his donation.

Koch has an estimated net worth of $17 billion. He will donate the money over 10 years, paying the first $15 million payment this summer and then $10 million annual payment for eight years plus a final $5 million installment. The deal does specify that the theater could be renamed for a new donor after 50 years with the Koch family retaining the right of first refusal. Koch has said he believes that a naming opportunity should last for a specific amount of time so that an institution can later pursue another round of fundraising.

Although there are plenty of causes, both locally and around the world, that need money for urgent and life-saving purposes, there is something to be said for giving a little energy and money to saving the arts as well. What is the world without beauty and creativity? One such charity is the Sundance Institute, founded by Robert Redford in 1981 as a way to "discover, support, and inspire independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world," and to get those works out to audiences. Perhaps most famous for its annual "Sundance Film Festival," the Sundance Institute has many programs and different ways to get involved so get inspired and check it out.

Most home theaters have a set number of seats and if you have extra people over you have to drag in chairs from elsewhere or hit the floor with pillows. Salamander Designs has created a new solution, a new Jump Seat Ottoman that will be debuted at the 2008 CES in Las Vegas. The Jump Seat Ottoman opens to reveal a hide-away theater seat that can be used as an extra seat for watching movies or playing video games. The seat is padded for comfort and even has a cup holder and room for a game control. It comes in a variety of different colors and fabrics.

For the home theater buffs out there, here comes the ultimate in big screen gadgets: a screen and projector that let you view the image from both sides.

Harmony Interiors of Asheville, N.C., originally created this reversible-image home theater system for a "golf dream home" in a prestigious Asheville community. Once they modified the screen and projector appropriately (both which, by the way, retract into the ceiling when not in use) they set it up so the image could either be viewed from inside the house in the cozy enclosed porch, or from the putting green outside with the simple push of a button.

Care to go outside and putt a few in while we watch the movie on the bigscreen? Sure!



Thanks Rachel!

Electronic House has shown off some pretty spectacular theaters before but this one is appealing not just because of the design but because of the inspiration. The theater, created by Johann Peters of Charisma Productions, is a demo theater that is based on "The Stag" the theater at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch. The 16-seat demo theater features THX home components and speakers, a pro-grade JVC digital projector, JBL subs and Crown amps and a Mackie mixing console. It's not exactly like the original, which seats 300 and it is also a different color, but it has the same clean Art Deco lines. Peters got the idea after he attended a THX-certification session at Skywalker Ranch in 2000. The theater cost $100,000 to put together.

While friends watch media clips on their iPods and try to download TV shows to their cell phones, you can one-up them with the size and convenience of the Home Theater Watch. This little gadget has 2GB of built-in storage, which should be more than enough to hold a full-length feature film. It works with MP1, MP2, or MP3 and WMA audio files, as well as with JPEG images, and comes with software that will convert ASF, AVI, MPEG, WMV, DAT/VCD, and ASX files to a viewable format. The screen may be small, but the screen should provide resolution comparable to a PC. The watch is a great way to kill time when standing in line or when you're otherwise out and about, but bored and looking for entertainment. It is just $150.

[via bookofjoe]

There is a certain point at which a screen can become too large for most rooms inside the house, but it is hard to admit that a TV can ever be too big. Even if the TV fits easily into the space, you might not be able to get far enough away to actually view it comfortably. The solution is to take your TV outside, and the Outdoor Home Theater looks like a pretty good system to try. The weatherproof 8-foot screen inflates with an air pump in only 4 minutes, so unlike other projection screens, it doesn't need to be permanently set up in the yard. Two "weatherized" speakers, safe for outdoor use, are included with the screen and can be placed to create a surround-sound effect.

Unfortunately, this doesn't ship until mid-July, so you won't be able to get it in time for a 4th of July party, but it will make watching movies (or baseball games) on warm summer nights a lot more enjoyable. Price: $999.95.