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There is a global trend of people recreating great works of art using whatever household items they can find. The challenge was inspired by the Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam and an Instagram account called Between Art and Quarantine.
The Getty has adapted the invitation to use digital and downloadable artworks from Getty’s online collection. So far, the call has been answered with re-creations of Jeff Koons using a pile of socks and everything from Cezanne, Munch, and Vermeer creatively MacGyvered out of towels, pillows, scarves, coffee filters, vacuums, mops and of course…toilet paper. Check out the images and learn how to submit your own creative masterpieces! Getty.Edu
This week saw an extraordinary virtual celebration of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim for his 90th birthday with just about all of Broadway showing up at a Live event on Broadway.com YouTube channel. There were hilarious and touching moments to salute him through his music sung by, well, just everyone! Among the many highlights are a fall down funny, drunken trio of Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski and Audra MacDonald singing “The Ladies Who Lunch”, Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford singing from their recent revival of “Sunday In The Park With George”, and a stirring “Take Me To The World” sung by Raul Esparza. An inspiring “Flag Song” is sung by the lush baritone of Brian Stokes Mitchell, who, having recently recovered from Covid-19 has taken to singing “Impossible Dream” from his apartment window on Broadway during the 7pm salute to frontline workers. The show is worth it for the live overture alone but stick around for these once in a lifetime performances from Ben Platt, Kelli O’Hara, Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, and more. The show benefits ASTEP (Artists Striving To End Poverty)
Hampstead Theatre in London continues its free #HampsteadTheatreAtHome series with their 2013 production of the Howard Brenton play, The Arrest of Ai Weiwei, based on conversations between the title imprisoned Chinese artist and journalist Barnaby Martin. Through May 3 at HampsteadTheatre.com
NationalTheatre.org presents their thrilling, critically acclaimed production of Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternating roles as Victor Frankenstein and his creation. Directed by Danny Boyle, the show was an international sensation that sold out its London run and was screened in cinemas around the world. You won’t want to miss it! Recommended for 12 and up.
Center Theatre Group continues their Scenes From The Vault series with Cecily Tyson in The Trip To Bountiful which was at The Ahmansan in 2014 and also starred Vanessa Williams and Blair Underwood. This scene with Tyson and Jurnee Smollett-Bell gives a glimpse at this Tony Award winning performance by one of the very best. centertheatregroup.org/art-goes-on/scenes-from-the-vault/
Northern Ballet, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, has a strong repertoire in theatrical dance productions with an emphasis on storytelling. Their full production of “1984” is streaming for free on YouTube under “Full Ballet: Northern Ballet’s 1984”. The prescient details of George Orwell’s story of Winston Smith and Big Brother feel more contemporary than ever and Northern Ballet brings us a one-of-a-kind spin on this dystopian novel in a critically acclaimed 2016 adaptation.
If Opera is your thing or if it’s something you may want to try dipping a toe into, OperaVision has vastly expanded its free online offerings with twice-weekly new streams available for free for a limited time. Up this week is Tchaikovsky’s breakthrough as an opera composer, Eugene Onegin, beginning May 1, followed by two more Tchaikovsky masterpieces, Swan Lake on May 3 and The Queen of Spades on May 5.
Thanks for the int’l art and theatre info. I just love it when you expand my consciousness!