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‘Richard II’ Review: A Radio King With a Tottering Crown
Electric performances, led by André Holland, transcend didacticism in an audio rendition that replaced a Shakespeare in the Park production. More
Eliana Willis
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When a Corporate Picnic Plus Shakespeare Is Anything but Routine
For a Cantor Fitzgerald lawyer, a summer ritual in Central Park is a reminder of how New York can heal the hurting. More
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The Time I Saw Angela Lansbury Instead of the Horse Show
Not so long ago, top stars brought top musicals to suburban arenas that started their lives as tents. More
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Missing Theater Under the Stars (Even the Bugs and the Rain)
Shakespeare in the Park and other outdoor venues are shut. But for performers and directors, open-air memories are as sharp as the bite of a mosquito. More
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7 Things to Do This Weekend
How can you get your cultural fix when many arts institutions remain closed? Our writers offer suggestions for what to listen to and watch, and a reason to take a stroll in Lower Manhattan. More
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A Plague on Your Houses: Reading Covid-19 Into Disease Onstage
“The hateful plague spreads like a raging wildfire, devouring the city without mercy, emptying homes and filling the streets with moans and wailing and heaps of rotting bodies,” declares a priest in “The Oedipus Project,” Theater of War Productions’ recent reading of scenes from “Oedipus the King,” translated and directed by Bryan Doerries.Since the coronavirus has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and upended even the most basic functions of daily life — hugging a friend, buying toilet paper — people have been turning to stage depictions of mass illness as a means of understanding the present moment.As cities shut down, conversations on Twitter and elsewhere debated Shakespeare’s productivity during the plague (earning old King Lear his own hashtag) and surfaced allusions to the plague in all of those English-class favorites.In “Romeo and Juliet,” Mercutio famously declares, “A plague o’ both your houses,” while in “King Lear,” the doddering royal spits an insulting “plague-sore” at his daughter Goneril. In the first scene of “The Tempest,” facing the ruckus of the sailors while a storm ravages the boat, the boatswain groans, “A plague upon this howling!”But the plague as a literary device isn’t well served by adaptations, or by framing that seeks to baldly tie its relevance to Covid-19. As the author and filmmaker Susan Sontag has written, “Illness is not a metaphor … the most truthful way of regarding illness — and the healthiest way of being ill — is one most purified of, most resistant to, metaphoric thinking.”ImageFrances McDormand as Jocasta in the Theater of War production, which was presented twice, in May and in June.In “The Oedipus Project” reading in late June — winningly delivered by a cast of such screen- and stage-friendly faces as Oscar Isaac, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Frankie Faison and John Turturro — the title character’s story is meant to serve as “a catalyst for powerful, healing online conversations about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” according to the theater. More
Tyra Banks Is Tapped as New ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Host
A day after Tom Bergeron, the longtime “Dancing With the Stars” host, announced on Twitter that ABC had not invited him to return for the show’s 29th season, the network revealed his replacement: Tyra Banks, the former supermodel and businesswoman.Banks, whose reality TV credits include hosting “America’s Next Top Model” and “America’s Got Talent,” will also serve as the show’s executive producer, the network announced late Tuesday night.“Tom has set a powerful stage,” Banks said in a joint statement from ABC and BBC Studios, the show’s production company. “And I’m excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats.”The network parted ways with Bergeron, who had hosted the show for 15 years, and Erin Andrews, who had done so for six, earlier this week, citing a desire to take the show in a new direction after several seasons of sagging ratings.Bergeron had been outspoken about the show’s decision to cast political guests, which included Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary and communications director for President Trump. “We can agree to disagree, as we do now, but it’s ultimately their call,” he wrote on Twitter last August. Spicer joined a number of Republican-affiliated contestants who had appeared before him, including Bristol Palin, the daughter of Sarah Palin, the former G.O.P. vice-presidential candidate; and Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who ran for president.Banks is not without controversy. She apologized in May for comments she made about a contestant’s tooth gap during the 2006 season of “America’s Next Top Model,” the TV modeling competition she created, hosted and executive produced.“So Danielle, you went to the dentist but you refused to have your gap closed,” Banks told the contestant, Dani Evans, who is Black, during the show. “Do you really think you can have a CoverGirl contract with a gap in your mouth?”When Evans replied that she thought she could, Banks chided her that her tooth gap was “not marketable.” (Evans went on to win that cycle of the show.)Banks later told a white contestant on Cycle 15 of the show, Chelsey Hersley, to have her own gap widened to make her look “more edgy.” In the statement announcing the new host, Karey Burke, the network’s president, praised Banks’s broad experience. “Tyra is an award-winning multihyphenate whose fierce female prowess and influence across many industries have made an indelible mark,” she said.In a statement on Wednesday, Banks said of the show, “I will do my best to honor its legacy while also injecting new ideas to reach new generations of audiences.” More
ViacomCBS Fires Nick Cannon, Citing Anti-Semitic Podcast Remarks
The television star Nick Cannon was fired by ViacomCBS on Tuesday for making anti-Semitic remarks during a recent podcast in which he discussed conspiracy theories about Jewish people and praised a minister notorious for anti-Jewish comments.ViacomCBS is the parent company of MTV and the cable channel TeenNick, both of which prominently showcased Mr. Cannon for years on various platforms.Mr. Cannon, 39, had worked as an executive producer and chairman of TeenNick, a spinoff of the network Nickelodeon geared toward teenagers. He had also been a host and executive producer of the MTV comedy show “Wild ’N Out.”A ViacomCBS spokeswoman said in a statement that the company categorically denounced all forms of anti-Semitism.“We have spoken with Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast ‘Cannon’s Class’ on YouTube, which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,” the statement said. “While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him.”In a tweet on Monday, Mr. Cannon said, “Anyone who knows me knows that I have no hate in my heart nor malice intentions.”A representative for Mr. Cannon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night.Mr. Cannon, an actor and a musician, is also a host on the Fox show “The Masked Singer.” It was not immediately clear if Mr. Cannon’s relationship with the network was being re-evaluated. Fox did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday night.Mr. Cannon’s dismissal by ViacomCBS came after the star wide receiver DeSean Jackson was fined and disciplined by the Philadelphia Eagles last week for sharing an anti-Semitic quotation attributed to Hitler.On the June 30 episode of the podcast, Mr. Cannon was interviewing the rapper Richard Griffin, known as Professor Griff, about his dismissal from the hip-hop group Public Enemy in 1989.Mr. Griffin left the group after he said in an interview with The Washington Times: “The Jews are wicked. And we can prove this.” He also said that Jews were responsible for “the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe.”Speaking to Mr. Cannon, Mr. Griffin doubled down on his past remarks about the influence of Jewish people on the music and media industries.“I’m hated now because I told the truth,” Mr. Griffin said.“You’re speaking facts,” Mr. Cannon said. “There’s no reason to be scared of anything when you’re speaking the truth.”Mr. Cannon said it was an honor to have the “legend” Mr. Griffin on his podcast. He also said it was a shame that Louis Farrakhan, a minister known for his history of anti-Semitic comments, had been silenced on Facebook.Responding to Mr. Griffin’s contention that six dominant media companies were controlled by Jewish people, Mr. Cannon said it was comparable to the power of the Rothschilds, the banking scions who are a focus of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.“I find myself wanting to debate this idea and it gets real wishy and washy and unclear for me when we give so much power to the ‘theys,’ and ‘theys’ then turn into illuminati, the Zionists, the Rothchilds,” Mr. Cannon said later in the podcast.He also echoed Mr. Griffin’s remarks about how Black people are Semitic people by definition and that Semitic people are not white.“You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people,” Mr. Cannon said. “That’s our birthright. So if that’s truly our birthright, there’s no hate involved.” More
