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Monday Morning Roundup


by Stephen Becker 23 Apr 2012 8:02 AM

Today in the roundup: The trickiness of casting ‘Rain,’ the debate over opera simulcasts and big bucks for the DMA.

CTA TBD

RAINY DAYS: On Tuesday, Rain – A Tribute To The Beatles drops by the Music Hall at Fair Park for a six-day run. The show promises a “note-for-note” presentation of some of the Fab Four’s biggest hits. Mark Lewis, one of the founders of the show, tells theaterjones.com that this is a tough one to cast. “For example, Paul McCartney is an amazing talent. He’s a singer, a bass player, an accomplished guitar player, and he plays piano. Plus there’s his charisma. He is one of the most identifiable human beings on the planet. If you don’t nail it, people are dissatisfied. The process of finding guys who can do all of that at our level of authenticity—it’s like trying to replace Michael Jordan.”

LIVE AND IN STEREO: On Saturday, the Dallas Opera presents its simulcast of The Magic Flute at Cowboys Stadium. More than 20,000 viewers are expected to attend. But the idea of filming and simulcasting live performances is still being debated in the opera world, even though the Metropolitan Opera has been doing it regularly since 2006. The main questions focus on whether the simulcasts offer the same quality as seeing the performances live and whether casual fans will bother to come to live performances if simulcasts are an option. The Financial Times delved into the subject over the weekend, and at least one of the people interviewed is thinking positively about the idea. “I think all opera companies suffer because of a certain level of misunderstanding about what we present, because a lot of people don’t know what we do,” says Glyndebourne’s general director David Pickard. “And if this is the start of a greater understanding, and therefore a greater interest, which will lead to more people attending live performances, then that’s good for everyone.”

MUSEUM MONEY: On April 14, the Dallas Museum of Art hosted one of its major fundraisers of the year, Wanderlust: Art Ball 2012. And plenty of funds were raised – $2 million according to dallasnews.com. Judging from this slideshow, it looks as if it was a pretty fancy affair.

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