Latest news with #LesMiserables'
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kennedy Center ex-president decries ‘false allegations' about her tenure
The offstage drama at the embattled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts just took another turn. Deborah Rutter, whose tenure as president of the premier Washington, D.C. arts organization was cut short this year by President Donald Trump, issued a withering statement on LinkedIn decrying 'false allegations' about her leadership. Those critics, she wrote on Tuesday, May 20, lack 'the context or expertise to understand the complexities involved in nonprofit and arts management.' The statement follows allegations made Monday, May, 19, by Richard Grenell, who Trump appointed as the institution's interim executive director, that the center's deferred maintenance and deficit were criminal matters for prosecutors to investigate. The remark, reported by the Associated Press, came during a meal with Trump and board members at the White House's State Dining Room. It was not immediately clear what law the center might be breaking; deficit spending by nonprofit arts organizations has practically been the norm, not the exception, since the COVID pandemic. Berkeley's Aurora Theatre Company, for instance, recently announced plans to forego producing a season next year after draining its savings. Moreover, Rutter pointed out that Trump's allies approved previous Kennedy Center budgets. 'The Finance, Audit, and Executive Committees of the Board — composed of appointees from President Trump's first term — had full transparency into all financial transactions and decisions,' she wrote. She also noted that when she left in February, as part of a wave of terminations and resignations that reconstituted the center, the organization had $10 million in reserve funds. 'Perhaps those now in charge are facing significant financial gaps and are seeking to attribute them to past management,' she hypothesized. 'This malicious attempt to distort the facts, which were consistently, transparently and readily available in professionally audited financial reports, recklessly disregards the truth.' The dispute exacerbates an already tumultuous 2025 at the Kennedy Center. In February, Trump appointed himself chair of the board. Soon after, a host of shows at the organization, including Tony Award-nominated 'Eureka Day' by Oakland playwright Jonathan Spector, was axed from the lineup. A Kennedy Center artist leaked 'unprofessional and rude' emails Grenell sent her in April, further exposing the internal chaos there since Trump's takeover. This month, 'Les Miserables' cast members announced plans to boycott Trump's attendance at a June 11 Kennedy Center performance, which recently scheduled a run of 'Mrs. Doubtfire' despite the presidents frequent castigations of drag. Also this month, center employees took steps with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize.
New York Post
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Why Cannes banning nudity from the red carpet is hilariously hypocritical
Like the gun-toting 'Les Miserables' students storming the barricade, Cannes has taken a stand — against, of all things, obscenity. C'est rich! The hon! hon! hon! film festival on France's Cote d'Azur put in place a restrictive — well, as far as Bianca Censori is concerned — new rule Monday at the start of their movie marathon. Advertisement 5 Bella Hadid has often worn revealing outfits at the Cannes Film Festival. Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images 'For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival,' le statement declared. Liberté, egalité, no nudité! Advertisement At pretty much any nearby beach, however, the waist-up dress code remains au naturale. No doubt about it, smutty step-and-repeats are a growing concern at glitzy soirees around the world. The Post's photo editors spend so many hours pixelating famous women's exposed areas, there's barely time for lunch. At the Grammys, Kanye West's girlfriend Censori wore, I dunno, a body-sized nylon sock before being escorted out. Bella Hadid has controversially donned sheer dresses at Cannes before. So has Kendall Jenner. I know — such shocking behavior from these classy, classy names. Advertisement 5 Kendall Jenner might struggle with the new nudity rules on the red carpet. KCS Presse / MEGA A week ago, Halle Berry left little to the imagination at the Met Gala. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Cannes has also canned 'voluminous' outfits with long trains and other excesses — a k a the fun ones. The huge dresses, not European sluggishness, hold up other entrants. Amusingly, that's Berry's problem in France: Her frock has too much fabric. She's gone from sheer to shears. Advertisement 5 Halle Berry wore revealing sheer at the Met Gala this year. Getty Images Bravely, I am pro-clothes-in-public. But the hand-wringing from the Pierres and Claudettes is hilarious. For one, this isn't Kalamazoo — it's France, the country of Manet, Matisse and Courbet. And, specific to Cannes, after these newly layered-up monks and nuns somberly march into the Grand Théâtre Lumière, bared flesh is all over the screen. The French Riviera transforms into Times Square circa 1972. No less than 17 films in the fest's 78 year history have featured graphic, un-simulated sex scenes. Some call it art, some call it porn. You say potato, I say pomme de terre. 5 Cannes have premiered films like 'Love,' which featured un-simulated hardcore sex. Courtesy Everett Collection One, director Gaspar Noe's 'Love' in 2015, featured beaucoup hardcore hanky panky. A carnal MadLibs, the movie had threesomes, orgies, beds, bathrooms, basements and dingy hallways in ample combinations. Plus, like 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' 'Love' was shot in 3-D. Advertisement You can only imagine. Vincent Gallo's 2003 flick 'Brown Bunny,' in which the writer/actor/director was actually pleasured by star Chloe Sevigny, was called the worst Cannes movie ever by Roger Ebert. 5 In Vincent Gallo's 'Brown Bunny,' the director had steamy relations with star Chloe Sevigny. Lest we forget, last year's Palme d'Or winner 'Anora' begins with a series of topless lap dances. Advertisement And my word count isn't long enough — nor my stomach strong enough — to take you through the raunchy resume of Lars von Trier. All this to say, the festival is rather in-Cannes-sistent. I'm in the market for some mischief. Maybe some rebellious attendees will give us a French revolution, arrive in the buff and get carted away. Advertisement Did you know Cannes also requires 'elegant' footwear? They've kicked filmmakers off the carpet for simply wearing moccasins. They'd 'Mon Dieu!' my Sundance sweatpants. If a starlet were forcibly removed for immodesty, that would make a killer story. It would be even better than last year's festival's unfortunate headline grabbers: 'Megalopolis' and 'Horizon: An American Saga.' Talk about obscene. Sacré bleu!
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Opinion: All the MAGA Musicals Trump's Kennedy Center Could Perform
MAGA has been in an uproar lately about something vitally important to the nation. Is it the tariffs that are about to tank the economy? No. Is it the fact that the Trump administration is actively looking to suspend habeas corpus? Absolutely not. Is it that President Trump is accepting a $400 million bribe-plane from Qatar to use as Air Force One? Somehow also no! Instead, the right-wing chorus is furious about the fact that they might have to see a few understudies in a Kennedy Center production of 'Les Miserables' next month. Egads. According to a CNN report, as many as a dozen cast members in the show plan to call out on the night that Trump is attending. Beyond the dramatic production of a society rebelling against its uber-rich upper classes, however, the night that also includes a fundraiser that costs up to $2 million to attend. But let's put aside the fact that these cast members are basically just opting out of a political moment they never agreed to be a part of. (Although, ahem, I do feel like a lot of people are just skipping over that fact.) Because what I'm fascinated by is the fact that Republicans are getting into musical theatre. Historically, Republicans haven't been all that into the performing arts. Basically, Abraham Lincoln went to see 'Our American Cousin' that one time, and ever since then the whole party has been like 'You know what? We'll stick to rodeos and NASCAR.' But that doesn't mean there isn't a place for MAGA in musicals. In fact, I'd argue that there are relevant storylines everywhere, if you just know where to look. Consider 'The Sound of Music,' one of the most beloved musicals in history. Raindrops on roses and sassy nuns in the Swiss alps, what's not to love? Well, the military leading man dumps an age-appropriate woman to date the nanny, whistles at her, then expects her to immediately become mother to seven children. And like a typical trad wife, Maria makes clothes from curtains and sings about her obsession with herding goats. The oldest kid? Dating a Nazi. I'm going to say that MAGA can find something to love here. Moving on to 'The Music Man.' Well, the ensemble cast villainizes a librarian, accusing her of promoting smutty books. Then a charismatic man shows up, gaslights the community with lies about what he will do for them and demands an over-the-top parade. Sound familiar? And don't get me started on 'Annie,' the musical most sung by tiny little belters until 'Frozen.' There's an alcoholic woman wearing too much makeup appointed to a leadership position, in which she thwarts child labor laws. There's a billionaire mogul who decides he wants a boy child, and is furious when he gets a girl. Oh, and that same billionaire? He has a weirdly close relationship with the President, demands leader of the free world stop everything to cater to his every whim, and hits on a much younger employee while insisting on being called 'Daddy.' Oh, and there is also cruelty to dogs. Here's the thing: I can't pretend I'm not excited to watch them discover musical theatre. With Republicans canceling National Endowment for the Arts grants like they're open-mic comedians who think they can say the 'N' word, the performing arts world deserves all the paying customers it can get. Theatre is, by nature, the art of showing us all what it's like to be someone else. And oh my god is that empathy needed right now. And one last thing: understudies? They're fantastic. I know this might not be something Donald Trump can wrap his head around, but understudies are the people who spend countless weeks rehearsing, not because they'll get the big bow at the end, but just for the love of the game. So if you ever get the honor of seeing an understudy step out onstage and become a star, take it. They are the heart and souls of the theater, and you'd be lucky to get to see one of them perform, much less ten.
The Age
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Matt Lucas and Marina Prior: the Les Miserable arena show is here
British musical theatre stars Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, in town to perform in Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular, have just caught wind of Australia's penchant for election day democracy sausages. 'I want a sausage sizzle in our elections in the UK,' Boe says. 'Seriously. Being here is so nice because you seem so removed from the rest of the hassle and stress that's going on in the world.' 'Australians don't take things too seriously.' We do, however, take musicals seriously. Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular, produced by theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh, is now playing at the 9000-seat ICC Sydney Theatre and will travel to Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre as part of a world tour. It has broken the record for the highest number of tickets ever sold at the ICC. Not content with being the world's most famous musical or the longest-running West End musical (40 years), Les Miserables' story of love, revolution, and social injustice in 19th-century France seems indefatigable. Boe thinks he know why. 'I heard this couple last night and she was saying to her husband, 'I think I can carry on with things, the stress that we've been going through, I think I can cope with it now',' he says. 'All after seeing a musical.' But why present an arena version of the musical? Mackintosh, whose prolific and influential career includes producing The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Miss Saigon, Mary Poppins, Oliver! and co-producing Hamilton in London, says it's going back to the essence of what the show is about. 'One of the things I insist - and that makes it special - is that everyone in the arena show has been in the stage production of the show,' he says. 'Even [the] big stars.'
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Matt Lucas and Marina Prior: the Les Miserable arena show is here
British musical theatre stars Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, in town to perform in Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular, have just caught wind of Australia's penchant for election day democracy sausages. 'I want a sausage sizzle in our elections in the UK,' Boe says. 'Seriously. Being here is so nice because you seem so removed from the rest of the hassle and stress that's going on in the world.' 'Australians don't take things too seriously.' We do, however, take musicals seriously. Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular, produced by theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh, is now playing at the 9000-seat ICC Sydney Theatre and will travel to Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre as part of a world tour. It has broken the record for the highest number of tickets ever sold at the ICC. Not content with being the world's most famous musical or the longest-running West End musical (40 years), Les Miserables' story of love, revolution, and social injustice in 19th-century France seems indefatigable. Boe thinks he know why. 'I heard this couple last night and she was saying to her husband, 'I think I can carry on with things, the stress that we've been going through, I think I can cope with it now',' he says. 'All after seeing a musical.' But why present an arena version of the musical? Mackintosh, whose prolific and influential career includes producing The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Miss Saigon, Mary Poppins, Oliver! and co-producing Hamilton in London, says it's going back to the essence of what the show is about. 'One of the things I insist - and that makes it special - is that everyone in the arena show has been in the stage production of the show,' he says. 'Even [the] big stars.'
