Dog Art Today

Tag: musical

  • She Can’t Believe She Said That! Opens This Weekend

    Kathie_lee_gifford_musical

    Show logo by Nancy Prager

    My friend Matt Prager is one of those shockingly funny people who isn't afraid to go all the way with a joke.  Whether it's recording albums for bands that don't exist, or pitching TV executives with popsicle stick puppets, his absurd sense of humor is exceeded only by his intellect.

    So I wasn't surprised to hear his musical about the "rise and fall and fall and rise of Kathie Lee Gifford nee Epstein, She Can't Believe She Said That!, was selected to be a part of this year's New York Musical Theater Festival.  But I was surprised to hear that a Long Haired Dachshund named Petula Sue plays a pivotal roll in the saga to KLG's life.

    I don't want to give away the character arc of Petula Sue and her impact on a young(er) Kathie Lee, but I will let you know not to expect a little Darby scampering across the stage.  Matt chose to use a stuffed dog on a stick instead.  And I hear she is a real show-stopper.

    Darby

    Darby's headshot.  He would like to play Petula Sue if the show comes west.

    From the PR:

    "She Can't Believe She Said That! recounts the true story of talkshow hostess Kathie Lee Gifford over thirty years, creating an identity out of thin air to achieve national fame… and international infamy. The original Kathie Lee-sical, this loony satire from one of the writers of SOUTH PARK is like Evita crossed with cheese — Velvevita, if you will."

    Also, my cousin, the fabulous Clair (Answer Girl) Lamb, is the stage manager.  So if you go, stop by and say hi to her and Matt and tell them I sent you. 

    If you are a blogger or member of the press and would like free tickets email me and I will hook you up.

    Show runs until October 5, 2008 at
    TGB (The Barrow Group Theater)
    312 West 36th St., 3rd Floor
    New York, NY 10018

    Click here for more info + to buy tickets.

  • John Heartfield: Dogs + War

    John_heartfield_butter_finished

    Hurray, The Butter is Finished, 1935 (reference to Herman Goering's statement, "Iron ore has always made an empire strong, butter and lard have at most made people fat.")

    The Akron Art Museum's current exhibition John Heartfield vs. Nazi Germany includes over 40 socially conscious photogravures by one of the most brilliant and outspoken artists of the 20th century.

    Born in Germany in 1891 as Helmut Herzfeld, he changed his name to protest WW I.  As the Weimar Republic took hold of the country, Heartfield's collages became highly critical of Hitler and the Third Reich.  Ultimately his work was banned during the height of the Nazi regime, only to be rediscovered in the late 50s.  He died in 1968.

    Look closely at the dates on these photogravures.  These works are from the mid-1930s, and are concrete proof that Hitler's atrocities were no secret and no surprise.  They are a reminder to turn to artists and not corporate news channels to *see* the world as it really is.

    John_heartfield_place_sun

    A Place in the Sun, 1935 (Mussolini, "I want to provide my people with a place in the sun!")

    John_heartfield_teaching_wolves

    The Teaching of the Wolves, 1935

    BTW, the Akron Art Museum is one of only three museums in the US to possess substantial holdings of Heartfield’s art. This is the first time they have all been on display. The exhibition runs until November 30, 2008. Click here for more information.

    P.S. Heartfield's work is also a stark reminder of the dire consequences of what happens to an administration and a country that puts guns before butter.

    Related links:

    The images above are courtesy of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film
    .

    HEARTFIELD: Towson University's collaborative website site with MFA student Kate Chisholm who produced and directed a musical about John Heartfield's life and work in 2000.

    The book Heartfield Versus Hitler by John Willett is available here.