Monster Mash: Breaking arts news and headlines
• Anna Deavere Smith is set to present her latest one-woman drama, "The Arizona Project," in early November at the Herberger Theater in Phoenix. The play tells the story of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, as well as those of more than 30 women with relationships to the American judicial system. Smith, who currently can be seen in the movie "Rachel Getting Married" and who had a recurring role on NBC's "The West Wing," received Tony nominations in 1994 for her play "Twilight: Los Angeles 1992." (Pictured right: Smith in her play "House Arrest" at the Mark Taper Forum in 1999.)
• There's a silver lining -- albeit a modest one --- to every financial cloud. A painting of disgraced Lehman Bros. CEO Richard Fuld has reportedly sold for $10,000. Brooklyn-based artist Geoffrey Raymond allowed passersby and laid-off employees to scrawl their thoughts on the canvas. As one might expect, many of the comments were angry and accusatory toward the CEO. The artist said the portrait's buyer is a former Lehman employee who still had friends at the firm.
• Oliver Platt will star as Nathan Detroit in the upcoming Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls," which is scheduled to officially open March 1 at the Nederlander Theatre. Des McAnuff, former artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse, will direct the musical. Platt received a Tony nomination in 2006 for his role in Conor McPherson's "Shining City."
• The Manhattan art gallery Historical Design Inc. is reportedly suing a former Enron Corp. officer for allegedly trying to extort more than $150,000 by claiming a painting he bought was a forgery. Jeff Shankman, Enron's former chief operating officer of global markets, complained that a painting he purchased called "Les Visiteurs,'' attributed to J. Lambert-Rucki, was a fake, and threatened to go public unless he was paid least $150,000.
• The ubiquitous Plácido Domingo is about to make a rare first appearance. The Spanish tenor (and L.A. Opera general director) will perform his first concert in India on Saturday, with conductor Zubin Mehta at the podium. Domingo will perform in Mumbai with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in a program that will include pieces from "Carmen," "Aida," "Tosca," "La Traviata" as well as duets with soprano Barbara Frittoli.
• Starchitect Daniel Libeskind has designed what is being touted as his first shopping center -- a massive, mixed-use building that opened to the public Wednesday in Bern, Switzerland. The Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre includes 55 shops, 10 restaurants and bars, a hotel, a multiplex cinema, a fitness center and a senior residency.
— David Ng
Photos: At top, Anna Deavere Smith. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times. Above, Placido Dominguez. Credit: Israel Leal / Associated Press
