Monster Mash: Breaking arts news and headlines
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-- ‘Spring Awakening,’ the 2007 Tony-winning musical, will close on Broadway on Jan. 18. L.A. audiences will be able to catch the national tour of the Duncan Sheik-scored musical when it opens at the Ahmanson Theatre next week.
-- John Patrick Shanley’s screen adaptation of his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play ‘Doubt’ will open the 2008 AFI Festival. The Miramax film, which stars Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, replaces Paramount’s ‘The Soloist,’ which was recently withdrawn from the opening-night slot.
-- LACMA and the Fowler Museum at UCLA have jointly acquired a major work of contemporary African art. ‘Fading Scroll’ is a huge metal tapestry by Nigeria-based artist El Anatsui. The work will remain on view at LACMA until Nov. 2. UPDATE: An earlier version incorrectly spelled the artist’s name as El Anatsu.
-- New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is honoring its outgoing director, Philippe de Montebello, with an exhibition of 300 objects acquired during his 30-year tenure. The show opens today and runs through Feb. 1.
-- ‘Star Wars’ actor Ian McDiarmid insisted on finishing his opening night performance on the West End after suffering what some suspect was a heart attack. The Tony-winning actor took his curtain call for a production of Pirandello’s ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’ before being admitted to a hospital.
-- Sotheby’s has reported losing $15 million in guarantees that it provided sellers during recent auctions in Hong Kong and London.
-- A controversy is brewing over an incident involving a Muslim woman who was questioned for wearing a veil in a museum. The August incident occurred when a security guard at the CaâRezzÂonico Museum in Venice, Italy, stopped a woman who was wearing the garment, stating that such apparel was not allowed.
-- Banksy, the elusive U.K. street artist, has lost a battle with the Westminster council, which intends to remove one of his large wall paintings.
-- David Ng
