Monster Mash: ‘Phantom,’ ‘Wicked’ see boffo box office; Art Institute of Chicago nixes free Thursdays

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Protest: A group of street artists has staged a protest outside the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, voicing their anger at the institution’s recent decision to remove a controversial public mural.

Oldies but goodies: Broadway’s ‘Wicked,’ ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘The Lion King’ have broken box-office records for the week of the New Year’s holiday. (Theatermania)

Canceled: The Art Institute of Chicago is discontinuing free admission on Thursday evenings due to low turnout. (Crain’s Chicago Business)

Casting changes: The producers of ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ on Broadway have announced a replacement for actress Natalie Mendoza, who left the musical after sustaining a concussion during a preview performance. (Los Angeles Times)

Looking ahead: A talk with David Franklin, who recently assumed the role of director of the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Cleveland Plain-Dealer)

Celebrity art: Songwriter Carole Bayer Sager will debut her new collection of paintings at her first ever solo show at LA Art House on Jan. 14. Sager is also a board member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (Culture Mob)

New leadership: New York-based theater company Naked Angels has named Andy Donald as its new artistic director starting in July. (Broadway World)

Sensual: A Canadian artist has created erotic artwork targeted for the blind. (Time)

-- David Ng