1. Theater Jones checks in with actor Preston Truman Boyd who is in town with Young Frankenstein, starring as The Monster. The role is a big break for the 25-year-old actor, who already has an impressive musical theater resume and seems poised for longevity.
2. Addison and its 170 restaurants would like to add “arts destination” to its list of distinctions. That’s why it is spending $1.3 million from its hotel-motel tax revenue to build a new “hybrid arts and visitor center.” One of the center’s functions will be to house studios for the Craft Guild of Dallas.
3. We have just made it through the year end and the requisite lists of bests that flow during the annual page turning. However, that hasn’t stopped New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini from playing with the idea of the ultimate critic-listing indulgence. Tomassini considers picking the top ten composers of all time.
Including Bach is a no-brainer. But remember, the point is to come up with a list. Move ahead a bit in history, and we are in danger of having four places among the Top 10 given to composers who worked in Vienna during a period of roughly 75 years, from 1750 to 1825. What was going on in that town at that time to foster such awesome creativity?