Entertainment
Can arts festivals matter anymore? LA28 Olympics can prove they do, with Salzburg as inspiration
The well-run 1984 Olympics transformed Los Angeles. Not through the Games, which thrillingly came and went, but through the Olympic Arts Festival, which taught us to dream and inspired us to do. Forty year later, we have added Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles Opera, the Getty Center, the Soraya, the Geffen Playhouse, the Hammer Museum, the Wallis, the Nimoy, the Industry, L.A. Dance Project, Wild Up, the Broad museum and the Broad Stage. The Olympic Arts Festival turned us into an arts capital in a remarkably short period of time.
Now that Paris has symbolically handed the Olympic torch back to us, our Games in 2028 no longer seem so far away. By then, we will have added Frank Gehry’s new Colburn Center, a 1,000-seat concert hall with the potential of turning Grand Avenue into an avenue of the arts unlike any in the world. A short Metro ride away will be the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new Peter Zumthor-designed David Geffen Galleries.
This leaves the arts community excited and galvanized but also alarmed after Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28, the private group putting on the L.A. Games, said following the closing ceremony in Paris: “We don’t have an Eiffel Tower. We do have a Hollywood sign.” Tom Cruise’s motorcycle tour from the boulevards of Paris to the Hollywood Hills in the ceremony’s tacky finale only increased concern. Meanwhile, the death on Sept. 30 of Robert Fitzpatrick, the force of nature behind the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival, has reminded us what he accomplished.
Obviously, in a changed city and a changed world, we hardly require a replay of the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival. But what? Should the ’28 model resemble the current PST Art festival of exhibitions related to science? Funded by the Getty, institutions throughout the region have come up with projects — and we get whatever the cat drags in. Or might the recently appointed chair of the LA28 Cultural Olympiad, Maria Anna Bell, a former Museum of Contemporary Art board chair, and her advisor, Nora Halpern, an art historian and curator based in Washington, D.C., the last two decades, find novel inspiration from Fitzpatrick’s brilliantly curated festival?
Tenor Sean Panikkar in Peter Sellars’ production of Prokofiev’s “The Gambler” at the 2024 Salzburg Festival.
(Ruth Walz / Salzburg Festival)
The Cultural Olympiad (can’t we go back to the friendlier Arts Festival?) is special. It is the only aspect of the Olympics that needn’t be politicized or commercialized. The budget for 1984 was $20 million. The Times set the festival rolling as the main sponsor with a $5-million donation. Around $6 million came from ticket sales. The Olympics supplied the rest. Fitzpatrick used all of it as he saw fit.
Two days after the closing ceremony in Paris in August, I flew to Austria, where I spent two weeks at the annual Salzburg Festival. Its 62-million euro budget ($67.8 million) puts Salzburg on a similar scale to the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival when adjusting for inflation. More important, grand and consequential Salzburg markedly demonstrates what makes festivals matter.
A festival in Mozart’s picturesque birthplace at the foot of the Austrian Alps, a city that attracts hordes of summer tourists along with well-heeled audiences in formal dress, may not exactly suit L.A. But L.A., in fact, serves as an inspiration for Salzburg.
This year, Peter Sellars’ new production of Prokofiev’s opera “The Gambler” and Gustavo Dudamel’s concert with the Vienna Philharmonic were among the highlights.
The festival itself needs no contrived theme. Instead, it becomes, as did our 1984 Arts Olympic Festival, an activist lens onto the world. In 1992, while Sellars was the director of the Los Angeles Festival (which grew out of the Olympic Arts one), he began staging opera in Salzburg, helping revolutionize what had become a stodgy music industry event. Indeed, Markus Hinterhäuser, the festival’s visionary artistic director, told me that Sellars is his most important artistic guide today.
On my first day in Salzburg, I headed for an 11 a.m. concert featuring Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in Bruckner’s monumental Eighth Symphony. The full Festspielhaus, the festival’s largest hall, had a worshipful air. We listened in rapt, reverential awe, cozied by Vienna’s velvet strings, velvet winds and velvet brass woven together in a perfect tapestry of lush sonic textures and instrumental colors.
Peter Sellars, photographed this year in Salzburg.
(Jan Friese / Salzburg Festival)
That evening, in an again packed Festspielhaus, Daniel Barenboim conducted the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in another monumental Eighth Symphony, Schubert’s “Great,” (confusingly known as Schubert’s Ninth outside Austria and Germany). In place of velvet and luxuriant lushness, there was fixating intensity and raw power. The ensemble was so grounded that the feeling here was of everyone giving everything they had to hold the symphony — and symbolically the world — together.
Both Eighths were occasions for community. The Divan is a training orchestra founded 25 years ago by Barenboim and Palestinian American scholar Edward Said to bring together young musicians from Israel and Middle Eastern Arab countries. The orchestra’s current members had spent the last year during the war in Gaza studying at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, learning to work through their profound differences for a common cause.
To witness them supporting one another musically and showing inspiring devotion to a frail Barenboim, suffering from a debilitating neurological disease, may be the only gleam of hope we have for peace. At the end of what the players clearly knew was a performance of a lifetime, they lingered onstage, hugging one another. Tying the day together, the Vienna Philharmonic concertmaster that morning was a 27-year-old Muslim violinist from Nazareth, Yamen Saadi, who who got his start at age 10 in the Divan.
This first day became an introduction to the way that knowing creation can bring together a wide range of sources that result in a brave and profound cultural diplomacy, which is a disastrous lost art. This was furthered in much of what I attended during the festival.
Three major opera productions in Salzburg threw needed light on Russia and Ukraine. Two were Russian operas based on Dostoevsky novels: Prokofiev’s little-known “The Gambler” and Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s all-but-unknown “The Idiot.” Presented as compelling theater, they brought in-depth insight into our often simplistic attempts to understand the Russian mind, with its complex aspirations, fears and insecurity that can lead to greatness, grandiosity or outright malevolence.
Sellars revealed “The Gambler” as the dazzlement of addictive behavior, a road map for losing one’s mind. In gripping, high-wire performances, American baritone Sean Panikkar as Alexei succumbs to roulette. Lithuanian star soprano Asmik Grigorian as Polina loses her mind to nihilism. Young Russian conductor Timur Zangiev barreled through Prokoviev’s restless score with compulsive and relentlessness virtuosity.
“The Idiot” is a nearly five-hour slog by a Polish-Russian contemporary of Shostakovich about another Dostoevsky outsider who succumbs to visions of grandeur. But Weinberg’s 1985 barely known gloomy opera is also a profound demonstration of how and why misplaced power can destroy society. And thanks to a terrific cast, led by sensational Ukrainian tenor Bogdan Volkov, and the vivid conducting of Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla’s sleekly modern production by Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski, “The Idiot” turned out to be Salzburg’s hottest ticket.
A scene from Krzysztof Warlikowski’s production of Weinberg’s “The Idiot,” at the 2024 Salzburg Festival.
(Bernd Uhlig / Salzburg Festival)
Unfortunately, the night I attended, Grazinyte-Tyla had taken ill and had been replaced by her assistant, Oleg Ptashnikov. But video of the production with the colorful Grazinyte-Tyla can be streamed via stage-plus.com and, as can “The Gambler,” on medici.tv.
What made Salzburg special and a little shocking was its daring belief in cultural diplomacy. This included bringing back Teodor Currentzis to lead a revival of an avant-garde production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” The controversial Russian-based Greek conductor has been banished from the majority of Western institutions. While never expressing support for the war in Ukraine, Currentzis is said to have received funding for his Russian ensemble from corporations with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But Currentzis is also controversial because he is, on one hand, an obsessive perfectionist and, on the other, a showy radical with highly original musical ideas. All of that shows up in the “Don Giovanni,” which came close to perfection and extreme reinvention.
The surreal, visually hypnotizing production by Italian director Romeo Castellucci made little effort to make narrative sense. What’s an upside-down car hanging from the ceiling got to do with anything? But somehow the imagery, mostly against a bare stage, focused attention on a performance in which every single note, sung or played, every movement, every physical object, seemed to have been thought through and was riveting.
This international cast, led by striking Italian baritone Davide Luciano as the Don, brought yet more Russians and Europeans together. The marvelous Utopia Orchestra in the pit was composed of leading players from top European ensembles.
There is much, much, much more to the Salzburg Festival. And months later it still influences how I view international relations and political chaos, how I contend with world leaders, how I vote.
Yes, we’ve got the Hollywood sign, a real-estate advertisement-turned-landmark. But Walt Disney Concert Hall is also a landmark.
There is no time to waste. Planning takes time. But Salzburg does it every year, and there should be no reason why we can’t make a festival and mean it.
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Augustana chapter.
During Thanksgiving week, I saw Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. I went in thinking the movie would be just another cash grab that would be lifeless and mediocre. However, I was proven incredibly wrong, and for that, I am grateful. And I cannot wait for the second part coming next year. I will wait patiently, hoping it is as great as the first part.
Anyway, enough ranting; let’s get into the movie. Wicked is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, based on the book “The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire, which is loosely based on L. Frank Baum’s novel “The Wizard of Oz.”
John Chu directed the movie, which delivers a dazzling cinematic experience. As I’ve stated before, the film is split into two parts. With stunning visuals and stirring performances, it explores the origins of Elphaba and Glinda while tying together themes of friendship, prejudice, and the cost of ambition.
The film is a sensory extravaganza with a vivid production design that captures Oz in stunning detail. Chu elevates the musical numbers with dynamic camera work and visual effects, fusing real-world sets with CGI to produce an incredible yet engaging atmosphere. However, there are some moments where the visuals drag. The lighting could often be better, which could take away from the visuals. Other than that, it is excellent.
Cynthia Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba is especially remarkable because of her nuanced performance, which successfully captures the character’s vulnerability and strength. Her rendition of “Defying Gravity” is a cinematic high point, cementing her as the film’s heart. I felt euphoric and goosebumps, as though I were with her in that instant, defying gravity. In her portrayal of Glinda, Ariana Grande excelled at balancing her comedic charm and emotional depth, especially in her rendition of “Popular.” I laughed at times, which was surprising as it wasn’t advertised as a comedy. Unquestionably, Erivo and Grande have chemistry together, highlighting the complexity of their friendship.
Overall, Wicked was an excellent character-driven story. It was enjoyable with its lush visuals, unforgettable performances, and narrative. The ending perfectly sets the stage for part two. I know it left me wanting even more.
Entertainment
'Cambodian Rock Band,' revised 'Flower Drum Song' lead East West Players’ 2025-26 season
East West Players artistic director Lily Tung Crystal has unveiled the lineup for her inaugural season at the helm of the nation’s oldest and largest producer of Asian American theater.
The company’s 60th anniversary season includes a blend of classic texts and bold new works, all which are from Asian American writers and will be presented at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district.
“I wanted the season to honor our elders who paved the way for the past 60 years, and also to uplift the new generation who are coming forward in the next 60 years,” Tung Crystal told The Times last week.
“Throughout this season, I want people to see the power and artistry of Asian American theater in the United States: we’re not only creating the Asian American theater canon, but we’re creating the American theater canon.”
The season launches with the L.A. premiere of Lauren Yee’s “Cambodian Rock Band” (Feb. 13-March 9, 2025), about a Khmer Rouge survivor who returns to Cambodia after 30 years as his daughter prepares to prosecute one of the country’s most notorious war criminals. Featuring classic Cambodian rock hits and songs from the L.A. band Dengue Fever, the play made its world premiere at South Coast Repertory in 2018 and has since been programmed all over the country.
“Yee’s play is a fierce, gorgeous, heartwarming, comedic fairy tale set against one of history’s grisliest mass extinctions,” wrote Margaret Gray in her review for The Times in 2018. “Yee has made her characters so joyfully and ridiculously human that it’s impossible — to a heartbreaking degree — not to identify with them.”
Joe Ngo, Abraham Kim, Brooke Ishibashi, Jane Lui and Raymond Lee in the world premiere of “Cambodian Rock Band” at South Coast Repertory in 2018.
(Jordan Kubat/South Coast Repertory)
This production, which will reunite the world premiere’s original cast and director Chay Yew, brings the show to Los Angeles County, the home of the largest ethnically Cambodian population outside of Cambodia. Center Theatre Group initially planned for the piece to play at the Mark Taper Forum, but that run was canceled due to CTG’s programming pause last season.
Tung Crystal had helmed a Theater Mu/Jungle Theater co-production of the play in 2022, and while planning this EWP season, “I thought, it’s too bad that L.A. never had its production, especially since Lauren was inspired to write the show because she went to a Dengue Fever concert here,” she said. “L.A. deserves its own production of this magnificent show.” (And it’s moving forward with CTG’s blessing, with artistic director Snehal Desai telling The Times, “We are thrilled that East West Players is able to bring this incredibly powerful work to LA.”)
The season continues with a revival of Philip Kan Gotanda‘s “Yankee Dawg You Die” (July 3-27, 2025), about two Asian American actors at different stages of their careers, and the painful compromises required of actors of color to succeed in Hollywood. The play, which debuted in L.A. in 1988, was last staged by East West Players in 2001.
“It’s a beautiful play that still really captures the obstacles and challenges about representation in Hollywood for Asian American actors,” said Tung Crystal of the two-actor text. “Including it as part of our 60th season, it’s a reminder of the obstacles we’ve had and, decades later, the obstacles we’re still fighting to overcome.”
East West Players then presents the simultaneous world premiere of Prince Gomolvilas’ “Paranormal Inside” (Oct. 9-Nov. 2, 2025) with Theater Mu in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota and Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska.
The previously announced supernatural play is a haunting sequel to Gomolvilas’ “The Brothers Paranormal,” about two Thai siblings who launch a ghost-hunting enterprise. Jeff Liu, who helmed EWP’s production of “The Brothers Paranormal” in 2022, will direct the subsequent co-commission.
David Huynh and Roy Vongtama in “The Brothers Paranormal” at East West Players in 2022.
(Jenny Graham/East West Players)
The season also includes the Southern California premiere of Jaclyn Backhaus‘ “Wives” (March 5-29, 2026), about some of history’s most influential men through the eyes of their equally formidable spouses. The historically subversive comedy, which debuted off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2019, jumps between 16th century France, 1920s India and 1960s Idaho, and will feature a South Asian and South Asian American cast.
“One of my visions is to try to represent the Asian American diaspora as diversely and comprehensively as possible, so it was important to include a piece by a South Asian American writer in the season,” said Tung Crystal. “But also, ‘Wives’ is a sign of what’s to come at East West Players: feminist work, work by women and nonbinary writers, incisive and innovative work that’s intersectional in terms of gender, race, queerness and other marginalized communities.”
The season wraps with a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Flower Drum Song” (May 28-June 21, 2026), featuring a newly updated book by David Henry Hwang. The playwright previously revised the golden-era musical — about Mei-li, a young Chinese opera artist who arrives in 1950s San Francisco Chinatown and is immediately drawn into the dazzling world of the Grant Avenue nightclubs — with a rethought libretto in 2001; that version premiered at the Mark Taper Forum before a brief Broadway run.
Playwright David Henry Hwang, photographed in 2011.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Tung Crystal always planned on including a Hwang text in EWP’s 60th anniversary season — “His name is on our theater, after all!” she said with a laugh — and it was Hwang who suggested debuting a revised “Flower Drum Song,” something he’s been wanting to do for some time.
“‘Flower Drum Song’ changed my life because, as a young person watching the movie, it was the first time I’d seen Asian American actors and singers of that caliber onscreen,” said Tung Crystal, who directed a production at Palo Alto Players in 2019 and will helm the new version at East West Players. “And though the original has its flaws and stereotypes, it has a soft spot in my heart as an homage to San Francisco Chinatown, a place that’s very important to me.”
East West Players is also continuing its Theatre for Youth tour initiative of commissioning playwrights to create pieces about Asian American and Pacific Islander historical figures. This season’s Theatre for Youth touring production is a return engagement of Elizabeth Wong’s “Tam Tran Goes to Washington,” which was commissioned in 2017 and centers on an undocumented dreamer who becomes a student activist.
Movie Reviews
Pushpa 2: Social media user’s ‘brutal review’ of Allu Arjun movie goes viral, says ‘He uses his teeth to…’ | Today News
A social media user has given a ‘brutal’ review to the latest record-breaking movie, Pushpa 2. The user stated that the film lacks logic and that educated people will not appreciate it.
He especially pointed out a scene where the film’s lead actor, Allu Arjun, uses his teeth to fight the goons. He also mentioned that only uneducated people would appreciate this movie.
“Our fault is, despite being educated, we went to watch the film,” he said.
However, several social media users disagree with his review. Few users criticised the reviewer for questioning the educational qualification of the audience.
One of the users commented, “I always say that if you want to watch a South Indian Masala film, leave your brain at home and just watch the movie for entertainment. It’s not an intellectual activity.”
“I am a Chartered Accountant, so am I qualified to review or not?
I loved the movie, especially the action sequences.
The main aim of the picture is entertaining the audience, and it does.
Otherwise,if we judge by logical sense of action scenes, then most films would be rated 0,” another user added.
“Kon kon hai ye jo sun kr movie dekhne nh jaega (Who will not watch the movie after this review?),” one of the users commented.
Another added, “Movie is for entertainment if you didn’t like the film then criticise it but why are dragging people’s literacy here ? Why their education matters when it’s about entertainment ? Even if you defend these then what would you expect from a film which is set around a backward region.”
The Allu Arjun-Rashmika Mandanna starrer Pushpa 2: The Rule hit the theatres on December 5, and its collections are breaking many records. The action thriller is the sequel to Pushpa: The Rise, the 2021 blockbuster film.
Apart from Rashmika Mandanna and Fahad Faasil, the film is directed by Sukumar, with Pushpa (Allu Arjun) facing off against Shekhawat (Faasil). The film also stars Jagapathi Babu, Dhananjaya, Rao Ramesh, Sunil, and Anasuya Bharadwaj in prominent roles.
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