Peter Murmann

Diary

Actors showing off their craft: Anne Hathaway and more

A glimpse of how good an actor Anne Hathway can be in this fun impersonation. But it also let me to a treasure of other actors pulling off accents.

Diary, Politics

Tumultuous scenes as Parliament inflicts 6th loss on PM and is sent home for 5 weeks

Diary, Politics, Travel, Europe

Will King Boris lead the the UK to fall apart

PM: My own sense is that the likelihood of the UK breaking apart has increased substantially with Boris Johnson becoming the prime minister of the UK. Here is a good summary of we know about King Boris.

Boris Johnson can’t be found out: we all know he’s bluffing
by Fintan O’Toole in The Guardian

The new PM’s rise to No 10 is the carefully managed product of three decades of a show stage-managed by and about himself.

Diary

The Demolition Artist: 3 Critics Debate Ivo van Hove

Peter Murmann: Inspring dicussion of the work of theatre director Ivo van Hove in the NY Times (Jan. 9, 2019)

By Ben Brantley, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Jason Zinoman

Who is Ivo van Hove and why are theatergoers saying such (thrilling) (furious) (mystified) things about him? How did the unassuming Belgian director, who since 2001 has made the theater company Toneelgroep Amsterdam his base of operations, turn into the most important auteur on the international stage circuit — and now a three-time Broadway director?

Diary, Politics

This week with Trump

All eyes and ears are what Cohen said this week about been directed by Trump to pay hush money. Pecker cooperating with the special council is clearly worrisome for Trump. The New Yorker reports other interesting facts that suggest to me that Trumps chance of getting elected another term of gone down substantially down this week.