Category Archives: New Utopia

David Byrne is all about connectedness these days. Everybodys coming to my house/And Im never gonna be alone, he sings on Broadway in American Utopia, half joyful, half fretful, still open. His online magazine, Reasons to Be Cheerful which bills itself as a tonic for tumultuous times catalogs all the ways in which people are pulling together to make sure the world does not in fact go to hell in a handbasket. And on Feb. 2, he reprises this theme of connectedness at Pace Gallery in Chelsea with a show of 48 whimsical line drawings that span 20 years of art making, from his tree series of the early 00s to the dingbats he made in lockdown in 2020-2021.

Byrnes drawings are modest affairs, not much bigger than a standard sheet of paper. They compare perhaps with George Cruikshanks illustrations for Oliver Twist, or John Tenniels for Alice in Wonderland. But when I dropped by the gallery two weeks ago to see them being hung, I found him some 15 feet up in the air, standing on a hydraulic lift as he labeled branches of an enormous tree hed drawn on a wall thats a good 20 feet high.

Tree drawings are like org charts: They define relationships. This one, titled Human Content and splayed in super-scale across the stark, white wall, is different in ways that are unique to Byrne. It shows not only branches but roots, and while the branches are labeled with familiar human categories nephews, boys, cousins, aunts, friends the roots bear the names of things that in one way or another affect our lives: sugar, sand, boxes, words, wheels, holes, sauces.

Staring intently and wielding an extra-large paint stick, Byrne added the word singers to a branch high in the treetop.

With his tree drawings, he explained afterward as we sat at a huge conference table in a back-office section of the gallery, Im trying to imagine connections between things that we dont normally think of as being connected. I just thought, lets see if I can let my imagination run free with that. If I can imagine connections where connections arent usually presumed to exist.

This whole connectedness thing may seem out of character for someone who gained prominence in the 1970s New Wave scene as the lead singer of Talking Heads, the avatar of alienation. As a younger person, I was uncomfortable socially, he confessed. But as often happens with those things, many people just kind of grow out of it.

Sometimes to an almost alarming extent: Now I can talk to strangers, he continued. They dont know who I am, they dont know what I do or anything like that, but sometimes I go hiking and if theres somebody coming on the path, I inevitably say hi to them. I do it on the street too, in New York. If its at night and youre walking down some street I might say hi.

Seriously?

It has gotten me into trouble. Maybe Im compensating, maybe Im but most of the time, it seems like a nice thing to do, to acknowledge someones existence.

Byrnes dingbat drawings, 115 of which have been gathered in a book called A History of the World (in Dingbats) that Phaidon is publishing Feb. 16, are about the toll of disconnectedness specifically, the kind that has been imposed on us by the pandemic. Byrne started making them in the spring of 2020 after an editor on the Reasons to Be Cheerful website asked if he could make some simple, decorative drawings they could use to break up columns of type the kind of thing printers used to call dingbats. No problem: It wasnt as if he had much else to do, sitting there in lockdown in his West Chelsea loft. But soon he found himself doing drawings like Infinite Sofa, of a sofa that seems to go on forever but has people sitting on it too far apart to connect, and T.M.I., which shows a person flattened by an enormous smartphone.

I didnt set out to do drawings that responded to the whole pandemic and the lockdown and everything else, Byrne said. But eventually I realized, oh, this is what youre doing. (The drawings in the show are for sale, priced at $8,000 apiece.)

What Byrne was not doing at the time was writing songs. Now Im starting to be able to write again, he said. But during the depth of the pandemic, nothing. Nothing at all. I mean, I could do collaborations with other people like Who Has Seen the Wind?, his recently released cover recorded with Yo La Tengo for a Yoko Ono tribute album put together by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. (Ono recorded the haunting song in 1970.)

Those were kind of easy, he said. But I thought, I have not been able to process this thing how I feel about it, what it means. I cant write about health policy in a song. But somehow with drawing, I would just start doing something and it would just kind of flow out.

Otherwise, Byrne makes little distinction between art and music an attitude he shares with art-school alums like Brian Eno and Laurie Anderson. Like them, he occupies a liminal space where music shades into performance art and art has a Conceptualist bent, meaning among other things that its more likely to take the form of an installation than of traditional painting or sculpture. This helps explain why his show at Pace, though focusing on the conventional medium of drawing, is titled How I Learned About Non-Rational Logic, a seeming contradiction that in fact has to do with the interconnection of art and music. As Byrne explains in a brief essay thats mounted on the gallery wall, Both art and music seem to bypass the rational and logical parts of the mind rather, they are understood by myriad parts of the brain that are connected to one another. It is a different kind of understanding. The effect of this interconnection is pleasurable, ecstatic even.

Byrnes art education ended in the early 70s, when he dropped out of, first, the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, and then the Maryland Institute College of Art in his hometown, Baltimore. His student work consisted of things like questionnaires about different states of the union. It didnt get much traction, he admitted. I had questions like, which state in your opinion has the best shape? He gave a short laugh. Not getting very far with that.

He wasnt expecting to get very far with music either, but when Chris Frantz, a fellow RISD student whod become the drummer of the little group theyd formed in New York, told him about this happening club on the Bowery called CBGB, they decided to audition anyway. It was early 1975; by June, Talking Heads was opening for the Ramones. Two years later they connected with Eno in London. John Cale, once of the Velvet Underground, had seen them several times at CBGB, and he brought Eno to the tiny cellar club in Covent Garden where they were playing.

It was a good match. A few months later, Eno referred to them in a song called Kings Lead Hat, an anagram of Talking Heads. And in the years that followed he helped them explore the wonderfully syncopated African polyrhythms that became increasingly prevalent on the groups next three LPs, which he produced. He has been a key collaborator of Byrnes ever since, from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, released in 1981, to American Utopia, the album that gave rise to the Broadway show, eight of whose ten songs they wrote together.

In 2014, when Byrne was in London for the National Theater production of Here Lies Love, his hit musical Ben Brantley of The New York Times called it a poperetta about Imelda Marcos, Eno introduced him to Mala Gaonkar, a hedge fund manager who co-founded the Surgo Foundation, a self-described action tank that tackles public health problems like AIDS and lack of access to toilets. Byrne had done art installations before most notably Playing the Building, a sound sculpture that New York magazine called a marriage of the industrial and the sublime. But this meeting generated Byrnes most ambitious art project to date: an immersive art-and-science experience that is scheduled to debut this summer in Denver.

As Byrne describes it, he and Gaonkar both had this interest in presenting scientific inquiry in a way that was more accessible to the public. The sciences used to be called a form of art, but now theyre very much separate, and we thought, oh, can we bring that together again?

The initial result was a 2016 installation at Pace Art + Technology, the gallerys Silicon Valley offshoot, called The Institute Presents: Neurosociety. Itself an experiment of sorts, it presented recent work in psychology and neuroscience in a game-show-like format. (Wired described it as a little weird, but very cool.) There were moral dilemmas suppose you were a drone operator and a girl was selling bread in front of a terrorist safe house? and perceptual distortions.

There were things that didnt work out, Byrne acknowledged like a quiz based on research led by the Princeton psychologist Alexander Todorov that showed that people could predict which candidate would win an election simply by glancing at their faces. They got it right about 70 percent of the time, which of course is terrifying, Byrne said. The problem was, number one, people did not like receiving such bad news. And also, its not based on what you as an individual voted for, its an aggregate of what everybody voted for so people would go, Wait a minute, I didnt pick that one! And they were right.

This August, if all goes according to plan, a radically revamped and expanded version of the Silicon Valley show will open in Denver in a former Army medical supply depot. Titled Theater of the Mind and presented by the Off-Center program of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, it dispenses with the election questions and other elements in favor of a narrative approach that somehow, Im told, relates to Byrnes life. It also shows how easily manipulated our senses are, said Charlie Miller, Off-Centers curator.

And the title? Its a phrase that Oliver Sacks used, Byrne recalls. He said the brain seems to be a kind of theater that presents things to us its not real. Youre watching a show.

Demonstrating, I suppose, that even if we can connect with one another, reality is a tougher nut.

David Byrne: How I Learned About Non-Rational Logic

Feb. 2 through March 19, Pace Gallery, 540 West 25th Street, Chelsea; pacegallery.com. On Feb. 7 at 7 p.m., Pace Live will present David Byrne in conversation with John Wilson, host of the HBO series How To With John Wilson.

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David Byrne, the Artist, Is Totally Connected - The New York Times

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth. Photo / Supplied

Opinion: Futurists present Utopia for New Zealand in the next 20 years, yet how to achieve this vision is hazy and the execution steps are almost non-existent, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth writes.

It is the time of year when trends for the 12 months ahead are announced, goals are vocalised, and visions are created.

Fitting the pattern is the Utopia being presented to us by futurists, who promote the idea that - "This is what the world/NZ could look like, and this is how it would be achieved. All you have to do is"

The next word might be "believe".

There are certain similarities to political visions and, just like many, political or not, the strategy on how to achieve the vision is hazy and the execution steps are almost non-existent.

A recent vision, designed to inspire change, involves New Zealand being a world leader in natural infrastructure, clean hydrogen energy, engineered wood and high-quality low-emissions food within the next 20 years.

The change required to achieve this Utopia was acknowledged as challenging but thought "worth it" because the economy would be prosperous.

This last bit is the hiccup for at least some scientists, engineers and economists. Not all (stereotyping the whole of the professions would result in a whole lot of social media claims about "completely wrong"), but certainly some.

"Natural infrastructure" aligns with the "nature-based solutions" proposed by some pundits. Both sound great but meanings are variable.

The former might mean wooden buildings, as proposed for the rebuilding of Christchurch by then CEO of Scion (the forestry Crown Research Institute) Dr Warren Parker.

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Concrete, glass and steel dominated, however, and the economy of Canterbury and New Zealand thrived as the building industry boomed.

Wood was not considered seriously and Sir Bob Jones' plan for the world's highest wooden office tower (a 25 storey, 52m-tall building with laminated timber columns), announced in 2017, hasn't yet opened.

Other infrastructure such as roads, bridges and rail (which does appear in the new Utopia, with more people using public transport) also require concrete and steel.

The raw ingredients for both require mining, and in New Zealand, that means gaining approvals.

The environmental case for sand being mined for building and other infrastructure off Pakiri Beach, north of Auckland is already the subject of debate.

The application for mining off the South Taranaki Bight has been through several court processes and failed in the High Court last year.

The Utopian concept of natural infrastructure turns out to be an "emerging term to include native forests, wetlands, coastal environments and other ecosystems that store and clean water, protect against drought, flooding and storms, boost biodiversity and absorb carbon."

In the past (last year) natural resources and ecosystem services might have been used as descriptors.

These ecosystems are extremely important. They are part of life and add value through their very existence.

Ground-breaking work has attempted to quantify that value, and erudite as well as practical research papers have been written. The actual value of Natural Capital remains hard to quantify, however, and when people are asked to pay for it, the value changes.

"Who pays?" remains the issue. Most of the areas do not generate income per se. Many require income for maintenance.

As part of her doctoral studies, Dr Estelle Dominati (with supervisors Dr Alec Mackay from AgResearch and Dr Murray Patterson from Massey University) calculated the value of the ecosystem services provided by soil on a Waikato dairy farm.

Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Dr Jacqueline Rowarth on The Country below:

To replace the services given by the soil (such as food production, flood mitigation, filtering of contaminants etc) would have cost $16,390 per hectare per year in 2014.

The value of the milk produced per hectare was $4,757.

This leaves $11,000 per hectare which, if added to the cost of milk, would treble the base price.

The farmer manages the ecosystem services of the land to produce the milk and provide income to invest in the maintenance of the soil and enterprise, as well as pay taxes and rates so that national and local government can manage infrastructure and services as well.

The Utopian vision for 20 years hence involved the high quality, low emissions food which farmers already produce but in the future doing so will involve organic and regenerative agriculture.

This perpetuates the myth that organic and regenerative approaches produce fewer emissions and create fewer contaminants than conventional agriculture.

They don't. Per unit of food they usually have a greater impact. Again, research papers and reports are available to provide the information.

Green hydrogen, also suggested, is equally problematic.

It sounds good, but the energy required to create it currently outweighs the energy created. Hence the concept of "green" but it hasn't yet been proven: more research is necessary.

All of this means that Utopia is still a long way off but doesn't mean that sensible steps can't be taken. Scientific research and futurists agree that reducing fossil fuel use is vital.

The nose-to-tail holiday traffic over the holiday period indicates that rethinking the use of private cars hasn't yet featured in resolutions for the New Year.

There is still time to change and making the change is urgent. Scientists and futurists agree on that, too.

- Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a farmer-elected director of DairyNZ and Ravensdown. The analysis and conclusions above are her own. jsrowarth@gmail.com

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Dr Jacqueline Rowarth: Why Utopia is still a long way off - New Zealand Herald

Action sports footwear and apparel brand etnies have expanded on their collection with cult classic BMX film "RAD" that was initially launched last year. Image: Business Wire

Action-sports footwear-and-apparel brand etnies and BMX film RAD have announced a new collection that expands on the first-ever official RAD apparel and footwear collection launched last year.

The new collection is filled with a variety of new apparel and footwear options featuring movie-inspired designs, including the much anticipated Prom Scene-themed products.

The brand and the cult-classic film launched the first official full-scale production of limited RAD footwear and apparel in 2021 in celebration of both the brand and the movies 35th anniversaries. The first etnies x RAD collection featured two different shoe styles, four short sleeve T-shirts, two long sleeve T-shirts, a hooded sweatshirt and accessories like socks and hats.

RAD was originally executive produced by the late Jack Schwartzman in 1986, and was rereleased in 2020 by Utopia Media, a film distribution and sales company founded in 2018 by Schwartzmans son, filmmaker Robert Schwartzman.

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Etnies Expands RAD Collection With New Apparel and Footwear - Apparel News

Ethan P. Flynn has been an in-demand collaborator for a bit, working with the likes of David Byrne (on his album American Utopia), FKA twigs (on 2019's MAGDALENE) and most recently Vegyn, the Frank Ocean producer who collaborated with Flynn on the Songs You Need-playlisted single "Superstition." He's shared a collection of tracks called B-Sides & Rarities: Volume 1, but his upcoming seven-track album Universal Deluge, out March 11 via Young, marks his debut proper.

Like the songs on B-Sides, Flynn's new single "Father of Nine" is all bubbling emotion with the urgency of someone who's marooned on a desert island. Flynn's creaky, despondent lead vocals grasp on for dear life to the '60s psych pastiche of the instrumentation, an antsy sibling to the sound of MGMT's underrated sophomore project Congratulations. In the music video, Flynn belt out the song in a single take in front of a burning house.

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Ethan P Flynn shares new song/video Father of Nine - The FADER

In New York, it's not unheard of to spot a celebrity in public, walking their dog or attending a show. So it's no wonder, with so many living here, that plenty of celebrities find themselves on the Broadway or Off-Broadway stage at some point in their career.Many actors, having come from acting schools, get their start in theatre before gaining mainstream fame as a movie or TV star, and New York's stages allow them a return to their roots. Or, tried-and-true screen actors will make their stage debuts later in their careers to try something new. Either way, putting celebrities on stage gives audiences a chance to see their favorite stars live in a whole new way.

There are many celebrities on Broadway and off-Broadway to see right now, from comedians to musicians to screen veterans, many of whom do it all. Buzzy Broadway revivalsand limited-run Off-Broadway shows alikeare all studded with stars. Here are the celebrities in New York shows that are performing right now.

Get tickets to Broadway shows on New York Theatre Guide.

Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch are the greatest stars ofFunny Girlon Broadway this year. The two stage and screen stars play relatives real-life Ziegfeld Follies performer Fanny Brice and her mother, Mrs. Rosie Brice, respectively in this musical about Fanny's rise to fame and tumultuous romance with the gambler Nicky Arnstein, played by theatre veteran Ramin Karimloo.

Feldstein has been on the film circuit since 2016, when she landed her first major role inNeighbors 2: Sorority Rising. Since then, she's made a name for herself in films likeLady Birdand Booksmartand the miniseriesAmerican Crime Story: Impeachment, and she made her Broadway debut in 2017 in another high-profile Broadway revival:Hello, Dolly!

Funny Girlalso marks the second Broadway appearance of Jane Lynch, after she appeared inAnnieas Miss Hannigan in 2014. Lynch is best known for her screen work, in a role entirely opposite of her musical work: that of the theatre-hating, hard-nosed cheer coach Sue Sylvester in the long-running TV showGlee.She earned a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for the role, and she picked up another two Emmys for performing inDropping the SoapandThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but you don't need to go all the way there to see her you can catch the real-life star inFunny Girlright here in New York.

Funny Girltickets will be available on New York Theatre Guide soon.

If you've wished to see Debra Messing return to Broadway, you're in luck. She's stepping into her first Broadway role since 2014 in Noah Haidle'sBirthday Candles, a postponed production from 2020. She stars as Ernestine Ashworth, a woman celebrating more than 80 years' worth of birthdays and continually reevaluating what she wants out of life every step of the way.

But it was back in 1998 when Messing hit a turning point in her own life, landing her breakthrough role as interior designer inWill & Grace. The show ran for eight years, and was rebooted in 2017 for another three seasons. For Will & Grace, Messing received seven Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations (including one win) for her performance.In between, Messing only built upon her onscreen success with appearances inSmash, The Mysteries of Laura, Hollywood Ending,The Mothman Prophecies,and more.

Messing will star inBirthday Candleson Broadway alongside Enrico Colantoni, who plays her neighbor and teenage admirer. Colantoni has had a 35-year screen acting career of his own, with some of his best-known roles beingKeith Marson Veronica Mars,Elliot DiMauro in Just Shoot Me!, Carl Elias onPerson of Interest, and Sergeant Greg Parker on Flashpoint.

GetBirthday Candlestickets now.

This year's revival ofTake Me Outhas hit a home run with this cast. Screen starsPatrick J. Adams, Jesse Williams, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are the key players in this show about Darren Lemming, a fictional Major League Baseball player who comes out as gay, facing backlash from his teammates and the public. Starring as that player, Darren Lemming, is Jesse Williams, best known for playing Dr. Jackson Avery onGreys Anatomyfor nearly 12 years and now makes his Broadway debut alongside Patrick J. Adams.

Adams, who plays Darren's teammate Kippy Sunderstrom, is a Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated actor known for his role as Mike Ross in Suits.He has also appeared on TV in NCIS, Lost, Friday Night Lights, and more. Also on theTake Me Outteam is Jesse Tyler Ferguson, a five-time Emmy nominee and four-time Screen Actors Guild winner for playing Mitch Pritchett on all 10 seasons ofModern Family. He now returns to the stageas Mason Marzac, a gay accountant working for Darren who's very interested in his coming out.

GetTake Me Outtickets now.

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parkerplay three couples in Neil Simon's farcePlaza Suite, but their real-life love story long precedes this production. They married in 1997 (after performing at the same theatre company!) and later performed inHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Tryingon Broadway together. But of course, each has established a successful independent acting career. Since landing his breakout role as the titular character inFerris Bueller's Day Off, Broderick has gone on to star in critically acclaimed films likeThe Producers, The Lion King, The Music Man, and plenty other non-theatrical films. He's also a two-time Tony Award winner, forHow to SucceedandBrighton Beach Memoirs.

Parker is synonymous with the groundbreakingSex and the Cityfranchise, in which she starred for six TV seasons, a series reboot, and two movies as the fashion-obsessed writer Carrie Bradshaw. She won two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards for her portrayal, butSex and the Cityis far from her only claim to fame. She first performed on Broadway at age 11 in The Innocentsand made her first major screen appearances inFootlooseandFirstborn, and she's gone on to star in popular films likeHoneymoon in Vegas,Hocus Pocus,The First Wives Club, andFailure to Launch.

GetPlaza Suitetickets now.

Hugh Jackman and Sutton Fosterlead the big parade at the Winter Garden Theatre, playing Harold Hill and Marian Paroo in this year's Broadway revival ofThe Music Man. Before starring as Harold a con man who plans to swindle the residents of River City, Iowa, out of their money Jackman made his Broadway debut in 2004'sThe Boy From Ozand earned a Tony Award. He won a second one in 2012 for his solo concert,Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway.

Jackman has earned even wider acclaim for his film career, with his breakthrough role as Wolverine in 2000'sX-Menleading to a 17-year career with the franchise. An Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning turn inLes Misrables, P. T. Barnum inThe Greatest Showman, andRobert Angier inPrestigeare among his other popular screen credits.

Sutton Foster has established a formidable Broadway roster leading up to her current role as Marian, a librarian who falls in love with Harold and is hesitant to expose his scheme. She gained fame as a last-minute replacement in the title role ofThoroughly Modern Millieand eventually won a Tony for the role, and she won a second one for playing Reno Sweeney in 2011'sAnything Goes,a performance she reprised in London 10 years later. She's also starred in the Broadway musicalsLittle Women,The Drowsy Chaperone,Young Frankenstein,Shrek, andViolet.Duringher seven-year Broadway hiatus betweenVioletandThe Music Man, she starred on the comedy/drama seriesYoungerfor all seven seasons.

The Music Mantickets will be available on New York Theatre Guide soon.

WithAmerican Utopia, David Byrne is Byrne-ing down the house the St. James Theatre, that is, where Byrne is right at home performing his greatest career hits. In his Tony-winning theatrical concert, the former Talking Heads frontman sings songs from his time with the band as well as music from the 2018 solo album that gives the Broadway show its name.

Byrne has been on the music scene since the 1970s, when the Talking Heads took off and became popular for their new wave sound. The band broke up in 1988, but Byrne quickly launched an equally successful solo career, and all his musical achievements earned him a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Now, you can see Byrne and his 11-piece band cover his five-decade career in an uplifting 100-minute performance.

GetDavid Byrne's American Utopiatickets now.

Even those who don't "know" Broadway will likely recognize Patti LuPone. Her five-decade career has spanned not only theatre, but also plenty of film and television: her credits include the filmsDriving Miss DaisyandThe 24 Hour Woman, and recurring roles on TV shows likePose, Hollywood, Life Goes On,andOz, to name a few. However, it is especially on stage where LuPone has become an icon.

Since making her professional acting debut in 1972, she's gone on towin Tony Awards for starring inGypsyandEvita, in addition tobeing nominated for her performances inWar Paint, Sweeney Todd,The Robber Bridegroom, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,andAnything Goes. LuPone has had equal success across the pond: shes won Olivier Awards for originating the roles of Fantine inLes Misrables, Norma Desmond inSunset Boulevard, and Joanne in the latest revival of Stephen Sondheim'sCompany.Now, LuPone is reprising her Olivier Award-winning performance as Joanne inCompanyon Broadway.

GetCompanytickets now.

Five-time Emmy nominee Phylicia Rashad is a trailblazer of both stage and screen. Two of her Emmy nominations were for her most famous role as Claire Huxtable onThe Cosby Show, and she picked up an additional three more than 30 years later for her four-episode turn as Carol Clarke onThis Is Us.

On stage, she became the first-ever Black woman to win the Best Actress Tony Award when she played Lena Younger in the 2004 revival ofA Raisin in the Sun.She's also starred in shows likeInto the Woodsand August: Osage County, and she was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2016 for all her accomplishments. Her latest star turn is inSkeleton Crewon Broadway, where she plays a blue-collar worker at a Detroit auto plant on the brink of closure.

GetSkeleton Crewtickets now.

It's fitting that Bill Camp and Elizabeth Marvel, a real-life married couple, play spouses in the Off-Broadway revival ofLong Day's Journey into Night, though they're doing much better together than the fearful, addiction-addled Tyrones in Eugene O'Neill's play. Both actors have had equally prolific careers on stage and screen: Camp, for one, is an Obie Award winner for his performance inTony KushnersHomebody/Kabuland a Tony Award nominee for playing John Proctor inThe Crucible, and he's also starred inDeath of a Salesman,Saint Joan, Heartbreak House, and more.Camp's equally numerous film and TV credits include, 12 Years a Slave,Joker,The Queens Gambit,Law & Order, Boardwalk Empire,The Good Wife, andLincoln.

Marvel also starred on screen in Lincoln, so Long Day's Journey into Nightisn't the couple's first acting project together. She also has 30 years' worth of performance credits under her belt between Broadway shows, Off-Broadway shows, and film and TV. Like her husband, Marvel is an Obie winner for her Off-Broadway work, with four trophies to her name: forThrse Raquin, A Streetcar Named Desire, Hedda Gabler,andMisalliance.She's also appeared inTop Girls, Picnic,King Lear, and more on Broadway, and her screen credits include movies and shows likeHouse of Cards,Helstrom,The District,Homeland, andLaw & Order: SVU.

GetLong Day's Journey into Nighttickets now.

If you're searching for hilarious life in the universe, you'll find it in Cecily Strong. Before taking on the role of alien-communicating "bag lady" Trudy (among other characters), made famous by Lily Tomlin in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Strong honed her comedy chops on the Chicago stage.

In 2012, she began a still-running gig as a cast member onSaturday Night Live. She gained acclaim (including two Emmy nominations) particularly for her celebrity impressions, including theatrical figures like Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews, andLin-Manuel Miranda. Earlier in 2021, before going onThe Search's adventure through time and space, she went on another journey inSchmigadoon!, Apple TV+'s musical theatre-parodying series that starred Strong and Keegan Michael-Key as the unwitting main characters in a Golden Age musical.

GetThe Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universetickets now.

Tariq Trotter does it all. Known professionally as "Black Thought," Trotter has been in the music business since 1987, when he co-founded The Roots. The hip-hop group gained mainstream fame as the house band ofThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonand has also released 11 studio albums, one of which received a Grammy nomination. Now, in a departure from his usual MCing, Trotter is exercising both his songwriting and acting chops as part ofBlack No Moreoff- Broadway. Trotter wrote original music and lyrics for the new musical, which is based on a 1931 satire novel by George S. Schuyler. Trotter stars in the show as Dr. Junius Crookman, the inventor of a machine that turns Black people white.

GetBlack No Moretickets now.

From one bloody show to another goes Conrad Ricamora. The actor is best known for his role onHow To Get Away with Murderas the computer whiz Oliver Hampton. He now plays another geeky role, but this time on stage: He's the latest actor to play the adorably awkward Seymour inLittle Shop of Horrorsat the Westside Theatre. But he's no stranger to the Off-Broadway stage: Ricamora has two Lucille Lortel Award nominations under his belt, one each for the musicalsSoft PowerandHere Lies Love. He also played Lun Tha in the most recent revival ofThe King and I and now suddenly, he's Seymour!

Get Little Shop of Horrorstickets now.

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See these celebrities in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows - New York Theatre Guide

A lockout has been extended in Alice Springs and the remote communities of Amoonguna, Yuendumu and Yuelamu for a further seven days, the NT Health Minister has announced, as Central Australia's COVID-19 case numbers remain at a "concerning" level.

"What is concerning is the movement of [people]," Natasha Fyles said.

"We're seeing small case numbers popping up in large numbers of communities we know that we have a very transient community, and we're seeing that with our case numbers."

Under lockout restrictions, unvaccinated people can only leave their homes for essential reasons, while people who are fully vaccinated can live as normal with a mask mandate.

A lockdown has also been extended for another week in Galiwin'ku in East Arnhem Land.

Gunyangara (Ski Beach) will enter a seven-day lockdown, as will Utopia in Central Australia and Wurrumiyanga on the Tiwi Islands.

It comes as the NT recorded 314 new COVID-19 cases,more than two-thirds of which were detected using rapid antigen tests.

Sixty-three COVID patients are in hospital, with six receiving oxygen, and one is in intensive care.

It's the ninth day in a row the number of COVID-19 hospitalisations in the NT has increased.

Of the 4,048 active coronavirus cases in the NT, she said about 1,500 were in the Top End, 500 in Central Australia, 70 in East Arnhem Land, 200 in Big Rivers and about 30 in the Barkly.

The community of Utopia's lockdown began from 2pm on Saturday, Ms Fyles said.

"This is a community of concern for us," she said.

"There were 22 new cases in Utopia, and these cases were across four outstations."

Ms Fyles said the double-dose vaccination rate in Utopia was around 40 per cent.

"We really need the residents of Utopia to come forward and get vaccinated," she said.

"It is not too late. Our health teams will not be asking you questions they simply want you vaccinated."

Eight new cases were recorded at Amoonguna, and one new case was recorded at Yuelamu.

No new cases were recorded in Yuendumu, but Ms Fyles said, "the situation there remains concerning".

"Certainly we believe that COVID is present in that community, and people need to be very vigilant," she said.

Three new COVID-19 cases were recorded at HartsRange, all of whom are believed to have been infectious while in the community.

One new case was recorded at Docker River in a busy household with a large number of people, while another was recordedat Mount Leibig,one at Hermannsburg and one at Ti-Tree.

Ms Fyles said she understood coronavirus cases were present in all the town camps in Alice Springs.

Five new cases were recorded in Mataranka in the Big Rivers region.

Ten new cases were recorded in Galiwin'ku in East Arnhem Land,bringing the total number of cases there to 62 across 24 households.

On the Gove Peninsula, two new cases were recorded at Yirrkala, bringing that total cluster to 13, and five new cases were recorded at Gunyangara (Ski Beach).

One new case was recorded at Milingimbi, and on Groote Eylandt, five new cases recorded at Umbakumba and two new cases at Angurugu.

On the Tiwi Islands, one new case was recorded in Wurrumiyanga, which also entered a seven-day lockdown at 2pm.

"We have got strong concerns from the community, that they're worriedjust with some social unrest," Ms Fyles said.

"I understand that there's a large funeral that was intended to be held soon."

Ms Fyles said the lockdown was intended to limit movement and help authorities boost testing numbers in the community.

Of the new cases identified in Darwin, Ms Fyles said one was recorded at the Darwin prison and one at a Salvation Army hostel that was identified by Danila Dilba Aboriginal health service.

Nine new cases were recorded at the Batten Road accommodation centre, in Marrara, all of whom have been transferred to the Howard Springs quarantine facility.

Ms Fyles said315 people were currently isolating at Howard Springs.

She said there was"plenty of capacity" for coronaviruspatientsto isolate there if they felt well enough to be transferred from Royal Darwin or Palmerston hospitals to free up some beds.

"But if we've got a highly vaccinated population, if we can slow that spread, our health resources and our services can match the demand."

NT Acting Chief Health Officer Marco Briceno said coronavirus cases in the NT had stabilised over the past few weeks, with about 400 to 450 new cases on average recorded per day.

"We have seen in recent days a slight increase in our hospitalisations, and that is to be expected," Dr Briceno said.

"Hospitalisations tend to be late in the onset of the disease, and then to present later on and peak later."

He said the Territory's hospital admissions now represent 1.6 per cent of active cases across the Territory.

Hesaid many of those COVID patients were in hospital forreasons unrelated totreatment for coronavirus.

Dr Briceno also said health authorities in remote Aboriginal communities were prioritising patients that required a higher level of care due to pre-existing health conditions, followed by people who cannot safely isolate at home, followed by general community members.

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Lockout extended in Alice Springs, Amoonguna, Yuendumu and Yuelumu as the NT records 314 new cases - ABC News

Colgate-Palmolive portfolio mainstay Irish Spring will make its Super Bowl debut at this years big game, today releasing a trailer for its utopia-inspired ad. In parallel with the advertising effort, the brand has announced it is rebranding with new formulas and packaging meant to appeal to young consumers.

Irish Spring, the classic soap brand born in Germany in 1970, today announced it will join heavy hitters Frito-Lay, Google, Taco Bell, Toyota and others at Super Bowl LVI on February 13. It will be the brands first-ever Super Bowl ad though not the first time that the brand has caused a football-related stir (a Georgia grocery store famously pulled the product from its shelves ahead of a University of Georgia game against Notre Dames Fighting Irish).

Irish Spring today unveiled a teaser for the spot, which depicts an imagined utopia where everyone and everything smells fresh and clean. In the film, a middle-aged man in a graphic T-shirt arrives on a raft to a land of beautiful waterfalls and a community of white and beige-clad residents living in harmony. The land is dubbed Irish Spring, naturally. London-based TEN6 assisted in developing the creative.

Were all about nice smells and have dreamt up the magical nice-smelling world of Irish Spring to express that, Colgate-Palmolives general manager of personal care for North America Emily Fong Mitchell told The Drum. To highlight our commitment to totally modernizing the brand, we wanted to create a TV spot that pays homage to the Irish Springs history and association with humor, nature, freshness and scent, while bringing it to life in a new way that explicitly shows Zillennial guys what were all about. And thats good smells.

The brand plans to run the full-length video in a 30-second in-game spot a move that will run it around $6.5m.

In tandem with its big game debut, the soap brand, owned by New York-based Colgate-Palmolive, has announced it is updating some of its formulas and will roll out new products in newly-designed packaging. The new packaging features a streamlined shape, a modernized logo and new graphics.

The new products will reportedly hit select shelves on Super Bowl Sunday, with additional rollouts slated for the weeks following the event.

Despite suffering supply chain challenges alongside countless other manufacturers and retailers, Colgate-Palmolive has fared relatively well in recent months. Though its latest earnings indicated mixed results, year-on-year revenue was up more than 6%, from $4.15bn to $4.41bn. Rebranding and advertising efforts like those under way at Irish Spring could help the company accelerate this growth.

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Irish Spring debuts first ever Super Bowl spot and cleans up with a fresh rebrand - The Drum

In a surprising reveal this morning, Blizzard has just announced that its working on a new game set in an all-new universe never-seen before. Blizzards last new game was Overwatch back in 2016, a completely new universe with rich characters and lore that was built around an arena shooter. Since then, the company has released no new games but only remasters of classic titles from before.

Not much is known about this game as it has somehow not leaked so far, giving a rarely-seen opportunity to Blizzard to announce its own project before leakers do it for them. Regardless, this new game is in early-development right now so dont expect it to release anytime soon. Though, studio boss Mike Ybarra has tweeted that he has played many hours of the game already, suggesting it is ready in a playable state so perhaps Blizzard is already far in development of this title.

But, along with the announcement also came several job listings to hire new talent for this project which means that the game is notthatfar in development after all. Blizzard is hiring on all fronts including art, design and engineering for this new survival game. However, this all comes amidst horrible allegations of workplace harassment, abuse, and discrimination with several employees protesting, unionizing or outright leaving the company, basically giving not the best impression that Blizzard is where you should come to work. Which makes it extra difficult to run to the company and become a part of the team for this new game.

Thats because its so new that it doesnt have a name yet. What we do do know is that its a new IP with a brand new universe so expect new worlds, characters, stories and all that jazz. This will be Blizzards first-ever survival game since the company has largely focused on MMOs and RPGs up until now. The blog post announcing this game also mentioned that it would be cross-platform and will release on both PC and consoles. We even got two pieces of concept art showing off the game in its early form.

It looks like the game is set in a hybrid environment that uses both futuristic and ancient elements to construct the world, using a utopia as the foundation with technology added on top. This type of world-building is extremely common in games and Horizon: Zero Dawn is the most recent major game that adapted it. In the pictures above, it can be clearly seen that the world itself looks very typical survival RPG stuff with a hint of modernization stemming from the kids clothes and the bicycle in the first concept art.

This news comes a week after Microsofts $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard which means that this is technically the first new Activision Blizzard game under Microsoft. Apart from this new title, Blizzard already has two games in the oven: Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV that are set to release soon. So, with that, now Blizzard is working on three new seemingly massive games at the same time that should all release relatively soon. Heres hoping we dont have to wait another five years for this survival fantasy.

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Blizzard Announces Theyre Working On A New AAA Fantasy Survival Game Set in An All-New Universe - Appuals

Until quite recently, the concept of spheres of influence seemed to have been consigned to the dustbin of history. Up to the end of the Cold War, of course, such zones had been an unexceptional feature of the modern international system. Great power routinely staked out geographic zones within which they limited the autonomy of weaker states often as buffer zones between themselves and potential adversaries or rival empires. But with the advent of the so-called unipolar moment in the early 1990s, such geopolitical contrivances came to be deemed pass, relics of a benighted past that had no place in the brave new liberal international order of the 21st century. Spheres of influence, or so it seemed, had been consigned to the dustbin of history.

But this has not proven to be the case. The unipolar moment has passed, the liberal international order is dead or dying and the 21st century is starting to look a lot more like the 19th (or 18th or 17th) than the new millennium promised by the end-of-history crowd in the 1990s. And as all this has happened as the transition from the historically aberrant post-Cold War era to a more normal era of great power competition has unfolded states have once again started to carve out spheres of influence. Motivated by a combination of insecurity, dissatisfaction with the vestigial liberal international order and desire for status and emboldened by the contraction of the United Statess own once-global sphere of influence great powers are once again seeking to dominate their own geopolitical neighborhoods.

In the Russian case, this has taken the form of efforts to institutionalize its dominance of the former Soviet space through Moscow-led organizations such as the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the Collective Security Treaty organization (CSTO). It has also taken the form of efforts over the last decade to limit Ukraines freedom to decide its own foreign policy, most notably by seeking to intimidate Kyiv into abandoning all hope of joining Western clubs such as the European Union or NATO.

Similarly, Iran, though smaller in size and in economic and military power than Russia, is hard at work carving out its own sphere influence. Despite, or perhaps because of, U.S.-led efforts to contain it, the Tehran regime has continued to try to assert its regional dominance, both directly and via its vast network of proxy Shiite militias.

And then theres China, which is striving to attain undisputed control over the islands in the South and East China Seas, to dominate its neighbors in Southeast Asia and to exclude the United States from much of the Western Pacific. Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing is also seeking to build out its sphere of influence to include regions as distant from China as the Middle East and Latin America.

Even India has begun carving out a sphere of influence, taking concrete steps to dominate the Indian Ocean region and to challenge China for predominance in Southeast Asia.

Now, one might expect that clear-eyed practitioners of realpolitik in Washington would look at the new realities of great power competition and accept, however grudgingly, that spheres of influence are back. But this too has proven not to be the case.

The U.S. foreign policy establishment continues to view the very idea of spheres of influence other than its own, of course as a dangerous atavism that must not be allowed a second act. The return to a world of spheres of influence, or so the argument runs, would mark the definitive end of the quarter-century-long unipolar moment and the liberal international order that it spawned. It would, in effect, mark the end of the long march toward the sunlit uplands of an American-led utopia of peace, justice, prosperity and freedom. And, finally, it would drive home once and for all the fact that that the era of American primacy is over that the days when Washington got to write and enforce the rules of the game had finally passed.

As none of these developments are palatable to those who cling to the now-anachronistic idea that this is still a unipolar world dominated by the United States, they simply reject the underlying idea out of hand. Spheres of influence are so bad that their return is not only unacceptable but unthinkable. And those who would seek to revive them whether Chinese, Russian, Iranian, Turkish, Indian or other must be up to no good and therefore will have to be stopped.

But geopolitical facts are stubborn things. For a relatively short period of time, the objective conditions of international politics were such that spheres of influence entered a period of dormancy. But those conditions have vanished, and that period of dormancy is over. Spheres of influence are back, and sooner or later U.S. policymakers are simply going to have to accept this reality and deal with it. Lets hope its sooner rather than later.

Andrew Latham is a professor of international relations at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesot,a and a non-resident fellow at Defense Priorities in Washington, D.C. Follow him on Twitter @aalatham.

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Spheres of influence are back (whether US policymakers accept it or not) | TheHill - The Hill

After a January that seemed to never end, we welcome February (and the downfall of Omicron) with open arms.

Sunnier days are ahead and with them, our desire to do more things. All the things, including the in-theater return of the SF Independent Film Festival, Oakland First Fridays' 2022 debut, hunting for unique goods at the Antiquarian Book Print & Paper Fair, a Chinatown Lunar New Year pop-up at The Ferry Building, and so much more.

See you out there.

Face your inner self at Homebody, a massive art-meets-tech immersive installation. Created by Oakland's acclaimed etherealist artist Hueman, the projecta combination of painting, AR, and custom soundspans 20,000 square feet and challenges us to reconnect with one another while we also confront the isolation of the past two years; through February 28th. // Ciel Creative Space, 2611 Eighth St. (Berkeley); tickets at huemanhomebody.com

Flow through the week with strength and balance by starting your Monday with a Haum vinyasa yoga class accompanied by live music. Depending on your comfort level, there is both an in-studio class as well as a live stream option; Monday at 6:15pm. // Haum, 2973 16th St. (Mission); register at momence.com

Get yourself to Yoshi's for a Marvin Gaye tribute by SFJazz Collective member Martin Luther. The SF native has collaborated with musicians like The Roots and appeared in the 2007 Beatles film Across the Universe. He will be joined by fellow Bay Area musicians; Thursday at 8pm and 10pm. // Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West (Oakland); tickets at yoshis.com

Whether you believe in seasonal superstitions or not, catch Bill Murray in Groundhog Day on Groundhog Day; Tuesday at 7:30pm. // Balboa Theater, 3630 Balboa St. (Outer Richmond); tickets at balboamovies.com

If you live by the commandants that "Anything is possible if you just manifest that shit" and "John Mayer can't be trusted," join the Giggly Squad for their live tour stop in SF (Feb. 2, Palace of Fine Arts). Then, stack your calendar with more live comedy and podcast events from Another Planet Entertainment. Upcoming shows include SNLs Chris Redd at Bimbos 365 (Feb. 17), Fortune Feimster at Palace of Fine Arts (Mar. 12), and more. // See the full lineup and get tickets at apeoncerts.com

Thank you to our partners at Another Planet Entertainment.

'Tis the skeeson for Brewskee-Ball. Looking for a social activity that doesn't require sweating or athletic ability? Head to Thriller Social Club for a kick-off party for season 38 of SF's only Skee-Ball league; Wednesday at 6pm. // Thriller Social Club, 508 4th St. (SoMa), thrillersocialclub.com

If your self-love supply is feeling a little low these days, consider a Love Meditation to guide you deep into your heart center. On the first Wednesday of each month, Cavallo Point Healing Arts Center & Spa hosts a guided meditation on a unique topic; Wednesday at 6:30pm. // Cavallo Point Lodge, 601 Murray Circle (Sausalito); tickets at cavallopoint.com

Coming to a theater near youincluding your living roomthe 24th Annual SF Independent Film Festival returns this week with a mix of in-person and virtual events. This year's lineup includes 42 shorts and 26 full-length features from 10 countries, plus 20 live presentations at the Roxie; Thursday through February 13th. // Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St. (Mission); tickets at sfindie.com

Dax Shephard is stepping out of his armchair and onto the big stage with Armchaired & Dangerous, Live! Joined by cohosts Monica Padman and David Farrier, the monthly podcast touches on the psychology, history, and why behind the world of conspiracy theories; Thursday at 8pm. // The Masonic, 1111 California St. (Nob Hill); tickets at livenation.com

Show your love for the Fox Theater where it's about to be a busy month. Kick things off with Caifanes (Thursday), then get tix for more shows including Tig Notaro (Friday), Dream Theater (Sunday), plus Wale, Caravan Palace, Bill Maher, and Caribou later in the month. // Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave. (Oakland); for lineup and tickets, go to thefoxoakland.com.

Thank you to our partners at Another Planet Entertainment.

Come together to celebrate Black Love at Oakland's First Friday of 2022. The blocks-long party features food and art vendors, live music, bar specials, and community; Friday, 5pm to 9pm. // Telegraph Ave. between West Grand and 27th St. (Oakland); details at oaklandfirstfridays.org

Have a stellar night of after-hours fun at Chabot Space & Science Center's First Friday: Winter Skies. Test your astrophotography skills, uncover the thousands of planets that have been discovered in the last 20 years, and level up your astrology game with stories from an expert stargazer; Friday, 6pm to 10pm. // Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd. (Oakland); tickets at chabotspace.org

Grab your dancing shoes and headphones and head over to Discology, a silent-disco-moving-meditation-dance-party inside SF's most beautiful church; Friday at 6:30pm. // Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St. (Nob Hill); tickets at e.sparxo.com

Calling all bookish typed! Shop for first edition books, rare posters, art, maps, photographs and more at the return of the San Francisco Antiquarian Book Print & Paper Fai; Friday and Saturday. // South San Francisco Conference Center, 255 S. Airport Blvd. (South SF); tickets at eventbrite.com

No soup for you! That is if you don't get yourself over to the 7th Annual Sausalito Souper Bowl. More than 15 restaurants will square off in hopes of winning the Lom-Bowl-Di trophy. For $20, you'll get to visit all the restaurants to taste their soup and vote for your fav; Saturday, 1pm to 5pm. // Ferry Landing, (Sausalito); sausalito.gov

Catch a live painting session (with wine!) by British abstract artist and designer Joe Henry Baker. You can also book a tasting reservation to experience limited production wines with sweeping views of Howell Mountain; Saturday, 11am to 4pm. // Faust Haus, 2867 St Helena Hwy (St. Helena); tickets at tock.com

Bjrk is back, and just like that nature is healing. For two nights only, our favorite Icelandic export brings her acclaimed production Cornucopia, based on her 2017 album Utopia, to Chase Center. Called a "feast for the senses" by Brooklyn Vegan, Bjrk's distinct vocals, intricate lighting, and theatrics will energize you; 8pm Saturday (and Tues. Feb. 8th). // Chase Center, 1 Warriors Way (Mission Bay); tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Celebrate and support Chinatown's most beloved small businesses at a Lunar New Year pop-up. Shop gorgeous goods and tasty treats with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the nonprofit San Francisco Community Business Resources; Saturday and Sunday, 7am to 8pm. // Ferry Building (Embarcadero); details at ferrybuildingmarketplace.com

Give old treasures a second life by shopping at the largest antique show in Northern California. The Alameda Point Antiques Faire is back this weekend with more than 800 vendors stocked with everything vintage and antique for your home and closet; Sunday, 6am to 3pm. // 3900 Main St. (Alameda); details at alamedapointantiquesfaire

Fill the Freda Salvador-size hole in your heart (RIP Fillmore Street boutique) at the grand opening of Shoppe Amber Interiors' first NorCal store, at Marin Country Mart. The beloved footwear brand is popping up for a six-month stint at the concept shop, where you can peruse home furnishings and accessories alongside the Sausalito-designed, made-in-Spain kicks. // 1201 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite C (Larkspur); details at 7x7.com

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20 Fun Things to Do This Week (1.31.22) - 7x7