This information was new to me: "The tragedy and comedy masks are usually called 'Thalia and Melpomene' or 'Sock and Buskin.' Although the words come from Greek drama, it's a modern invention to use them as names for the theater masks — the ancient Greeks and Romans did not start the trend." At last I know the names for the "faces" on my drama-masks tie!
Choosing this tie was easy after I found several events in theatrical history for today worth celebrating: (1) In 1988 Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Phantom of the Opera," the longest-running show in Broadway history, opened at the Majestic Theater in New York. (2) In 1790 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Cosi Fan Tutte" premiered in Vienna. (3) In 1911 Richard Strauss's opera "Die Rosenkavalier" premiered in Dresden. (4) In 1936 Joseph Stalin viewed Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Lady Macbeth" but he and his officials left early, and the play was denounced in the state press. (5) In 1939 Filming began on the film adaptation of "Gone With The Wind."
No comments:
Post a Comment