The Arts Fuse Newsletter, August 21
Coming Attractions! Reviews of "Alien: Romulus," Randy Rainbow's "Low-Hanging Fruit," and "Wish You Were Here" at the Gloucester Stage Company
From The Editor's Desk:
I recently received an email from Ergo Phizmiz, the stage name of UK based composer, writer, collagist, opera maker, radio playwright, songwriter, and visual artist Dominic Robertson. He asked that the magazine post something on Samih Madhoun's Oud Music from Gaza. “Samih is a 17 year old composer and musician living in the Gaza strip. All recordings on the album have been recorded during the horrific events in their part of the world. The music press is extremely reluctant to cover this and I am trying to find music writers who might actually want to place themselves on the right side of history.” The media’s reluctance is symptomatic of the growing censorship — in the US and elsewhere — of the work of Palestinian artists, supercharged after October 7. A fresh example: more than 750 artists signed an open letter criticising Britain’s Royal Academy of Arts for “anti-Palestinian censorship” after it removed two artworks related to the Israel-Gaza conflict from its Young Artists’ Summer Show.
A guide to instances in the United States of censorship of Palestinian artists is available. The National Coalition Against Censorship has put together an ongoing map of “cases in which institutions expressly canceled, withdrew, abandoned, or restricted a program or work after plans to present it had been communicated, and where the reason for the withdrawal was related to the perceived political content of the work, the personal politics of the artist, the national or cultural associations tied up in the content of the work or the general tense political atmosphere related to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.” Amid the current crop of political protests aimed at efforts at censorship, particularly removing books from our public libraries, there is scarce mention of the repression of Palestinian art and artists. Is it too much to ask that self-declared champions of imaginative freedom be consistent?
As for Oud Music from Gaza, I am not an expert evaluator of those who play the instrument. But listening to the album’s 12 tracks (the longest runs just over two minutes) is a powerfully moving experience. It is an example of a visceral ‘field recording’: Madhoun’s performances are accompanied by contributions from exultant friends and family members. Middle East Monitor posted the following on Madhoun’s Instagram: “Another displaced person lent him the oud he uses in these videos after his own instrument was stolen from his family home in Gaza City, which has now been destroyed. The family - Salih's father, mother and two brothers - have managed to stay together, although they have been displaced 5 times since 7 October and face being forced to flee once again as Israel's invasion of Rafah intensifies.” All proceeds raised from this release go directly to Madhoun, who wishes to continue his musical education.
—Bill Marx, Editor-in-Chief
Note: From the Editor's Desk -- By Popular Demand.
Readers have asked that I post these weekly opinion pieces in the magazine — request granted.
Coming Attractions through September 3 — What Will Light Your Fire
Complied by Arts Fuse Editor
Our expert critics supply a guide to film, visual art, theater, author readings, and music. More offerings will be added as they come in.
Film Review: “Alien: Romulus” — A Rosary of Pavlovian Stimuli
By Michael Marano
Disney has bought Fox, so the Alien franchise is now incapable of having an impact close to what it initially had, when it redefined what science fiction/horror films could be.
Book Review: Randy Rainbow’s “Low-Hanging Fruit” – A Mirthful Manifesto with a Gay Agenda, Sans Show Tunes
By Bob Abelman
This collection of observational essays by online musical theater parodist and insta-celebrity Randy Rainbow is a Birkin bag full of snarky social commentary about the most pressing issues facing the US, from dancing TikTok grandmas to Donald Jessica Trump.
Theater Review: “Wish You Were Here” — Innocence Lost
By David Greenham
Through around 10 scenes, spanning over a decade, Wish You Were Here looks at political oppression through the domestic lens of lost love and friendships.
Classical Album Review: Baroque Music — But Guitar, No Harpsichord — Beautiful!
By Ralph P. Locke
In Handel’s day, excerpts from his operas were often played at home, without singers. They sound great on this new recording by the group humorously (and quite inaccurately) called False Consonance.
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Editor-in-Chief
Bill Marx
wmarx103@gmail.com
