Off Broadway - Broadway shows were cancelled on Saturday as New York braced itself for the full force of Hurricane Irene to strike. They included Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall and War Horse at Lincoln Center Theatre. "The safety and security of theatregoers and employees is everyone's primary concern," said Paul Libin, chairman of the national trade association the Broadway League. The theatre closures became inevitable after New York officials ordered the city's transit system to shut down.
Salford Centre - The University of Salford has been granted planning permission to build a £38m arts centre. The building on University Road will house performance and exhibition spaces, which will host events for both the public and students. Vice-chancellor Martin Hall said it was part of a "strong commitment to the regeneration of Central Salford".
The centre will be next to the Chapman Building, the university's existing art facility, which is being refurbished. The facility will be used by the students of the schools of Media, Music & Performance and Art & Design, who will also be housed in the university's new facilities at MediaCity UK. Work on the proposed arts centre is due to begin in the autumn and should be completed by summer 2014. Professor Hall said it would be "an important cultural centre for the people of Salford and will provide our students with a space to allow them to fully develop their skills".
Closing Time - Sir Cameron Mackintosh's musical Betty Blue Eyes will close in the West End next month following poor ticket sales. Based on the Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray film A Private Function, the show will close on 24 September, six months after making its debut. "I am enormously proud of Betty," said Mackintosh. "I know she will eventually have her day and another life."
Ballet High - Sir Paul McCartney is to release his first ballet with the record label Decca, half a century after the Beatles were famously rejected by the company. The premiere of Ocean's Kingdom takes place next month with the album coming in October next year. Decca's original rebuff of The Beatles in 1962 on the grounds that "guitar groups are on the way out" has since passed into music legend. The label instead signed the Tremeloes while the Beatles went to Parlophone.
Slim Chance - British model Twiggy is attempting to revive her music career with an album of romantic cover versions of tracks by Neil Young, Bryan Adams and The Kinks. "Music's so much a part of my life and my career," said the 61-year-old, who starred in film musical The Boyfriend and had a Top 20 hit in 1976. Released on 21 November, Romantically Yours also sees her sing such classics as Blue Moon and My Funny Valentine. "I haven't done this for quite a while, so people forget," said the model. "I'm actually going back into what I've done since 1970."
(Jim Evans)
