NFTRW Weekly Top Five

Last week's five most commented articles were:

Carnegie Mellon Ranked Among the Elite by U.S. News & World Report

8 1/2 x 11 Newsletter: "Carnegie Mellon continued to have a strong showing in U.S. News & World Report magazine's annual Best Colleges guide. In the 2009 edition, the university ranks 22nd in the Best National University category. The Tepper School of Business undergraduate business ranking improved one spot to sixth best in the country, and the College of Engineering undergraduate programs remained ninth best in the nation."

Bootlegged online theater clips cherished

SFGate.com:

"Theater buffs who'd rather click it than ticket, however, can sneak peeks on computers, catching glimpses (and sometimes more) of acclaimed performances and sellout shows."

Spare thought for those who labor for entertainment

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "You don't see the hours of rehearsal, the years of classes, the bandaged blisters in the tap shoes, the steps tried and discarded.
You're not supposed to think about how many years the actress spent steaming espressos at Starbucks to put herself through drama school -- or whether she's still working there to support her acting career.
Wondering where the costumer found that fantastic brocade for the Duke of Milan's coat or what store sells the drawer pulls the set designer used on the kitchen cabinetry tears a hole right through the heart of the show's carefully constructed fantasy.
When the rain starts in an outdoor arena and the company soldiers on as if oblivious, you may marvel at their concentration and determination as they hold onto their characters and keep the show moving forward.
You almost certainly give not a thought to the technicians who are getting soaked while holding umbrellas over the sound and lighting equipment to shield it from moisture -- or that when the show comes down, their attention turns not to seeking shelter but to covering the seats so they aren't damp for the next performance.
It's OK to do that tomorrow, though."

Stage preview: Politics of 'Wicked' survives changes from book to stage

PostGazette: "It's a rare academic who turns his expertise into commercial success. But the man whose fertile and daunting imagination has spawned 'eight or nine' (he isn't quite sure) worldwide productions of a megahit musical is somewhat bemused by the whole thing."

Pros and Cons of Broadway Previews

NYTimes.com:

"I SAW “A Tale of Two Cities” on Tuesday night. You know, the big new production at the Al Hirschfeld Theater. The one that doesn’t open until Sept. 18. The one with James Barbour as Sydney Carton, Dickens’s dissolute, loveless, sexy young lawyer who does a far, far better thing than he has done before, right in the middle of the French Revolution."