Arts: This was the week that was
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Your support makes all the difference.Today On this day in 1927, a jail sentence for indecent behaviour was passed on Mae ("Is that a gavel or are you just pleased to see me?") West for her Broadway show, which boasted the somewhat rash title of Sex. In 1989, Chinese radio began giving needle time to Western pop music, from Madonna to Glenn Miller - but not to the Beatles' "Roll Over Beethoven", as this was too disrespectful to the great Ludwig van.
Tomorrow In 1902, a Paris exhibition launched Art Nouveau, which was known in France as "Style Liberty" after the London Regent Street shop (at least it wasn't "Art Marks & Sparks").
Wednesday In 1923, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre put on Cymbeline, the first Shakespeare play in modern dress. Margot Fonteyn had an extremely unballetic day in 1959 when she was jailed in Panama City; her husband, former ambassador to Britain, was accused of plotting a coup.
Thursday The first known case of a violin played on rollerskates was in 1760, when a young Belgian musician wheeled into a London party, fiddling away like mad, before colliding with a mirror.
Friday It is always assumed that Shakespeare was born today in 1564, but he certainly did die on this day in 1616. In 1879, the first Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened at Stratford, and in 1932, the New Shakespeare Memorial Theatre also had its first night.
Saturday In 1792, France acquired its national anthem: Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle composed the "Marseillaise". Flip the Frog had his initial hop in 1931 as star of the first colour cartoon with sound: Fiddlesticks by the American animator Ub Iwerks.
Sunday Turandot had its first performance in 1926, thanks to Toscanini's conducting. Thanks are also due to the composer Franco Alfano, who joined up the dots to finish the final section which was left uncompleted at Puccini's death two years previously. In 1969, Mrs Dale's Diary, the 21- year-old BBC radio soap opera, finally went off air.
Jonathan Sale
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