The 66th Annual Outer Critics Circle
Awards were announced on Tuesday April
19 at the Algonquin Hotel by Jennifer
Simard and Brian
d'Arcy James. I am one of the
nine nominators, and I am pleased with
slate. After a delicious breakfast, American
Psycho the Musical and She
Loves Me headed
the list with 8 nominations each. Bright
Star and On
Your Feet! with
7 nominations each followed. And a
wonderful Off-Broadway musical Cagney is
terrific. Needless to say, I enjoyed
all five of these splendid musicals.
Take my advice, and see them. You will
not be disappointed. Among the plays, be
sure to see Eclipsed and The Humans for
the finest acting on Broadway.
Cast members of Aladdin, Adam
Jabobs, Courtney Reed and James
Monroe Iglehart announced
the 2016 Drama League Nominees at
Sardi's, 234 West 44th St. A
Distinguished Achievement Award in
Musical Theatre will go to Sheldon
Harnick, as well as two other
special awards to Deaf
West Theatre and Ivo
van Hove.
The 82nd Annual Drama League Awards will
be revealed at the Marriott Marquis
Times Square, 1535 Broadway. on Friday,
May 20. I will be there.
The novel by Bret
Easton Ellis caused
a scandal many years ago, and the film
was not a success, but the musical American
Psycho, book by Roberto
Aguirre-Sacasa, music and lyrics
by Duncan
Sheik, at the Gerald Schoenfeld
Theatre, is an imaginative, inventive
production, which I enjoyed immensely. A
tale about a serial killer is not my cup
of tea, but Benjamin
Walker is
simply superb as a 26-year-old hot shot
on Wall Street, with the most fancy
clothes by the finest designers and
having the most up-to-date equipment in
his luxurious penthouse. He eats in the
most expensive restaurants, goes to
fashionable parties, drink expensive
liquor, takes illicit drugs, and engages
in sex with gorgeous women. So, of
course, he is dissatisfied and unhappy.
He also is a mental case, enjoying
sadistic movies and, actually, brutally
killing people. Women and men will
fantasize about Walker who appears,
frequently, in his Ralph
Lauren shorts,
with a perfectly toned body and handsome
face. All the cast consists of
attractive people, in sexy and exquisite
costumes designed by Katrina
Lindsay, with sensual
choreography by Lynne
Page, expertly directed by Rupert
Goold. The scenic design by Es
Devlin is
remarkable, one of the highlights of the
show. Outstanding among the cast are Alice
Ripley in
multiple roles, Helene
Yorke as
Walker's sometime girlfriend, Morgan
Reed as
her voluptuous friend, Jennifer
Damiano as
Walker's secretary and Drew
Moerlein as
Walker's rival. The music by Duncan
Sheik is, perhaps, the best on Broadway
this season, with additional popular
songs from 1989 when the musical takes
place in NYC. The opening night party
took place at Stage 48, 605 West 48th
St, with guests Bartlett
Sher, Eric Bogosian, Jo Bonney and Andre
Bishop.
We were invited back to see Fiddler
on the Roof, book by Joseph
Stein, music by Jerry
Bock, lyrics by Sheldon
Harnick, at the Broadway Theatre.
It is a wonderful production, starring a
terrific Danny
Burstein as
Teyve, in a Tony deserving performance.
I enjoyed every minute of this
spectacular revival.
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Fully Committed, by Becky
Mode, at the Lyceum Theatre, directed by Jason
Moore, and starring Jesse
Tyler Ferguson,
opens on Monday, April 25. My review will appear in
next week's column.
Waitress,
book by Jessie
Nelson, music and lyrics by Sara
Bareilles, based on a film by Adrienne
Shelly with
the same title, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre,
opens on Sunday April 24. My review will appear in
next week's column.
Tuck Everlasting,
book by Claudia
Shear & Tim
Federle, music
by Chris
Miller, lyrics by Nathan
Tysen, based on the novel with the same title
by Natalie
Babbitt, at the Broadhurst Theatre, opens on
Tuesday, April 26. My review will appear in next
week's column.
A revival of Long
Day's Journey Into Night, by Eugene
O'Neill, at the American Airlines Theatre,
opens on Wednesday, April 27. My review will appear
in next week's column.
I was invited to attend a performance of the Martha
Graham Dance Company at the New York City
Center. I have not seen the company perform for many
years. I was impressed. Four ballets were
offered. The highlight was the first one, Cave
of the Heart, choreography and costumes by Martha
Graham, music by Samuel
Barber, with a brilliant PeiJu
Chien-Pott as
The Sorceress, Medea in a four
member cast in
a retelling of the legend. Another fascinating
ballet was Inner
Resources, a world premiere byMarie Chouinard,
music by Louis
Dufort, featuring eight splendid female
dancers. The final two ballets were Rust,
choreography by Nacho
Duato, and Chronicle,
choreography by Graham. The magnificent Mannes Orchestra, conducted by David
Hayes, accompanied the dancers. It
was memorable night of modern dance.
The New York Center
For Children 21st Annual Spring Celebration took
place at the Clement Restaurant at the Peninsula
Hotel, 700 Fifth Avenue. Timatha
Kasten performed
a musical tribute, accompanied by a jazz trio,
honoring the memory of the Broadway producer Marty
Richards, a close friend of mine. Delicious
hors d'oeuvres were served, with fine wines and
exquisite cocktails. A live and a silent auction was
held, completing a delightful event.
I went to a photo op for the next MCC production A
Funny Thing Happened on the way...(the
complete title is much too long), by Halley
Feiffer, directed by Trip
Cullman, with a four member cast headed by Beth Behrs.
It will open on June 7, and I will be there.
25A Magazine featured Jean
Shafiroff on
its March cover. We celebrated the occasion with a
reception with delicious hors d'oeuvres and fine
wines at Sant Andrea Cafe, 40 Central Park South.
Jean, as always, looked lovely in an elegant dress
as she greeted the guests.
The Columbus Branch Library, 742 Tenth Avenue,
presented four Thin
Man films
from 1934 to 1941 starring William
Powell and Myrna
Loy. I saw Another
Thin Man, by W.S.
Van Dyke, USA, 1939. It is a painless,
occasionally funny film, in which the private
detective solves another murder in a convoluted
story, The plot is so silly, that it is not worth
describing. |