I was invited back to see Eugene
O'Neill's Hughie at
the Booth Theatre. Although Forest
Whitaker seems
more comfortable in the leading role, the play
itself is hardly a major work from the most
distinguished American playwright. I can
understand why it is closing early.
We were invited back to see On
Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan at
the Marquis Theatre. Before the show, we
attended a cocktail reception in the VIP lounge.
The hosts were Gloria and Emilio,
who were simply charming. I've known them for
many years, because my first wife, Maria
Elena Reuben, wrote about them for many
Spanish magazines and newspapers, and I had the
pleasure of recently giving Gloria an exclusive
black and white photo of them with Celia
Cruz taken
many years ago, which is now framed in their
home. It was a pleasure to see the marvelous
production of one of the most entertaining shows
on Broadway. The cast and musicians tell the
story of their lives magnificently and the music
is delightful. Directed brilliantly by Jerry Mitchelland
choreographed splendidly by Sergio
Trujillo, you are guaranteed one of the
most memorable theatrical experiences.
Arthur Miller's The Crucible,
at the Walter Kerr Theatre, is directed by Ivo
Van Hove. He has a reputation for
re-imaging classics by Eugene
O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, and many
others Off-Broadway, and now Arthur Miller,
whose A View
From the Bridgepreviously appeared on
Broadway this season. I have seen everything he
has done in New York. He, obviously, is an
acquired taste, which I have not been able
to acquire. What he has now done to
Arthur Miller's monumental work is bizarre to
say the least. The play is about the Salem witch
trials in the 1690s, in which falsely accused
innocent men and women's lives were ruined.
Miller used this to compare it with the Senator Joseph
McCarthy witch
hunt in congress in the early 1950s.
This version takes place in a gloomy modern day
schoolroom. The costume design by Wojciech
Dziedzic is
the dreariest ever seen on a Broadway stage, and
no actor looks good.
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Actors like Ben
Whishaw, Sophie Okenedo and Saoirse
Ronan are
not given the chance to shine in these
conditions. Also, Luchta,
a Tamaskan, is a rare breed of dog, who appears
after the intermission in its Broadway debut as
a wolf and crosses the stage. For me, it was the
highlight of the almost three hour production,
which can be summed up in one word,
excruciating.
We were invited to see Creating
the Magic with The Wicked at
the Gershwin Theatre presented by Inside Broadway. Michael
Presser introduced
the program, featuring four cast members and
four musical selections. Many crew members
demonstrated how everything operated to bring to
life the magic of live theater. 1,000 elementary
school children attended and were delighted with
the program. Many will become the future
Broadway Musical Theatre fans.
I attended a photo op of the cast
and creative team for Indecent,
a new play with music by Paula
Vogel, directed by Rebecca
Taichman, which opens on May 17 at the
Vineyard Theatre. I eagerly await the opening
night.
I was invited back to see My
King/Mon Roi, by Maiwenn,
France, 2015, starring Emmanuelle
Bercot, who won the best Actress Award at
the Cannes Festival, and Vincent
Cassel, which opens on July 15. I will
add more comments about the splendid film after
it opens.
Resident Magazine Celebrated the
March 2016 Cover Girl Dylan
Lauren at
her Union Square Sweets Emporium, 33 Union
Square West with a splendid party attended by
many of her friends and guests like Jean Shafiroff,
Henri Marc Kessler and Annie
Watts. Exotic cocktails were provided and
sweets galore were sampled at this beautiful new
store, I gave Dylan a gift of a black & white
photo of her parents that I took many years ago
at Rainbow & Stars. She was delighted.
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