Three Tall Women, by Edward
Albee, at the Golden Theatre, was first
presented Off-Broadway. It is now appearing on
Broadway, with a magnificent actress, Glenda
Jackson, heading the three member cast, directed
by Joe Mantello.
In May, she will be 82-years-old, and gives an
outstanding performance. She will surely by
nominated for a Tony Award, and could, perhaps, win.
The almost two hour play is in two acts, without an
intermission. In the first act, she is a 92-year-old
wealthy, dying widow, whose mind is wandering. Her
caretaker (the always wonderful Laurie
Metcalf) and a young lawyer (Alison
Pill) are with her in her elegant bedroom,
designed by Miriam
Buether. The second act , the three ladies are
the same person. Pill is 26-years-old, yearning for
love. Metcalf is 52-years-old, embittered and
unhappy, especially with her son, who abandoned the
family. Jackson, in marvelous, healthy shape, as the
future dying old lady, reflects on her life. A
silent young man appears in her bedroom to kiss her
goodbye. This actor is not named in the program, but
takes a curtain call with the three superb
actresses. As Jackson turns into a self-centered old
lady, hating everyone, including her son, we are
forced to hear every cliche about health, death,
jewelry, sex, male and female misbehavior. The
dialogue, is occasionally quite funny. But the
audience does not care. They give a well deserved
standing ovation for three fine actresses.
Frozen,
music and lyrics by Kristen
Anderson-Lopez and Robert
Lopez, book by Jennifer
Lee, at the St. James Theatre, is a musical,
based on a Disney animated film, which I did not
see. The night I attended, the theater was packed
with parents and their children. Judging from their
reaction, the spectacular production was a rousing
success. The two female leads, Cassie
Levy and Patti
Murin, have beautiful voices, and sing
wonderfully. The entire cast directed by Michael
Grandage, with choreography by Rob Ashford,
perform excellently. It is a silly fairy tale about
two sisters, played by the two stars mentioned
above, but it is highly entertaining. The music is
pleasant, and the audience seems to have a good
time. After all the serious, grim depressing shows
in the theater this season, it is a simple joy to
delight in a pleasant, painless experience, thanks
to Disney.
Bobbie Clearly,
by Alex
Lubischer, at the Black Box Theatre at the
Miriam and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre,
is a play with eleven cast members, directed by Will
Davis. One character kills a classmate in
the middle of a cornfield in Milton, Nebraska.
Years after the incident, a cop,
a nurse, the co-captains of a dance team, and
others, including the murderer himself are ready
to tell you their sides of the story.
Unfortunately, it is a convoluted story, and
many of the performers are uninteresting. Most
spectators would be well advised to avoid this
rural town.
Goldstein,
book by Charlie
Schulman, music and
lyrics by Michael
Roberts, at Actors
Temple Theatre, is a modest 90-minute musical,
with a seven member cast, directed by Brad
Rouse.
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A young man writes a book about three
generations of his Jewish family. The music and the
singing are pleasant, without being memorable, and the
book is filled with the usual cliches about Jewish life
in America.
The book party for The Geraldo Show: A Memoir took
place at Del Frisco, 1221 Avenue of the Americas. It is
an autobiography about Geraldo
Rivera's life and adventures as a broadcast
journalist for 48 years. It is a fascinating history
of meeting many of the most famous world celebrities,
including President
Trump, It was hosted by Sean
Hannity (two photos below), and the venue was
crowded with Geraldo's friends and family. Among them,
were Bo Dietl, Andrew
Stein, Adam Deshowitz, Adam
Buchman, plus many others too numerous to name.
Delicious hors d'oeuvres and cocktails were served. It
was splendid event.
A cocktail party was held at the Hayes
Theatre for David
Rockwell, whose scenic design is on view at Lobby
Hero. There was a conversation about designing for a
new generation in theater afterwards with Rockwell
and Artistic Director Carole
Rothman and Alex
Poots. It was a lovely event.
Hitler's Hollywood,
written and directed by Rudiger
Suchsland, Germany, 2017, shows the influence of
American films on German films in the Age of Propaganda
from1933-1945. The film clips are fascinating to watch.
Even the musicals are imitations of the great American
film musicals. The Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels was
the mastermind of their productions, and how clever he
was in manipulating the German people into believing
they were a master race. There is also archival newsreel
selections, which show the rise of anti-semitism, with
its persecution of Jews, and scenes of World War II. It
is a remarkable film, which leaves an indelible
impression on the viewer. It will be screened at Film
Forum April 11-17.
This is Our Land,
by Lucas
Belvaux, France/Belgium, 2017,
is a one of the finest films that I have seen this year.
It is a serious look at right wing politics in France,
where a naive single mother (Emilie
Dequenne) is persuaded to run
for mayor in a small town. The acting is magnificent,
especially that of Emilie Dequenne and Andre
Dussollier as a doctor who
persuades her to run. In a period of childish movies, it
is a pleasure to watch an intelligent film. It will open
April 18-May 1 at Film Forum. Do not miss it!
58th Street Library presented Darkest
Hour,
by Joe
Wright,
UK & U.S, 2017, stars Gary
Oldman as Winston
Churchill as
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1940. He gives a
brilliant performance, and was rewarded by winning an
Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor. I lived in
Manchester in 1940, and survived the German Blitz. One
night, eight bombs fell on my street. It was a crucial
time, and Churchill inspired the nation. It is a
marvelous film. |