On Broadway as an Outer Critics Circle
nominator, I was invited back to see Venus in Fur and The
Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. They are both splendid, and
definitely should be seen by all theatre lovers.
Magic/Bird, by Eric Simonson, is
about the rivalry between two basketball superstars, Earvin
"Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1980s. Basketball
fans will enjoy reliving the highlights of their careers. The six
member cast, includes the excellent Peter Scolari and
Deidre O'Connell in multiple roles. The opening night party took
place at the Edison Ballroom with the two famous ballplayers as
guests.
Off-Broadway, A Slow Air, by
David Harrower, is a two character play (well acted by
Susan Vidler and Lewis Howden), who are a Scottish
estranged brother and sister and have not spoken to each other
in fourteen years. They address the audience in alternating
monologues for 80 minutes about their unhappy lives.
Federer versus Murray, by Gerda
Stevenson, is a well acted two character play, with a live
saxophone player. It shows a bickering middle aged Scottish
couple, whose husband is obsessed with the tennis match of the
title. The opening night celebration took place in the mezzanine
of 59E59 Theaters.
4000 Miles, by Amy Herzog,
is a play about an aimless grandson, who arrives at his
grandmother's apartment in New York City after a bicycle trip
from Minnesota. Although they have not seen each other in a long
time, they develop a loving relationship over the following
days. The excellent Mary Louise Wilson heads the four
member cast.
The City Club, book by Glenn M.
Stewart, music and lyrics by James Compton, Tony de Meur
and Tim Brown, will open on April 23 at the Minetta Lane
Theatre. I will tell you about it after its opening.
Joel Grey celebrated his 80th
birthday after the Wednesday matinee of Anything Goes
with a surprise appearance of Bernadette Peters singing
Happy Birthday and a cake.
Clint Holmes opened his cabaret
performance This Thing Called Love, Cole Porter & Paul Simon
at the Cafe Carlyle. Among the guests celebrating with him in
his luxurious suite were his beautiful wife Kelly
Clinton, Susan Lucci, Lesllie Uggams, Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune,
Gloria Vanderbilt and Michael Douglas. It was a
glorious after-party.
The Glimmerglass Festival held
their 2012 Gala Glimerata! at the Metropolitan Club. It
was a benefit for the Young Artists and Summer Internship
programs. Estelle Parsons, Artistic Director Francesca
Zambello and Dr. Patricia Kavanagh were Chairs, and
many opera singers attended and performed, including Eric
Owens.
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Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, by Alison Klayman, USA, 2012, is a remarkable documentary about a courageous Chinese activist, considered one of China's most famous conceptual artists. His fight for freedom of expression on the internet in his blog and then on twitter is brilliantly portrayed in this film, which follows him from his youth, his time spent in New York City, his creation and exhibition of his works in Munich and London, to his activities to expose the disaster of the Sichan earthquake in which over 5,000 children perished, mainly because of shoddy school construction. Unfortunately, he is now under house detention and unable to express his views. It is a powerful film, which is an indictment of the repressive Chinese government. One only hopes he will gain his freedom to continue his fight for freedom.
Film Society of Lincoln Center held two press screenings of the The Space Between: A Panorama of Cinema in Turkey April 25-May 10. Revenge of the Snakes, by Yilanarin Ocu, Turkey, 1962, is considered a classic, and it is a very powerful film. The black and white feature takes place in a tiny rural village, where life is hard. We see a very realistic view of their way of life. When a new house is being constructed illegally, bitter hatred and violence erupts between neighbors. It leaves an indelible impression. Secret Face, by Gizli Yuz, Turkey, 1991, is based on a Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk's novel The Black Book. It is a beautifully photographed, but an extremely slow moving film, about a young man, who takes photographs of men in a bar, and the next day, shows them to a mysterious beautiful young lady, who appears to be searching for someone. It is dreamlike and philosophical, and clocks and time play an important role.
Payback, by Jennifer Baichwal, Canada, 2011, is a documentary based on the lecture given by Margaret Atwood based on her book Payback:Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth. It shows different examples of debt ranging from a horrendous Albanian blood feud to the Gulf oil spill, and tomato workers trying to improve their working conditions in Florida. All the examples reveal the dark side of the notion of debt. It leaves a vivid impression. It opens April 25 at Film Forum.
Whores' Glory, by Michael Glawogger, Germany, 2011, is a documentary exploring prostitution in three countries. In Bangkok, Thailand, the women look relatively happy and practice their profession in clean and well protected conditions. In Faridour, Bangladesh, the women work in decrepit conditions in the grim, dirty rooms of their filthy brothel. In Reynosa, Mexico, interviews with the young men soliciting the women make one sorry for what the ladies have to suffer with clients like these. It is a revealing picture of a dreadful situation, and one can only have compassion for the ladies and their future, and revulsion for the governments of these nations, which allow this sexual and social abuse. It will open on April 27 in New York at Lincoln Plaza and Cinema Village.
04-12-12
Larry
Bird
at
the
opening
night
party
for
"Magic/Bird"
at
the
Edison
Ballroom.
240
West
47rd
St.
Wednesday
night.
04-11-12 |