|
Mostly Mozart presented a
program of three works at David Geffen Hall. It began
with a brief, six minute Masonic Funeral Music in C
minor, by Mozart,
and the it was followed by the highlight of the
evening, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, by Beethoven. Jeremy
Denk was the soloist, and performed brilliantly. His
mastery in the first and third movements was a delight
to the ears. He was given a tumultuous, well deserved
ovation, and granted the audience a solo encore by
Mozart. The program concluded with a pleasant rendition
of Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, by Schubert.
The Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra played the three
selections excellently, under the baton of Edward Gardner.
The audience left the concert well pleased.
Singing Beach,
by Tina
Howe,
at the Here Arts Center, is about a family of four on a
beach, who are warned to leave because a hurricane is
approaching. They also have a grandfather, who needs to
be placed in an assisted-living facility. The scenes
alternate with their 10-year old daughter, who wants to
take the grandfather on an imaginary ocean trip. The
fantasy scenes, unfortunately, make no sense. The
playwright has written good plays in the past, but this
is not one of them.
A Parallelogram,
by Bruce Norris, at
the Second Stage Theater, begins with a young woman (Celia
Keenan-Bolger) sitting on a bed in her apartment.
She begins to whine, and, unfortunately, never stops.
Every cliche about life is uttered. It is excruciating.
Scenes are repeated over and over again for no purpose.
Plays like this one can drive a normal person to drink.
Lili Marlene,
book, music and lyrics by Michael
Antin, at St. Luke's Theatre,
is about a Jewish cabaret singer in Berlin as the Nazis
begin their climb to power. The head of the
passport office helps her and his family to escape to
Switzerland.
|
A large cast on a small stage try to pump
life into this musical, directed and choreographed by Mark
Blowers, to no avail. The
music is dull, the lyrics trite and the choreography
minimal. It is hard to feel any sympathy for any of the
characters on stage.
Curvy Widow, book by Bobby
Goldman, music and lyrics by Drew
Brody, at the Westside Theatre, is a
semi-autobiographical tale about a middle aged lady (Nancy
Opel), whose husband dies, and finds herself alone.
Visiting a psychiatrist, she is encouraged to start a a
new life, and explore the internet to find a man. The
series of dates are a disaster, but she continues
searching. The seven member cast is excellent, under the
direction of Peter
Flynn, with an outstanding Opel on stage for nearly
the entire 85-minute musical. The music is pleasant, the
problems are real, and the choreography is fine. The
lesson learned is that one does not surf the internet
for a date. It will introduce a person to liars,
perverts, mentally disturbed people, and others that you
would not particularly like to meet. It might be better
to have friends find an available man for widows. It is
an enjoyable show. We celebrated the opening night at
the recently opened restaurant Burger and Lobster,
132 West 43rd St, where delicious burgers and lobster
rolls were served with champagne, red and white wine. At
the party we met the Nancy Opel's lovely daughter Jillian,
(photo below), who, to our surprise, speaks Chinese
having studied in Taiwan.
I attended a Meet and Greet for Charm,
by Philip Dawkins,
(photo below), the next MCC Theater's production, which
opens on September 18. It is inspired by the true story
of Miss Gloria Allen,
a black, transgender woman, who taught at a LGBTQ
community center in Chicago. I eagerly await the opening
night.
|