On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
August 9, 2014
08-08-14 Cast member Julia Stiles and DJ Whoo Kid at the opening
night party for "Phoenix" at The Leonora. 529 West 29th St. Thursday
night.
08-07-14
Off-Broadway, Phoenix,
by Scott
Organ,
takes
place
one
month
after
Sue
(Julia
Stiles)
and
Bruce
(James
Wirt)
have
a
one
night
stand.
She
arrives
in
New
York
to
tell
him
she
is
pregnant.
To
get
an
abortion
or
not
to
get
a
abortion
in
Phoenix,
that
is
the
question.
The
two
actors
work
hard
to
give
life
to
this
static
play
with
much
unrealistic
dialogue.
They
do
not
succeed.
The
opening
night
party
was
a
different
matter.
it
was
one
of
the
liveliest
opening
night
parties
that
I
have
ever
attended.
It
took
place
at a
new
club, The
Leonora,
529
West
29th
St,
with
many
charming
guests
like Kathy
Searle,
Chad
Kimball,
AnnaSophia
Robb and Kyle
Harris.
A
Meet
and
Greet
was
held
for Red
Eye
of
Love,
a
new
musical
by Sam
Davis and
directed
by Ted
Sperling,
which
will
begin
performances
on
August
27
at
DiCapo
Opera
Theatre.
The
nine
member
cast
performed
three
selections,
and
they
were
delightful.
I
look
forward
to
its
opening
night.
Mostly
Mozart began
its
season
on
July
25-August
23.
I
attended
the
concert
on
August
3. Andrew
Manze conducted
the
orchestra
and Steven
Osborne was
the
soloist
in Piano
Concerto
No.
5 in
E-flat
major
("Emperor"),
by Beethoven.
I
have
heard
this
concerto
live
many
times,
beginning
in
Stuttgart
in
1954,
but
I
was
amazed
by
this
performance
by
the
young
brilliant
pianist.
It
sounded
fresh,
skillfully
performed
and
a
delight
to
hear.
.
.
|
The
concert also included Symphony
No. 104 in D major ("London"),
by Haydn. As I was born and
raised in Manchester, the home
of the Halle Orchestra, I still
appreciate Haydn's music, and
this symphony is one of his
better efforts. But as I told
him in 1795, go to Manchester
for more inspiration! The Mostly
Mozart orchestra never sounded
better.
MoMA presented Lady
in the Dark: Crime Films from
Columbia Pictures, 1932-1957,
which finished on August 4. I
saw every film except one. It
was a splendid series. I had
seen The
Lady from Shanghai, by Orson
Welles, USA, 1947, earlier
this year at Film Forum, and was
underwhelmed. Seeing it again
confirmed my review. The only
saving grace of this film is the
chance to admire Rita
Hayworth at
the height of her career. Also
the closing scene in a House of
Mirrors is a cinematic
highlight.
The other film
from the series which I saw again was Dead
Reckoning, by John
Cromwell, USA, 1947. Again my earlier
impression was confirmed. The complicated
plot is totally unbelievable, but the two
stars,Humphrey
Bogart and Lizabeth
Scott, make the viewing worthwhile.
The series
featured some wonderful screen actors, and
besides the three mentioned above, we had
the pleasure of seeing Henry
Fonda, Glenn Ford, Franchot Tone, Gloria
Grahame, Nina Foch and Mickey
Rooney. With the Film Society at Lincoln
Center, Film Forum and MoMA, New Yorkers are
the luckiest film fans in the world.
MoMA is
presenting The
Great War: A Cinematic Legacy from August
4-September 21. Secret
Agent, by Alfred
Hitchcock, Great Britain, 1936, is a spy
film which takes place in Switzerland during
World War I, with four of my favorite screen
actors, John
Gielgud, Madeleine Carroll, Peter Lorre and Robert
Young. It was voted one of the best
British film of 1936, and one can understand
why. The dialogue is witty, the acting
superb, the direction splendid and there are
enough twists in the plot to entertain
everyone
08-07-14 (L-R) Cast members Kevin Pariseau. Alli Mauzey. Josh Grisetti at a
Meet & Greet for "Red Eye of Love" at Studio353. 353 West 48th St. Thursday
morning. 08-07-14
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