Dear Evan Hansen,
book by Steven
Levenson, music and lyrics by Benj
Pasek and Justin
Paul, at
The Music Box, was reviewed last season Off-Broadway
and received wonderful reviews. It has now
transferred to Broadway, and I would not be
surprised if it receives a Tony nomination as Best
Musical and another one for the Leading Actor, Ben
Platt, in
the title role. It is a tale about five teenagers
and three parents. One teenager (Platt). a lonely
boy, suddenly, becomes popular in his school, when
another teenager Connor (Mike
Faist) commits suicide. Connor's parents (Michael
Park and Jennifer Laura
Thompson) believe that the two were close
friends. Evan lies, and complications ensue. The
eight member cast is
excellent, directed by Michael Greif. Modern
day audiences will recognize the trials and
tribulations of teenagers growing up today. The
opening night party, held at The Pierre, was a
fabulous one The ballroom and other rooms were
filled with delicious food and open bars. The cast
and creative team enjoyed their success at the
superb event.
In Transit, book, music and
lyrics, by Kristen
Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan and Sara
Wordsworth, at Circle in the Square, opens
December 11. A review will appear in next week's
column.
The Babylon Line,
by Richard
Greenberg, at the Lincoln Center Theater at the
Mitzi Newhouse, is about a frustrated writer (Josh
Radnor), who teaches an adult evening class to
six unsympathetic characters in Levittown, Long
Island, in 1967. It is an overlong, messy play, in
which they act out their writings. Terry
Linney directed
a cast of seven actors, who have all appeared in
better plays.
The Band's Visit,
music & lyrics by David
Yazbek, book by Itamar
Moses, based on a screenplay by Eran
Kolirin, is chamber musical about an Egyptian
band, headed by Tony
Shalhoub. that go to the wrong town in Israel to
perform a concert. Yazbek composed Middle Eastern
type music for the musical instruments, including
an Oud. An Israeli Dina (Katrina
Lenk), the owner of a restaurant gives them
food, lodging, and for one member of the band
even sex. The large cast is directed by David
Cromer. It is a pleasant, unusual musical.
The Dead, 1904, based
on the novella by James
Joyce, adapted by Paul
Muldoon and Jean
Hanff Korelitz, directed by Ciaran
O'Reilly, at the American Irish Historical
Society, 995 Fifth Avenue, is a production of the
Irish Repertory Theatre. It is a wonderful staged
version of the novella, in which the limited
audience passes from room to room to watch the
performers, headed by Kate
Burton and Boyd
Gaines, recreate a dinner party in Dublin. The
audience is invited to sit at tables with the cast
to eat a delicious dinner, while joining them with
drinks, before, during and after the repast. The
audience leaves the venue blissfully happy.
The 29th Annual Gypsy of the Year took
place at the New Amsterdam Theatre. As always, it is
a wonderful event. The opening number featured Baayork Lee,
Donna McKechnie and Margo
Sappington. They were a delight. The dance
numbers fromWicked, On Your Feet!, Fiddler on the
Roof and
many other shows were great. The host was Seth
Rudetsky, and presenters included the cast of Falsettos, Robert
Creighton, Nick Kroll and John
Mulaney. Announcing the winners were Cynthia
Erivo, Jessie Mueller and Javier
Munoz. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Marcel Pagnol's Marseille
Trilogy, Marius, Fanny and Cesar were
offered in a marathon screening by Janus Films. 215
Park Ave. I saw the first and the third, and saw Fanny at
Film Forum a
few days later. It will
be shown at Film Forum beginning Wednesday January 4
- Thursday January. Don's miss it!.
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They are three marvelous
films. Marius,
by Alexander
Korda, France, 1931 is about a young couple
in Marseille. The young man Marius (Pierre
Fresnay) wants to leave his job, as a barman
in his father's Cesar (Raimu)
bar, to become a sailor and see the world. The
girl Fanny (Orane
Demazis) wants him to stay in Marseille with
her. Fanny, by Marc
Allegret, France, 1932, tells how she
is left pregnant, and marries the wealthy Honore
Panisse (Fernand
Charpin). Cesar, by Marcel
Pagnol, France, 1936, completes the story
twenty years later. The acting is excellent. The
characters, especially the friends of Cesar, are
amusing. The dialogue is intelligent and
the plots are interesting. The three films are
masterpieces of the French cinema. How I wish
modern day filmmakers would learn from them!
Janus Films knows how to please critics. Coffee
and doughnuts were served before the first film,
followed by soup, salad, fish and white wine in
the first intermission. Salami, cheese,
chocolates and red wine were served in the
second intermission. Needless to say, the
critics left the screenings happy and content.
The New York Stage & Film
Annual Winter Gala at
the Plaza Hotel honored Annette
Bening and David
Rockwell. Annette's husband Warren Beatty
was also present. I told Warren, that I last
photographed him with John
Lithgow, when
John appeared on Broadway in M.
Butterfly. We recalled the wonderful
publicist, the late John
Springer, and his son Gary. I
chatted with and photographed many
guests, including Artistic
Director Joanna
Pfaelzer, Mark
Linn-Baker, Julianna
Margulies, Christine Lahti, Michael Wilson and Corey
Cott. It was a splendid affair.
The York Theatre Company's
25th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala honored Joel
Grey with
the 2016 Award for Lifetime Achievement in
Musical Theatre at the Asia Society. Among the
performers were Robert
Creighton, Sutton Foster and Bernadette
Peters. Among the guests were Ted
Chapin, Tom Meehan,
Gay Talese, Joe Sirola, Oscar Andrew Hammerstein and Anita
Gillette. The cocktail reception featured
delicious hors d'oeuvres and an open bar. It was
a festive occasion and everyone was very happy.
A memorial program for the
late playwright Edward
Albee was
held at the August Wilson Theatre. Brian
Murray opened
the program with a selection from The
Play About the Baby, and told a funny
anecdote about Albee and Noel
Coward. As I had to see Gypsy of the Year,
I, unfortunately, had to leave early and
I missed the excellent speakers that followed
Murray. But I was glad to pay my respects to a
great playwright.
My friend, Edward
Slavenburg invited
me to a whisky tasting at the elegant Gabriel
Kreuther Restaurant, 41 West 42nd St. We tasted
three Scotch whiskies Bruichladdich. The
Classic Laddie, Port Charlotte Islay Barley
and Black Art 1990, 49,2% from the Islay island
in the Hebridees. They were strong and powerful.
We ordered a delicious classic pizza of bacon,
onion and creme fraiche, plus crispy potatoes
with a special sauce. After drinking the
whiskies and eating the food, we left very
contented and happy!
I received a gift, a marvelous book, The
Hammersteins: A Musical Theater Family, USA,
2010, published by Black Dog & Leventhal
Publishers, Inc. It was written by Oscar
Andrew Hammerstein, the
grandson of Oscar
Hammerstein II. Every
theater lover will enjoy this book, about the
family that built many theaters and produced
some of the most wonderful musicals on Broadway
and on film. It is full of family photos, and
tells the history of this remarkable family from
its beginnings on the arrival of first Oscar
Hammerstein in 1864 in the United States. To
reciprocate, I invited the author to my favorite
Irish Pub, Emmett's O'Lunney, 210 West 50th St.
where we celebrated with Bacardi rum and Coca
Cola. |