On Broadway. The Anarchist, by David Mamet, has two wonderful
actresses, Patti LuPone and Debra Winger in her Broadway
debut, locked in a discussion by a jailed inmate with a prison
officer pleading for parole after 35 years . It only lasts 75 minutes, but,
unfortunately, seems longer. The opening night party took place at Redeye
Grill, with guests like Richard Thomas, James Earl Jones and
Tommy Tune.
Off-Broadway, Zelda at the Oasis, by P. H. Lin, is a two
character play about a drunken Zelda Fitzgerald (Gardner Reed) in a
bar of the title, reminiscing about her life with the bartender (Edwin
Cahill), who plays multiple roles when she recreates scenes from her
past. The opening night party took place at Bourbon Street Bar & Grille.
A Civil War Christmas, by Paula Vogel, is an intelligent
holiday pageant about real people (Abraham Lincoln) mixed with fictitious
characters on Christmas 1864, The large cast is excellent and the play
features songs of the period.
A revival of Volpone, by Ben Jonson, will open on Sunday. I will
write my comments in the next column. The benefit gala took place at Spasso
with guests Estelle Parsons, Kathryn Meisle and Michael Emerson.
The Last Seder, by Jennifer Maisel, is about four sisters (one
played by Gaby Hoffmann) returning home to spend the last seder with
their father (Greg Mullavey) suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. All
four have too many personal problems for this slender play. The opening
night party took place in the theatre.
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The Irish Repertory Theatre presented a lovely concert by award winning Irish composer Phil Coulter, The Songs I Love So Well. He sang, played selections at the piano, showed videos and told anecdotes. His wife Geraldine Branagan joined him for some songs in the second half of a very pleasant evening. The opening night party took place at the magnificent Residence of the Consul General of Ireland.
The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players presented a rarely performed The Sorcerer, by Gilbert and Sullivan, in a delightful production. The cast was excellent, the staging superb and the orchestra, under the direction of Albert Bergeret, played the tuneful score magnificently. Of the cast, Stephen O'Brien was fine in the title role, Kimilee Bryant was an appealing heroine and Daniel Greenwood an ardent lover. It was a splendid evening.
The 24th Gypsy of the Year was a grand occasion, as usual, full of great dancing talent. It was a really delightful program, with the final selection honoring Fred Ebb, with stars like David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk from Curtains and members of the cast from Chicago. Chita Rivera, Katie Holmes and Ricky Martin presented the awards.
A press conference was held at the Instituto Cervantes for Spanish Cinema Now and three of the filmmakers, including Pablo Berger, and two of the actors, including Blanca Suarez attended
Ballet in Cinema from Emerging Pictures presented the 1862 ballet The Pharaoh's Daughter, by the Bolshoi Ballet, recreated by Pierre Lacotte in 2000, and presented in a live performance on November 25. It starred a stunning Svetlana Zakharova in the title role and Ruslan Skyortsov as the English Lord. Both danced magnificently, as did the rest of the company in this elegant and sumptuous production, with gorgeous costumes and sets. The orchestra played the score wonderfully, under the baton of Pavel Klinichev. It was a joy to watch from beginning to end.
12-05-12
(L-R)
Laura
Osnes.
Judith
Ivey
were
two
of
the
judges
at
the
24th
Gypsy
of
the
Year
at
the
New
Amsterdam
Theatre.
214
West
42nd
St.
Tuesday
afternoon
12-04-12 |