On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
January 11, 2014
01-07-14
Finalists for the Theatre Award (L-R) Amber Iman. Winner Jonny
Orsini. Phillipa Soo. Aaron Clifton Moten at the Fourth Annual Clive
Barnes Awards at the Walter Reade Theater.
165 West 65th St. Monday afternoon 01-06-14
On Broadway, Beautiful:
The Carole King Musical will
open on Sunday January 12. In my next column I will
write my review.
Patience was
the second operetta presented by the New York
Gilbert & Sullivan Players at Symphony Space. Again,
it was a delightful production. A highlight was the
duet in the second act So
go to him, and say to him by Caitlin
Burke and James
Mills, who sang beautifully, and made more funny
gestures than anyone could have imagined. The rest
of the cast was equally fine, especially an amusing David
Macaluso. Albert
Bergeret led
the orchestra, which played the score wonderfully.
It was another triumph for the splendid company.
The Fourth Clive Barnes Awards were
presented at the Walter Reade Theater. It is one of
my favorite events. Susan
Stroman and Wendy
Whelan presented
the Theatre Award to Jonny
Orsini and
Dance Award to Lloyd
Mayor, and
2012 Winner of the Theatre Award Rob
McClure spoke
to the audience about his professional life since
winning the award. There were video clips of each of
the four finalists in each category and they
revealed the talents of each one. We congratulated
them at a reception afterwards.
Film Society of Lincoln Center presented The
Discreet Charm of George Cukor December 13-January 7. Bhowani
Junction, USA, 1956, is a spectacular film about
India after World War II, as the British were
leaving and the country was on the verge of
disaster. Ava
Gardner plays
an Anglo-Indian, with a conflict about her identity,
and becomes involved with three men. Stewart
Granger plays
a British colonel, who resolves her problem. The
film is full of action, and the leading stars make a
lovely couple. It is a film to please every viewer.
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Travels With My Aunt, USA, 1972, is a tale starring Maggie
Smith as an eccentric
aunt running all over Europe and North Africa, accompanied by her
nephew played by Alex
McCowen. She carries illegal money, which she needs to rescue a
kidnapped former lover. There are many flashbacks to Maggie, as a
young woman, having numerous love affairs. At times, the film is
amusing, and the two stars are first rate.
Our Betters, USA,
1933, is a sly satire on British aristocracy. A wealthy
American lady (Constance
Bennett) marries an aristocrat, who is penniless, and
only wants her for her money. When she realizes this, she
decides to become an important figure by herself in high
society. Her collection of friends reveal all the hypocrisy
of upper class behavior. The acting is superb, the dialogue
is amusing, and the scenes are entertaining. It was the
final film that I saw of this remarkable series. It was most
enjoyable.
MoMA is presenting an ongoing An
Auteurist History of Film. Another
Sky, by Gavin
Lambert, Great Britain/Morocco, 1954, is a black and
white film told in flashback by a puritanical English young
lady, who goes to work as a companion for a wealthy English
lady in Morocco. She becomes captivated by a young Moroccan
musician, who disappears from the city. She pursues him to a
village near the Sahara desert, but does not find him. She
marries a villager, while remembering her one true love. It
is almost like a travelogue with Moroccan music played by
local musicians, scenes of the markets with dancers and one
man performing with two cobras, and wonderful shots of the
faces, old and young, of the inhabitants. One leaves with a
memory of how the country was over sixty years ago.
First Chance, by David
Frankel, United
Kingdom, 2013, is based on true story of Paul
Potts, as a boy was obsessed with operatic music, and
wanted to become an opera star. Growing up with working
class parents in South Wales and employed as
a shop assistant, we watch him suffer the trials and
tribulations of achieving success in a difficult career.
James Corden gives
a remarkable performance as Potts. It is a sweet, well acted
film, and the photography is spectacular, especially of
Venice, where Potts goes to study. Opera fans, in
particular, will enjoy this entertaining film.
01-07-14 Finalists for the 2013 Dance
Award (L-R) Talli Jackson. Winner Lloyd Mayor. Calvin Royal III, XiaoChuan
Xie at the Fourth Annual Clive Barnes Awards at the Walter Reade Theater.
165 West 65th St. Monday afternoon 01-06-14
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