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On Broadway, as an Outer Critics Nominator, I was invited again to Follies. Unfortunately, it will close on January 22, which is shame, because it is one of the best musicals this season. The cast is marvelous, the songs are wonderful and the production is first class. It will be remembered at awards nominations time. I won two tickets at a raffle at the press conference for the 100th performance of Chinglish. So once again, I saw this fascinating play about miscommunication between Americans and Chinese in China. The cast is superb, the play is intelligent and funny, and the magnificent scenic design by David Korins deserves an award. I urge avid theatregoers to see this play. You will enjoy a terrific night at the theatre. The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess is a shortened version of the original opera, and features a splendid cast headed by Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, David Alan Grier, and a powerful performance by Phillip Boykin as the vicious Crown. The gorgeous music alone is worth the price of admission. Road to Mecca, by Athol Fugard, opens Tuesday January 17. It is about an elderly lady in a small town in South Africa in 1974, who has to make an important decision about how she will spend the remaining days of her life. The superb three member cast features Rosemary Harris, Carla Gugino and Jim Dale.
Off Broadway, The
Canterbury Tales Remixed, written and performed
by Baba Brinkman, is hip-hop telling of two
ancient stories ( Gilgamesh and Beowulf)
and three of Chaucer's tales. If you are a hip-hop
fan, you will enjoy this talented performer.
Outside People, by Zayd Dohrn, is a play
about a young American, who falls in love with a
Chinese girl in Beijing, and complications occur
because of cultural differences. The four actors are
fine, the set by Takeshi Kata is inventive,
and the play is interesting.
One of the most charming
afternoons was spent at the New Amsterdam Room at
the New Amsterdam Theatre. Newsies Director
and choreographer Jeff Calhoun gave a Q & A
to Broadway Kids Care young Broadway
performers in its Dinner with a Director
Education Series. The children were bright and
amusing, and asked great questions, and the director
responded by giving them a penetrating insight into
what it takes to succeed in show business. The
children just loved Jeff, and deservedly so.
The book launch of
Revelations by Micki Pellerano,
with an exhibition of his drawings, took
place at envoy enterprises. We toasted his
fine work with a glass of Pernod.
I went to
Columbus Wines & Spirits for a
photo op for the unveiling of
Medea Vodka Bottles for
Charities. Richard Thomas
signed a bottle to benefit
National Meningitis Association
and the cast of The
Fantasticks signed a bottle
for Bide-a-Wee. I don't know how
the vodka tasted, because we
were served bottled water and
cookies.
All art
lovers must visit the New
American Wing Galleries for
Painting, Sculpture, and
Decorative Arts at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. They
are magnificent and the artwork
has never been displayed better.
Room after room reveal the
marvelous treasures produced by
great American painters,
sculptors and craftsmen. Also
visit a delightful Coe
Collection of American Indian
Art. Again we can admire the
wonderful artistry of our first
settlers in the New World.
92Y Lyrics & Lyricists is
a wonderful series of programs
at the 92nd Street Y Theresa L.
Kaufmann Concert Hall.
Deborah Grace Winer is the
series artistic director, and
she has done a magnificent job
presenting the most entertaining
shows. I attended Makin'
Whoopee: Walter Donaldson, Gus
Kahn and the Jazz Age. It
was fabulous. Robert Kimball
was the erudite narrator, and
soloists Christine Andreas,
Jason Graae, Howard McGillin,
Laura Osnes, plus William
Bolcom & Joan Morris
were fabulous, with outstanding
music played by Vince
Giordano and the Nighthawks.
Every song is a musical
treasure, and the audience even
got to sing along with the title
song. I recommend these programs
highly. You will leave the
concert hall happy and singing.
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I attended a photo op for Psycho Therapy, which stars Angelica Page and Jeffrey Carlson. I'm looking forward to opening night of this comedy, about a menage a trois on a therapist's couch.
One of the best events of the season is The 10th Annual June Briggs Awards Ceremony, which took place this year at the Mandarin Oriental. The honorees were David Bouley, Jordan Roth, Zac Kunish and Bruce Schiemo. Briggs Inc. President Anthony Napoli presented the awards, after a performance by Kevin Duda from The Book of Mormon. It was a festive occasion.
Former New York Governor David Patterson saw the 100th performance of The Mountaintop and came backstage to congratulate cast members Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Freedman. Later in the week, I went to Sardi's for the unveiling of the caricatures of the two stars.
Marco Zunino is the new, talented Billy Flynn in Chicago, and he performed two songs for the press at the Ambassador Theatre. We then we went for delicious refreshments afterwards at E & E Grill, where we had the opportunity to meet and talk with Marco.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association present Dance on Camera January 27-31. The films shown at press screenings have been terrific, and I urge all lovers of dance to see them. Joffrey:Mavericks of American Dance, by Bob Hercules, USA, 2011, is a documentary about one of the great American ballet companies, founded by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino. When they were located in New York, I spent many hours reviewing their works, and they were wonderful. Now, they have relocated to Chicago, but the works of the late founders are being continued under the leadership of former dancer Ashley C. Wheater. Ballet lovers will delight in this film. Musical Chairs, by Susan Seidelman, USA, 2011, is a sweet, adorable fantasy about a charming couple, a dance teacher Mia (Leah Pipes) and a young man obsessed with dancing Armando (EJ Bonilla). When Mia is injured and confined to a wheelchair, Armando helps her by entering her into the first competitive wheelchair ballroom competition. Although the romantic story defies credibility, the serious look at handicapped patients in wheelchairs is brilliantly presented and one gains sympathy and understanding for people who suffer from this tragic disability. The film is a tearjerker, but you will leaves the cinema moved. The Space in Back of You, by Richard Rutkowski, USA, 2011, will also leave the viewers emotionally moved by this documentary about Suzushi Hanayagi, a dancer and choreographer from Japan, who fused kabuki training with modern dance and had a profound influence on Robert Wilson, and partnered him in fifteen theatrical and operatic works over twenty years. She now suffers from Alzheimer's disease and is confined to a nursing home in Osaka at the age of 90. The effects of aging is sad, but Wilson produces a dance piece as a tribute to her. It's a loving portrait of a remarkable woman. Check Your Body at the Door, by Charles Atlas and Michael Schwartz, USA, 2011, is a documentary about the so-called House dance culture, in which archival footage is shown of the people who went to unknown clubs to perform their unusual dance movements. Many of them are around today and were interviewed. It is quite fascinating. Balanchine in Paris, by Dominique Delouche, France, 2011, is a marvelous look at the influence of Balanchine at the Paris Opera Ballet. We see new dancers rehearing selections from four of his ballets, including Palais de Cristal (in the USA known as Symphony in C). The film reveals the great choreographer totally dedicated to his dancers. It is a beautiful film, with three of his original dancers, Alicia Markova, Nina Vyroubova and Violette Verdy seen coaching the dancers. This is a film which will delight passionate ballet fans.
MoMA is screening Global
Lens, 2012 from January 12-28. The first one is
Gise Memuru, by Tolga Karacelik, 2010
Turkey, a story about a toll booth attendant in a
boring job and his unhappy relationship with his
sick father, with whom he lives. Although slow
moving, it is an absorbing look at the unhealthy
life the 35-year-man is living and its resulting
tragedy. The acting is superb, and it will leave an
indelible impression on the viewer.
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