A Man for All Seasons,
by Robert
Bolt,
at the Acorn Theatre Theatre Row, is a production of
Fellowship For Performing Arts. Michael
Countryman (photo
below)
and Carolyn McCormick)
( photo below) head the ten member cast, directed
by Christa Scott-Reed. The actors are superb, and
the play is clever. It is a pleasure to listen to intelligent
dialogue by a splendid playwright. We
congratulated the excellent cast and creative team at
the opening night party at West Bank Cafe, with guests Margaret
Colin and Brenda Braxton. Paul Scofield became
famous playing the role of Sir Thomas More on Broadway
and in the film version.
I attended a magnificent program of three ballets at The
New York City Ballet 2019 Winter Season ,
entitled All
Tschaikovsky/Balanchin e;
the former composed the glorious music and the latter
the wonderful choreography. They were two geniuses, and
it was a delight to see this performance. Serenade featured
two of the finest ballerinas of the company, Sara
Means and Tiler
Peck ,
with support by Tyler
Angle . Mozartiana starred
the incomparable Maria
Kowroski ,
again with Tyler Angle in Theme
et Variations . Daniel
Ulbricht was
superb in Gigue . Tschaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 2, with
soloist Susan Walters at
the piano, concluded a perfect evening of dance, with
the outstanding Ashley
Boulder ,
supported by the up and coming Joseph
Gordon . Andrew
Litton conducted
all the ballets.
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Riverside Library presented Witness
for the Prosecution ,
by Billy
Wilder ,
USA, 1957. It is a wonderful film. with a magnificent cast,
headed by Charles
Laughton, Tyrone Power (his
last) and Marlene Dietrich .
The story is about a murder trial in London. When it was
released the audience was requested not to reveal the
ending. The last scene full of twists and turns that
surprises the viewer. I wish modern filmmakers would learn
how to make decent, literate films like this one.
53rd Street library presented It's Always Fair
Weather, by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen,
USA, 1955. Three soldiers, Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey and Michael
Kidd, return to New York after World War II. They
make a bet to return to the bar, where they said
farewell to each other, 10 years later. They keep their
promise, but all of them have changed. It delighted
audiences. The three leads are terrific. The highlight
is the dance number that opens the film when they arrive
in New York as soldiers.
For an impressive, memorable experience, especially
for lovers of books, The Morgan Library & Museum is
unique. No one should miss their new exhibition. I
attended a press preview of Tolkien:
Maker of Middle Earth, January 25-May, 2019. The
exhibition is the largest collection of Tolkien
material, 117 objects, ever assembled in the United
States. It is a collaboration with Bodleian
Libraries, University of Oxford. After breakfast and
short speeches, we saw family photographs and
memorabilia, draft manuscripts of The Hobbit,
manuscripts of The
Lord of the Rings and The
Silmarillion, watercolors, designs and drawings
by J.R.R.Tolkien.
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