The Pirates of Penzance, libretto
by William
S. Gilbert, music by Arthur
Sullivan, at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing
Arts, is a production of the New York Gilbert & Sullivan
Players, As always, they offer an entertaining afternoon for
fans of the two English operetta geniuses. The cast was
first rate, with an outstanding Carter
Lynch as
Frederic, with a fine tenor voice, strong in all registers,
that projected the words clearly throughout the theater. James
Mills was a
funny Major General Stanley and David
Auxier delighted
the audience with his pratfalls as the Sergeant of Police.
Among the female members of the cast, Sarah
Caldwell Smith revealed
dazzling high notes as Mabel and Angela
Christine Smith was
a comical Ruth. The ensemble was terrific, singing and
acting wonderfully. It was a thoroughly enjoyable musical
afternoon, thanks to the Artistic Director/director &
conductor Albert
Bergeret. As we rarely see the operettas of Gilbert &
Sullivan in New York, we must consider Albert Bergeret as a
New York treasure.
With little happening on the theater front, I discovered Classic
Countdown on
radio station WQXR. One hundred classics were played
according to the wishes of their faithful listeners. I had
the pleasure of hearing eleven of the fifty-three already
played, and I hope to hear more before it ends during the
remaining days of 2015. |
They included Piano
Concerto No.1 by Beethoven, Piano Concerto
in F by Gershwin,
two violinconcertos by Brahms and Mendelssohn, Symphony
No. 5 by Mahler, Symphony
No. 4 by Brahms(which
I first heard at Carnegie Hall conducted by Stokowski in
1948), the suite from Der
Rosenkavalier by Strauss,
the suite from Swan
Lake by Tchaikovsky, Rodeo by Copland, The
Firebird by Stravinsky and
selections from the second act of The Magic
Fluteby Mozart.
They were recorded by some of the finest orchestras in the
world. It was a pure delight. I urge everyone to support
both the NY G&S company and the radio station WQXR, two NYC
treasures that make our city unique.
Every night, I like to go to bed with a good book, or, at
least, with someone who has read a good book. Yesterday I
received a book in the mail. Do
You Know Me? by Tony
Roberts is a
memoir of his acting career over five decades. It details
the trials and tribulations of an actor's life. He has
enjoyed a successful career on the Broadway stage, in film,
on television and as the voice in audio books. Every
aspiring young actor should acquire this book for its
honesty and valuable advice. Every general reader will
delight in the many anecdotes about famous actors, directors
and producers with whom Roberts has worked. There is a
chapter on Woody
Allen. He appeared in six of his films, including the
Oscar winning Annie
Hall. He worked ten years for the Broadway producer David
Merrick, for which he was nominated twice for a Tony
Award as Best Actor in a Musical. It is a splendid addition
to everyone's library, who is a fan of the arts, especially
theater and film. I enjoyed every minute reading this
wonderful memoir of an actor I have always admired. |