On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
January 4, 2014
12-12-13 Cast
member Jefferson Mays of "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder""
takes afternoon tea at the "Downton Abbey" Tea & Biscuits Food Truck
on 50th St between 5th & 6th Avenues, Wednesday afternoon 12-11-13
Off-Broadway, Cheri, conceived,
choreographed and directed by Martha
Clarke, is a dull performance piece, based on a
novel by Colette,
about an older woman (retired ballerina of ABT Alessandra
Ferri) having a love affair with a younger man
(principal dancer of ABT Herman
Cornejo), which ends tragically. They move
gracefully, as he lifts her and swings her around
the stage, to a live piano accompaniment. Amy
Irving wanders
onto the stage to deliver brief comments about their
love affair. Although only 65 minutes, it seems much
longer.
The Pirates of Penzance was
presented by the New York Gilbert & Sullivan
Players at Symphony Space. It was a pure
delight. The singing was excellent, as well as
the hilarious staging. All the cast deserved
their tumultuous applause, especially James
Mills, Carter Lynch, Laurelyn Watson Chase and Ryan
Allen.The orchestra played the bubbly score
magnificently, under the baton of Albert
Bergeret, the Artistic Director of this
wonderful company, that all New York should
treasure.
Film Society of Lincoln Center is presenting The
Discreet Charm of George Cukor December
13-January 7. The
Actress, USA, 1953, is a charming tale of a
young girl, wanting to leave her small town to
become an actress on stage in New York at the
turn of the twentieth century. It stars an
adorable Jean
Simmons, with Spencer
Tracy and Teresa
Wright as
her working class parents. The acting is superb.
The Philadelphia
Story, USA, 1940, is one of the finest of
all the Cukor films, with a splendid cast,
headed by Katharine
Hepburn, Cary Grant and
an Oscar winning James
Stewart. The socialite heroine (Hepburn) is
about to marry for a second time, when her
ex-husband (Grant) appears to complicate
matters. It is a clever, intelligent story about
marriage. More than seventy years later, it has
relevance today and is thoroughly entertaining.
The Royal Family
of Broadway, USA, 1930, is a comedy about a
family of stage actors on Broadway. One (Oscar
nominated Frederic
March), however, has become a film star,
with all types of amorous complications, and two
of the younger actresses are contemplating
leaving the stage for marriage. It is a very
entertaining film, with a sly glimpse of actors
and their life on Broadway.
.
.
|
Girls About Town, USA, 1931, are two escorts, living in a
luxurious apartment, wearing gorgeous clothes, being well paid to
entertain wealthy
out of town businessmen, and enjoying the good life. When one (Kay
Francis) is attracted
to a handsome businessman from Michigan (Joel
McCrea), and they fall in love, problems arise. It is a funny,
fast moving film, with snappy dialogue, and is thoroughly
entertaining. It is one of the highlights of the Cukor festival.
It Should Happen to You, USA, 1954, stars the incomparable Judy
Holliday, as a young woman, who wants to become famous without
any special talent. The film makes fun of the celebrity obsession in
modern times. It is charming, delightful and highly amusing. It is,
also, the first film starring Jack
Lemmon, who gives a wonderful performance.
Heller in Pink Tights, USA, 1960, is about a theatre company
performing in the Far West in the nineteenth century. Sophia
Loren is the star of
the show, and she looks wonderful.Anthony
Quinn is the theatre
manager and lead actor. The plot is too silly to describe, the
dialog is atrocious, and the film is a disappointment after seeing
so many terrific films by Cukor.
MoMA is presenting an ongoing An
Auteurist History of Film. Hud,
by Martin
Ritt, USA, 1963, is a
powerful film, with four superb leading actors, two of whom (Patricia
Nealand Melvyn
Douglas) won Oscars for their roles. It takes place on a cattle
ranch in Texas, where a cow dies of foot-and-mouth disease, putting
the livelihood of the family in peril. Douglas is the patriarch of
the family, with Paul
Newman as an amoral
son, and Brandon
De Wilde as a grandson, the son of Newman's dead brother. Neal
is the female influence in their home as a hired cook. The tension
among the four actors leads to many confrontations. It's a memorable
film. James
Wong Howe also won an
Oscar for the photography.
Film Forum is presenting Il
Sorpasso, by Dino
Risi, Italy, 1962, from January 8-16. Do not miss this terrific
film. A wheeler dealer (Vittorio
Gassman) persuades a young law student (Jean-Louis
Trintignant) to join him in his convertible for a drink, on a
hot summer day in Rome in August. A wild ride together lasts two
days with a multitude of crazy incidents, and a penetrating look at
life in Italy in that period of the dance craze "the twist"
and other popular songs. It is considered a masterpiece of the Commedia
all'italiana film
genre. It is funny, the dialogue is smart and intelligent, the
acting, especially by the two leads, is wonderful, and after a two
days' ride, the viewer feels he has a knowledge of the changing
modern life in Italy during its economic boom. I recommend it
highly. You will not be disappointed.
12-16-13 Cast members Jonathan Sale and
Charlotte Cohn at the opening night of "Handle With Care" at the Bea
restaurant. 403 West 43rdSt.
Sunday night 12-15-13
|