The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, presented The
Pirates of Penzance,
libretto by William
S. Gilbert,
music by Arthur
Sullivan,
at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. It was their final
production of 2018. Fans of one of the most popular light
operas that Gilbert and Sullivan ever created enjoyed this
delightful production, first performed in New York in 1879,
directed and conducted by Artistic Director Albert
Bergeret,
who founded the company in 1974. It is his gift to New York
audiences, and they respond with well deserved ovations. The
cast sang, acted and danced well to the glorious music,
played beautifully by the orchestra. Sarah
Caldwell Smith was
a strong voiced Mabel, James
Mills was
an amusing Major General Stanley, Matthew
Wages was
a fine Pirate King and David
Auxier was
a perfect Sergeant of Police, but it was Louis
Dall'Ava in the
ensemble as a policeman in the second act, who stole the
show. He is one of the oldest members of the company, and
was hilarious.
Clueless, The Musical, by Amy Heckerling,
at the Pershing Square Signature Center, is a
production of The New Group. Based on the film of
the title, it tells the story of a young, spoilt,
high school girl (Dove Cameron) in Los Angeles in
the 1990s, who spends her time at school looking to
interfere in the love lives of her teachers and
students. It is a pretty silly story. However, the
large cast is energetic, sing and dance well, under
the direction of Kristin Hanggi, and
choreographer Kelly Devine. Since the
film was popular in 1995, the musical will appeal to
young girls.
Cold War ,
written and directed by Pawel
Pawlikowski ,
Poland/UK/France 2018, at Film Forum, begins in 1947 in
Communist Poland, where a folklore company of singers
and dancers is formed. The conductor and pianist ( Tomasz
Kot )
falls in love with one of the singers/dancers ( Joanna
Kulig ).
We follow the star-crossed lovers over the years of the
Cold War in Poland, Germany and France..
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.It is a wonderful film, and the two leading actors are
terrific. It will be screened at Film Forum beginning
December 21 and will be ongoing.
MoMA presented Ugo
Tognazzi: Tragedies of a Ridiculous Man December 5-28. I
managed to see three films of the great Italian actor,
director and screenwriter. The finest was La
Cage aux folles (Birds
of a Feather),
by Edouard
Molinaro,
France/Italy, 1978, about two gay couple (Ugo
Tognazzi and Michel
Seurralt),
who own a nightclub in St. Tropez, where one stars in a drag
show. When Tognazzi's son arrives to announce that he is
marrying the daughter of an ultraconservative government
official, and they will be visiting to meet them, they have
to pretend that they are a typical man and wife. The film is
hilarious, and the cast is superb. From this film, a musical
version became a hit on Broadway in 1983. The other two
films La
proprieta non e piu un furto (Property
is No Longer a Theft),
de Elio
Petri,
Italy, 1973, and Splendori
e miserie di Madame Rpyale,
by Vittorio Caprioli, Italy 1970, were interesting, but not
as good. Still, Tognazzi gave splendid performances in each
film.
The highlight of the year is always the 64th
Anniversary International Debutante Ball 2018 at the
Pierre Hotel, 2 East 61st St. All the beautiful young
ladies are charming, and among them I had the pleasure
of chatting with several of them, including from
Belgium Miss Axelle Laurent Josi, from France Miss
Catherine d'Angine (photo of the two below) ,
from Scotland Miss Charlotte Drummond-Herdman andMiss
Lexa Drummond of Megginch (photo below) and Princess
Aurelia of Liechtehstein. At the cocktail reception
I had a delightful chat with Dimitri Ziadi-Campbell of
Castle Goring, the son of Lady Colin Campbell,
who attended the event at the invitation of the
publicist Christine Biddle. The dinner was
scrumptious, and the guests were elegant. For me, 2018
finished on a high note. It was a memorable evening, one
which I will cherish.
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