Off-Broadway, Dogfight, music & lyrics by Benj Pasek and
Justin Paul, book by Peter Duchan, is based on a film with
the same name. Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena star as the
marine, who invites an unattractive waitress to a party in order to win
a bet that he has dated the most ugly woman. It is not a pleasant story,
but these two actors are terrific, and worth the price of admission.
Warrior Class, by Kenneth Lin, opens
om Monday, July 23, and I will give you my comments in the next column.
Studio 54 Below is the newest cabaret room in New
York and it is a beautiful space. The performers are Broadway stars, and
I attended a wonderful performance by Ben Vereen, whose show
included a salute to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr, as
well as his own Broadway appearances. Among the guests that night in a
sold out show, were Stephen Schwartz, Maurice Hines and Tom
Schumacher. It was a superb evening of cabaret.
Broadway Barks 14th Annual Animal Adoption
event took place in Shubert Alley and I photographed Mary Tyler Moore
and Bernadette Peters in the Booth Theatre before the event. Many
Broadway stars came with their pets. It is always a wonderful occasion.
A Streetcar Named Desire received the
Extraordinary Excellence in Diversity on Broadway Award at Actors'
Equity at a reception in their offices. The producers, Stephen Byrd
and Alia Jones accepted the award, and many cast members were
present, including Nicole Ari Parker and Carmen DeLavallade.
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Film Society of Lincoln Center is presenting Invitation to the Dance Gene Kelly @ 100 July 13-26. It will show 23 films that he starred in, choreographed and directed. Cover Girl, by Charles Vdor, 1944, was the film that made Kelly a star. It is a pleasant musical about a chorus girl (Rita Hayworth) in his night club in Brooklyn , who becomes famous when she appears on the cover of a fashion magazine. There are lots of dancing scenes, lovely music of Jerome Kern and many beautiful girls. It was an entertaining musical from World War II. Les Girls, by George Cukor, 1957, features Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall and Taina Elg as three dancers in a revue in Paris starring Gene Kelly. It is told in flashbacks as two of the dancers appear in court in a libel case, after one writes her memoir of their time together. It is colorful, with sumptuous costumes, and Cole Porter tunes. Again, it is an entertaining film of the period. For Me and My Gal, by Busby Berkeley, 1942, was Gene Kelly's screen debut and the first adult role for Judy Garland. They were both marvelous as a couple of song and dance performers heading for their big moment at the Palace, while World War I interrupts their hopes. It is a terrific film that leaves an emotional impact as it did when it opened seventy years ago. It is one of the highlights of the festival.
MoMA is presenting Premiere Brazil! July 12-24. I attended I'd Receive the Worst News from Your Beautiful Lips, by Beto Brant and Renato Ciasca, Brazil, 2011 and Ciasca was introduced to the audience. It is a beautifully photographed film about an adulterous relationship between the gorgeous wife (a stunning Camila Pitanga) of a protestant minister with a visiting photographer (Gustavo Machado) in a small town on the Amazon river. It is one of the most erotic, sensual films one is likely to see, and the lovers are a joy to watch. It is an impressive film, and highly recommended.
Wuthering Heights, by Andrea Arnold, U.K. 2011, will probably disappoint fans of the 1937 version with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. This is a gloomy, drawn-out film, that features a black boy as Heathcliff (for no apparent reason), and we see his brutal treatment by the son of the dead farmer, who gave him shelter, and his obsession with the farmer's daughter that continues through adulthood. There are many repetitious scenes of of rain, mud, and barren landscape, and the photography is so dark that it is hard on the eyes. It is a lugubrious experience.
Planet of Snail, by Seung-Jun Yi, South Korea, 2011, is an unusual, fascinating documentary about a married couple; the man is deaf and blind, and the woman is tiny, due to a spinal condition. Together they live a remarkable, fulfilling life together. She communicates through finger braille (a touch-based sign language which she taps on his hand and he responds verbally). He is a poet and we see his first play performed. The obvious happiness they share is inspiring, They are a charming couple, that we are lucky to spend time with. It will be released on July 25 at the Film Forum.
Sushi:The Gobal Catch, by Mark Hall, US/Australia/Japan/Poland, 2011, is an impressive documentary about the fate of Blue Fin Tuna, which may become extinct due to the growing consumption of sushi. The film visits sushi restaurants in Tokyo and the United States, the Tsukiji market, the largest in the world in Tokyo, and we see fishing around the world as well as farming the fish, which may be their only protection. Many articulate experts and activists are interviewed, and the film will leave a profound effect on the viewer. It is one of the best documentaries I have seen recently and highly recommended.
07-18-12
Producers
Stephen
Byrd
and
Alia
Jones
at a
reception
where
"A
Streetcar
Named
Desire"
received
The
Extraordinary
Excellence
in
Diversity
on
Broadway
Award
at
Actors'
Equity.
165
West
46th
St.
Tuesday
afternoon.
07-17-12 |