On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
July 26, 2014
07-22-14 Cast members Leslie Kritzer (L) and Linda Hart at the
opening night party of "Piece of My Heart: The Bert Berns Story" at
the Espace. 635 West 42nd St. Monday night 07-21-14
Off-Broadway, Piece
of
My
Heart:
The
Bert
Berns
Story,
book
by Daniel
Goldfarb,
music
by Bert
Berns,
directed
and
choreographed
by Denis
Jones,
is a
marvelous
musical.
It
is
the
story
of a
songwriter,
who,
unfortunately,
died
at
the
age
of
38.
He
wrote
many
hit
songs
in
the
sixties. The
production
is
terrific,
the
cast,
which
includes Zak
Resnick,
Leslie
Kritzer and Linda
Hart,
sing
and
act
wonderfully,
and
I
have
rarely
enjoyed
a
matinee
like
this.
The
opening
night
party
took
place
at
Espace
with
guests Megan
Hilty,
Steve
van
Zandt
and James
Monroe
Iglehart.
Drop
Dead
Perfect,
by Erasmus
Fenn, is
an
amusing
parody
of a
typical
B-movie
melodrama,
starring
the
famous
cross-dressing Everett
Quinton as
a
wealthy
lady
living
in
the
Florida
Keys
in
1952.
Among
the
four
member
cast,
is
her
female
companion,
a
mysterious
Cuban
lover
and
a
magician
performing
lawyer,
under
the
expert
direction
of Joe
Brancato.
It
is
good
fun.
The
opening
night
party
took
place
at
the
theatre
with
guests
like Barbara
Felton,
Andre
DeShields and David
Drake.
A
Meet
&
Greet
was
held
for
the
cast
and
creative
team
of You
Can't
Take
It
With
You.
It
stars James
Earl
Jones,
Rose
Byrne (in
her
stage
debut)
and Elizabeth
Ashley.
It
opens
on
September
28,
at
the
Longacre
Theatre,
and
I
eagerly
await
it,
The
Museum
of
Arts
and
Design
(MAD),
2
Columbus
Circle,
is a
jewel,
a
treasure
in
the
heart
of
New
York
City.
An
elegant
restaurant,
Robert,
on
the
ninth
floor
has
a
spectacular
view
of
Central
Park.
It
is
open
every
day
for
lunch
and
dinner.
Definitely,
pay
it a
visit.
Before
you
reach
the
restaurant,
there
are
wonderful
exhibitions
to
admire
on
Floors
2-6,
including NYC
Makers:
the
MAD
Biennial
from
July
1-October
12.
There
is
also
a
theater
in
the
basement.
A
visit
to
this
lovely
museum
will
be a
memorable
experience.
.
.
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MoMA is presenting Lady
in the Dark: Crime Films from
Columbia Pictures, 1932-1957
from July 11-August 4. Mysterious
Intruder, by William Castle,
USA, 1946, another Whistler film
starring, as always, Richard
Dix, this time as a shady
private investigator hired to
find a missing young lady, who
will receive a lot of money from
her dead mother. The convoluted
plot features many murders, but
it keeps a viewer's attention
until the end.
Blind Spot, by Robert
Gordon, USA, 1947, features Chester
Morris as
an alcoholic novelist, who despises his
publisher. When the latter is found
murdered, Morris is charged with the crime.
It is an entertaining mystery, with clever,
witty dialogue, and a beautiful blonde, Constance
Dowling.
Chinatown at Midnight, by Seymour
Friedman, USA, 1949, stars Hurd
Hatfield as
a thief, who steals art objects from antique
shops. In a shop in San Francisco's
Chinatown, he murders two people. From then
on, the film is a police investigation by
the numbers to capture the criminal. It is
well done.
Escape in the Fog, by Budd
Boetticher, USA, 1945, begins with Nina
Foch having
a nightmare, in which a man is about to be
killed on a bridge. Later this is about to
happen, and she saves the intended victim.
The story is about German spies in America
near the end of World War II. It is a modest
film of the B-crime movie category.
The Burglar, by Paul
Wendkos, USA, 1957, has Dan
Duryea in
the title role stealing an expensive
necklace at the beginning of the film. He is
pursued by the police, including a larcenous
cop, who wants the necklace himself. Two
blondes are the female attractions, Jayne
Mansfield and Martha
Vickers. They all end up in Atlantic
City, when it was a popular seaside resort.
It is another typical B-crime movie.
MoMA is also presenting ongoing An
Auteurist History of Film. Taxi
Driver, by Martin
Scorsese, USA, 1976, is about a loner, a
weird character (Robert
De Niro), who drives a cab around New
York. As he hates most of the people he
sees, he acquires an arsenal of weapons. He
fails in his attempt to assassinate a
politician, but he has better success in
murdering two pimps and a bouncer in a lurid
brothel, and rescuing a teenage prostitute (Jodie
Foster). The acting is fine. The film
has been cited as a masterpiece; however, it
is a depressing look at a certain element of
New York City society.
Film Forum is presenting Boy
Meets Girl, by Leos
Carax, France, 1984, from August 8-14.
It will be followed by a one week Carax
festival August 15-21, which will include
all his feature films, plus the premiere of
a new documentary abut. Carax. The first
feature film by the 24-year-old filmmaker
was hailed by most of the press. Denis
Lavant is
a young disillusioned young man, who is
depressed when his girlfriend leaves him. We
see him first, when he tries to strangle a
friend and then throws him in a river. It is
not a good first impression. He then crashes
an elegant party, where he meets a suicidal
young woman. Their relationship ends
tragically. The two principal characters are
not likable, and most of the dialogue is
pretentious.
07-21-14 (L-R) Cast members Jason Cruz. Michael Keyloun. Jason Edward Cook
with Everett Quinton in their arms at the opening night party of "Drop Dead
Perfect" at the Theatre of St. Clementt's. 423 West 46th St. Monday night
07-20-14
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