I Spy a Spy, book and lyrics by Jamie
Jackson and book and music by Sohee
Youn, at the Theatre at St. Clement's,
produced by Eric Krebs, is a musical,
as the title suggests, about spies. A twelve
member cast is directed and choreographed
by Bill Castellino. They are all
excellent singers, especially the two
leads, Emma Degerstedt and Andrew
Mayer. The plot is silly, but amusing.
The music is enjoyable. The highlight is a
song in Act II Only a Russian,
choreographed brilliantly, with some of the
dancers doing wonderful rapid turns. We
congratulated the cast at the opening night
party at 123 Burger Shot Beer Bar, 738 10th
Avenue.
Two's a Crowd, book by Rita Rudner and Martin
Bergman, music and lyrics by Jason
Feddy, at 59 East 59, is a musical about
two strangers (Rita Rudner and Robert
Yaeko), who find themselves sharing the
same room in an overcrowded hotel in Las
Vegas. In the beginning they do not relate
to each other, but gradually they find
themselves enjoying each other's company. It
is a pleasant, modest musical, with a four
member cast, directed by Martin Bergman. The
music and singing is very good, and the
situation is funny, mainly because Rudner is
a very fine comedienne.
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We congratulated the cast and creative team at
the theater's bar on the second floor, toasting
them with sparkling white wine on their opening
afternoon.
At The Met Cloisters, Museum and Gardens, 99
Margaret Drive, in Fort Tryon Park, I attended a
press preview The
Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy July
22-January 20, 2020. The French city of
Colmar in medieval Alsace on the Rhine river had
a thriving Jewish community up to the 14th
century. When the Plague appeared in 1348, the
Jews were accused of poisoning the water in the
wells. The entire community, their synagogue and
other buildings were
destroyed by the Christians . One family
hid their jewelry, coins and precious
possessions in a wall in
their house , which was discovered by
workmen in 1863. This is the exhibition that is
on display at the Cloisters. John D.
Rockefeller, Jr. created this magnificent
building on the highest point in Manhattan
in1925. Sculptures, tapestries, and
architectural elements were brought from
monasteries and convents in Europe. It is one of
the finest collections of medieval art in the
world, and it was opened to the public in 1938.
Every New Yorker and tourist should visit it.
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