On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
July 6, 2013
Tony Winner Cicely Tyson "The Trip to Bountiful" Best Performance
by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play at the Women's Republican
Club. 3 West 51th St. Sunday night. 06-09-13
Off-Broadway, Choir Boy, by Tarell
Alvin McCraney, takes place in a Black boys prep school, where the
choir is very important. As the leader of the choir is a an effeminate,
homosexual boy, this leads to tensions. When the choir sings, it is
quite pleasant. When the choir boys talk, there is generally too much
happening in a short 90 minute play.
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American Ballet Theatre (ABT) presented Sylvia,
choreography by Sir
Frederick Ashton, music by Leo
Delibes, a pleasant ballet about shepherds and nymphs. Xiomara
Reyes, in the title role, replaced the injured Natalia
Osipova, and danced splendidly, with a superb Hernan Cornejo as
Aminta, her lover. Ivan
Vasiliev was Orion, the
evil hunter, who kidnaps the heroine, and the two danced brilliantly in
the second act in his cave. The bubbly music was well played by the
orchestra, conducted byCharles Barker. The
Sleeping Beauty. choreography by Marius
Petipa, music by Tchaikovsky,
concluded the eight week season at the Metropolitan Opera House. Guest
star from the San Francisco Ballet Maria
Kochetkova was Princess
Aurora and displayed fine technique. Hernan
Cornejo was her fine
Prince and Yuriko Kajiya was
a brilliant Lilac Fairy. All the cast danced well, and Ormsby
Wilkins conducted. It was
a fitting close to a splendid season.
Film Society at Lincoln Center is presenting The
New York Asian Film Festival June 28-July 11. Catnip,
by Kevin
Dayrit, Philippines, 2012, is an incoherent film that puts a strain
on the viewer. It is about two high school friends, one abused by her
sadistic father and the other, who lives alone. Except for a vicious
ending in which the abused girl has her revenge, the fragmented scenes
are hard to follow. The
Animals, by Gino
M. Santos, Philippines, 2012, focuses on a group of wealthy, spoilt
high school students, ready to graduate, who attend a party in one of
the luxurious homes in a gated community. As the liquor and drugs flow,
the party degenerates into violence, vomit and unpleasant behavior,
ending in a brutal, sickening rape scene and death of one of the young
girls. It is a powerful film, which leaves a bitter taste.
MoMA is presenting Allan
Dwan and the Rise and Decline of the Hollywood Studios June 5-July 8.
The Restless Breed, by Dwan, USA, 1957, is the typical Western. Scott
Brady comes to town to
avenge his father's murder, and wipes out all the bad guys. A very young Anne
Bancroft plays the love
interest, and is a pleasure to warch.Escape to Burma, by Dwan,
USA, 1955, features three fine actors, Robert
Ryan, Barbara Stanwyck, and David
Farrar, plus many well trained elephants and funny monkeys. The
story, on the other hand, is far fetched and hard to believe, but one
does enjoy the animals. Around
the World, by Dwan, USA,
1943, features Kay
Kyserand his orchestra, which was popular during World War II. They
make a trip around the world to entertain the troops and raise morale.
They also included actors likeMischa
Auer and Joan
Davis to
provide comic relief. It reflects
the music of the period, plus silly fun which the troops appreciated.
It's painless. Tennessee's Partner, by Dwan, USA,1955, is the
usual, typical Western, with an excellent cast headed by John Payne and
beautiful Rhonda Fleming. The major interest in the film is the
performance by former President Ronald Reagan as a good guy. He was a
very likable fellow.
Opera in Cinema from Emerging Pictures presented Il
Trittico, by Puccini, from
Teatro alla Scala performed in March 2008. They are three one-act operas
with a superb lead singer in each. Juan
Pons is the betrayed
husband in Il Tabarro, Barbara
Frittoli is the tragic
nun in Suor Angelica and Leo
Nucci is the comic hero
in Gianni Schicchi.
The rest of the casts are good, with Vittorio
Grigolo pleasant sounding
as Rinuccio in the third one. Riccardo
Chailly conducted the
orchestra.
06-10-13
2013
Tony
Winner
Cyndi
Lauper
"Kinky
Boots"
Best
Original
Score
(Music
and/or
Lyrics)
Written
for
the
Theatre
at
the
Women's
Republican
Club.
3
West
51th
St.
Sunday
night.
06-09-13 |