|
The 71st Tony Awards produced few
surprises. I photographed the arrivals at Radio City
Music Hall, and then went to the Media Room, 3 West
51st St, to photograph the winners. Oslo,
Dear Evan Hansen, Hello, Dolly! and Jitney won
Tony Awards, as well as Bette
Midler, Ben Platt, Laurie Metcalf and Kevin
Kline as
Best Actors in a Musical and a Play. Rick
Miramontez invited
my wife and me to a fabulous Tony after party at the
Carlyle Hotel, where we danced to disco music, drank
fine cocktails, and chatted with Bette
Midler, Glenn Close (photo below), Danny DeVito,
Tommy Tune, William Ivey Long, Christine Ebersole,
Cynthia Nixon and
many others until 2am, when exhausted after nine
hours of merriment, we went home to sleep and
prepare ourselves for next year's 72nd Tony Awards!
The Inside Broadway 2017 Broadway Beacon Awards at
the JW Marriott Essex House is one of the finest
receptions and Award Ceremony & Entertainment of the
season. The food served at the reception is of the
highest quality, and the wines and alcoholic
beverages are first class. I have switched to
Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and the wine could
not have tasted better. As I was born in
Manchester, England, and lived there during World
War II, I never ate much for six years except baked
beans on toast. I still have not recovered, but my
dear wife loves to eat, and tells me the food at the
reception was exceptional. Two of my favorite
Broadway stars were honored, Kate
Burton Present
Laughter and Ramin
Karinloo Anastasia.
I surprised Kate with contacts and negatives from
two events taken 31 and 27 years ago. She must have
been two years old at the time! Executive Presser Michael
Presser is
to be congratulated for 35 years of introducing
students to the theatre. Students from PS176K The
Ovington School performed
selections from Cats. They
were adorable, and Sir
Andrew Lloyd Webber would
have been proud of them. It was a wonderful evening.
The Irish
Repertory Gala is always one of the most wonderful
events of the year. It began with a concert at Town
Hall Sondheim
at Seven, introduced by Angela
Lansbury (photo below), directed by Charlotte
Moore, with, 15 superb singers, with an
orchestra and chorus, conducted by John
Bell.
|
Among the outstanding performances,
was Maria sung
by Jeremy
Jordan, In
Buddy's Eyes by Rebecca
Luker and Send
in the Clowns by Melissa
Errico. A
special highlight was the appearance of Len
Cariou with
two songs from Sondheim's musicals in which he
starred. We then went to Bryant Park Grill, where we
enjoyed a splendid meal, accompanied by wines and
Jameson Irish Whiskey. It was the end of a perfect
evening.
At Chez Josephine, 414 West 42nd
Street, writer/producer Susan
Charlotte presented
Cause Celebre Musical Brunch Series, Love
and the Other Woman, starring Penny
Fuller and Carole
Shelley, accompanied
at the piano by Jon
Weber. Billy
Goldenberg and Louise
Lasser were
in the audience. It is always a lovely event, with
great food and drink. It is always a stimulating
afternoon, with wonderful talent, excellent service,
in one of the finest restaurants in New York City.
Off-Broadway, Attack
of the Elvis Impersonators, book, music and
lyrics by Lory
Lazarus, at
the Lion Theatre in Theatre Row, is a loud,
highly amplified Rock musical in a tiny theater. A
14 member cast, directed by Don Stephenson, tell
the convoluted story of a Rock Star, who wants to
re-imagine himself as Elvis
Presley. The cast run up and down the aisles, on
and off the stage, yelling and screaming, as I
imagine fanatics of Rock and Roll do at concerts. At
85 years of age, I have never attended a Rock
concert, which I believe has preserved my sanity and
my hearing. If you attend this musical, earplugs are
recommended.
I injured my right foot and was
unable to walk well. Unfortunately, I had to cancel
two Off-Broadway shows, and three opening night
parties. That plus a photo op and a Breakfast at
Bloom's Tavern in honor of Ulysses by James
Joyce makes
this column smaller. I am recuperating, but I advise
everyone never to fall down. The sidewalk is hard.
My wife, who loves ballet, took my
ticket to the American Ballet Theatre (ABT)
production of Swan Lake, choreography by Kevin
McKenzie, music by Peter
Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, at
the Metropolitan Opera House. It is, probably, the
most popular ballet in the world, and ABT's
production is superb, with Hee
Seo starring
as Odette-Odile. I was sorry to miss it..
|