The
59th Drama Desk Awards were
awarded at Town Hall. Among the
winners were Outstanding Musical A
Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder and
Play All
the Way. Outstanding Actor in a
Musical (a tie) Jefferson
Mays and Neil
Patrick Harris and
Play Bryan
Cranston. Outstanding Actress in
a Musical Jessie
Mueller and
Play Audra
McDonald. All were well
deserved.
The 70th
Annual Theatre World Awards at
the Circle in the Square Theatre honored
twelve actors making their theatrical
debuts, including Chris
O'Dowd, Sophie Okonedo and Lauren
Worsham. Two special awards were given
toChristopher
Plummer and Celia
Keenan-Bolger. An
after party took place at the Copacabana. It
is always a festive occasion.
The Origin
Theatre's Annual Benefit, hosted
by Mutual of America, on the 35th floor with
a spectacular view, was a festive occasion
honoring the Irish Consul General of New
York and his wife, Noel and Hanora
Kilkenny. Among the many distinguished
guests were the Mayor of Londonderry, Brenda
Stevenson, and the Artistic Director of
the Irish Repertory Theatre, Charlotte
Moore and
her Producing Director, Ciaran
O'Reilly.
The Honorable Al
Gore was
one of the honorees at the12th Annual
James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards Dinner at
the New York Hilton Midtown. His daughter Karenna
Gore Schiff accompanied
him, and Estelle
Parsons was
among the guests.
American Ballet
Theatre (ABT) presented Coppelia,
music by Leo
Delibes, staged and directed by Frederic
Franklin. It is a charming ballet, which
ends with a well danced third act. Gillian
Murphy was
superb throughout, but was quite spectacular
in the final act. Jared
Matthews supported
her expertly. The twelve children (students
of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at
American Ballet Theatre) in the Dance
of the
Hours in
the third act were delightful. It was a fun
night at the ballet.
ABT presented Manon,
music by Jules
Massenet, choreography
and direction by Sir
Kenneth MacMillan, with the incomparable Diana
Vishneva in
the title role. She is brilliant, sensual,
and it is impossible to take one's eyes off
her. Her jumps, turns, her partnership with
the wonderful Marcelo
Gomes, are magnificent. It is one of the
finest displays of dancing seen this season.
Remarkable also is Herman
Cornejo, a superb Lescaut. It was an
unforgettable night at the ballet.
The Film
Society at Lincoln Center presented press
screenings of the 13th
New York Asian Film Festival, June 27-July
14. Moebius,
by Kim
Ki-duk, South Korea, 2013, is a film by
a penis obsessed filmmaker, which can only
appeal to viewers with sick minds. Normal
people should avoid this film. It is about a
dysfunctional family, where a mentally
deranged wife fights physically with her
husband, and mutilates the penis of her son,
after she sees him masturbating. The film is
full of blood, on sheets and on knives. A
girl in a convenience store,
who has an affair with the husband, is raped
by a couple of thugs, and she enjoys
sticking knives in men's back. One of the
thugs has his penis mutilated. It is
disgusting film, with no redeeming virtue.
The Eternal Zero, by Takashi
Yamazaki, Japan, 2013, is a film about
Japanese Kamikaze pilots during World War
II. These were suicide bombers, who caused
great destruction to allied ships. The film
is a sentimental version, in which a third
generation brother and sister investigate
their dead grandfather's life, and discover
the secrets of his Kamikaze life. The
photography is beautiful, but the story is
idealized, about a horrible period in a
tragic war.
Blind Massage, by Lou
Ye, China/France,
2014, is film about blind young people, who
give massages in a massage center in a city
in China. We see the various characters,
with their problems, trying to overcome
their physical handicap. The cast is superb,
and the film is fascinating. We see their
romantic relationships develop, as well as
their frustrations. It leaves a deep
impression on the viewer.