Off-Broadway, a revival of The Maids, by
Jean Genet, is about two sisters, employed as servants by a wealthy
woman, who they want to kill. Apparently, it is based on a true story.
The three actresses are excellent, under the direction of Jesse
Berger.
Innocent Flesh, written and directed by
Kenyetta Lethridge, is a play about teenage prostitution. Four young
actresses tell their horrific stories. It is a powerful play, well told.
The opening night reception took place in the Actors Temple Theatre.
New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players presented one
performance of Patience. It was a delight with fine singing and
acting. This company is a treasure. It keeps alive the wonderful G & S
tradition in New York.
A festive reception was held for the exhibition
Star Quality: The World of Noel Coward at the New York Public
Library for Performing Arts. Many guests from the theatre attended,
including Tammy Grimes, Elaine Stritch, Penny Fuller and Jim
Dale. The marvelous exhibition is from March 12 - August 18, and all
theatre lovers should visit it.
The Vineyard Annual Gala at the Hudson Theatre
honored Linda Lavin and Nicky Silver. Julie Halston
and Charles Busch were the hosts, and guests included Tony
Roberts, Patricia Clarkson and Sarah Paulson among many
others. A splendid event.
I attended a book party for Kristen Johnston's
new memoir Guts at 230 Fifth Ave. Among the guests were David
Alan Basche, Lisa Lampanelli and Alex McCord. It was a lovely
occasion, and I am really enjoying reading this fascinating book.
Robert Redford was the star attraction at
the Benefit for the Sundance Theatre Institute Program at the Bowery
Hotel. Kenneth Cole, Maria Cuomo, Julie Taymor and Montego
Glover were among the many guests. Another splendid event.
Jon B. Platt received the Commercial
Theater Institute's Robert Whitehead Award from Jed Bernstein
at Sardi's at a lovely reception attended by previous winners, including
Jill Furman, Stuart Thompson and other producers like Bonnie
Comley, Robert Wankel and Philip Smith.
New York Giant Victor Cruz and model
Chrissy Teigen were among the guests at a reception of the Old
Spice Scent Event at Highline Stages to introduce their newest
products, Champion and Danger Zone! Again it was lots of
fun, and we were given a gift bag with their new products, which should
be quite successful.
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The press screenings for New Directors/New Films 2012 March 21-April 1 continued with The Rabbi's Cat, by Antoine Delevaux, France/Austria, 2011, which is a lively animated film from a popular novel about a cat, who eats a parrot and begins to talk. Living with a rabbi, the cat wants a bar-mitzvah. It's lots of fun. Neighboring Sounds, by Kleber Mendoca Filho, Brazil, 2012, is a fascinating look at a wealthy middle class street, where the inhabitants pay for private security to protect them from burglary and violence. It's a penetrating look at social and economic problems in Brazil, as well as elsewhere. I recommend this film highly. Found Memories, by Julia Murat, Brazil, 2011, is a beautiful film about a forgotten village of old people, who live simple, traditional lives. A young photographer stays a few days with a widow (a sensational Sonia Guedes), who bakes the bread for the village and the result is a slight change in her life. It is a poetic, gentle, touching film, which is one of the highlights of the festival. 5 Broken Cameras, by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, Palestine/Israel/France, 2011, is documentary about a Palestinian (Emad Burnat), who buy a video camera to document the birth of his fourth son. Israeli settlers take over part of the village land, and demonstrations occur which last over a five year period, in which Burnat has five cameras broken as he documents the violence. It is a powerful and very sad film. Now, Forager, by Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin, USA/Poland 2012, is a quirky, unusual film about a couple who gather mushrooms to sell to restaurants. They follow the seasons in different parts of the country. When the wife takes a job in a restaurant to provide more security, their marriage falls apart. It is in part a lovely nature study, and the viewer learns much about mushrooms. Food lovers will particularly enjoy this film. Huan Huan, by Song Chuan, China, 2011, is a bleak view of life in a rural village in China. The heroine wants to escape to work in a factory in a large town. Instead she is forced to marry a gambler and produce a baby. She also has a relationship with a married doctor. It is a pessimistic account of life with little hope. Oslo, August 31st, by Joachim Trier, Norway, 2011, is the tale of an addict, who is in drug rehabilitation, and returns to Oslo for a job interview. He spends the day visiting friends, but eventually cannot resist the opportunity to return to alcohol and drugs, resulting in disaster. Again it is a penetrating, depressing view of social life in Norway. Breathing, by Karl Markovics, Austria, 2011, has a remarkable performance by Thomas Schubert as a 19-year-old inmate of a juvenile detention center, where he is serving time for the murder of a fellow fourteen year old. He is allowed to leave the center for a job as a morgue assistant. The job is detailed graphically, and the viewer will learn probably more than one wants to know about corpses. It is a fascinating, well-made film, which I recommend highly. It Looks Pretty from a Distance, by Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal, Poland, 2011, is a depressing tale of people who live in an impoverished village, scavenging scrap metal. A fiance disappears, and we see the villagers ravishing his empty home, shown in prolonged detail. If the point is that people are evil, it is well illustrated in the film. Teddy Bear, by Mads Matthiesen, Denmark, 2012, is about a 38-year-old bodybuilder, who lives with his needy mother, and has no luck seeking a girlfriend. A relative marries a lady from Thailand, and he decides to go there on a trip, where he finds a suitable girlfriend, whom he brings to Denmark. It's a sweet, touching story, and reveals basic family conflicts. I enjoyed it. Fear and Desire, by Stanley Kubrick, USA. 1953, is about four soldiers behind enemy lines, who try to return back to their base. It's a typical war story, interesting only as a historical view of a 24-year-old Kubrick showing his budding talent.
03-16-12
Cast
members
(L-R)
Jameelah
Nuriddin.
Angelina
Prendergast.
playwright/director
Kenyetta
Lethridge.
Clara
Gabrielle.
Daphne
Gabriel
at
the
opening
night
party
for
"Innocent
Flesh"
in
the
lobby
of
Actors
Temple
Theatre.
339
West
47th
St.
Thursday
night
03-15-12 |