|
The 66th Annual Outer Critics
Circle Theatre Awards for the 2015-2016 Season were
presented at Sardi's Restaurant. Among the winners,
who were present to receive their awards, were Frank
Langella, Jessica Lange,
Danny Burstein, Cynthia Erivo, Steve Martin, Judith
Light, Pascale Armand, Jane Krakowski, Michael
Shannon, Christopher Fitzgerald, Sergio Trujillo and David
Rockwell. Among the presenters were Marlo
Thomas, Alex Sharp, Sheldon Harnick, who was
surprised with a special award, and Victoria
Clark. It was a pleasant event.
On Broadway, Paramour, at
the Lyric Theatre, is a spectacular production as
Cirque de Soleil. To try to turn it into a Broadway
show, with three unattractive leading characters and
a ridiculous story, it fails. If you attend, just
sit back and enjoy the flying, the floating,
juggling, and believe you at the circus.
I was invited to see School
of Rock at
the Winter Garden again. My wife had missed the
opening night, because she was in China. I enjoyed
it the first time, and I was equally delighted to
watch the show again. The talented children steal
the show.
Maybe This Is It!,
is a one man show, written, designed and directed by Steve
Bakunas, at the TGB Theater. He displays his
versatility, as he takes us on a journey from his
birth to a variety of jobs as he travels through
life. The program gives special thanks to Linda
Lavin, who happens to be his wife.
The New York City Ballet presented A
Midsummer Night's Dream, music by Felix
Mendelssohn, choreography by George
Balanchine. It is one of the most delightful
ballets in the company's repertoire. The cast was
perfect, with outstanding dancing by Teresa
Reichlen as
Titania, Daniel
Ulbricht as
Oberon and Troy
Schumacher as
Puck. The orchestra, conducted by Andrew
Litton, played the wonderful score beautifully.
American Ballet Theatre (ABT)
presented La
Fille mal gardee, music by Ferdinand
Herold, choreography by Frederick
Ashton. It is a comic masterpiece. It takes
place in a rural setting, with a widow (Roman Zhurbin) wanting
her daughter (Isabella
Boylston) to marry the idiot son (Craig
Salstein) of a wealthy farmer. The daughter
loves a young, handsome poor farmer (Jeffrey
Cirio). The ballet is a joy to watch, with
brilliant dancing by the entire cast to the glorious
music played by the orchestra, conducted by Ormsby
Wilkins. One cannot have a more enjoyable night
at the Metropolitan Opera House.
The New York Gilbert & Sullivan
Players presented Princess
Ida, libretto by William
S. Gilbert, music by Arthur
Sullivan, at NYU Skirball Center for the
Performing Arts. As always, we have to be grateful
to the director and conductor, Albert
Bergeret, for keeping the tradition of the
two brilliant geniuses alive. The performances are
first class, and delightful to watch. The cast is
enthusiastic and energetic, and the staging is
funny. The quintet in the second act The
Woman of the Wisest Wit was the highlight for
the clever staging, excellent singing and witty
movements. Thank goodness, we have this splendid
company in New York.
|
One of the most delightful events of
the season is the Origin
Theatre's Annual Gala at
Mutual of America, 320 Park Avenue on the 35th Floor
with a spectacular view of the city. This year, a
lady from my hometown, Manchester, England, Lesley
Nicol (Mrs.
Patmore of Downton Abbey) received the European
Artist Award. Her colleague in the same show, Brendan
Coyle was
on hand to congratulate her. The second honoree was Attracta
Lyndon, Vice President of North America, Dooley
Car Rental, who received the Community Leader Award.
Artistic Director George
C. Heslin can
be proud of his magnificent event, which provided a
delicious buffet, a fine open bar, sparkling
entertainment and a wonderful auction for his
guests, which included Charlotte
Moore, Ciaran O'Reilly and Noel
Donovan of
Blooms Tavern, 208 East 58th St, where on June 16 he
will serve his Annual
Bloomsday Breakfast at 7am. I certainly will not
miss that.
For the first time in many years, I
was unable to attend the Theatre
World Awards, which this year took place at
Circle in the Square. I was able to attend the
lovely After Party at Copacabana, where I
congratulated Dale
Badway on
this special occasion. Among the honorees were
splendid actors like Danielle
Brooks, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Whishaw, Ana Villafane and
many others.
Another reception at The Lambs Club
was a lovely affair. It was Designed
to Celebrate: A Toast to the 2016 Tony
Awards Creative Arts Nominees. Among the guests
who attended, I photographed Reed
Birney, Steve Martin,
Adrienne Warren, Jane Krakowski, Sergio Trujillo,
Jack Noseworthy, Megan Hilty, Andy Blankenbuehler,
and many others. Everyone enjoyed the open bar and
delicious food.
The American Cancer Society's 11th
Annual Taste of Hope at
the Metrpolitan Pavilion honored Chef David Burke,
Drew Nieporent and Jean
Shafiroff. It is always a splendid affair, Many
restaurants take part, offering their favorite
dishes, and wines and spirits from many countries
are served. Among the many celebrity guests were
Emcee Chris
Wragge, Richard Kind and
Mrs. New York Alison
Trenk.
The Mid-Manhattan Library presented Thank
Your Lucky Stars, by David
Butler, USA, 1943. I was 11-years-old when I
saw it in England during World War II and laughed a
lot at Eddie
Cantor, who played two roles, himself as a
star on radio, and a look alike tour bus driver. Now
at 84, I realize that a 11-year-old is generally not
a reliable critic. It is an all star film about a
charity show to raise funds for the war effort. The
silly plot has the bus driver imitating Cantor, when
he is kidnapped (by Indians!) because of his
interference with the show. Among the many cameo
performances, we see Bette
Davis, Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Olivia de
Havilland and Ida
Lupino sing,
and Alexis
Smith dance
a Latin number. Dinah
Shore, who has a bigger part in her film
debut, sings four songs. While it is an interesting
oddity, the song sung by Davis They're
Either Too Young or Too Old, about the
shortage of available men for dating, because they
are being conscripted into the Armed Forces, became
a popular hit during World War II, and Davis
performed it on screen wonderfully. |