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When Falsetto's appeared
Off-Broadway twenty five years ago as two separate
one act chamber musicals, they were successful, and
combined together they reached Broadway. A revival
of Falsetto's, music
and lyrics by William
Finn, book by Finn and James
Lapine, and directed by Lapine, at the Walter
Kerr Theatre, is basically the same, and will be
regarded today as mainly an historical novelty. The
first act is a five cast musical about a married man
(Christian Borle),
who leaves his wife (Stephanie
J. Block) and son (Andrew
Rosenthal) for a man (Andrew
Rannells). The second act, adds two more members
to the cast, a pair of lesbians, one a doctor. A
mysterious disease appears, AIDS, with tragic
consequences for Rannells. It also deals with the
coming bar mitzvah of the son (Rosenthal). The set
is an uninspiring cube, which the cast takes apart
to form tables, couches, or whatever. The music is
monotonous, and the lyrics, like speak song, are
repetitious. To watch a dysfunctional family of
neurotic people, and even the psychiatrist (Brandon
Uranowitz) could use some help, is not
a particularly enjoyable theatrical experience for
two and a half hours. However, all the cast have
wonderful voices.
When I stepped off the ship on July
29. 1947, the musical comedy Finian's Rainbow was
a hit on Broadway. 69 years ago. I loved it then,
and now I love it again, as the Irish Repertory
Theatre, 132 West 22nd St, is presenting an adapted
and directed version by Charlotte
Moore of Finian's
Rainbow, music by Burton
Lane, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg,
book by Harburg and Fred
Saidy. It is a delightful production, and I urge
every lover of musical theatre to see it. Melissa
Errico and Ryan
Silvermanare the two romantic leads with superb
voices, and Ken
Jennings as Finian and Mark
Evans as
Og, a leprechaun, are very funny, and act
wonderfully. But the entire cast is terrific, and
you leave the theater, singing all the melodious
songs, like How
Are Things In Glocca Morra?, When
I'm Not Near The Girl
I Love, and When
The Idle Poor Become The Idle Rich. Marvelous
musical comedies stay with you forever! We
celebrated the opening night party at Jake's Saloon,
202 9th Avenue, with Tony and Gen
Walton, Jamie deRoy and David
Staller. It was a memorable evening.
The Bolshoi presented the comic
ballet The Bright Stream, music by Dimitri
Shostakovich, choreography by Alexei
Ratmansky, captured
live on film. It is a lot of fun, and the dancing is
sublime. A visiting troupe of artists arrive at a
collective farm, and a married farmer (Mikhail
Lobukhin) is captivated by the ballerina (a
brilliant Maria
Alexandrova) to the dismay of his wife (an
equally magnificent Svetlana
Lunkina). The Bolshoi corps de ballet, as
always, is impeccable, and the music is lively. It
is a most enjoyable ballet, which leaves a smile on
one's face.
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The Drama League's 33rd Annual Musical Celebration at
the Plaza honoring David
Hyde Pierce was
a glorious affair. They could not have honored a
finer actor and a magnificent gentleman. The
cocktail reception, dinner and the entertaining
program was in one word, terrific. Among the
performers were John
Bolton, Debra Monk, Tyne Daly Adam Kantor, Kristine
Nielsen, Bebe Neuwirth, Harriet Harris,
Christopher Durang and
so many more. It was one of the best nights of the
season.
When I was eight-years-old in England
during World War II, I loved Hollywood films. One of
my favorites was the war film, Beau Geste, by William
L. Wellman, USA, 1939, starring Gary
Cooper, Ray Milland,
Robert Preston as
three brothers, who join the French Foreign Legion,
fighting the Arabs in the Sahara, with Brian
Donlevy as
their sadistic sergeant. Seeing it again at the New
York Public Library Riverside Branch, I still
enjoyed it 76 years later. It is an intelligent,
exciting, well acted film.
Gary Busey will
perform in Perfect
Crime, November 21-December 4. We met him
and his charming wife Stephanie and
photographed them. We shared a pizza and a drink
with them at a Meet & Greet at the Theater Center,
210 West 50th St. It was a lovely afternoon.
My wife and I attended the Pan
Asian Repertory 40th Season Benefit at The
Golden Unicorn, 18 East Broadway. Cobi
Narita, Corky Lee and
In Memoriam Salute to Cherylene
Lee. Among the Emcees and Presenters were Fay
Ann Lee, Henry Yuk, Tina Chen, Lily Fan, Rob Narita and Linda
Lew Woo. We
were invited for cocktails and a delicious dinner of Peking
Duck, Jumbo Shrimp, T-Bone Steak,
Crispy Chicken, Lobster, Broccoli, Fried Rice, E-Fu
Noodles, Red Bean Soup and Fruit.
After all that marvelous food, my wife does not have
to cook for the entire week! It was a delightful
evening, and the Pan Asian Repertory is a marvelous
theatre company, under the superb direction of
Artistic Producing Director Tisa
Chang.
Unfortunately, although I arrived
very late the same night at Cipriani Wall Street, I
was able to see Roger
Daltrey perform
to the delight of the guests at the Samuel Waxman
Cancer Research Foundation Elin
& Michael Nierenberg Collaborating For A Cure 19th
Annual Benefit Dinner & Auction. It was a
wonderful ending to a marvelous evening.
I received a copy of Neil
Simon's Memoirs, the hardcover edition, 2016
from Simon & Schuster. It combines his two books, Rewrites,
1996 and The Play Goes On, 1995, They are two
memoirs that are brutally honest, although both are
thoroughly enjoyable because of his witty style. Neil
Simon writes
very funny lines. Rereading his memoirs again, I was
amazed how much I learned about the trials and
tribulations that a playwright must
endure to succeed. Every theatre lover must read his
book. It is an education about Broadway over the
four decades beginning with his first play Come
Blow Your Horn, 1961,
by one of the most successful playwrights ever. I
recommend it highly. I promise you will enjoy every
minute of it |