In 1942, America removed
120,00
Japanese-Americans from
the West Coast to
Wyoming. The television
actor George
Takei was
five-years-old, when he
and his family were sent
to a camp guarded and
supervised by the
American Army. This is
the basis of the musical Allegiance,
book by Marc
Acito, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo
Thione, music and
lyrics by Jay Kuo, at
the Longacre Theatre. A
son (Telly
Leung) becomes a war
hero in World War II,
when a unit of
Japanese-Americans is
formed in 1944 to fight
the Germans in Italy.
His sister (Lea
Salonga) marries an
activist (Michael
K. Lee), who is
imprisoned for
activities protesting
the American treatment
of his people, and her
father (Christopheren
Nomura) is
imprisoned for refusing
to sign a loyalty oath.
Both prisoners suffer
from the brutality of
the American soldiers.
George Takei plays two
roles as the
grandfather, and as the
war hero as an elderly
man. The music is semi
operatic. The cast act
and sing beautifully,
under the direction of Stafford
Arima. The
choreography byAndrew
Palermo is
minimal, but the subject
is depressing and sad.
The opening night party at
Bryant Park Grill was
delightful, with guests Rita
Moreno, Victoria Clark and
the charming producer Karen
Tanz and
her lovely family.
Lord of the Dance:
Dangerous Games,
conceived, produced,
directed and
choreographed by Michael
Flatley, at the
Lyric Theatre, is a
magnificent show. It is
a spectacular
production, with an
excellent cast of
beautiful dancers,
singers and musicians.
The glorious Irish step
dancing, the lovely
costumes by Debbie
Bennett, the
brilliant scenic design
and lightning by Paul Normandale and
the video creation and
content by JA
Digital is
a delight to the eyes.
The soloists are
remarkable, and the
final minutes feature a
surprise appearance by
Michael Flatley, who
shows he can dance as
well as anyone on the
stage. The opening night
celebration took place
in the Dress Circle
Lobby, with the entire
cast toasting the
evening with champagne,
wine, hard cider and
beer. It was a delicious
ending to a memorable
night.
Misery, by William
Goldman, based on
the novel by Stephen
King, starring Bruce
Willis and Laurie
Metcalf, at the
Broadhurst Theatre,
opens on Sunday November
15. My review will
appear in next week's
column.
Off-Broadway, Lost
Girls, by John
Pollono, at the
Lucille Lortel Theatre,
is a production of MCC
Theater. A six member
cast is terrific, with
an outstanding
performance by Piper
Perabo as
a divorced, single
mother of a teenage
daughter, under the
direction ofJo
Bonney. It is
basically two stories.
One is about a lower
class family living in a
house in New England,
whose new car is stolen
by a runaway daughter.
The second is about two
runaway teenagers in a
motel, having sex, and
hoping for a brighter
future. The opening
night party took place
at 49 Grove, with Eric Bogosian,
Amber Tamblyn, Keith
Nobbs, and the proud
parents of two of the
cast members, George and Mary
Perabo for
Piper, and Ken
Greenwald and Sheri
Steinberg for Josh
Green. It was a
lovely party.
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Iolanthe, or The Peer and the
Peri, libretto by William
S. Gilbert. music by Arthur
Sullivan, is a production of
the New York Gilbert & Sullivan
Players, at the NYU Skirball
Center for the Performing Arts.
Lovers of the wit and music of
Gilbert and Sullivan will enjoy
the opportunity to thank
Artistic Director and conductor Albert
Bergeret for
presenting their wonderful
operettas, which we rarely see
in New York. As always, it is a
first class production, with
excellent singers and a fine
orchestra, that does justice to
two of the most brilliant
writers and composers that
England has ever produced. James
Mills dominated
the operetta as the Lord
Chancellor, but the entire cast
was superb.
I went to the Cutting Room,
44 East 32nd St, for the Lilly
Awards, in order to
photograph the wonderful
songwriters and performers,
but, unfortunately, I had to
leave early, as I had the
opening night of Lost
Girls. I am sure it was
a splendid evening, which I
was sorry to miss.
Hopefully, next year.
I attended a press preview
for Once
Upon a Mattress. The
director Jack
Cummings III introduced
five selections from the
show, starring Jackie
Hoffman and John
"Lypsinka" Epperson. It
was very entertaining, and
the show opens on December
13 at the Abrons Arts
Center, 466 Grand Street.
The Samuel Waxman Cancer
Research Foundation's 18th
Annual Collaborating
for a Cure Gala
at Cipriani Wall Street, 55
Wall Street, was a lovely
event, hosted by Elin & Michael
Nierenberg. Chris
Wragge, Co-Anchor CBS2
News This
Morning was
the Emcee, and John
Fogerty was
the Music performer. The
honoree was the menswear
designer John
Varvatos.
Adult film star Jayden
Lee celebrated
the release of her new movie Dirty
Little Secrets, and
being the Cover Girl on VNB
Magazine, at VIVID Cabaret,
61 West 37th St. She posed
for photos with three of the
VIVID Cabaret performers. It
was a delightful photo op.
All the ladies looked
lovely, and it was a
pleasure to be in their
company as we sipped
cocktails.
The Lady in the Van,
by Nicholas
Hytner, written by Alan
Bennett from
his memoir, is a mostly true
story, about a Miss Shepherd
(Maggie
Smith), who parked her
van in Alan Bennett's (Alex
Jennings) driveway in
London, and lived there in
the van for 15 years, from
1972-1989. With a brilliant
British cast, which also
includes Jim
Broadbent, Frances De La
Tour, and Roger
Allam, it is a
remarkable tale, with
outstanding performances by
the entire cast, and,
especially, by Smith and
Jennings. Miss Shepherd was
involved in an accident, in
which a young man on a
motorcycle collided with her
van and was killed.
Believing that she was
responsible, she spent the
rest of life trying to avoid
prosecution by living in the
van. As a young girl, she
was an excellent classical
pianist, who later became a
nun. When forced to give up
music, she was
institutionalized in a
mental asylum. She was
definitely eccentric, and
Smith portrays her
wonderfully. Jennings is
also quite wonderful as
Bennett. It is a strange
tale, but one that is
fascinating to watch.
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