The Portuguese Kid,
written and directed by John
Patrick Shanley, at the
Manhattan Theatre Club, is a
90-minute play with a cast of five
unbelievable characters. It is about
a lawyer (Jason
Alexander), with a domineering
mother (Mary
Testa), married to an insecure
young girl (Aimee
Carrero), half his age. A widow
(Sherie
Rene Scott) wants him to settle
her affairs. She is living with a
callow young man (Pico
Alexander), half her age. In
four scenes, there is a so-called
joke about Trump,
repeated ad nauseam. The play
is basically a silly television
sitcom. The playwright has written
better plays.This is not one of
them.
Latin History for
Morons,
written and performed by John
Leguizamo,
directed by Tony
Taccone, at
Studio 54, is a one man solo show by
the actor pretending to be a teacher
with a blackboard. It was performed
Off-Broadway at the PublicTheater,
and has now transferred to Broadway.
I saw the first show, and I had
hoped it would have improved. It has
not. He continues to harangue the
audience with superficial comments
about the Taino indians, the Aztec
and Inca Empires. Columbus, Cortes
and Pizarro in a language that is
filled with vulgarity and profanity.
It is unpleasant to listen to for
almost two hours. He moves about the
stage like a hyperactive rabbit. I
have a B.A. and a M.A.degree from
New York University in Spanish. I
received a Buenos Aires Convention
Grant to study the History of Mexico
at the National
Autonomous University of Mexico in
1956, a NDEA Grant to study the
History of Puerto Rico in Puerto
Rico in 1962 and a Fulbright Grant
to study the History of Spain at the
University of Valladolid in Spain in
1963. I do not like to receive a
Latin American History lesson from
an uneducated actor in a theater,
who spouts cliches and
generalizations. The title indicates
he believes his audience is composed
of idiots. I resent that.
The Band's Visit,
music and lyrics by David
Yazbek, book by Itamar
Moses, at the Ethel Barrymore
Theatre, was produced Off-Broadway,
and has transferred to Broadway. It
is about an Egyptian band that comes
to Israel to give a concert at an
Arab cultural center in a town in
Israel. They go mistakenly to
a small village with a similar name.
As they have to spend the night
there, they receive food and shelter
from the villagers. They become good
friends. It is based on a screenplay
by
Eran Kolirin. The music is
pleasant, but not memorable. The
musicians are talented, and the
singing by the cast is excellent. David
Cromer directed. Among the
cast, Katrina
Lenk, as the proprietor of a
small cafe, steals the show. Tony
Shalhoub is the captain of the
band. The choreography by Patrick
McCollum is minimal. The costume
design by Sarah
Laux for the Israelis is
atrocious. Off-Broadway, where
expectations are lower, it was an
interesting play with music.
Broadway audiences deserve better.
Junk,
by Ayad
Akhtar,
at Lincoln Center Theater at the
Vivian Beaumont, is a play about
greed, a cardinal sin. In this case,
the play is a cardinal sin. Theatre
must be entertaining. The audience
does not want to be preached to. A
large group of fine actors in this
overlong play are wasted, under the
direction of Doug
Hughes.
Financial shenanigans on Wall Street
are best discussed in the pages of
newspapers, or done quite well
recently in films. On stage,
superficial characters without depth
make the audience not care what
happens to them. When Steven
Pasquale lands
up finally in jail for his misdeeds,
we sigh with release. The
audience, after an excruciating two
and one half hours, can finally go
home.
Hot Mess,
by Dan
Rothenberg and Colleen
Crabtree,
at the Jerry Orbach Theater at the
Theater Center, is a three character
play, directed by Jonathan
Silverstein, about
a young girl (Lucy
DeVito)
(photo
below), who has unsuccessful
love affairs, and appears to find
true love with a new lover (Max
Crumm),
who has a secret. Like all fairy
tales, it has a happy ending. It is
an entertaining play. The opening
night party took place at the Thalia
restaurant, where Lucy's proud
parents, Danny
DeVito and Rhea
Perlman,
were among the guests. It was a
wonderful night.
The 2017 Trophee des Arts Gala took
place at The Plaza Hotel, honoring Peter
Marino and Sidney
Toledano. I photographed the two
honorees, who were charming. It was
a splendid affair. All
the ladies. looked lovely in their
elegant gowns. I met Marie-Monique
Steckel, President of the French
Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF),
and my old friends Charles
Cohen and his beautiful wife Clo. I
made a new friend, Robert
Schweich and his French wife Monique.
I had a wonderful time, but,
unfortunately, I had to leave
early for the 47th Annual Theater
Hall of Fame at the Palm Restaurant,
where I am the official
photographer.
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The 47th AnnualTheater Hall of
Fame Awards
took place at the Gershwin Theatre,
followed by a dinner at The Palm
restaurant, 250 West 50th St. As the
official photographer for the event,
I had the pleasure of photographing
six honorees, Matthew Broderick,
Oskar Eustis, Tina Howe, Arthur
Kopit, Marin Mazzie and Daryl
Roth (photo below). Susan
Stroman was the Mistress of
Ceremonies. Among the presenters and
guests were Lynn
Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, Jane
Alexander, Andre Bishop, Paul Libin,
Lonny Price, Estelle Parsons, Lois
Smith, Phil Smith, Robert Wankel,
William Ivey Long, Sarah Jessica
Parker, Kenneth Lonergan, J.
Smith-Cameron and Joe
Benincasa. Marin
Mazzie had her proud mother Donna and
husband Jason
Danieley present for the grand
occasion. We all enjoyed a delicious
dinner of a choice from three
entrees, Petite Filet Mignon,
Atlantic Salmon Fillet or Chicken
Parmigiana. It was a most
delightful evening.
My wife and I attended a glorious
reception for the Kick
off The U.S. Launch of the 28th Rallye
Aicha Des Gazelles Du Maroc,
under the patronage of His Majesty
The King Mohammed VI. Fine
wines and delicious hors d'oeuvres were
served at the new Bobby Van's CPS, 40
Central Park South. It was a night of
nostalgia. Norah
Lawlor was
the press representative for the event.
I met Norah, when, as a young lady from
Canada, she came to New York to handle
the press for Peter Stringfellow,
when he opened his popular discoteque
and fine restaurant on East 21st St. We
went to Tangiers for Malcolm
Forbes'
70th birthday party and to New Jersey
to Whitney
Houston's
birthday party. They were memorable
events, as she told Jane
Pontarelli,
who is my matchmaker, because I met my
beautiful wife Xiuli at Jane's Society
luncheon at the Mandarin Oriental over
ten years ago. Also present were Roger Friedman, a
leading gossip columnist, and his
brother Mark in
real estate. Sharon
Hoge,
who was in Tangiers with Norah and me,
has homes around the world and travels
constantly, and joined us at our table.
Also present were Roland
Levin,
the ex-husband of the famous
Siberian supermodel and TV actress, Irina
Pantaeva,,
and Carmen
D'Alessio,
who was present almost every night at
Studio 54 in its glory days. The Rallye
is the first women-only rally in the
world, which takes place in the Moroccan
desert March 16-31, 2018. They drive
special vehicles and the event attracts
women from ages 18 to 71! It was
a delightful evening.
A night of nostalgia continues at
Gallaghers, 228 West 52nd St, the famous
steakhouse, which celebrated its 90th
year. The kitchen was open to all their
guests with steak, chicken, salmon, and
many other dishes too numerous to
mention. All my old waiters and
bartenders are still there, and among
the famous people were my dear friend, Matilde
Cuomo and her daughter Maria, Patrick
McMullan, the famous photographer,
who stated photographing ages ago with
me, publicist David
Granoff,who came up from his home in
Florida, and who introduced me to his
client the late Anna
Nicole Smith, Steve
Cuozzo, the food and real estate
editor at my New York Post and his wife Jane, Ron
Galella, whose photographs of famous
celebrities were on display in the front
room, and there were so many other
guests too numerous to mention. My
photograph of Richard
Harris and Douglas
Fairbanks, Jr at
an opening night party years ago is
still hanging on the wall in the front
room. It is a wonderful restaurant, and
my wife and I enjoyed every minute of
the marvelous occasion.
A wonderful gala was the Samuel
Waxman Cancer Research Foundation
Collaborating for a Cure 20th
Anniversary Benefit Dinner & Auction at Cipriani
Wall Street, 55 Wall Street, which
honored in memoriam William
S. Gorin,
former CEO MFA Financial, Inc. The host
for the evening was Chris Wragge,
Co-Anchor CBS News This Morning and the
entertainment was provided by The
Avett Brothers. As
always, I met some delightful people,
and I was sorry to have to leave. I
could only attend the cocktail party, as
I had opening night parties for two
Off-Broadway plays the same night.
Columbus Library, 742 10th Avenue, presented Alice
Doesn't Live Here Anymore,
by Martin
Scorsese,
USA, 1974, starring Ellen
Burstyn,
who won an Oscar for her outstanding performance
as a widow with a 12-year-old son, trying to
survive as a a saloon singer, and later on as a
waitress. The film itself is overlong and needed
judicious editing.
53rd Street Library presented Babel,
by Alejandro
Gonzalez Inarritu, USA/Mexico/France, 2006.
The story is about a hunter from Japan, who
gives his guide his rifle as a thank-you gift.
The guide sells the rifle to a goatherd, whose
two young boys practice shooting, and injure an
American woman (Cate
Blanchett) on a tour bus in Morocco. She,
with her husband (Brad
Pitt), have left their two young children
with their nanny in San Diego, who takes them
without permission to Mexico to attend her son's
wedding. The plot thickens with tragic results.
The cast is first rate, and the photography in
Morocco, Mexico and Japan is stunning. I was
totally engrossed in this clever, intelligent
film.
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