On Broadway, Venus in Fur, by David Ives, is an expanded version of an Off Broadway play, and has two splendid performances by Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy, expertly directed by Walter Bobbie. A revival of Private Lives, stars Kim Cattrall. It's the fourth production that I've seen on Broadway since Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton revived it years ago. This production is energetically performed, but cannot compare with the last revival starring Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman.
Off Broadway, George Orwell's Burmese Days, adapted and directed by Ryan Kiggell, is an inventive and imaginative production of Orwell's novel, with an especially fine cast. Suicide, Incorporated, by Andrew Hinderaker, is as the title implies about a firm, which for a fee, will write suicide letters for people. At first, it seems like a comedy, but soon turns tragic. The premise is not too convincing. Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, are nine short plays by different playwrights, with six superb actors, reading them at music stands. They are quite humorous. A fun opening night party took place at 24 Fifth Avenue with guests like Kelly Ripa, Larry Kramer, Alex McCord, Hunter Ryan Herdlick and Tovah Feldshuh. Shanghai Lil's, is re-envisioned and directed by Tisa Chang, set in a San Francisco nightclub during World War II. The music by Louis Stewart is consistently enjoyable and the cast is adorable and brimming with talent. We celebrated the opening in the parlour of the West End Theatre. Burning, by Thomas Bradshaw, tells three different stories in America and Germany in two different time periods with lots of nudity and simulated sex.
I attended six events on Monday night. At Capitale, the Acting Company's Annual Masquerade Gala honored The Actors Fund & James Bundy. Celebrities included Ken Howard, Lisa Banes, Edward Hibbert and Charlotte St. Martin. At the Edison Ballroom, the Williamstown Theatre Festival 2011 Benefit attracted Blythe Danner, Ron Rifkin, Jessica Hecht, Becky Ann and Dylan Baker. At the Vivian Beaumont Lobby, the 2011 Steinberg Playwright "Mimi" Awards were presented to Lisa D'Amour and Melissa James Gibson. Paul Giamatti, Marylouise Burke and Oskar Eustis were present.At the Lamb's Club, Chicago celebrated the 15th anniversary of the show with the present cast, and alumni and guests like Bebe Neuwirth, Marilu Henner, Patrick Page and Paige Davis.. The opening night party of Burning took place at Qi, a beautiful new Thai restaurant on Eighth Avenue with the cast and guests like Jo Bonney, Betsy Aidem and Lisa Emery. Finally, Broadway Unplugged had its after-party at Tony's Di Napoli with the cast that included Sarah Uriarte Berry and Jesus Garcia. It was another slow night in the Big Apple.
After a reception with Jane Powell, and a Q & A with Robert Osborne, we saw a screening of of her 1950 film Two Weeks With Love. It was delightful and Jane is enchanting. Her husband Dick Moore and Marge Champion attended the wonderful event.
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11-18-11 Jean Shafiroff at the 14th Annual Collaborating for a Cure Dinner a benefit for the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation at the Park Avenue Armory. 643 Park Ave.. Thursday night 11-17-11
I went to The Core Club for a reception for the launch of Dr. Ruth Westheimer's YouTube.com channel. David Hryck hosted the event and Nate Berkus was among the guests.
The 14th Annual Collaborating for a Cure Dinner to benefit the Samuel Waxman Cancer research Foundation at the Park Avenue Armory attracted a large number of elegant gentlemen and attractive ladies, among them Jean Shafiroff.
Cast members of The Scottsboro Boys received Actors' Equity Association's Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA) Fifth Annual ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus at a ceremony and reception at Actor's Equity. Composer John Kander congratulated them.
For cookbook lovers, food historians and anyone who likes to eat, read The Last Suppers: Legends of History and their Final Meal, by Andrew Caldwell. Among the treasures are Captain Edward John Smith's final meal on the Titanic, Napoleon, Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe, and many others, too numerous to mention. It contains recipes of the meals, and a historical introduction for each famous person. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and recommend it highly.
From November 30-December 6, the Sixth Romanian Film Festival will be presented by the Film Society at Lincoln Center. I saw Morgen, 2010, by Marian Crisan, which is Romania's official Oscar submission for 2011. It is a film about a supermarket security guard, who shelters an illegal alien from Turkey, who is trying to reach Germany to reunite with his family. it is a quirky tale, which although slow moving, is quite charming, and it will stay in your memory after you leave the theater. I feel I spent 100 minutes with an unusual and very decent family.
Pina, by Wim Wenders,Germany/France, 2011, is a remarkable dance film, one of the best I have seen in years, enhanced by being in3D. The late choreographer Pina Bausch created imaginative works with her Tanztheater Wuppertal ensemble, and this film features many selections of her provocative dance pieces. Also individual members appear briefly to explain her influence on the. The film is hypnotic and mesmerizing. I enjoyed every minute of it and recommend it highly. Khodorkovsky, by Cyril Tuschi, German, 2010, is a powerful documentary about the imprisonment of Russia's richest man, who apparently was a victim of Putin's dislike. Unfortunately, justice does not yet prevail in Russia. It is another film that I can recommend highly. It will be shown at the Film Forum from November 30-December 13.
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