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Dave Malloy wrote
the music, lyrics, book and orchestrations for Natasha,
Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, adapted from War
and Peace by Leo
Tolstoy, an imaginative and inventive Broadway
musical at the Imperial Theatre, which has been
redesigned as an elegant cabaret room with a Russian
theme. There are portraits and paintings and mirrors
covering all the walls, and the actors and
musicians circulate throughout the theatre. It is
short selection from the novel about the seduction
of the heroine Natasha by a rogue Anatole and saved
by Pierre. The cast is excellent, headed by Josh
Groban (Pierre),
who sings wonderfully, as well as playing various
instruments. Also, outstanding are Denee
Benton (Natasha)
and Lucas Steele(Anatole). The
director Rachel
Chavkin and
the choreographer Sam
Pinkleton have
done an expert job intermingling the cast with the
audience. I have seen the Ars Nova production twice
Off-Broadway, where we were served Russian food and
vodka. Here some lucky members of the audience
caught pierogies thrown by members of the cast. It
is a most entertaining show.
Off-Broadway, Sweet
Charity, book by Neil
Simon, music by Cy
Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy
Fields, opens Sunday November 20. My review will
be in my next column.
Othello The Remix,
written, composed and directed by GQ & JQ,
at the Westside Theatre, is an 80-minute show for
lovers of Rap. It is based on the play Othello by William
Shakespeare, and tells the tragic story of how a
wife is destroyed by her husband's jealousy. The
talented four member cast and the DJ are energetic,
and the audience enjoyed the performance..
Terms of Endearment,
by Dan
Gordon, based on the novel by Larry
McMurtry, and the screenplay by James
L. Brooks, is a wonderful production at 59E59
Theater. A six member cast, directed by Michael
Parva, are terrific. Molly
Ringwald as
a possessive mother and Hannah Dunne as
her daughter give superb performances. I enjoyed
every minute of the play, and I recommend it highly.
At the delightful opening night part at Blu
on Park, 116 East 60th St, a host of celebrities
attended, including Marlo
Thomas, Elaine May, Susan Stroman, Rachel York,
Tovah Feldshuh and David
Saint. The
wine beer and hors d'oeuvres were delicious.
Producer Julian
Schlossberg deserves
congratulations on a splendid evening.
A Taste of Things to Come,
book, music and lyrics by Debra
Barsha and Hollye
Levin, is a production of the York Theatre
Company. The talented four member all female cast
and the four female musicians, directed and
choreographed excellently byLorin
Latarro, tell the story of four friends who meet
in the kitchen to cook for a cooking contest in
1957. The second act, ten years later, reveals the
changes that have taken in their lives. It is an
entertaining musical. The opening night party took
place at Luna Piena Restaurant, 243 East 53rd St.
The food was delicious and the wines and beers also.
It is a fine Italian restaurant, and definitely
worth a visit.
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The Dead, 1904, based
on the novella by James
Joyce, adapted by Paul
Muldoon and Jean
Hanff Korelitz, directed
by Ciaran
O'Reilly, at the American Irish Historical
Society, 995 Fifth Avenue. It is a production of the
Irish Repertory Theatre. It opens on December 8. My
review will appear in the column following the
opening.
I am the official photographer for The
46th Annual Theatre Hall of Fame at
the Gershwin Theatre, which honored Paul
Libin, Joe Masteroff, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marsha
Norman, Phylicia Rashad, Sir Tim Rice, Catherine
Zuber, and Glenn
Close, who, unfortunately, was unable to attend.
The Mistress of Ceremonies was Susan
Stroman. Among the guests at the late supper
afterwards at The Palm Restaurant, 250 West 50th St,
were Dana
Ivey, Lois Smith, Jim Dale Christopher Durang,
Debbie Allen, Bartlett Sher, Michael Wilson, Susan
H. Schulman, Charlotte Moore and Joe
Benincasa. The food was delicious and the wine
and beer was enhanced the meal. It was a memorable
occasion.
The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th St, as I have
written many times, is one of the glorious buildings
in New York. I attended the press preview of a
wonderful exhibition, Pierre
Gouthiere: Virtuoso Gilder at the
French Court: November 16-February 19, 2017. Pierre Gouthiere was
one of the greatest French artists of the eighteenth
century, and seeing twenty-one of his finest works
confirms this statement.His vases, ewers, firedogs,
wall lights and doorknobs are exquisite. No wonder
he created his objets
d'art for
the nobility of France. Do not miss this superb
exhibition! You will be delighted.
The Theatre Communications Group Gala
honored Danai
Gurira, Stephen C. Byrd, Alia Jones-Harvey, The
Vilcek Foundation & Rick
Kinsel at
the Edison Ballroom. Tamara
Tunie was the host for the occasion. Among the
presenters were TCG Executives, Adrian
Budhu, Teresa Eyring and Kevin
Moriarty, and
also Emily
Mann. Among the guests were Akosua
Busia, Jainab Jah and David
Henry Hwang. The
dinner was delicious and the wines and cocktails
were excellent. It was another splendid evening.
Kinky Boots celebrated
1500 performances and the debut of Todrick
Hall with a lovely party at Paramount Bar and
Grill with a delicious buffet and an open bar. The
cast was very happy.
Sheldon and Margery
Harnick hosted
a delightful reception for their son's, Matt
Harnick, launch of his book Macy's Thanksgiving
Day Parade at: A New York City Holiday Tradition at
the Friar's Club, 57 East 55th St. Among the guests
were Robert
Cuccioli, Jim Dale and Kate
Baldwin, who performed. It was a lovely event.
White Heat, by Raoul
Walsh, USA, 1949, stars James
Cagney, who
was memorable as a gangster in the films of
the 1930s. He returned to that role again playing a
psychopathic leader of a gang of thieves in this
remarkable film at the Columbus Branch Library, 742
Tenth Avenue. He is obsessed with his mother, and
seeks revenge for her murder, when he escapes from
jail. It is a fast moving, well made film, and
Cagney is a joy to watch. Also impressive in a fine
cast are Virginia
Mayo as
his unfaithful wife and Edmond
O'Brien as
the undercover cop who brings Cagney to his death. |