On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
November
30, 2013
11-26-13 Sean
Bean in "Accused" won the award for Best Performance by an Actor at
the International Emmy Awards 2013 at the New York Hilton. 1335
Avenue of the Americas. Monday night 11-25-13
On Broadway, Ian
McKellen and Patrick
Stewart are two of England's finest stage actors. For that
reason alone, it is worth seeing the two revivals of No
Man's Land, by Harold
Pinter and Waiting
for Godot, by Samuel
Beckett, at the Cort Theatre. Under the direction of Sean
Mathias, the two actors shine brilliantly. It is impossible
to take one's eyes off them. Every gesture and every grimace is
a joy to watch. That said, one must admit, that to see the
Pinter play is not as rewarding as the Beckett play. Hirst
(Stewart) picks up Spooner
(McKellen) in a pub and invites him to his elegant home, and
seems to imprison him there. They talk and drink, but the play
is impossible to understand. However, the two actors are
riveting. The Beckett play, while also bizarre, has been seen
frequently on Broadway, with the finest actors of our
generation. It must, therefore, be treated with respect. Again,
it is a joy to watch the two actors perform.
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It had to happen. This was my first experience after reviewing
theatre for 40 years. At the Scottish play, 30-minutes after the
curtain, the scenery malfunctioned at Macbeth,
at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, and the performance had to be
cancelled
Off-Broadway, The
Commons of Pensacola, by Amanda
Peet, is about a visit by two daughters to a mother living
in Florida in reduced circumstances due to a scandal. In a short
(80 minutes) play, there are so many incidents taking place,
that it defies reality. Fortunately, it stars Blythe
Danner and Sarah
Jessica Parker, that they are worth the price of admission.
Taking Care of Baby, by Dennis
Kelly, is like a documentary, in which a daughter , who has
killed her two children, returns home after being released from
jail. The eight actors, playing husband, mother, psychiatrist, and
so on, deliver their speeches, mostly in monologues. This reduces
the dramatic effect.
MoMA is presenting Isaac
Julien: Ten Thousand Waves. November 25-February 17, 2014, a
50-minute moving image installation on enormous double-sided
screens, based on the tragedy of the death of 23 Chinese cockle
pickers, who drowned on Morecambe Bay in England in 2004. It also
interweaves images of contemporary Chinese culture, with footage of
modern Shanghai, and ancient myths, with reenactment of old classic
films. It is an impressive exhibition, well worth a visit.
The International Emmy Awards 2013 offered two days of panels at
Sofitel Hotel, followed by the Awards themselves at a Gala at the
New York Hilton. Among the stars, who won awards, and the
presenters, were Zachary
Quinto, Wladimir Klitschko, host John
Oliver and Sean
Bean, who won for
Best Performance by an Actor for Accused.
It was three days of interesting panels and a glorious ceremony.
The opening night of The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Making
Waves: New Romanian Cinema November 29-December 3 was
a great success with the screening of Closer
to the Moon, by Nae
Caranfil, Romania/USA, 2013. The director, producers and two
stars of the film, Harry
Lloyd and Monica
Birladeanu, were present. It is an English language film, based
on a true story, about a group of Jews, who rob a bank in 1959, are
arrested and, unbelievably, are forced to reenact the event for a
propaganda film. Although, it has a tragic ending, the director
provides a light touch throughout the film. The acting is superb,
and the film is quite enjoyable. The reception featured Romanian
specialties and wines, and we were able to talk to the filmmakers,
and the wonderful Romanian actress Luminita
Gheorghiu, who stars in Child's
Pose, winner of the
Golden Bear at the 2013 Berlinale, and one of finest films to be
shown at this festival.
11-30-13 (L-R) Director Nae Caranfil.
producer Renata Rainieri. cast member Harry Lloyd. producer Michael
Fitzgerald. cast member Monica Birladeanu all from the opening night film
"Closer to the Moon" at the opening night of "Making Waves: New Romanian
Cinema" at the Walter Reade Theater. 165 West 65th St. Friday night
11-29-13
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