I saw Kinky Boots again. Tony winner Billy Porter is still giving a wonderful performance as the drag queen who saves a dying shoe factory in Northampton, England, with his design for spectacular boots. Andy Kelso is the new owner of the factory, and acts and sings splendidly. The musical won the Tony Award, and it is well deserved. It is a delightful production.
I was not able to see Sticks and Bones, by David Rabe, directed by Scott Elliott, but was able to attend the opening night party at KTCHN in THE OUT NYC. Bill Pullman, Holly Hunter and Richard Chamberlain head the cast, and I told Richard that the next day there would be a wonderful article in the New York Post by Barbara Hoffman, who told me how much she admires him.
The Primary Stages 30th Annual Gala honored Donald Margulies and Julian Schlossberg at 583 Park Avenue. Many celebrities attended. Among them were Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue, Mark Linn-Baker, Sheldon Harnick andDavid Ives. It was a grand event.
The Carter Burden Center for the Aging's 45rd Anniversary Gala took place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel honoring Michael P. McLaughlin and Len McNally. As it was a busy night, I was only able to stop by for a few minutes to congratulate the honorees. It is always a festive gala.
I attended a reception at the Library at the Public Theatre for Theater Close-Up, a new Off-Broadway series on WNET. Nine plays are being shown on television until November 27. Three actors from the plays were present. They were Jay O. Sanders, Maryann Plunkett and Dick Cavett, plus the playwright Richard Nelson. I congratulated Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET for bringing excellent plays to a wider audience. It is a wonderful project. Neal andOskar Eustis spoke about the series, and a few clips were shown. We enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
The National Ambassador of Kids' Night on Broadway Judith Light, and Tony Danza announced the details of the program from January 9 - January 15, 2015 at a press conference at Sardi's. Kids from 6 - 18 will attend a Broadway show free, when accompanied by a full-paying adult. It is a marvelous program
The Frick Museum, 1 East 70th St, is one of New York's treasures. Their exhibitions are a joy to attend, and the Ten Masterpieces from The Scottish National Gallery November 5, 2014 - February 1, 2015 must be seen by every Art lover.
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They include the first Botticelli painting The Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child ever seen in the United States. They also include an El Greco, a Velazquez, a Sargent, a Ramsey, a Watteau, a Constable, a Gainsborough, aReynolds and a Raeburn, Scotland's foremost portraitist. Do not miss this exhibition.
At the Frick Museum, there are also on display the three El Greco paintings from their permanent collection from November 4, 2014 - February 1, 2015, which are being shown with the exhibition El Greco in New York November 4, 2014 - February1, 2015, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is also an exhibition that must be seen. El Greco would be proud. While at the Met, be sure to see Bartholomeus Spranger: Splendor and Eroticism in Imperial Prague November 4, 2014 -February 1, 2015, another magnificent exhibition.
Film Society of Lincoln Center held press screenings for Mountain Film 2014 November 21-23. Queens & Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo, by Matt Livadary, USA, 2014 is a documentary about gay cowboys and cowgirls competing in Gay Rodeos across the country. There was a lot of prejudice against them, but it seems to be disappearing, as attitudes are changing. We see gays riding bulls, suffering injuries, calf roping, and their determination to win competitions. It is a well made film, and. in many ways, inspiring.
Valley Uprising, by Peter Mortimer & Nick Rosen, USA, 2014, is a spectacular documentary, beautifully photographed, which details the history of Yosemite National Park after World War II. In the beginning, it attracted homeless hippies, who became obsessed with climbing the enormous rocks like El Capitan. As the park began to attract millions of visitors, rules and regulations took effect, and the freedom desired by the intrepid climbers changed. We see many of the people, who became famous, fearlessly climbing the rocks, and we remain amazed by their courage.
Joyce DiDonato, one of the world’s most renowned opera singers, was in New York on Sunday, November 2nd to shoot the cover of the March 2015 issue of OPERA NEWS. Not only has this breakout star taken the classical music scene by storm and introduced a younger audience to the joys of opera, but she is also a passionate advocate for a number of social issues, including arts education, gay rights and anti-death penalty issues. The Grammy award wining singer from Prairie Village, Kansas is a social media aficionado; in fact, she recently sang the national anthem on October 29, 2014 at Kauffman Stadium during the World Series for the Kansas City Royals after she was chosen over singer-songwriter Lorde in a social media contest. DiDonato was photographed by Dario Acosta for a cover feature by F. Paul Driscoll, Editor-in-Chief of OPERA NEWS. OPERA NEWS has been published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild since 1936, and the monthly publication has the largest circulation of any classical music magazine in the United States. I was invited to photograph the wonderful singer and charming lady at Industria Superstudio. It was a lovely occasion.
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