On Broadway, a
revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,
by Edward Albee, shows the play retains the same powerful impact as
when it was first produced exactly fifty years ago. Tracy Letts gives
an outstanding performance.The opening night party took place at Bond 45
with guests like Judd Hirsch, Lois Smith and Linda Edmond.
Off-Broadway, The
Freedom of the City, by Brian
Friel, is a splendid production, well acted, about three innocent
victims, who take refuge in a government building during a peaceful
demonstration in Northern Ireland and are mistaken for armed terrorists. The
opening night celebration took place at Jake's Saloon.
Harper Regan, by Simon Stephens, is about a middle-aged woman
(Mary McCann), who suddenly leaves her job, husband and daughter to
return home to see her dying father. On his death, she has a series of
encounters with strangers and her mother. Unfortunately, it is not entirely
believable.
Don't Go Gentle, by Stephen Belber, is one of the more
impressive plays of this season, with a fine five member cast, that includes
a brilliant performance by Michael Cristofer as a retired judge, who
helps a former black prison inmate and her teenage son with surprising
consequences, especially for his own son and daughter. The opening night
party was at 49 Grove, with guests Tonya Pinkins, Montego Glover and
Adam Duritz among others.
Modern Terrorism, Or They Who Want To Kill Us, and How We Learn To Love
Them, by Jon Kern, is a silly play about a serious subject. The
plot revolves around three incompetent terrorists preparing to explode a
bomb in the Empire State Building. This is interrupted, when a neighbor
delivers a package meant for them which he mistakenly received. There is
lots of sitcom type humor, which really doesn't amount to much.
I was invited to dress rehearsal of The World of Dance: Stars of the 21st
Century. Unfortunately, we only had the opportunity to see the Grand
Finale by all the performers.
I attended a book launch party for Giving Back, by Meera Gandhi,
at the Asia Society and Museum, which was preceded by an interesting panel
discussion by the author, with Donzelina A. Barroso and moderator
Aliseyn Camerota. It was a lovely occasion.
The 50th New York Film Festival closed withe following two films.
No, by Pablo Larrain, Chile/USA/Mexico, 2012, takes place in
1988, when the dictator Pinochet allowed a plebiscite to receive a
vote to continue his tyrannical rule. An ad man (Gael Garcia Bernal)
is in charge of the television no campaign against the ruler. It is a
fascinating look at the way television affects political life. and I
recommend this intelligent film highly, especially at this particular time
in our own history.
The second film was the highlight of the excellent festival. Flight,
by Robert Zemekis, USA, 2012, features a magnificent performance by
Denzel Washington as an alcoholic, drug addicted pilot of a
commercial jet, which because of mechanical deficiencies, crashes with the
loss of life of six passengers and crew. We follow the ongoing investigation
and the effect of this horrendous accident on the pilot. It is a superb film
with a marvelous cast.
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Opera in Cinema from Emerging Pictures presented L'Italiana in Algeri, by Rossini, a production of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna captured live at a performance in May. It is a pleasant opera with typical bubbling music of Rossini. The cast was first rate, with fine performances, in particular, by Michele Pertusi, Marianna Pizzolato in the title role, and Paolo Bordogna. It was quite enjoyable and another fine addition to this splendid series.
Wild Girl, by Raoul Walsh, USA, 1932, is a pleasant western, starring a young, pretty Joan Bennett, pursued by many admirers. It is quite an innocent look at cowboy films with comic characters, adorable children and the occasional villain. Bennett steals the film, and it reflects a time when extreme violence was not necessary in films.
MoMA is presenting a series of wonderful films under the title of To Save and Project: The 10th MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation October 11-November 12. Lola, by Jacques Demy, France 1961, features an unmarried Anouk Aimee in the title role, with a seven-year old son, as a dancer in a cabaret in Nantes, searching for happiness. We see a variety of characters from the town, including American sailors on leave. It is a charming, enjoyable film in black and white.
Justine, by George Cukor, USA, 1969, is a lavish production, based on Lawrence Durrell's Alexandra Quartet, with an all star international cast. and again Anouk Aimee in the title role. The hedonistic life in the port city of Egypt is well portrayed through the eyes of an English teacher (Michael York), as he mingles with a series of exotic and erotic characters including Justine. With the smuggling of arms and spying, it is quite a mysterious thriller, concerning the politics of the region. It is fascinating film.
Sparrers Can't Sing (aka Sparrows Can't Sing), by Joan Littlewood, UK, 1963, takes place during the day a tough seaman (James Booth) returns home, in the East End of London, after two years at sea. He searches for his abandoned wife (Barbara Windsor), now living with a married bus driver. Scenes take place in the squalid homes amid family strife, and the grimy local pub, where customers drink and express their frustration with their fists without the slightest hesitation. It is a grim, depressing, realistic picture of working class life in the 1960s.
Wild Girl, by Raoul Walsh, USA, 1932, is a pleasant western, starring a young, pretty Joan Bennett, pursued by many admirers. It is quite an innocent look at cowboy films with comic characters, adorable children and the occasional villain. Bennett steals the film, and it reflects a time when extreme violence was not necessary in films.
10-14-12
David
Henry
Hwang
and
Jennifer
Lim
at
the
opening
night
for
"Who's
Afraid
of
Virginia
Woolf?"
at
the
Booth
Theatre.
222
West
45th
St.
Saturday
night
10-13-12 |