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The Metropolitan Opera presented L'Italiana
in Algeri, by Gioachino
Rossini, one of his earliest comic operas. After
a bubbling overture, conducted by Music Director
Emeritus James
Levine, the opera featured a group of soloists,
who engaged in the silly shenanigans with great
abandon. The plot about a Bey Mustafa (Ildar
Abdrazakov), who
wants to marry his wife Elvira (Ying
Fang) to his Italian prisoner Lindoro (Rene
Barbera), and orders Haly (Dwayne
Croft), his pirate captain, to find him an
Italian lady for his wife. A shipwrecked Isabella (Marianna
Pizzolato) conveniently appears, and
complications follow. Ildar Abdrazakov stole the
show in his bath on stage, revealing his muscular
body to the delight of the audience. His powerful
voice was a pleasure to hear. Rene Barbera was a
sweet voiced Lindoro, strong in all registers, and
his arias in the first and second acts received a
well deserved ovation. Ying Fang sang excellently,
as did Rihab
Chaieb as
Zulma, her confidante. Only Marianna
Pizzolato was
a disappointment. Her voice was weak for a large
house like the Met, and her lower register was
almost inaudible. Dwayne Croft and Taddeo (Nicola
Alaimo) sang well, and were fine support,
especially, in the brilliant ensembles. The seven
member ensemble which closes the first act was the
highlight of the evening. When James Levine returned
to conduct the second act, he received a thunderous
applause. He is a cherished conductor, who will
never be forgotten for his memorable contributions
to making the Met the most esteemed opera house in
the world today.
On Broadway, Holiday Inn, The New
Irving Berlin Musical, music
and lyrics by Irving
Berlin, book by Gordon
Greenberg and Chad
Hodge, at Studio 54, is an updated version of
the successful film, starring Bing
Crosby and Fred
Astaire. Great film musicals are rarely
successful when transferred to the stage. This one
is a good example. The cast, directed by Gordon
Greenberg, cannot compare with those from the film,
although Corbin
Bleu is
fine as the dancing lead. Only the songs of Irving
Berlin are always a pleasure to listen to. The story
of a retired singer, who buys a farm in Connecticut,
and turns it into a theater on public holidays, can
only be brought to life with outstanding performers.
The cast works hard, and the show night please
nostalgic audiences when touring across the country.
But sophisticated Broadway audiences demand more.
Off-Broadway, Afterplay,
by Brian
Friel, at the Irish Repertory Theatre, is
a sentimental play, in which two characters, Andrey
and Sonya
from two of Chekhov's plays, meet in a cafe in
Moscow twenty years later. It features two splendid
actors, Dermot
Crowley and Dearbhla
Molloy (photo below), directed expertly by Joe
Dowling. It
is a
lovely evening of superb theatre. A delicious
opening night party was held in the gallery of the
newly renovated theatre.
That
Golden Girls Show!, created
& directed by Jonathan
Rockefeller, at the DR2 Theatre, is a puppet
parody of the long running television show. A five
member cast with four of them handling the puppets
of the four warmly remembered stars of the show,
created & directed by Joel
Gennari, will bring back nostalgic memories for
their fans. An onstage reception was held opening
night with champagne and cheesecake.
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The Roads to Home, by Horton
Foote. at the Cherry Lane Theatre, is a
production of Primary Stages. A six member cast
(photo below), directed by Michael
Wilson, captures small town life in Texas
wonderfully, with outstanding performances by the
three actresses, Hallie
Foote, Harriet Harriet and Rebecca
Brooksher. The opening night party was held at
El Toro Blanco, 267 6th Avenue, with guests Lois
Smith, Edward Hibbert and Elizabeth
Ashley, where lots of Mexican wine, beer, and
tacos, empanadas, flautas, pizza and more was served
to the happy crowd.
The New York City Ballet presented a wonderful
program of three ballets by three different
choreographers, It began with Glass
Pieces, music by Philip
Glass, choreography by Jerome
Robbins. The music is hypnotic, and the ballet
is imaginative and inventive. The dancers were
terrific. Thou
Swell, music by Richard
Rodgers, choreography by Peter Martins is
pleasant with enjoyable songs, danced by four
excellent couples. The third ballet was Stars
and Stripes, with music by John
Philip Sousa, choreography by George Balanchine.
It is a crowd pleaser, and it delighted the
audience. Ashley
Bouder and Andrew
Veyette won
a tremendous ovation in the Fourth Campaign with
their dazzling performance.
I
attended a Meet & Greet for This
Day Forward, by Nicky
Silver, which opens at the Vineyard Theatre on
November 21. I look forward eagerly to the opening
night. I photographed the six member cast, the
playwright and the director Mark
Brokaw.
Another
Meet & Greet was for the MCC Theater Ride
the Cyclone, book, music and lyrics by Jacob
Richmond and Brooke
Maxwell, which opens on December 1.
I photographed the creative team and cast, and I
look forward to opening night.
Aquarius, by Kleber
Mendonca Filho, Brazil, 2016, stars Sonia
Braga as
a 65-year-old widow, who lives in an old apartment
building in Recife. All the other apartments are empty. The
construction company wants her to move, and employs
various horrendous means to force her out. She is a
feisty lady, who fights back. Braga gives a
brilliant performance, and appears in virtually
every scene. Some of the scenes are almost
pornographic, such as an orgy which occurs in the
empty apartment above her. It shows how an
individual must fight the greed and ruthlessness
of powerful, corrupt governments. It is an important
film, which I enjoyed immensely.
The
Love Witch, by Anna
Biller, USA, 2016, is a colorful film, an
imitation of the Hollywood technicolor films of the
past. The plot, about a beautiful witch, who wants a
perfect love, and meets and destroys many men in the
process, is silly, but is remarkably entertaining.
The love witch is a lovely Samantha
Robinson, with a perfect figure, which she
displays throughout the film. There is a great deal
of simulated sex, and complete nudity. Voyeurs will
be delighted.
Film
Forum presented Tampopo, by Juzo
Itami, Japan, 1987, a new 4K restoration. It is
a wonderful film about food and sex. A truck driver
stops at a ramen restaurant, where the owner Tampopo cooks
ramen noodles badly. He decides to help her. There
are a number of hilarious scenes, which digress from
the main plot, but all are entertaining. Lovers of
food will delight in learning how to make a perfect
ramen, and lovers of sex on the screen will enjoy
some remarkable scenes. Do not miss this unusual
film!
The
Metropolitan Museum presented two marvelous
exhibitions. Fragonard:
Drawing-Triumphant-Works from New York Collections,
October 6- January 8,2017 and Valentin de
Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio, October 7-January 16,
2017. Both
are superb French artists, influenced strongly by
their studies in Italy in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. Fragonard captured
the lovely Villa d'Este on his visit to Tivoli, a
favorite of mine, and Valentin painted
live models, shockingly at that time. His card
sharps, musicians and fortune tellers are a joy to
behold. I recommend these two exhibitions for all
art lovers. |