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Artistic Director Albert
Bergeret deserves the gratitude of all Gilbert &
Sullivan lovers for keeping the light operas of these
two geniuses alive. The New York Gilbert & Sullivan
Players presented The Sorcerer, libretto by William
S. Gilbert, music by Sir
Arthur Sullivan, at the Marjorie S, Deane Little
Theater, at the West Side YMCA, 10 West 64th Street.
This tiny jewel of a theater was the perfect setting for
this wonderful production. With piano accompaniment, the
nine member cast sang and acted, with perfect gestures,
the entertaining musical, about a sorcerer, John
Wellington Wells (an excellent James
Mills) whose magic and spells turns a village into
romantic lovers. Among the cast, the vicar, Dr. Daly (Richard
Alan Holmes) sang and acted brilliantly, celebrating
his 37th year with the company, with a beautiful
sonorous voice. It was a delightful program, that left
the audience well satisfied.
It was a gala to end all galas. The
American Theatre Wing celebrated its centennial, its
100th anniversary of service to the American theatre. It
was held at Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 East 42nd Street.
A multitude of celebrities attended. Among them, were
those who performed like Brian
Stokes Mitchell and Norm
Lewis.
Guests included Tony
Bennett, Bobby
Cannavale, Natasha Katz, William Ivey Long, Sergio
Trujillo, Jack Noseworthy, Daryl Roth and
so many more too numerous to name. The president Heather
Hitchens addressed
the packed audience before the entertainment began. The
cocktail reception featured delicious hors
d'oeuvres, and the dinner that followed was marvelous,
with salmon as the appetizer and tender beef as the
entree. It was a splendid, memorable event.
A great evening was held at Tony's Di
Napoli, 147 West 43rd Street, at a party for the
unveiling of the portrait of the three British stars, Henry Shields,
Jonathan Sayer from my
hometown, Manchester, England, and Henry
Lewis of The
Play That Goes Wrong for the
Broadway Wall of Fame. Valerie
Smaldone was the charming
hostess, and restaurant manager Bruce
Dimpflmaier provided the
delicious buffet of Italian food and the open bar. It
was, as Cole
Porter used to sing, a swell
party.
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The New York City Ballet opened the fall
season with Swan
Lake,
music by Peter
Ilyitch Tschaikovsky, choreography
by Peter
Martins.
It is one of the most popular ballets in every major
company's repertory. This version was danced Ashley
Bouder as
Odette/Odile, and she was magnificent. She was the
perfect innocent swan and then the evil swan in Act II.
She was well supported by Andrew
Veyette.
The male dancers in other supporting roles were
outstanding, especially Harrison
Ball as
the Jester, Aaron
Sanz in
the Pas de Trois, and Joseph
Gordon in Divertissement: Pas
de Quatre. The female ensemble of swans were a joy
to watch on both acts. The orchestra played the glorious
music beautifully, under the baton of Andrews
Sill.
It was an auspicious opening of the season.
A wonderful reception at Sardi's was held
for Chinese music producer/song writer Jonathan
Lee and China Entertainment Founder & CEO Ivy Zhong to
discuss the original global musical Road to Heaven:
The Jonathan Lee Musical. Both addressed the invited
guests, as well as Executive Producer Don
Frantz. Six singers performed one of the songs from
the show. The English lyrics are by Richard
Maltby, Jr, with book by John Dempsey,
directed by Eric
Schaeffer. It will be developed at the Signature
Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in December, and open in
Shanghai in 2018, and then in New York. I am sure it
will be very successful, and I am looking forward to
seeing it.
I returned to Sardi's for director Michael
Mayer and his star Michael Moore in
the Broadway show The Terms of My Surrender when
they received their caricatures. It is always a
delightful event.
Ground Central Coffee Company is the
fourth cafe to open in Manhattan in the past four years.
As this one opened in my building, 888 8th Avenue,
I went to welcome the owner Etienne Wiik from
Paris and the manager Desiree
B. Royer to my wonderful block between 52nd Street
and 53rd Street. The cafe is a delight with a library
and armchairs at the back, and long playing albums of
popular singers like Frank
Sinatra and Ray
Charles, and Broadway albums like Can-Can,
by Cole Porter,
which you can listen to, while enjoying their glorious
coffee, delicious pastries, and mouth watering
sandwiches. It is a splendid addition to our
neighborhood. |