Off-Broadway, The
New Morality, by Harold
Chapin, directed by Jonathan
Bank, is a production of the Mint
Theater Company. It is amusing, well
acted play about a woman living on a
houseboat, insulting a neighbor on a
another houseboat on the Thames river.
Problems ensue between the two families.
All the actors are excellent, but Ned
Noyes steals
the show in the third act as the drunken
husband of the insulted wife. The
opening night party at West Bank Cafe
was very pleasant with the cast being
congratulated by friends and relatives.
The Christians, by Lucas
Hnath, directed by Les
Waters, at Playwrights Horizons, is
a play that takes place in a church. The
pastor (Andrew
Garman) shocks his congregation with
his sermon, and all sorts of problems
arise. It is well acted, and a large
choir sing wonderfully.
There was a photo op for Lost
Girls, by John
Pollono, directed by Jo
Bonney, an MCC Theater production,
which opens on November 9. It has a
great cast, starring Piper
Perabo, and I eagerly await the
opening night.
I attended a press preview at the Jewish
Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue, of four
wonderful exhibitions. The
Power of Pictures: Early Soviet
Photography. Early Soviet Film September
25, 2015 - February 7, 2016, The
Television Project: Picturing a People
until February 14, 2016, Becoming
Jewish: Warhol's Li & Marilyn September
25, 2015 - February 7, 2016, and
Masterpieces & Curiosities: Alfred
Stieglitz's The Steerage until February
14 are
four that you must not miss. Seeing
clips on television of Beverly
Sills, Gertrude Berg, and Barbra
Streisand among
others are fascinating, but the photos,
magazine covers, and Andy
Warhol's paintings of Elizabeth
Taylor and Marilyn
Monroe are
alone worth the price of admission.
I attended Making
Musical Waves, a culinary and
musical gala, featuring chef Ben
Pollinger, benefiting Copland House
at Oceana, 120 West 49th St. I
photographed Ben displaying
his wonderful cookbook School of Fish.
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There was a delicious seafood dinner served,
accompanied by fine wines, and musical
selections were played between courses. It was a
delightful evening of good food and beautiful
music. Aaron
Copland would
have been proud.
There was a lovely cookbook party for Domestic
Chic, by celebrity chef Kristin
Sollenne and
the debut of her kitchen couture apron line
CELLINI at Il Bastardo, 191 Seventh Avenue, with
exquisite wines and delicious hors d'oeuvres. On
Saturday, September 26, at 1 PM, Kristin will be
at Bloomingdales for a culinary demonstration
The 53rd New York Film Festival September
25-October 14 continued
its press screenings with Ingrid
Bergman in Her Own Words, by Stig
Bjorkman, Sweden, 2015. It is a
documentary about the actress, who kept
everything from the day she was born to her
untimely death at 67 years of age. It
includes diaries, letters, photographs and
film. She was an avid photographer. An
actress reads her words, and her four
children appear to discuss her life as a
mother. If you enjoy watching private home
movies, you may find this overlong
documentary interesting. Although she
appeared to have a successful public life as
a film and stage actress, she actually had a
very unhappy private life. She had many
unsatisfying love affairs and marriages, and
separated herself from her four children,
especially her first child Pia, for
many years, to pursue her career.
Heaven Can Wait, by Ernst
Lubitsch, USA, 1943, is a delightful
film, about an old man (Don
Ameche) arriving at the entrance to
hell.He is interviewed by Satan to gain
admittance. He relates his life, where he
acted as a type of Casanova. However, he is
married for 25 years to a lovely wife (Gene
Tierney) and becomes relatively
faithful. It is a charming film, with witty
dialogue, and entertaining characters. It is
one of the lovely films, that Hollywood
produced, without vulgarity, filthy language
or smutty scenes.
Microbe & Gasoline, by Michel
Gondry, France 2015, is a film about
two high school students, who become
friends and cannot adjust to a normal
life. One, nicknamed Microbe, is small
and a talented artist, obsessed with
sex, and the other, nicknamed Gasoline,
is a skilled mechanic, who creates a
caravan type car. Thus, begins a road
trip, in which they travel through
France. It is not an enjoyable film, and
the two children are obnoxious. There
adventures are ridiculous and
unbelievable. The photography is lovely,
and as a travelogue, it is pleasant to
look at.
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