On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
September 28, 2013
09-27-13 (L-R) Cast member Cherry Jones at the opening night party
for "The Glass Menagerie" at the Redeye Grill. 890 Seventh Ave.
Thursday night 09-26-13
On Broadway, a revival of The
Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee
Williams, with four fine actors, headed by Cherry
Jones, makes it one of the highlights of the Broadway season. This
memorable production of the theatre classic will leave the viewer deeply
impressed.
Off-Broadway, Women
or Nothing, by Ethan
Coen, is a play about two lesbians wanting a baby. They concoct a plan
to seduce a young man working with one of them to have sex with the other
partner without his knowing their intention. Based on this ridiculous
premise, it is hard to enjoy this far fetched plot and empathize with the
characters.
Old Friends, by Horton
Foote, is about an unpleasant family and friends in Harrison, Texas, in
1965. They drink and smoke too much, are nasty to one another, and give a
small town a bad name. It features wonderful actors like Lois
Smith and Veanne
Cox, and a scene stealing Betty
Buckley, as a wealthy, drunken, middle aged friend.
The New York City Ballet began its four week
season with a crowd pleaser. Swan
Lake, by Tschaikovsky,
choreography by Peter
Martins. It has the most beautiful music ever composed for ballet,
magnificent dancing and an absorbing plot. Ashley
Bouder was an exquisite
Odette/Odile, accompanied by Andrew
Veyette as her ardent prince.
The entire cast danced brilliantly, especially in lake and ballroom scenes.
The garish scenery and costumes by Per
Kirkby are not to my taste,
but they are unable to detract from the finest ballet ever created. The
audience was delighted and the ovations were tumultuous.
ATPAM (Association of Theatre Press Agents &
Managers) celebrated its 85th Anniversary at Brasserie Pigalle. It was a fun
party with a spectacular cake created by press agent Philip
Rinaldi. Who knew about his
hidden talent?
We attended the Origin Theatre Company's
Mid-Festival Celebration at the spectacular residence of the Irish Consul
General on the 52nd Floor with a wraparound terrace. The view is magnificent
rivaling the Empire State Building, and the food and drinks were delicious.
The press screenings of the 51st
New York Film Festival September 27 - October 13 continued. Club
Sandwich, by Fernando
Eimbcke, Mexico, 2013, is a film about an overly possessive single
mother and her teenage son enjoying a vacation in a seaside hotel. They meet
a teenage girl, who arouses the son's sexuality, affecting the relationship
between mother and son. It is a sly, perceptive look at change taking place
in a family. An excellent film.
The Dog, by Allison
Berg and Frank
Keraudren, USA, 2013, is an hilarious documentary about John
Wojtowicz, whose attempt to rob a bank, to get money for his homosexual
lover's sex change, was the basis for the film Dog
Day Afternoon. He is obviously a crazy, egotistical character, but so
outrageous that the film makes for compulsive viewing. I was surprised how
much I enjoyed it.
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Jimmy P: Pyschotherapy of a
Plains Indian, by Arnaud
Desplechin, France
2013, is based on a true story about an American Indian (Bernicio
del Toro), injured in the army during World War II, and
his psychological recovery due to his therapist (Mathieu
Almalric). It is a serious, intelligent film, but
therapy is difficult for the patient, and even more grueling
for the viewer.
When Evening Falls On
Bucharest, by Corneliu
Porumoiu, Romania/France,
2013, takes the viewer behind the scenes of filmmaking,
where a director seduces one of his actresses.
Unfortunately, the director is a lying, pompous, arrogant
person, whose conversation is irritating, and we are forced
to watch the dull repeated rehearsals with the actress.
Exhibition, by Joanna
Hogg, UK, 2013, is about a middle-aged couple and their
modern style house in London. After twenty years living
there, they decide to sell it. Apparently, this decision
affects the woman. We watch her roam around the house, eat,
sit at a computer, masturbate, have sex with her husband on
the sofa and prepare for a performance art exhibition. As
the couple are not particularly attractive, and as there is
little dialogue, one can lose interest rapidly in this
pointless film.
Jealousy, by Philippe
Garrel, France, 2013, is about a poor actor (the
filmmaker's son), who has left another woman and his young
child, for an unemployed actress, who cheats on him. As the
undramatic film ends, she leaves him, and he tries to kill
himself. Watching these unhappy people is not particularly
interesting.
Burning Bush, by Agnieszka
Holland, Czech Republic, 2013 is actually a television three
part miniseries about the self-immolation of the university
student Jan
Palachto protest Russia's invasion of Czechoslovakia in
1968. It is well made, beautifully acted and leaves a deep
impression. A special mention must be made of the magnificent
performance of Tatiana
Pauhofova as the
lawyer Dagmar
Borosova who
represents the Palach family in court. In the final credits, it
is mentioned that the lawyer became the Minister of Justice many
years later. How appropriate!
Abuse of Weakness, by Catherine
Breillat, France, 2013, features a remarkable performance by Isabelle
Huppert as a
filmmaker, who suffers a stroke, and becomes fascinated by a con
artist interviewed on television. She decides to star him in her
next film, and he becomes involved in her personal life to
disastrous effect. He persuades her to write many checks for
enormous amounts which leaves her penniless. It is based on the
director's life in 2004, and is frightening.
Inside Llewyn Davis, by Joel and Ethan
Coen, USA, 2013, captures the atmosphere of the folk music
scene in the 1960s in New York, as we follow a week in the life
of a down and out singer/musician, as he performs, visits his
agent, sleeps on friends' couches, interacts with various
acquaintances and tries to find a manager in Chicago. He is
rather an unpleasant character, and his life is grim. The folk
music is pleasant.
Captain Phillips, by Paul
Greengrass, USA, 2013, is based on a true story about a
cargo ship, under the command of Captain Phillips (a dazzling
performance by Tom
Hanks), being seized by four vicious Somali pirates. It is a
spectacular film, which grips the audience like a fictional
thriller. It is certainly one of the best films of the festival.
Opera in Cinema from Emerging
Pictures presented Carmen,
by Bizet,
a production of Handa Opera in Sydney Harbour, a live
performance from April 2 & 4, 2013. This is an outdoor,
amplified (the singers have mikes attached to their heads),
slightly abridged, modern style production. It is extremely well
done. The cast is superb.Rinat
Shaham was a
fiery, sexy Carmen, with a gorgeous, powerful voice. Dmytro
Popov (Don Jose), Andrew
Jones (Escamillo)
and Nicole
Car (Micaela)
sang and acted wonderfully, and the rest of the cast was equally
good. The choreography of Kelley
Abbey deserved a
tremendous ovation, which was easily the best of any production
of this most popular opera. I enjoyed it immensely. It was one
of the most inventive and imaginative productions of Carmen that
I have ever seen.
09-27-13 Curtain call at the opening night
for
"The Glass Menagerie" at the Booth Theatre.
222 West 45th St. Thursday night 09-26-13
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