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New York City Center Encores! presented Big
River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, music
and lyrics by Roger
Miller, book by William
Hauptman, adapted from the novel by Mark
Twain. Nicholas
Barasch (Huckleberry
Finn) and Kyle
Scatliffe (Jim)
are the leads, directed by Lear
deBessonet, who sail down the Mississippi River in
the 1840s, having many adventures along the way,
while meeting interesting characters. Among them are two
excellent comical ones, David
Pittu as
The King and Christopher
Sieber as
The Duke. The country style songs capture the spirit of
the times, and Muddy
Water which
is reprised at the curtain call is a catchy song, that
the audience hums on leaving the theater. The
melodious music is played excellently by the orchestra,
conducted by Rob
Berman. The Encores! series is one of the highlights
of every theatre season since its inception.
Off-Broadway, Ring Twice for Miranda, by Alan
Hruska, at New York City Center Stage II, takes
place in an unnamed dangerous city, where the
inhabitants have fled. Miranda,
the maid (Katie
Kleiger) (photo below) and Elliot, the butler (George
Merrick) live in the mansion of a wealthy tyrant
named Sir (Graeme
Malcolm). When Elliott is fired and Miranda follows,
they are cast adrift in a cruel world. Four more
characters form the cast, directed by Rick
Lombardo. It is an unusual, weird play, with
terrific acting by the seven member cast. The opening
night party was held in Hurley's Saloon, 232 West 48th
St, where the cast, family and friends feasted
on hors d'oeuvres, cookies and cake, plus wine and beer
galore. It was a splendid party.
Evening at the Talk House,
by Wallace
Shawn, is a production of the New Group. The play
takes place in a theatre bar, ten years after a play had
flopped with the reunion of the cast and playwright, two
of whom went on to success in television. The other six
characters have suffered. It is dark, pessimistic view
of the future of live theatre. The eight member cast, Matthew Broderick (photo
below), Jill
Eikenberry, John Epperson, Larry Pine, Wallace Shawn,
Claudia Shear, Annapurna Sriram and Michael
Tucker are
a pleasure to watch, directed expertly by Scott Elliott.The
opening night party took place at Green Fig Urban
Eatery, 570 Tenth Avenue with a multitude of
celebrities, like Sarah
Jessica Parker, Michael Urie, Daniel Gerroll, Patricia Kalember,
Lois Smith, who congratulated the marvelous cast.
The New York City Ballet presented The
Sleeping Beauty, music by Peter
Ilyitch Tschaikovsky, choreography by Peter
Martins, one of most sumptuous and expensive ballets
ever produced by the company. The scenery and
the costumes were a delight to the eye, and the
production is wonderful. The dancers sparkled. Sara
Means as
The Lilac Fairy, Ashley Bouder as
Princess Aurora and Andrew
Veyette as
Prince Desire were outstanding, especially in The
Wedding, the final scene in the ballet. Among the
other dancers in the final scene who impressed were Chase
Finlay (Gold), Megan
LeCrone (Diamond), Erica
Pereira (Princess
Florine) and Anthony
Huxley (The
Bluebird). The
Garland Dance, choreography by Balanchine,
is the highlight of Act 1, enhanced by the adorable
students from the School of American Ballet. The
orchestra, under the baton of Andrews
Sill, played the score beautifully. It was a
glorious night an the ballet.
The 92nd Street Y presented Let's
Misbehave: The Sensational Songs of Cole Porter, one
of the Lyrics
& Lyricists Series, in The Theresa L. Kaufmann
Concert Hall. David
Loud was
the artistic director, writer & host, and Noah
Racey was
the stage director. Five talented singers, Allison
Blackwell, Lewis Cleale, Nikki Renee Daniels, Rebecca
Luker and Matthew
Scott, performed the songs, accompanied by six
superb musicians, conducted by Paul
Masse. Listening to the clever lyrics from wonderful
songs by the brilliant Cole
Porter makes
one realize what is lacking in much of the musical
theatre of today. Congratulations to Deborah
Grace Winer, the
series artistic director!
Many celebrities came to bowl at the 5th
Annual Paul Rudd All-Star Bowling Benefit for
the Stuttering
Association for the Young (SAY), at Lucky Strike
Lanes, 624-660 West 42nd St. Due to Paul
Rudd's filming schedule, he was unable to attend,
and replacing him was Brandon
Victor Dixon as
the host. Among the celebrities were Gilbert
Gottfried, Frank Wood, Caroline
Rhea and Kelli
O'Hara. Cocktails and
food was served for this worthy cause.
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A reception with wine and hors
d'oeuvres was held before the screening of the BET
International documentary Behind
the Curtain: Eclipsed, about 7 women who took over
Broadway with a groundbreaking play. The playwright Danai
Gurira, the
director Liesl
Tommy and
the five actresses, Lupita
Nyong'o, Akusua Bosia, Zainab Jah, Saycon Sengbloh and Pascale
Armand, plus set and costume designer Clint
Ramos appear
in the film and are interviewed, as well as the lead
producersStephen Byrd and Alia
Harvey Jones. It is a wonderful film about a
magnificent play written, directed and acted by seven
remarkable ladies of African descent. Before the
screening, there was a wine and hors d'oeuvres reception
and after the screening we toasted those present with
champagne and cupcakes. I thanked Stephen Byrd for
inviting me to this memorable event.
Film Society at Lincoln Center presented
press previews of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema:
March 1-12. Django, by Etienne
Comar, France,
2017,is a slow-moving film about the brutality of the
Germans inflicted upon Gypsies in occupied France during
World War II. The famous Gypsy jazz guitarist Django
Reinhardt, is portrayed by a dull actor (Reda
Kateb), who appears in almost every scene, many of
which are filmed in semi darkness. However, the music is
sublime, and there are many musical selections that make
the film worth watching.
Frantz, written
and directed by Francois
Ozon, Germany/France, 2016, is about the effect of
World War I on the survivors in Germany and France. A
German family is visited by a Frenchman (Pierre
Niney) after their son is killed near the end of the
war. He lies about his relationship as a friend of their
son when the son visited Paris before the war. The dead
son's fiancee (Paula
Beer) decides to visit Paris, and discovers that the
Frenchman has many problems, that are revealed during
her visit. The plot has many twists and turns, but it is
a beautiful story about love, loss and forgiveness, and
holds one's interest until the end. The acting is
superb, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
France has experienced many sad global
terrorist acts recently. Unfortunately, Nocturama,
by Bertrand
Bonello, France/Germany/Belgium, 2016, is about a
group of young people, who decide to blow up several
buildings in Paris for no discernible reason. They then
hide out in a luxury department store, where they
continue to act like idiots. There is no virtue in
watching a film like this. It is repulsive, full of
ridiculous violence, loud horrible musical soundtrack,
and most of the characters are unattractive to look at.
Heal the Living/Reparar les vivants,
by Katell
Quillevere, France/Belgium, 2016, tells the story of
a heart transplant. A young man is brain dead from a car
accident. His parents agree to donate his organs. A
middle age lady in another city has a weak heart, and
needs a transplant. The heart is flown to her. It is a
medical melodrama, which shows how to cut up a body and
insert it into a live human being. If you are not
squeamish, this may be your cup of tea. The story of the
two families involved is full of over the top emotions,
and will delight audiences, who enjoy a good cry.
From the Land of the Moon/Mal de
pierres, by Nicole
Garcia, France/Belgium/Canada. 2016, stars Marion
Cotillard, a wonderful actress, who gives
outstanding performances every time she is on screen. In
this beautifully photographed film, she is obsessed with
romantic novels, and becomes oversexed. She begins
pursuing a married teacher, and then she marries a man
she does not love. When she continues acting crazy, she
is sent to a medical spa in the mountains to recuperate,
and falls in love with a wounded army officer (Louis Garel),
which ends tragically. Her performance is mesmerizing.
The Dancer/La danseuse,
by Stephanie
Di Giusto, France/Belgium/Czech Republic, 2016, is
based on the true story of an American modern dancer Loie
Fuller (Soko),
who becomes the rage of Paris at the Follies Bergere,
where she creates an unusual colorful dance spectacle.
She has competition with the arrival of Isadora
Duncan, who went on to steal the limelight. It is a
visually spectacular film, and the acting is superb. The
atmosphere of turn of the twentieth century Paris is
wonderfully recreated.
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