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On Broadway, a revival of Present
Laughter, by Noel
Coward, will
open at the St. James Theatre on April 5th. We had a
Meet & Greet for the cast, the director Moritz
von Stuelpnagel and the producer Jordan
Roth at
the Royal Suite at The Carlyle, where we enjoyed
refreshments accompanied by champagne. Among the star
studded cast are Kevin
Kline, Kate Burton, Kristine
Nielsen and Cobie
Smulders. I eagerly await the opening.
Sunday in the Park with George,
music and lyrics by Stephen
Sondheim, book by James
Lapine, opened at the newly renovated Hudson
Theatre. As it will not be considered for an Outer
Critics Circle award, I did not review it. The New York
Times did review it, and gave it a rave review. I did,
however, photograph the arrivals and the opening night
party at the New York Public Library. Among the guests
were Producer of Amelie David
Broser and
his charming wife Lorie, Bernadette
Peters (photo below), Holland Taylor, Fran Drescher,
Steven Levenson, Barlett Sher, Rita Moreno glorious
at 85-years-old with her daughter Fernanda
Luisa Gordon, Cameron Mackintosh, Rosie O'Donnell, Barry
Weissler and Amy
Irving, and at the party, the all star cast arrived,
headed by Jake
Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford.
Off-Broadway, All
Aboard!, music and lyrics by Al
Tapper, book by Tony
Sportiello, at the Laba Theater at the 14th Street
Y, is a charming musical, featuring three talented
performers, Brian
Demar Jones, Nathan Oesterle and Sammi
Sadicario, directed by Warren
Scott Friedman. In 90 minutes, it tells three
separate stories between two couples riding a train,
overseen by a conductor, who introduces them and
comments on their journeys. The music is melodious, the
lyrics are intelligent, and the three actors are
endearing. I guarantee you will have a very enjoyable
theatrical experience.
The Imbible: A Spirited History of
Drinking, book and lyrics by Anthony
Caporale, at the Bar at New World Stages, is a
delightful show, in which one receives a thorough
education about drinking intoxicating drinks, and in
which three drinks are served to members of the audience
with popcorn. A Shandy, beer with ginger ale, a cocktail
of scotch whiskey and bitters and a gin and tonic.
Anthony Caporale gives the history with great humor,
with three back-up singers and actors, singing various
traditional drinking songs a
capella, plus acting out
characters mentioned from cavemen to medieval monks. It
is a very entertaining show, and you will not leave the
bar thirsty.
Fish Men, by Candido
Tirado, at Intar Theater, is a play, which takes
place in Washington Square Park at two chess tables,
where three hustlers await their victims to lose at
games of chess, and relieve them of their money. One of
the victims turns out to be not so naive. The five
member cast, directed by Lou
Moreno, give excellent, believable performances.
Chess lovers, especially, will enjoy this
remarkable production.
If I Forget,
by Steven
Levenson, at the Laura Pels Theatre, is a
Roundabout Theatre Company production. It is an overlong
play, with a convoluted plot. An unseen teenager is in
Israel searching for her Jewish heritage. Her Jewish
father, a college professor, is married to a non-Jew.
His overbearing sister is married to a weak man, and
they have a sullen teenage son. His younger sister is
having an affair with a married man from Guatemala, who
rents her grandfather's store. This dysfunctional family
of seven actors are directed by Daniel
Sullivan.
Man From Nebraska,
by Tracy
Letts, at 2econd Stage Theatre, is a slow moving
play, that features a distinguished stage actor, the
incomparable Reed
Birney, as a middle aged religious man, facing a
crisis of his belief in God. His pastor tells him to
take a vacation. He goes to London alone to the distress
of his faithful wife. He indulges in alcohol, drugs,
disco dancing, and unfulfilled sex with a woman with
Playboy size uncovered breasts (voyeurs may enjoy that
scene), and decides he wants to be a sculptor, before he
returns to his senses. In spite of the ridiculous plot,
Birney's understated performance is the reason to see
the play.
The Drama Book Shop presented In Discussion: John
Kander and Greg Pierce. The composer and playwright
spoke about their new musical Kid Victory,
which opened at the Vineyard Theatre on February 22. I
photographed the two gentlemen, before the interesting
program began. The
opening night party took place at Florian, 225 Park Ave
South, where among the guests, many of whom I
photographed at the arrivals, were Chita
Rivera (photo below), Kathleen Chalfant, Paula Vogel, Terrence
McNally, Tom Kirdahy and the splendid cast.
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Film Society at Lincoln Center presented press previews
of Rendez-Vous
with French Cinema: March 1-12. In
Bed with Victoria/Victoria, by Justine
Triet, France, 2016, is about a lawyer, a single
mother with two young children, and the many crazy men
in her life. As she is mentally unstable, it is
difficult to believe in this love story. She also
spends a lot of time, taking drugs, drinking, on a couch
whining to her psychiatrist, and inviting a variety of
weird men into her bedroom for unsatisfying sex. Three
animals, a monkey, a dog and a rabbit appear in the film
for no good reason. I also felt sorry for her two young
girls who play her daughters in the film.
Slack Bay, Ma loute, by Bruno
Dumont, France/Germany, 2016, is a silly film, that
is excruciating to watch. People are disappearing in a
coastal village. Every character is weird and
irritating, and falls down constantly. Charlie
Chaplin did
it better. It is, I suppose, meant to be a comedy, but
there is nothing to laugh at. There is lots of
gratuitous violence, which I do not appreciate. A couple
of characters fly in the air. Why? I have no idea. A lot
of fine actors are wasted in this film.
The Odyssey/L'odyssee,
by Jerome
Salle, France, 2016, is a wonderful film about the
life of Jacques-Ives
Cousteau and
his achievement in preserving nature, after exploring
the sea. The photography is breathtaking, especially the
under the water scenes.Lambert
Wilson gives
a magnificent performance as Cousteau and Pierre
Niney as
his rebellious son Philippe is equally good. It shows
the warts and all of Cousteau as a selfish individual, a
womanizer with an unhappy wife, and his desire to
achieve unrealistic aims. It is a fascinating film.
The Paris Opera/L'opera, by Jean-Stephane
Brun, France, 2017, is a splendid documentary about
a season of ballet and opera at the opera house, with
all the frustrations and triumphs that producing great
works on stage entails. A national strike erupts forcing
the cancellation of a ballet. Union leaders of the
chorus voice their unhappiness over certain desires of
their chorus master. A major singer is sick at the last
minute forcing the management to find a suitable
replacement from another country. At the same time, we
listen to selections of the glorious operatic and ballet
music. There are two principal scenes that will delight
audiences. We see a program for young, adorable children
learning to play instruments, resulting in a fine
concert. Another program for new singers focuses on a
Russian baritone, whose final concert is a resounding
success. Opera lovers will delight in watching this
marvelous film.
The Frick Museum presented a press
preview Turner's
Modern and Ancient Ports: Passages through Time.
February 23-May14. It
is a magnificent exhibition featuring paintings,
watercolors, sketchbooks and prints. The Frick is one of
the finest museums in New York, and no one should miss
these wonderful paintings by Joseph
Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), one
of the greatest British painters of the nineteenth
century.
The Leopard at des Artistes, 1 West 67th Street, has
occupied the space that was formerly Cafe des Artistes,
which was one of my favorite restaurants in New York,
which I visited first in 1971. I was heartbroken when it
closed. Well, rejoice! The new restaurant replacing it
is magnificent.The space is completely different, more
modern, and the splendid murals of gorgeous naked ladies
remain the same, only lighter and cleaner. The food is
exquisite, and the wine list is extensive. Henry
Nekrasov is
the charming maitre d', and his suggestions were a
culinary delight. We began with a regional three-course
tasting featuring Puglia for me, and a la carte choices
for my wife. Each couple of months, a different region
of Italy is featured. One can chose from three choices
in antipasti, primo or secondi, and dolci, accompanied
by three fine regional wines. My wife and I shared our
delicious dishes. We began toasting with a dry spumante,
and a tasting of four rice balls. A burrata, a creamy
cheese, with grilled octopus with heart of escarole
salad, celery, Castelvetrano olives, pickled onions,
extra virgin oil and lemon dressing followed with a
glass of white wine. A plate of enormous size gnocchi
accompanied the antipasti. The primi was busiate
trapanesi, a pasta with a variety of seafood, mainly
shellfish. Again with a glass of a different white wine.
The secondi, main course for my wife was a pan-seared
duck breast "porchetta" with fennel pollen, cipolini
with aged balsamic vinegar, pickled raisins and
vegetable caponata, accompanied by a glass of red wine.
For me, it was halibut "in brodetto" with baby
artichokes and fingerling potatoes, and a glass of white
wine. The Leopard temptations that we chose were
a traditional torta di mascarpone "tiramisu" style, and
a bigne filled with hazelnut cream and wild berry sauce.
A cappuccino for my wife completed a most
memorable Italian dinner. The wine list features
sparkling wine, including two French champagnes, red
wine and white wine from the North and Center of Italy, plus
one rose, and five
select beers. Dinner is served from 5pm - 11pm Monday to
Saturday, and on Sunday 5pm - 10pm. On Saturday and
Sunday, brunch is served from 11:30am -3pm.
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