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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE
DAY
American Ballet Theatre (ABT)
closed its eight week season at the Metropolitan
Opera House with The
Sleeping Beauty, choreography by Marius Petipa, staged
and additional choreography by Alexei
Ratmansky, music by Peter
Ilyitch Tchaikovsky. It
is a gorgeous production with lovely costumes and
magnificent scenery by Richard
Hudson, inspired by Leon
Bakst. The third act, The
Wedding Celebration, concludes the ballet with
glorious dancing. Sarah
Lane (Princess Aurora) and Hernan
Cornejo (Prince
Desire) received well deserved applause for their
superb performance, and among the other fine
soloists, Misty
Copeland (Princesse
Florine) and Jeffrey
Cirio (The
Bluebird) were outstanding. Ormsby Wilkins conducted
the orchestra which played Tchaikovsky's glorious
music splendidly. It closed the season perfectly.
MoMA presented Modern
Matinees: Fifteen by Otto Preminger until June 30. Advise
and Consent, USA,1962, is a wonderful film about
politics in Washington D.C. An all star cast fills
the screen. Walter
Pigeon, Henry Fonda, Franchot Tone, Charles
Laughton, Don Murray, Peter Lawford, George
Grizzard, Burgess Meredith and Gene
Tierney are
just a few members of an enormous cast.
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The film takes place, mainly, in the Senate in the
Capitol Building. The President (Tone) wants his
nominee (Fonda) for Secretary of State to be
confirmed. The acting is superb, and the plot is
intelligent and fascinating. The ending is a
surprise. It is one of the highlights of a
magnificent series.
I went to Ziva
Meditation, 252 West 38th St, to photograph
the cast and creative team of Small
Mouth Sounds, by Bess
Wohl. Emily
Fletcher, a meditation expert and founder of
Ziva Meditation, began the press event with a
brief meditation session. I feel much calmer
now.
I saw Wipe
Out, a
selection from Trip
of Love, at Stage 42, with the new star Nia
Sioux "Dance
Moms". She was great, and her mother Holly
Frazier, and the ensemble and creator,
director and choreographer James
Walski joined
Nia on stage for photos. It was a most enjoyable
morning.
Bonnie Comley and Stewart
F. Lane presented
their first BroadwayHD of She
Loves Me on
June 30th. A Wrap Party was held at Sardi's
Restaurant, and most of the cast attended. It
was a swell party to quote Cole
Porter with
good food and fine wine and beer. We wish the
charming couple, Bonnie and Stewart, great
success on their new venture.
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