Gingold's Theatrical Group's Golden Shamrock Gal a
at the 3 West Club is always a magnificent affair. Stephen
Schwartz (photo below) and Penny
Singleton were
honored, and Alison
Fraser and Melissa
Errico were
two of the artists who performed. A cocktail party
preceded the dinner dance. Among the guests were Tyne
Daly, Bonnie Lautenberg, Brenda Braxton and Charles
Busch .
Artistic Director David
Staller is
to be congratulated for another delightful evening.
I attended Juno
and the Paycock,
by Sean
O'Casey,
starring Maryann Plunkett, at the Irish
Repertory Theatre, on Patrons' Night, also according
to the program Opening Night. My best friend is a
patron. David
Staller, Tony Walton and his wife Gen were
there also. The party was held in the lobby, and the
second floor gallery, where Jameson Irish Whiskey
was served and bite size Shepherd Pies.
Vilna, by Ira
Fuchs,
at the Theatre at St. Clements, is a play about the
prejudice against and the persecution of Jews from
1926 to 1943 in the city of Vilna in Lithuania, by
Lithuanians, Russians and Germans. Vilna was
cultural city, the home of a large number of
educated, intelligent Jews. The creation of the
horrors of the ghetto, and the murders in the Polnar
Forest are related in brief scenes by an eleven
member cast, directed by Joseph
Discher.
The director states in a brief note in the program,
that the play is to preserve the memory of those who
perished in the Holocaust. They must be remembered
and not forgotten. It would make a fine documentary
film.
New York City Center presented I Married an
Angel, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics
by Lorenz Hart, book by Rodgers & Hart. It is
a story about a banker (Mark Evans), who
marries an Angel (Sara Means), who
being naive in the ways of humans, causes him
trouble. She changes her behavior to act like a
human, and all ends happily ever after.
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It
is a silly plot, but Rodgers composed beautiful
music and Hart wrote clever lyrics. However, the
dancing is magnificent, especially from Means, who
dances superbly The Honeymoon
Ballet, and the dance
number in How to Win Friends and Influence
People in Act I, and the dances in At the
Roxy Music Hall, where each main character has a
fantasy dream in Act II, are the highlights of the
show. Means dominates the stage, but others support
her wonderfully, especially Evans,
who sings the title song, Nikki
M. James ,
who has a splendid voice, Phillip
Attmore ,
a fine tap dancer, and Haley
Podschun, who
sings and dances marvelously. The entire cast is
excellent, choreographed and directed by Joshua
Bergasse .
The orchestra played the score perfectly, conducted
by Rob
Fisher. I
have reviewed the New York City Ballet for over
forty years, and Means is one of my favorite
ballerinas, and in 1938, Balanchine choreographed
the show and married his Angel, Vera Zorina, whom I
had lunch with in her later years. She was charming.
MoMA is presenting Modern
Matinees: B is for Bacall, Mar 1-Apr 26.
I returned again to see How
to Marry a Millionaire, by Jean Negulesco, USA,
1953, is an entertaining, very funny film about
three attractive models, Betty Grable,
Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall,
who come to New York to marry a millionaire. The
photography is lovely, and the music also. The
views of New York City and the snow covered
mountains (supposedly of Maine} are beautiful.
In the pursuit of millionaires, they find true
love. It is a delightful film.
I attended a dinner honoring actress/singer Kim
Maresca (photo
below) at Tuscany Steakhouse, 117 West 58th
St. Kim has just returned from London where she
performed in Ruthless.
Four years ago, she appeared in
the Off-Broadway musical Ruthless in
New York, and she invited all her former cast
members to celebrate her return. A version of
the show will appear in theaters and Netflix.
The dinner was delicious, and everyone had a
wonderful time.
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