The New York City Ballet, at the David H.
Koch Theater, presented Jewels,
choreography by George Balanchine,
scenery by Peter Harvey, costumes by Karinska.
When it premiered in 1967, it was an
instant success. Today, it still is. It
consists of three ballets, by three
composers. Emeralds, music by Gabriel
Faure, the decor and costumes is green. Rubies,
music by Igor Stravinsky, is red.
and Diamonds, music by Peter
Ilyitch Tschaikovsky, is white. The
dancing in all three ballets was fine, but Rubies,
with Sterling Hyltin, Andrew Veyette and Emily
Kikta, was exceptional, and Diamonds,
with the glorious Maria Kowroski,
partnered excellently by Tyler Angle,
brought the afternoon to a delightful
close. Andrew Litton conducted the
orchestra, which played the music of each
ballet perfectly.
I was invited to a Gala Dinner and Awards
Ceremony at the Westin Hotel, 212 East 42nd
St. The celebration was for Monaco
Better World Forum Smart Climate Day .
Among the many honored guests, I met and
photographed actress Kiera
Chaplin ,
the granddaughter of Charlie
Chaplin, actress/singer Jazmin
Grace Grimaldi, daughter
of Albert,
Prince of Monaco (photo
below of Kiera and Jazmin), Chief
Raoni, who
won the 2019 Colombe D'Or for Best
Commitment as a figure of the Protection of
the Amazon Forest, who arrived with four
Amazon natives. Jean-Michel
Cousteau ,
the son of the Jacques
Cousteau ,
who heads the Ocean Futures Society, was
also present. The evening included an
auction sponsored
by the French Institute Alliance Francaise. At
my table were charming dinner companions
from Italy, South Korea and Belgium. It was
a lovely, memorable evening for a splendid
cause,
Founding Artistic Director Susan
Charlotte presented Food for Thought
The Wisdom of Eve, Part One, by Mary
Orr, at the Coffee House. A cast of six
excellent actors, including Angelica
Page, Tony Roberts and Louise Sorel,
directed by Antony Marsellis, was
followed by a Q & A.
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I photographed some of the members of the cast
afterwards. It was an interesting afternoon.
I attended the opening night party for Caesar
& Cleopatra, by Bernard Shaw, at the
Lounge at Theatre Row. I congratulated the cast
and the director David Staller, who heads
The Gingold Theatrical Group. Among the guests
were Tyne Daly, Karen Ziemba, Maryann Plunkett, Jay
O. Sanders and Simon Jones. It was an
enjoyable party. A few nights later, I saw the
play. The excellent seven member cast, directed
by David Staller, included Teresa Avia Lim as
Cleopatra, Brenda Braxton as Ftatateeta
and Robert Cuccioli as Caesar (photo
below with his wife Laila Robins).
The New York City Ballet presented three ballets
by George
Balanchine. Valse-Fantasie,
music by Mikhail
Glinka, is a short, pleasant ballet,
staring Erica
Pereira and Daniel
Ulbricht. Kammermusik
No. 2, music by Paul Hindemith,
was the second ballet. Union
Jack, music by Hershy
Kay (adapted from traditional British music)
was the highlight of the evening. All three
sections are delightful, beginning with the Scottish
and Canadian Guards Regiments, followed by
an entertaining Costermonger
Pas de Deux, with Andrew
Veyette and Megan
Fairchild, and concluding with Royal
Navy, featuring many of the leading dancers
of the company, like Sara
Mearns, Sterling Hyltin,
Abi Stafford and WRENS with Teresa
Reichlin. Clotilde
Otranto conducted the orchestra. It was a
wonderful ending to a fine night of ballet.
My good friend, a member of the Irish Repertory
Company, invited me to see Kingfishers
Catch Fire, by Robin
Glendinning, in the W. Scott McLucas Studio
Theatre. The play takes place in a prison cell,
and is based on a true story. Haskell
King is a Nazi commander in Rome, and Sean
Gormley is a priest, who helped allied
servicemen and Jews to escape. It is a highly
intelligent discussion between the two men.
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