Off Broadway, the esteemed British actor Simon Russell Beale plays a London taxi driver in Bluebird, a generally depressing play. We follow one day in his life in 1998, as he picks up his fares, a collection of strange, and mostly unpleasant characters, reaching an unconvincing conclusion about his own life.
The Korean Hero: The Musical is a Broadway style musical at Lincoln Center, and is a wonderful production, with a talented cast, headed by Chung Sunghwa in the title role. Among the many distinguished guests at the opening night party on the promenade of the David H. Koch Theater were the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon, Willa Kim and William Ivey Long.
Members of the cast of Hair showed up at Two Boots Pizza on Ninth Ave to taste the pizza in their honor. It consists of white cheese, mushrooms, herbs and pesto sauce. I tried a slice and it was delicious.
There was a photo op. for The Lyons, starring Linda Lavin and Dick Latessa, which will open at the Vineyard Theatre. It sounds great, and I hope to attend opening night.
There was also a photo op. for Motherhood Out Loud, by many playwrights, at Primary Stages, with an excellent four member cast, and it seems interesting. I will certainly attend the opening.
Euphoria, India's first legendary rock band in Hindi, performed at the Kama Sutra Lounge, and it was a pleasure to watch their performance. I spoke with the group before they performed and was impressed by their charm and good manners. I wish them great success in their tour in the United States.
Thank goodness we have Mostly Mozart in the summer. During the final week, I attended a performance which included Symphony No. 22 in E-flat major, by Haydn, followed by the Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, by Mozart, with soloist Bertrand Chamayou, and after the intermission the Symphony No. 29 in A major, by Mozart. The orchestra, as always, played beautifully, under the baton of Jeremie Rhorer, and the soloist was excellent. One of the marvelous things about this series is the opportunity to see very young talented artists, who may become legends in the future. The final concert of the festival began with a brief In memoriam Dylan Thomas, by Stravinsky, followed by Symphony No. 8 in B minor ("Unfinished"), by Shubert, in a sensitive performance by the orchestra, conducted by Louis Langree.
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The program concluded with a splendid Requiem in D minor, by Mozart, with four excellent soloists, Kelley O'Connor, Joseph Kaiser, Morris Robinson and Julia Lezhneva, making an impressive debut in the United States. The 21-year-old soprano has a beautiful, crystalline voice, that rose exquisitely above the orchestra. I look forward to hearing her again.
Yelling to the Sky, by Victoria Mahoney, is a powerful film about a 17-year-old girl of an abusive interracial family, attending high school in a violent neighborhood in New York City. We watch her struggle to survive the crime, drugs and bullying around her. It is a realistic picture of the problems faced by many teenagers today. Zoe Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe are the stars of the film, and were part of the Q & A with the director following the screening at the Walter Reade Theater, and the reception afterwards.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center is presenting a delightful series entitled Ocean Liners August 26-30. Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene has forced the cancellation of the films playing August 27 and 28. I saw The Princess Comes Across, 1936, with Carole Lombard in the title role, Shall We Dance, 1937, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, with glorious music by George Gershwin, and the hilarious A Night at the Opera, 1935, with the Marx Brothers. I also attended a special illustrated lecture by Bill Miller, an authority on these ships, Ocean Liners in Fact, Fiction and on Screen. His knowledge and enthusiasm makes one want to book passage on the next liner leaving New York.
08-24-11
(L-R)
Cast
members
the
stars
Chung
Sungwha.
Lee
Sang
Eun
at
the
opening
night
party
for
"Hero:
The
Musical"
on
the
promenade
of
the
David
H.
Koch
Theater
at
Lincoln
Center.
Thursday
night
08-23-11 |