Off
Broadway, LEO, created by
Circle of Eleven, and performed
by Tobias Wegner, is an
unusual one man performance,
that is difficult to describe in
words, but is wonderful to
watch. On stage left there is a
man trapped in a box, and on
stage right there is a same size
video screen of the man in the
box, which is seen from a
different angle. When the man
moves, the screen shows him
defying gravity. It is a
remarkable theatrical
experience. The Picture Box,
by Cate Ryan, is about a
young white lady (Jennifer
Van Dyck) selling her dead
mother's home in Florida and
reuniting with the old black man
(Arthur French) who had
taken care of her during her
youth. The bond between them is
warm and loving and
"colorblind". The five member
cast is excellent, and we
celebrated the opening night in
the lounge at Theatre Row.
Instinct, by Matthew
Maguire, is an unconvincing
play about four scientists
attempting to control an
epidemic, while unable to
control themselves.
The winter
season has begun for the New
York City Ballet, which will
continue through the end of
February. After Balanchine,
Jerome Robbins was the
finest choreographer for the
company, and I attended a
wonderful program of three of
his ballets. In G Major
is a delightful piece which
evokes the French Riviera to
music of Maurice Ravel.
Maria Kowroski and
Tyler Angle were the
excellent soloists. In Memory
of... is a sombre piece
about the death of a young girl,
portrayed brilliantly by
Wendy Whelan to music of
Alban Berg. The program
finished on a comical note with
The Concert, music of
Frederic Chopin with an
outstanding Cameron Grant
at the piano. It was a beautiful
night at the ballet.
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A wonderful dance program Destiny Rising took place at the Joyce Theatre, followed by an after-party at Nisos restaurant. It was a gala for the NYC Dance Alliance NYCDA to benefit the NYCDAF Scholarship Fund.
After a brilliant performance by the pianist Lola Astanova A Tribute to Vladimir Horowitz at Carnegie Hall with Gala Chairman Donald Trump and host Julie Andrews, a benefit for The American Cancer Society, we went next door to the Russian Tea Room where we toasted the talented musician and tasted delicious hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.
Marco Zunino celebrated his debut in Chicago with a lovely party at the Sky Room. Many of his friends from Peru attended, including the Ambassador from Peru Harold Forsyth.
NY Giant Victor Cruz hosted a reception for the unveiling of the Commemorative Superbowl XLVI Artwork by Charles Fazzino at Sofrito restaurant. The food and drinks were delicious.
We went to Helen Mills for dinner and cocktails to catch an exclusive look at Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? the Season 2 premiere of the TV show starring Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa. It was great fun.
At MoMA, Global Lens 2012 January 12-28 continued with Amnistia, by Bujar Alimani, 2011, Albania, a story of a wife, who visits her husband in jail and a man who visits his wife, who is also in the same jail. Both are lonely, and gradually begin an affair, which will reach a tragic conclusion when an amnesty releases their respective spouses. The film offers a bleak look at life among the working class, engaged in boring work or unemployed, and with little hope for a better life in the future. The principal actors give marvelous performances in a powerful, but depressing film.
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