David Shields Talk at Hunter College was a Collage of Critique, Comedy and Social Commentary

David Shields (b Amer 1956) is a writer of novels, essays and creative non-fiction.  His prolific body of works include "The Thing About Life is that One Day You'll be Dead" the NYTimes Best Non-Fiction Pick ('08) and "Black Planet - Racing Race During the NBA season" given the Nat'l Book Critic Circle Award ('99).  The literary event at Hunter College with Shields as guest speaker was an enigmatic & entertaining evening of Shields' sharing of quotes, questions and comments concerning our current political crisis with Trump at its core.  The "reading" felt like an intimate salon event. Shields' persona seemed a pastiche of Woody Allen, Garry Shandling and Chris Matthews; 2 parts quirky humor with 1 part serious current social commentary.  Shields took the podium with a pile of loose papers and selected random pieces to read as he rippled through his scraps.  The book Shields is currently working on he explained is somewhere in the process and how it will progress is uncertain.  The unique reading was unlike any paradigm of a writer/author that I've attended.  Mr. Shields fielding of Q&A from the audience was very thoughtful and engaging.  Mr. Shields' style of writing is a blend of cultural critique, social commentary and profound prose.  It's not truely possible to categorize Shields' writing.  Shields has written "I find it very nearly impossible to read a contemporary novel that presents itself unsell-consciously as a novel, since it's not clear to me how such a book could convey what it feels like to be alive right now."

CAROUSEL A Rogers & Hammerstein Revival that Didn't Need A Reincarnation at Imperial Theater

Rogers and Hammerstein are two of America's most legendary musical composers.  Their show CAROUSEL first opened on Broadway to critical acclaim in April 1945.  The musical is set in a Maine coastal town near the end of the 19th C.  The plot was hokey back then but its hopeful message & the combined musical geniuses of Rogers & Hammerstein and the brilliant choreographer Agnes de Mille made the show a celestial hit.  Regardless, the plot needs too much dusting off to be deemed worth reviving.  It's a dried up and droll show.  Carnival barker Billy Bigelow (Joshua Henry) with swagger & charm falls quickly in love with Julie Jordan (Jessie Jueller) a working class seamstress.  Billy easily succumbs to Jigger's (Amar Ramasar) persuasive plan to a get rich quick robbery in order to provide for Julie and their unborn child.  The robbery goes awry and rather than face prison Billy takes his own life.  Here the plot steals from "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941).  Billy is permitted to return to earth to settle unfinished business.   The musical numbers lack luster except for a couple that can still muster up some shine:  "June is Bustin' Out All Over," "If I Loved You" and the mawkish but memorable "You'll Never Walk Alone."  The show has several of today's most illustrious stars of Broadway & opera.  The singing talents of Tony nominees' Henry ("Porgy and Bess"), Mueller ("Beautiful") and the internationally acclaimed soprano Renee Fleming in the role of Nettie are all highly commendable.  But not enough to make the show recommendable.  It's the choreography by Justin Peck (Resident Choreographer of NYC Ballet) and the fabulous ensemble dancing led by Ramasar (Principal Dancer for NYC Ballet) that give the show its stellar (and much needed) lift.  The majority of musical theater lovers may still be charmed by this production of CAROUSEL.  Except for the stunning dancing I couldn't wait to get off this antiquated ride.

"SHOOTER" by Sam Graber A Prescient Play about Gun Violence Today

Today's massive shootings in schools and public places have left 33,000 innocent people dead each year; equivalent to the deaths from auto accidents.  Changes must be made to mitigate fatalities from accidents but moreover, it's critical to stop the mass murders in our country bleeding from an over abundance of arms & lack of sensible legal restrictions on guns.  The subject of "SHOOTER" is self-explanatory.  The play, written by Sam Graber gives a thoughtful & credible portrayal of an alienated high school student shooter and a troubled adult.  Neither should have been availed access to lethal arms.  The riveting & uncomfortable One Act, 5 character play is strategically aimed at building intensity and leaves one with a heightened sensitivity to the deadly impact of a trigger ready enmeshed society.   The minimal stark white set is versatile and affective in placing the viewer at the scene and behind the scene as to the insane escalation of fatal events.  The play begins with a bang.  Jim (Ean Sheehy) is an emotional wreck.  We learn through his lawyer Ben-David (an excellent David Perez-Ribada, a doppelgänger for Jeremy Piven) who shows concern for Jim's well being & swiftly shifts gages as a lawyer advising Jim not to say anything except when accompanied by him. We garner Jim was the shooter outside a high school that killed an armed student, Gavin (a sympathetic Nicholas-Tyler Corbin) for which Jim is being hailed heroic.  However, a female student was also hit in the crossfire and in critical condition.  The play is told in flashback of Jim's life which has eroded in both his job & marriage.  The mounting isolation & rage in Jim's life is palpable.  Jim's stress appears to decompress with his growing fondness & agility with firearms.  As his instructor Troy (an excellent Michael Gnat)  relieved of duties as an officer for nebulous reasons mentors Jim  on how to fire a gun at a shooting range.  Troy claims "bad guys with guns are beaten by guys with better training."  Troy also notes "The joyless fanatics find sanctity of being from guns which provide purpose.  Guns get back what was lost".  The plot involves a history of 3 friends, Jim, Bend-David (now his atty.) and Alan, a successful physician.  Jim was the odd man out in the group who never achieved the career/financial success of his old pals he used to get into unlawful mischief with as kids.  The climatic build to Jim's heralded taking down of Gavin at his daughter's high school is built on tenuous circumstances.  But the messaging hits the target.  The formula for shooting fatalities festers from alienation & easy access to firearms.   Sensible gun legislation is a must, enough is enough!

Wes Anderson's "Isle of Dogs" Is Bitching! Wes Fetches a Pack of A Listers to Voice His Characters

"Isle of Dogs" is an irresistible twist on the tale of Timmy searching for Lassie.  Well, usually Lassie is rescuing Timmy from the well and for those who don't get this 60s TV show reference, you're just a pup.  This being a Wes Anderson film means it's not your ordinary pre-teen boy searching for his beloved dog "Spot."  Anderson (b Amer 1969) is a film director, screen-writer and extraordinary auteur whose creativity keeps rising towards the moon and to infinity and beyond.  He's been honored with 3 Acad. Award nominations and an Oscar for Best Animated Feature  "Fantastic Mr. Fox" ('09).  In "Isle of Dogs" Anderson returns to stop animation.  The art direction alone is astounding and worthy of more Acad. Award nominations.  The plot may sound banal; boy in search of his lost dog who will stop at nothing and there's nothing that can destroy the bond between a dog & his "master" is anything but mundane.  Anderson's brilliant visionary film is richly layered with pressing political parody, laugh out loud humor and teary eyed emotional thrust.  Just take the shrewd subtitles for Japanese and dogs speaking English doing all sorts of neat tricks.  (You'll just have to imagine it!)   The setting is Japan in the not too distant dystopian future where a harsh dictator suppresses any who dare speak in opposition to his mandates or attempt to be a viable candidate. (Does this sound familiar? The election is a landslide and his opponent commits "suicide").   The megalomaniac ruler has his own sidekick monstrous lout.  The main agenda is deporting all dogs out to an isolated territory that is a depilated dump of darkness and doom.  Dogs have been labeled toxic vermin. Despite a sensible solution to the infectious disease the dictator runs shotgun over a compassionate resolution.  The heroes in this energetic, visually stunning film are the young and fearless who will not be repressed or brainwashed.  Civil disobedience is heralded. Enough is enough!  Except in this magnetic work of art there is no shortage of winning moments.  Scarlett Johansson voices Nutmeg, a stunning show dog.  What a dog! Bryan Cranston voices the stray alpha dog and he's no tramp!  Other stars that lend their talents to a film overflowing with wit & intelligence are Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Liev Schreiber and Frances McDormand.  The added little winks to Disney are fetching as are the quieter, tear-filled scenes. "Isle of Dogs" is destined to become a beloved classic and first in show.

"Shakespeare's Will" a One Woman Performance that Will Startle with Insight of the Wife He Wronged

Playwright Vern Thiessen (b Canada 1964) presented an enlightening albeit dispiriting thesis on William Shakespeare's life as told by his wife and mother of his 3 children, Anne Hathaway (a commanding portrayal.)  So much ado has been rightly made of Shakespeare's voluminous dramatist contributions.  However, this clever biopic accounting is filled contrition concerning Shakespeare as an absent & vengeful husband.  The play begins on the eve of Shakespeare's burial. Anne Hathaway speaks aloud to her late husband, "The sea was the greater lover. You were always a rocky shore".   Clutching a parchment in hand, she vehemently defies Joan, William's sister's entreaties to read what is her late husband's will.   "What a hateful, vicious woman is she," says Anne.  Hathaway tells the history of their relationship which began with a flirtatious banter at the local festival leading to a sexual liaison in Anne's family's barn.  Only afterward she learns he is a mere 18 to her 26 years.  She seems to discern William's sexual preference (not that it matters to her) for boys.  Two months later she finds herself pregnant.  Anne informs William and they laughing agree to marry.  Her father does not share her glee.  He has only harsh sentiments for the poor feckless young man.  In this clever & concise 1 hour monologue Anne addresses William.   She consents to his wish to live apart from her & their children in order to write for months at a time. Months lapse into years and Anne unburdens us with her unpleasantness & tragedies.  Anne shares her grievances and the horrors of the plagues that blighted her mother & entire villages.  Anne is accompanied in her performance by composer/musician Rima Fand.  Fand lends her skills on the keyboard, violin, lute and small percussive instruments which ground the play in the 16th C and progresses the play nicely.  There are jarring dings signifying a shift in time sequence.  The intrigue of knowing what Shakespeare transcribed in his last will & testament builds as Joan's unwelcome but impending visit approaches.  We empathize with Anne's utter dismay & betrayal discovering her husband smitted her and bequeathed their home to Joan and left her little of value.  Thiessen's assertions are smartly corroborated by a parting parchment gift that lists the facts known from  Shakespeare's will.  The playwright does infer that Shakespeare was homosexual and hints at Francis Bacon possibly being the talent behind his literary legacy.  "Shakespeare's Will" will win many thespians favor but likely garner displeasure from the plebeian masses.

"Enough is Enough!" Masses Turn out to Turn the Tide on Gun Violence in our Society

"Enough is enough!" was a clear & compelling message from the masses in NYC who along with 2 students from Stoneman Douglas High School in FL, mothers who lost children in the slaughter at Sandy Hook elementary and NYC's own celebrity Paul McCartney joined together to make their voices heard.  McCartney wearing a t-shirt that read "We Can End Gun Violence" addressed the crowd.  "This is what we can do, so I'm here to do it.  One of my best friends was killed in gun violence  right around here, so it's important to me."  It's important to every student, parent and citizen to put an end to the senseless slaying of young people at their schools, the public attending concerts or fatalities caused by gun shootings.  Some of the other signs amongst the estimated 150,000 marchers in NYC read "Arms are for Hugging," "Never Again"  and "Protect Our Children".  The March for Our Lives shows no signs of relenting its intent to reforming lax gun laws.  Several sensible essential demands are:
1. the ban on assault style weapons
2. universal background checks
3. voting out politicians who receive NRA funding.

This revolution to save lives from future killings shows no sign of relenting.  Casey Sherman, 17, of Parkland School in FL spoke to the Washington DC crowd "My love for Parkland had taken on a whole new meaning.  After all this heartbreak, we have come back stronger than ever.  Those 17 people did not die in vain.  We will stop at nothing until we make real, lasting change."
President Trump has waffled on gun control because he's beholden to the NRA . He signed only minor background checks and school safety measures.  His insane plan to arm teachers is exacerbating an already dangerous and lethal situation in schools.  He is embracing the NRA by promoting more gun sales.
In speaking to some of the students in the march I questioned their fear of future shootings.  "Of course, we're aware that shootings have become all too common an occurrence instilling unease where we should feel safe and that is why we're out in force.  Enough is enough!"  One thoughtful teen added another reminder.   "We as students should be looking for those who are being left out and seek to include them.  All of us can do our part so that other don't feel alienated.  This is the right thing to do. It is what we must do".

Juilliard Spring Dances by Cunningham, Pite and Tharp with the Dancers all Looking Sharp

The Juilliard Spring Dances which got cancelled on Wednesday due to another nor'easter went on as scheduled last evening.  There are two rotating casts of dancers.  The students who were in last night's program were superb.  Both casts danced the same 3 contemporary pieces:  Merce Cunningham's "Sounddance" (1975), Crystal Pite's "Grace Engine" ('12) and Twyla Tharp's "Deuce Coupe IV" (1973).  Cunningham (b Amer 1919-'09) choreographed "Sounddance" to music composed by David Tudor (b Amer 1926-96).  Tudor's composition was an avant-garde electronic mix.  Both the music & the choreography which was revolutionary in 1975 felt dated.  Cunningham often collaborated with John Cage.  Cage & Tudor's "music" are similar; high-tech noise without a melodic theme.  "Sounddance" is an ironic title because the movement is robotic, sharp and rapid unlike an expected ballet style.  It has a mechanical aesthetic.  The dances resemble mannequins; their movements are wound tightly & set at a rapid pace.  There's whimsy to the uptempo ballet class at the barre but the frenzy & scratchy sound effects tilt from edgy to over the edge annoying.  The golden, draped backdrop matches the androgynous gold top, white leggings costumes.  A pleasing aesthetic to the piece were the group ensembles allowing a respite from the flurry & echoed the folds in the tapestry.  Moreover, the dancers resembled the churning of cogs in a mechanism.  In the end, each step was just another cog in the machine.  I was in absolute awe of Crystal Pite's "Grace Engine" ('12) set to music by Owen Belton.  Belton's computerized music has the repetitive sound of a locomotive or of the fast heartbeat of a child in utero.  The choreography was unlike anything I've seen.  The male dancers looked ass if being thrown & tormented with no control over their bodies.  The dancers' movements were staggering & defiant.  The piece possessed a melancholy of loneliness, loss and fortitude.  The dark set had only 1 straight line of bright light.  The dancers formed a line holding hands.  One dancer's movement affected the movement of the person next to them with a fluid sense of continuity with signs of resistance and reluctance.  A mournful pas de deuxe by two women towards the end felt as though they were intertwined & insistent on remaining steadfast to the other.  I read into this piece an image of twins inside their mother's uterus being tossed in continuous momentum.  The line formed by the dancers made me think of an umbilical cord.  I surmised only one twin survived the birth despite the valiant effort to be rescued by their sibling.  "Grace Engine" was remarkable for its inventive choreography, astonishing dancing and for its evocative storytelling. The piece spoke to me of the grace & fortitude to carry-on despite loss and grief.

3 TALL WOMEN Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize Play Starring Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalff

The most highly honored American playwright, Edward Albee (b Amer 1928-2016) has received more Pulitzer Prizes for Drama (5) and Tony awards including the Tony for Award for Lifetime Achievement  ('05).  A revival of his play 3 TALL WOMEN is in previews on Broadway with a trio of A+ stars including Glenda Jackson (A), Laurie Metcalf  (B) and Alison Pill (C).  "A", "B" and "C" refer to the 3 personnas of the same woman who is "A" a woman re-examining & redefining her life as a frail, bedridden (having suffered a stroke) at the age of 92 or 91 if you want to take "A" at her word with skepticism.  The play premiered in 1991 and won the Pulitzer Prize.  I'm perplexed, because I fail to grasp why this play was so heralded.  The construct of the play, done in 2 acts without intermission (or late seating/re-entry) is a melodrama of a rich old bitch, frail & cantankerous who looks back on her long-life as portrayed by Pill as the young, coquettish ingenue who sets the foundation of her character & plots the future.  "B" played by Metcalf is 52, midway in life; an apex for evaluating, projecting and rationalizing her story.  "A" is Glenda Jackson who plays the part of a self-absorbed aristocratic dame who was not only in control of her destiny but reigned upon all those who deigned to enter her fiefdom. The first act "A" is a young atty. who takes umbrage "A"'s commanding domineering ways and takes pleasure in exacerbating "A"'s testy temperament.  "B" is  the paid caregiver who shows genuine affection for her ward and tries to navigate a serene environment.  Needless, as "A" is holding forth on her "haughty taughty" equestrian, bejeweled lascivious lifestyle she suffers a stroke.  The 2nd Act is an affective smoke & mirrors staging which shows "A" lying in a coma and very much alive and well with so much more to tell.  The acting by the 3 distinct women who represent the same woman at 3 phases in her life are outstanding & captivating.  However, the history of this woman reads like a B movie that feels dated and droll.  Is Glenda Jackson worth the price of admission?  Yes, and Metcalf and Pill fill large shoes in balancing the acting amongst this talented trio.  Overall, the revival of Albee's "3 Tall Women" is not triumphant.  Is there salvation in forgetting?  Memory, regrets, expectations - reaping what you sow, and so it goes.  Everyone wants something.  I wanted to see great acting and I did.  3 Tall Women doesn't stand up to its glory days in the theater.

Juilliard Jazz Ensemble's Student Works - Original Compositions "What We Hear"

Last night those who braved the threat of snow which was a no show until now, we were rewarded hearing the ensemble's own compositions.  Aaron Flagg, Chair & Assoc. Dir. of Juilliard's Jazz, said these talented musicians wrote their own compositions "to help {their} colleagues understand each other's vision."  Guest coach Dave Douglas said, "Each member was finding their own sounds."  The ensemble consisted of two trombonists, two bassists, guitarist and drummer. Each composer/musician wrote scores & arrangements for their fellow bandmates.  I noted the composers featured solos for an instrument other than their own.  The musicians gave a brief intros to their pieces, what their reference was to & what they were trying to achieve.  Bass player Adam Olszewski's "Styxian Currents" was seeking a new texture unique to a 2-bass instrumentation while bringing in 2 trombones in a melodic frame.  He said the result sounded to him like the flowing of a river.  I found this too in the hypnotic, exotic & jazzy sounds with the trombone solo's wavering & repeating melody.  Jeffrey Miller on trombone dedicated his composition "Patricia" to his grandmother who raised his twin sister & him after their mother passed away when they were 1 1/2 & his grandmother 50.   His grandmother hasn't heard it yet but he looks forward to having it performed in her honor.  The piece was lovely.  He arranged one bass player to use his bow while the other plucked the bass.  Perhaps, this was to show the harmony & differences between him & his sibling.  Jacob Kelberman had a political agenda to his work "The Problem We All Live With" taken from the title of the famous painting by Norman Rockwell of a young black girl being escorted into school by 4 Nat'l Guardsmen when integration was first federally mandated and met with violent confrontations.  He said he wanted the piece to resonate today with the social unrest in our nation.  The music was strident, percussive and powerful.  It was an outstanding work.  My favorite composition on the evening was the last piece by bass player Mark Lewandowski who hails from the UK.  He found himself being towed while in northern England and while sitting up front with the driver he first heard music by Burt Bacharach.  He was particularly taken with the music's phrasing and with Dionne Warwick singing "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."  I'm a Bacharach & Warwick fan, too.  His piece was titled "Burt".  Burt, if you're out there, I think you'd find a great collaborator here; the piece was very appealing.  I offer congratulations to the entire emsemble on your creativity, originality, collaboration and leadership.  As Mr. Flagg said to me on the way out "They all learned how to tell the other what they wanted from each other."  A great life lesson.  Next: Wynton Marsalis directs Juilliard Jazz Orch.

Ailey II The Next Generation of Dance in an ALL NEW PROGRAM

Ailey II founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble has flourished as a creative company to foster & mentor talented young dancers & choreographers.  Artistic Director Troy Powell  continues to garner fresh talent & ideas with emerging choreographers and dancers that embody the spirit and artistry of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  "The All New" program featured 3 premiers:  "Road to One" choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie, "Touch & Agree" choreography by Juel D. Lane and "Breaking Point" choreography by Renee I. McDonald.  McDonald began her dance training in Jamaica.  She is not only an accomplished dancer/choreographer she is completing her final year in Law School in Jamaica.  Her piece "Breaking Point" was a powerful piece, high energy with demanding physicality.  The music was by Audiomachine and I was impressed with the personification of the music that seemed to emanate through an excellent ensemble.  Moultrie was born in NYC and received his schooling in NYC from LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts and The Juilliard School.  "Road to One" was accompanied by music from various artists.  The dancers in their flowing costumes by Mark Eric Rodriguez made use of every nuanced measure in a delightful, elongated and elegant style.  My favorite piece was by Juel D. Lane an Atlanta native.  He has performed for the Ronald K. Brown/Evidence dance company.  Some of Brown's choreography are included in Ailey's repertoire.  Lane favored a kinetic, high powered energy but it was his quieter pas de deux with 2 male dancers to music by Same Cooke "You Send Me" that was the most stirring and appealing.  Both superb male dancers portrayed a loving and embattled relationship.  The use of 2 chairs as props were put to extraordinary use as the dancers swiftly and effortlessly exchanged their positions standing or sitting as their dance mirrored their push/pull in their relationship. "Touch & Agree" was very inventive and emotionally stirring.  Ailey II is performing through March 25th at their studios on 55th and 9th Avenue.  There is the "All New Program" which was outstanding and the "Contemporary Favorites" which I plan on seeing.

TILDA SWINTON ANSWERS an AD on CRAIGSLIST-Cabaret Swing and a Miss at the Beechman Theater

The cabaret show TILDA SWINTON ANSWERS an AD on CRAIGSLIST is an absurdist comedy that attempts to sell a bawdy, suicidal fantasy that didn't suit my fancy.  That's not to say that Tilda Swinton (Tom Lenk TV's "Buffy and the Vampire Slayer") didn't vamp a performance that was to die for; Lenk's tour-de-force bravado elevates this bizarre, hallucinating farce into an oddly hypnotic show.  Byron Lane is the shows playwright.  Lane is a writer, comedian/actor.  He plays the role of Walt.  Walt is ranting over the phone to Wanda that his burger came with pickles despite his specifically said no pickles.  This tiny debacle is enough to push Walt to the brink of a manic suicidal pity party.   Walt's boyfriend Bobby (Mark Sullivan who also doubles as Walt's Dad) recently left him and Walt is left alone to consume a bottle of non-life threatening anxiety pills.  Enter, the grand dame, Tilda Swinton in haute couture Saran Wrap, sunglasses and a Mary Poppins white feathered tote from which she brings forth a plethora of items including a cappuccino machine.  Tilda is alabaster white faced with platinum blonde hair & appears ambiguously androgynous.  Her personality is anything but understated.  Tilda's bravado & bellowing narcissism won't be winning her any Oscars but she will have you under her bewitching spell.  Meanwhile, Walt's whining wears thin.  Bobby appears to inform Walt he put their apartment on Craig's list when he stops by nonchalantly to drop the key.  Bobby has moved on while Walt is mired in morass.  It's no wonder he's being dumped.  Walt's mother (an excellent Jayne Entwistle) who plays 2 other characters, including Wanda who got Walt's order wrong.  This peculiar play will never play in Peoria nor will it have mass appeal.  However, it did garner lots of glee from the cabaret audience whose inebriated St Patrick's Day drinking may have elevated their spirits and lowered expectations.  TILDA SWINTON ANSWERS an AD on CRAIGSLIST did not add up to a show I recommend.  But, there's a lot to be said for the standout, all out performance by Ton Lenk that draws everyone in.

92ndY Dance Festival Celebrates the Robbins Centennial with NYTheatre Ballet

This year marks Jerome Robbins centennial and it is being heralded in numerous venues.  Spielberg and Kushner on working on a new movie of "West Side Story,"  NYC Ballet is featuring Robbins works and the 92ndY Harkness Dance Festival presented 3 (sold-out) performances of 3 of Robbins works:  "Septet" (1982), "Rondo" (1980) and "Concertino" (1982). "Septet" and "Concertino" are choreographed to music by Igor Stravinsky and "Rondo" to music by Mozart.  All 3 classical ballets have a romantic aesthetic and a streamlined modern approach.  Robbins' genius will remain timeless.  The technicality of the company was first rate.  "Rondo" a pas de deux for 2 women was lithe and vibrant.  Both the 92ndY and the NY Theatre Ballet are to be commended for bringing to their well staged work live instrumentation.  The expense for many dance companies to utilize live music is often cost prohibitive.  The Centennial Celebration of Jerome Robbins program included musicians playing for every piece.  "Septet" featured 2 pianists, "Rondo" a pianist and for "Concertino" two violinists, violist, cellist and clarinetist.  The final pieces on the program were by choreographer William Whitener "Wings" and "A Petroushka Collage" with music by Joan Tower.  It was interesting to see Whitener's compositions in addition to Robbins choreography.  It's worth noting that Mr. Whitener assisted Jerome Robbins with "Jerome Robbins Broadway".  Musicians also accompanied Whitener's including a solo clarinet for "Wings" and for "A Petroushka Collage" a clarinet, flute, violin, cello and piano.  The Harkness Dance Festival at the 92ndY makes possible high caliber dance performances to the public at very moderate prices.  The public should be made aware the dance program is made available in part by the NY State Council on the Arts and should take advantage of the incredible programing that takes place annually at the 92nd Y from February through March featuring a wide variety of professional dance companies.

"Love Simon" A High School Senior Struggles Somewhat with Sharing His Sexual Orientation

"Love Simon" is a likable & thoughtful film about the dilemmas & anxieties of coming out as gay to your friends & family as a teen.  Simon (Nick Robinson "Jurassic Park") is a self-described happy typical high school sr. with fabulous friends and a family he loves except for one "huge ass secret".  The secret holding Simon back from breathing & behaving freely is the fear his whole wonderful world will shatter should he dare utter I'm gay and make it common knowledge in a world that is not welcoming to the gay community.  So far, everything seems to be too perfect in Simon's affluent neighborhood.  He's blessed with parents who love each other (Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel) and both him & his younger sister, a likable aspiring chief.  His friends are cool, good looking and generally kindhearted young adults.  Here I have a major issue.  Simon & his cool rat pack of attractive friends don't resemble teenagers.  They old enough to be out of college.  This is the case; the talented cast are all in their 20s.   It would unacceptable to limit the role of a gay character to a homosexual actor, it badly distorts the reality of a serious subject matter by using actors too old for their roles as teens vying to find they way to feel safe & comfortable with themselves.  This criticism aside, there's much to take pride with a film tackling stress induced issues of finding acceptance in one's immediate family and peer group, let alone a world where homophobia persists.  The film captures the fun of youth (despite an adult cast).  It also presents the absurdity of intolerance regarding sexuality orientation.  There's a clever parody of teens coming out as heterosexual to the horrified responses of their parents. It's funny & outs the point that sexual identity should be a non-issue.  Josh Duhamel as Simon's father makes some off-handed remarks to Simon that would make a child feel their parent's disapproval should they be gay.  Duhamel wasn't credible in his role perhaps feeling uncomfortable himself in his off-putting and pernicious remarks.  Garner fares better as the one who understands her son has been holding back "as if holding your {Simon's} breath for 4 years" and is relieved for him.  He can now live his life freely and with the support of knowing he is loved and that he's still the same decent and incredible person he's always been.  The principal and the drama teacher were scene stealers in their comedic roles wanting to bond and at odds  with their young wards at times.  The last scene is a drawn out rip off from "Never Been Kissed" and was a buzz kill.  But this is a movie not to be missed for its gay protagonist and its many acts of compassion bestowed (besides blackmail) and the power of being honest with oneself and others.   Furthermore would it be so bad to put your cell phones aside and look someone in the eyes?

The Legendary Chita Rivera Performing at 54 Below Shows No Sigh of Slowing She's a Singular Sensation

The 5 time Tony winner for her numerous musicals on Broadway, Ms. Chita Rivera performed for an adoring audience who appreciate the lifetime achievements of this legendary star at Below 54.  Ms. Rivera turned 85 this year and took great delight in playing to her fans and deriding herself with deprecating humor for aging.  Needless, Ms. Rivera is the epitome of life getting better with getting older.  Her vivacious energy (which needed some well cued respites) was infectious.  Ms. Rivera literally dazzled & lit up the room in her red sequined outfit with matching red heels.  Rivera's famous roles include "West Side Story," "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Chicago" "Bye, Bye Birdie" and "Nine" to name a few of the numerous iconic movies and Broadway shows Ms. Rivera played a major role.  Her illustrious career crossed paths with so many remarkable creative geniuses.  She has moved amongst a circle of the elite echelons of composers, actors and entertainers.  Rivera's name dropping was delightfully delicious.  Ms. Rivera is an entertainment legend.  Her talent & tenacity entitle her every right to flaunt her intimate first name basis with the likes of Lennie Bernstein, Jerry Robbins,  Bob Fossie & Gwen Vernon, Terrence McNally, Rob Marshall and Antonio Banderas "whose every bit as wonderful as you think he is."  She talked about how fortunate she  feels to have such a rich life, a wonderful daughter, wonderful friends "some are talented and many are not so talented." Ms. Rivera has been nominated for the Tony ten times.  She received the Kennedy Center Honor ('02) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Pres. Obama ('09). This is a woman going strong with a vivacious energy that is charismatic and awe inspiring.  From the numerous shows she starred Ms. Rivera did several numbers including songs from "Chicago," "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and of course, "West Side Story."  Her talented musical trio on piano/vocals, bass and drums/guitar backed her up beautifully.  If someone living under a rock stumbled into Below 54 to hear Ms. Rivera sing and do some snappy but limited hoofing they might think this dazzling dame didn't have a winning game; a less than spectacular singing voice and flimsy footwork.  But you'd have to have been under a rock decades not to revel in her royal reign of musical theater.  Furthermore, this singular sensation shows no signs of stopping.  Ms. Rivera I would love to be among one of your fortunate friends; albeit amongst the not too talented set.

Balanchine & Robbins Talk at the 92ndY Why? To Promote the Dance Performances this Weekend

Author & dance critique Nancy Goldner "Balanchine Variations" is considered a leading authority on Balanchine.  Ms. Goldner told us she was a dance critic for the Philadelphia Enquirer.  She didn't inform us she was also a dance critic for the Christian Science Monitor.  I didn't know there was a dance critic for that publication and I don't know why it wasn't mentioned.  To begin she wanted to show an excerpt from Robbins' "Fancy Free".  Unfortunately, there were technical difficulties.  During this down time a woman in the audience asked Goldner how she became a dance critic?  She said she was a long time attendee of the ballet and wrote a terse letter to the editor who invited her in for an interview "because he liked the brevity of my letter."  The video began and cut off any further discussion on her start as a prof. dance critic.  "Fancy Free" is one of Jerome Robbins' ballets made for the NYC Ballet (NYCB) with George Balanchine as its artistic director.  Balanchine & Robbins are closely associated contemporaries who created some of the most important ballets & dances of the 20th C.  Both artists choreographed for NYCB.  Goldner thought to enlighten us on the differences in the choreography between the two.  Just after viewing the short clip of "Fancy Free" Goldner said we there were two different styles of dancing in the piece.  I asked Ms. Goldner to clarify what the two styles were.  I noted one was clearly ballet but what was she referring to by the 2nd, what were we seeing?  This seemed to ruffled Ms. Goldner who asked me "Well, what does it mean when the dancer does this?" gesturing with her hands.  "I'm not sure" I said. "Is it theatrical, is it Martha Graham, how would you define it?"  Goldner was dismissive of my direct & simple question and called on someone else.  I'm disappointed she failed to answer.  I question the veracity of a critic who makes the statement of seeing 2 styles and not having them clarified.  This was a massive missed opportunity to gain an insight into how to view dance with some trained directives.  The other guest on the panel is the Dir. of the NY Ballet Theater, Diana Byer.  Ms. Byer explained how her company, which functions on a very tight budget, was able to procure the rights to perform the 3 Robbins' dances to be performed at the 92ndY this weekend:  Rondo, Concertino and Septet.  The discussion was a missive for promoting the performances today although there was no need as it was pointed out both performances are sold out.  I'm looking forward to seeing the performances but this Balanchine & Robbins talk was unsatisfying.  Unlike the editor of the Philadelphia Enquirer, I would not hire her, Nancy Goldner.

BEING NEW PHOTOGRAPHY 2018 AT MOMA A "How Photography Capture What it Means to Be Human"

The new photography show at MoMA BEING NEW PHOTOGRAPHY 2018 just opened Wed. morning in preview.  The staff were still installing work as we walked through the empty galleries.  A little performance art to go with some big ideas and some rather raw photos that I don't think sufficed to make noteworthy.  We are greeted at the entrance to the exhibit by a regal female figurehead "All in One" by Aida Muluneh (b Ethiopia 1974).  Her large photo headshots with vivid pigmentation have a dazzling palette of startling white, yellow, red and blue.  The photos are riveting.  Muluneh uses multiple hands & facial adornments making the solitary figures appears as omnipotent goddesses.  In fact, the first gallery seems to pay tribute to women perhaps in honor of women's month.  There is a startling doppelgänger diptych photo of a women in black/white.  The photo radiates a soft smoky grey timber.  The woman's hair is shorn and she is wearing a grey hoody.  In the first photo she is staring away from the lens and in the 2nd, she is looking straight at the viewer with confident composure.  Her gaze is arresting.  Keeping with an amazonian theme are a collective of large black/white photos of women which are connected by a partial image of the woman pictured in full in the next series.  There's a driving energy but only in passing.  The massive assemblage of photos culled by Carmen Winant (b Amer 1983) which are the graphic, often squeamish photos of women giving birth "My Birth" ('18).  The narrow pathway in which one walks through is reminiscent of Serbian performance artist marina Abramovic's installation of 2 live nudes positioned in a doorway passthrough at the MoMA several years ago.  Provocative, sure but purposeful, I'm not sure and one is hard pressed to attach the import to art but rather merely attribute the omnipotence of women for giving birth, but enough said.  Paul Mpagi Sepuya (b Amer 1982) takes the thunder out from under the women with his semi-erotic and cleverly staged photos using "smoke & mirrors".  His self-portrait photo "Untitled" ('17) shows a black male nude with arched back sitting in front of a draping curtain.  This the strongest piece in the exhibit for its artistry, self-assurance and clever homage to the great Renaissance artists.  The last gallery has a series of photos taken by Matthew Connors's in North Korea from 2013-16.  These photos are mysterious, enigmatic and often sympathetic to their subjects.  A little girl dressed in school girl uniform with red scarf and skirt afloat stands rigid with her eyes closed.  Is she daydreaming, is she disassociated from others, is she frightened; the questions that this moment captures are endless.  The photo of a single swimmer in the nighttime is both haunting and alluring.  (How did Connors gain access to N. Korea?).    Stephen Shores eclectic photos at the MoMA but somehow much more energetic than the"New Photography". is worth another look.  "New Photography"

David Rabe's Play GOOD for OTTO has a Lot ah Going On for too Long-Stars Ed Harris, F. Murray Abraham

 The world premier of GOOD for OTTO at The New Group is by playwright/screenwriter author David Rabe.  Rabe (b Amer 1940) is a Tony winning playwright ("Sticks and Bones").  He's received  numerous Tony nominations and is a recipient of the Nat'l Instit American Academy Award in Literature.  The play features an ensemble case of talented stars including F. Murray Abraham, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan and Rhea Perlman.  The premise seemed promising especially from such a gifted and perceptive playwright.  Two psychiatrists, Dr. Ryder (Amy Madigan) and Dr. Michaels (Ed Harris) provide unwavering support for a motley cross section of people who are mentally unstable, suicidal or desperately lonely.  I laud Rabe for addressing the mental health crisis in the US and for the  denouncing the fallible social services more concerned with saving finances than lives.  But, this is an arduous play to endure at 3 hours + running time.  The savior mindsets of the Drs. while admirable becomes draining and the plethora of pain insurmountable.  Dr Michaels wishes to help Frannie (Rileigh McDonald) overcome her trauma from an abusive parent and become her guardian.  Nora (a wrenching performance by Rhea Pearlman) is Frannie's tender foster parent. Frannie's mania & self-destruction render Nora feeling utterly helpless figuring out what's best for the child.  The scenarios between Dr. Michaels, Nora and Frannie are achingly painful.  Dr. Michaels direct confrontation with Marcy from Social Services (Nancy Giles) is a perceptive & paradoxical double-talk.  This is masterful dialogue but the truth in our failing mental health care system renders it doubly disturbing.  There are multiple characters who spin in & out of the Drs' offices making for a fractious, frenzied & convoluted study of therapy session.  Barnard (a captivating F. Murray Abraham) gives his baffling patient role gusto even if you can't follow.  Timothy, a desperately lonely autistic adult (played with conviction) is the most sympathetic character.  He's not in any danger of hurting himself, he's his own worst enemy trying & wanting desperately to broaden his social circles.  His attempts parallel his pet hamster, Otto, who keeps running around in circles going nowhere.  Ah, all the lonely people, where do they all come from?  Dr. Michaels' mother who comes in & out of the play through his psyche at the age in which she committed suicide torments & taunts him to join her.  This underlying storyline is oppressive and off-putting in a play that is overly despondent.  The cast spontaneously breaks out in old kitschy songs which serves to scramble a serious drama into sheer madness.  Timothy's love for his pet Otto was the only solace to be found amongst the maudlin maladies in this chaotic & sorrowful mess.   Good for Otto!

Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane and Marianne Elliott on "Angles in America" A Tremendous Times Talks

The Times Talks series had an A+ trio of speakers:  actors Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane and the director for "Angels in America".  The dynamo trio were discussing the Pulitzer Prize winning play in which Garfield portrays Prior, a young man dying of AIDS & Lane (as Roy Cohen) under the direction of Marianne Elliot.  Ms. Elliot is the Tony & Olivier winning director for "Curious Incident of the Dog...," "War Horse," "Saint Joan."  Her next project for the fall of this year is directing  a revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Company."  Garfield & Lane both garner numerous acting awards.  Lane was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame ('08).  Garfield won the Oscar for "Hacksaw Ridge".  All three on the panel were thoughtful, cogent, clever and engaging.  I  fault 2 things; it was too short and the moderator, Philip Galanes turned the talk too much towards himself.  Galanes writes the Social Q's and Table for the NYT.  He needed to mind his own Ps&Qs and allow for the prestigious panel to hold court.  It was a shameful waste of time his bemoaning  how frightened he was by the Broadway production ('91); "terrified for my life as a gay man."  Elliot didn't continent fools.  Her prickly response to Galanes' insulting question "How CAN you manage the play so as to be less confusing for the audiences." "Tell me what was confusing for you?"  Elliot explained to this dolt it's a complex layered play, it's vastly ambitious, represents a historic epoch and told with fantastical storytelling.  All three lauded the genius of Kushner's writing.  They concurred this play as one of their most demanding & rewarding theatrical experiences.  Lane was charming, humorous &  lovable.  He spoke of his approach to assuming the role of Roy Cohen, his reluctance and gratitude at having the opportunity to be part of this monumental theatrical epic and gargantuan collaboration. Garfield echoed Lanes' comments and said, "This is the most challenging and rewarding work {he} would aspire to tackle again."  Galanes gave keen insights into her methods; "trying and then failing and then trying again and trying to fail less."  She addressed the aesthetic she wanted from the "Angel," a tattered, nightmarish apparition.  I learned Kushner's play stemmed from his dream which he transcribed into a poem.  He has retained the poem and never released it.  It became the catalysis for the play.  The panel was rankled by a Q&A from the audience (as was I) to sum up the play's meaning to them in 3 words.  Lane said it was  impossible for him, Elliot shook her head with dismissal and Garfield answered with one word, "collaboration."  One word to describe the evening, stupendous.  It would have perfect less this moderator.  Lane graciously stopped him from cutting off the last question "Wait, let's hear from this lovely lady."

"Thoroughbred" A Teen Thriller that Leaves the Rest of the Pack in the Dust - A 1st Class Winning Pick!

The young adult movie, written & directed by the very talented 20 something (American born) Cory Finley.  Finley does an extraordinary job writing & directing an intense character study of 2 high school girls both kicked out of school on nefarious grounds.  The first shot is seemingly serene between (yet unbeknownst Amanda) and a horse inside a paddock.  The movie then shifts to Amanda (an amazing performance by British actress Olivia Cooke) being dropped off at a stately home.  She being dropped off at stately house where she's told to remain in the foyer while the help fetches Lily (an astonishing tour-de-force performance by Anya Taylor-Joy).  Amanda doesn't adhere to orders and she peruses the premises with an aura of ownership while the camera captures every prance from room to room.  A photo above the mantle of a young girl atop a horse arrests Amanda's attention.  When Lily finally finds her way down through the maze of this mansion the two sit down for Amanda's tutoring by Lily.  It's apparent Amanda isn't in need of mentoring and there's a palpable tension between the girls like 2 thoroughbreds chomping at the bit.  Amanda has perfected reading people's faces and at feigning tears.  Lily wants to know if Amanda has any feelings.  "I trick myself into believing I have other people's emotions and imitate them," Amanda cooly responds.  Amanda contends she has no feelings which isn't a bad thing but "{I} have to work harder at being good."  Finley is frighteningly fiendish in the style of Jordan Peele's brilliant thriller "Get Out." The suspense mounts within the affluent CT suburbs of wealthy, privileged white people.  Mark (Paul Sparks "House of Cards") is the wicked step-father whom Lily despises.  Amanda proffers a plan for murdering Mark without getting caught.  This haunting cat & mouse caper/chess game is non stop roller coaster ride.  Lily listens to Amanda as she maneuvers large outdoor chess pieces which are indistinguishable in color and her moves don't adhere to chess game rules.  The viewer can't help but get caught up in this sumptuous mysterious noir film that is (as Peele succeeded in doing) a unique genre blending suspense, sociopathic character studies and social parody.  The girls try to rope in Tim (Anton Yeltchin b Russia 1989-2016) an older loser whose already in trouble with the law.  (This was Yeltchin's last film role before he was accidentally asphyxiated.)  Even Tim realizes it's time to GET OUT from the plot hatched by the far more clever & sinister beauties.  "Throughbred" outshines the other contenders in the teen thriller genre with this first rate winning film that surpasses its marks trotting out every well paced split second.

Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" Comes Back to Broadway but It's Impact Plummets

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner (b Amer 1956) floats amongst the top echelon of contemporary playwrights, authors & screen writers.  Other honors include 2 Tonys, an Olivier Award, & 2 Oscar nominations ("Lincoln" directed by Steven Spielberg) & an Emmy for "Angels in America"directed by Mike Nichols ('03).  In 2012, Kushner was awarded a Nat'l Medal of Arts by Pres. Obama.  Kushner in the eyes of those who admire & glorify his enormous talents shroud him with praise of an infallible Icarus.  Alas, this highly anticipated theatrical revival falls from grace despite the talents of Andrew Garfield & Nathan Lane (whose comic delivery of Roy Cohen was damaging.)  Even with the ebullient presence of Mr. Kushner seated amongst the audience & graciously taking selfies, "Angels in America" limped along on fractured wings.  This play doesn't hold a candle in comparison to Nichol's TV production.   Blame is doled to the accomplices with paltry acting and faulty staging.  Nathan Lane as Roy Cohen was guilty of impersonating himself playing strictly within his comic lane which was too narrow a portrayal for the hypocritical & sinister emotional center of "Angels".  Garfield as Prior Walter, dying of AIDS and abandoned by his fickle lover Louis (a fine James McArdle) was poignant & stirring in his role.  Alas, the rest of the cast, except for a superb Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) as the bumptious nurse to Roy Cohen fade into the background.  Stewart-Jarrett also played the role of Mr. Lies but the role was flimsy and added to the flotsam & jetsam that laden this American Gothic.  Kushner's brilliant writing glimmered throughout and his ambitious breadth of blending historical events, cultural & religious conflicts & conundrums was admirable.  Unfortunately, the script was fractured by too many fleeting distractions including a frenetic set and dismal choreographing; especially disappointing in the Angel's aberrational transformation.  For both the Angel Shadows & the audio/animatronics with black clad costuming looked cheap.  "Angels in America" strives for a purposeful & powerful storytelling of America's factual Lucifer figures & a most shameful epoch.  Hopefully, our nation has moved forward in tolerance, acceptance and justice.  But, it's naive to believe this the case.  "Angels in America" has soared before to the heavens as Icarus flew towards the sun.  Perhaps, Mr. Kushner is not done with revising this production which soars & then melts into a bore.  Prior productions have been magnificent.  One can aspire for "Angels in America" now in previews to open & soar like a Phoenix.

"Public Parks Private Gardens: Paris to Provence" at the MET at Precisely the Perfect Point in Time

In previews, (ironically limited to the privileged and not general public) the MET's refreshing exhibit "Public Parks Private Gardens: Paris to Provence."  The exhibit will open to the general public next week at a time when NYC is besieged with winter's wrath and spring is still a glimmer on the horizon.  But, this pleasurable promenade in the lower gallery situated around a staged outdoor garden replete with fountain, benches and large potted plants.  No great expense was spared to establish a faux garden (the potted plants were flimsy and the fountain barely trickled) but it is situated beneath an ocular greenhouse windows.  A pity that the exhibit couldn't look out at our city's own Central Park.  The massive collection of paintings, drawings, photos and few but exquisite glass or ceramic vases were garnered from the MET's own collection.  There is an interesting showcase of watering cans from the 19th C epoch (on loan) that was delightful & whimsical.  This was an interesting time in French history; post Revolution and pre WWI.  France was coming into an era of tranquility and having obtained property hereto only in the hands of royalty, public lands were becoming meccas to the masses.  Citizens were ready to cultivate outdoor spaces and began to redefine the lay of land, by lining promenades with trees and gardens and cordoning off floral gardens and designing landscapes.  This agricultural revolution launched both a movement for sylvan, floral havens for public socialization and spurred many artists to capture the natural beauty found in nature and the sheer enjoyment of experiencing outdoor public spaces.  Many of the most highly esteemed (mainly) French painters from this epoch are represented with their works whose beauty illuminates nature's own.  The most well known artists' works assembled are Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Lautrec, Vuillard and Van Gogh.  Van Gogh's sunflowers and lilies are breathtaking & revitalizing as are Matisse's floral paintings of peonies.  Mary Cassatt shall not be overlook for her magnificent portraits painted in outdoor settings.  The circular staging of the exhibition is subdivided into sections.  The floral paintings are perfectly lovely.  French society found les fleur de rigueur dan les parlors.  I enjoyed the portraits painted outdoors to be more interesting and celebratory of the great outdoors.  "...characteristic of our Parisian society is that everyone in the middle class wants to have his little house with tress, roses, and dahlias, his big or little garden, his rural piece of the good life." (Eugene Chapus) This is the perfect place to promenade with a companion and take in the picturesque scenery of the spring/season that is soon to bring scores of people in NYC Central Park.

92ndY Talk on America's First Ladies by Scholarly Douglas Brin But for a Few Gaffs

Today's talk led by Douglas Brin, journalist & teacher at NYC's Dalton School on America's First Ladies reminded me how much First Lady Michelle Obama is missed.  She didn't make the chronological cut despite making the grade. Today's lecture was laden with interesting titillating tidbits spanning from First Ladies Grover Cleveland's wife to the most beloved First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.  Cleveland's wife was compared to Mrs Kennedy & dubbed the First "super celebrity" First Lady.  Noted:  Mrs. Kennedy & Mrs. Cleveland were the only 2 presidential wives who remarried after the deaths of their husbands.  Cleveland is the only President who served non-consecutive terms.  He's the only President who married while in the White House.  Scandals were present in the past but the current jackass in the White House is heinous and should get kicked out on his ass. Cleveland had a child with his mistress which he didn't deny.  He assumed financial  responsibility but left his son in foster care after the mother of his child was committed to a mental institution.  The mother managed to escape and kidnapped her son from his foster family.  She was caught & sent back to the mental hospital and her son to his foster parents.  The Republic Party ran a clever but futile slur campaign, "Ma, ma where's my pa?  Gone to the White House hah hah hah." Pres. Cleveland's wife Frances was 28 years younger.  Together they had 6 children  though it was rumored (and likely) that not all 6 were his.  Cleveland was the 2nd heaviest Pres. and his young intelligent wife very glamorous.  Upon leaving the White House after losing his 2nd bid for election to Benjamin Harrison, Mrs. Cleveland told the servants not to change anything "We'll be back."  The speaker claimed Mrs. Cleveland was the only Presidential wife to give birth in the White House.  Gaff #1 - Mrs. Kennedy did give birth to a son Patrick (b 8/071963-8/09/1963).  Pres. Harrison, the interim President was infamous for being corrupt also maintained an illicit, unseemly affair with his niece while his wife was dying and then married her.  Gaff 2 - Brin stated in 1920 women won the right to vote to their advantage.  This was to everyone's benefit.  William McKinley bucked his predecessor's lascivious libido's and was known as a devoted husband to his wife Ida.  Mrs. McKinley suffered from epileptic seizures which were exacerbated by the loss of their 2 young daughters.  (Tragically, the vast majority of Presidents have buried a child.)  Pres. McKinley bucked tradition & sat his wife next to him at State dinners to shield her.  When McKinley was shot while in a receiving line his last words were "My wife, be careful how you tell her." Gaff 3 - Brin remarked on Pres. Teddy Roosevelt being shot in Milwaukee & belittled the city.  Golda Meir was the 1st Prime Minister of Israel.  She was born & raised in Milwaukee as was yours truly.

Tulsa Ballet at Joyce Premiers Ma Cong's "Glass Figures" A Powerful, Inspiring and Elegant Opus

The Tulsa Ballet Co is highly regarded amongst the finest ballet companies in the world.  Tulsa Ballet brings an extraordinary blend of traditional ballet with innovative artistic creativity.  The ensemble of dancers are expressive and versatile.  The choreographic pieces on last night's program was a liturgy of anthropomorphic movement that was astonishing in Helen Pcikett's choreography ME{Cryptic symbol}AL (AMONG).  SHIBUYA BLUES choreographed by Annabelle Ochoa to a blend of electronic music was mesmerizing.  The pas de deus were a welcomed juxtaposition from the rigid, shocking in sync figurations.  The highlight of last night's performance was Ma Cong's truly inspiring "GLASS FIGURES" making its NYC premiere.  Ma Cong (b China) began his career studying at the Beijing Dance Acad. and went on to dance with the Nat'l Ballet of China.  He's since worked with the finest Int'l Ballet Companies:  Paris Opera, Royal, ABT & NYC.  Cong is the Resident Choreographer for of the Tulsa Ballet.  Numerous choreographers are drawn to the genius of Glass' contemporary, minimalist & repetitive movements but other than Jerome Robbins, Ma Cong is the only choreographer to capture Glass' genius as he captures brilliant musicality through the power & elegance of his dancers & extraordinary composition.  The ballet was breathtakingly beautiful. GLASS FIGURES elicited joy, awe and a visceral emotional response.  The costume designs by Susan Roemer reinvented the tutu for the 21stC with bathing suit bodices and minimal structured skirts in metallic grey with bright orange trim.  Les Dickert's lightening proved less is more when highlighting sensational dancing.  BRAVO is due to choreographer Ma Cong, dancers and Artistic Dir. Marcello Angelini (b Spain) for Tulsa Ballet's excellence in the world of ballet.  

"The Tet Offensive: 50 Years Later" in Discussion with Columbia Prof. Nguyen and Max Boot at NYHistoric Soc.

Lien-Hang Nguyen (b S. Viet Nam 1974) is an assoc. prof. at Columbia Univ. of US & E. Asia history.  Nguyen is the author of the just released book "Hanoi's War: An Int'l Hist. of the War for Peace in Viet Nam."  Nguyen was at the NY Hist. Soc. to discuss her latest book with Max Boot.  Boot is Sr. Fellow for Nat'l Security Studies for the Council on Foreign Relations & author of "The Road Not Taken:  Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy."  This talk is in conjunction with the Viet Nam exhibit at the Historic Soc.  Both are experts on the Viet Nam (VN) War, the years leading up to US involvement and the Cold War aftermath.  Nguyen is fluent in Vietnamese.  She was 5 months when her family fled Saigon in April of 1975.  Her personal story was very interesting.  She is the youngest of 9 children.  Her father was Catholic & part of the anti-communist movement during the massive migration from the North to the South.  Her mother was a Buddhist & worked as a seamstress while her husband became a military recruiter for the South Vietnamese.  "{We were} very typical of many families living through the civil war" said Nguyen.  The family's harrowing escape as told to her by family members began with her father being alerted to US soldiers pulling out in April '75.  He rushed her family onto a fleeing dingy meant for 20 filled with 100 people.  They were rescued by a US military ship then transported & transferred through 3 refugee camps.  The family was brought to a camp in PA and then sponsored by the local Methodist Church.  Her father found employment with Amtrak & her mother for the postal service.  Both parents stressed the importance of education.  Researching the "Tet Offensive" in VN Nguyen said she was granted access to closed archival information in part due to her heritage & fluency.  But the most informative & enlightening materials were obtained through little known memoirs of party officials and "renegade" interviews which would not have passed censorship.  Nguyen proffered surprising revelations of intense power struggles and unbeknownst stories of survival.  Noted:  Ho Chi Minh (HCM) had been exiled to Beijing and more a figurehead than in command of the North Vietnamese Army.  It was HCM's strategy to launch massive general offensives to quell resistance but the north was unable to overcome the Saigon regime only prolonging & exacerbating the agonizing suffering & devastation.  Warfare escalated in 1968-9 with massive bombings, fatalities, LBJ's refusal to run & growing dissension in the US.  Walter Cronkite gave an editorial after visiting VN at the height of the Tet Offensive. "We are mired in stalemate is the only realistic conclusion" and urged "the only rational way out is to negotiate."

Wayne McGregor' US Premiere "Autobiography"-It's Phenomenal and Puts Dance on an Elevated Plane

The multitalented and multi-award winning choreographer/director Wayne McGregor (b UK 1970) is a maverick trailblazer in the dance world.  "Autobiography" made its US premiere at the Joyce theater last week.  It is the most oustoundingest supreme spectacle of choreography I have been privileged to watch as a gaped mouth onlooker.  Before you think I didn't spellcheck outstandingest it's because McGregor's work is so astonishing there aren't enough superlatives to do justice to the choreography, dancers, lighting, costuming, stage designing.  McGregor has advanced the artistry of dance to another plane ahead of the approximate vernacular to describe.  This was a breathtaking virtuoso performance of such stunning beauty & power that while it is inspirational it is far beyond reach for most mortals to aspire to this level of skill & inventiveness.  McGregor's choreography has been performed by the world's leading ballet companies in addition to modern dance companies such as the always exceptional Alvin Ailey Amer. Dance Theater.  He has jetted the dance world on its head with every move he makes.  The ensemble of dancers' displayed astounding agility, musicality, and divertissements; movements were graceful, strong nuanced and poignant.   The program prints his first name backwards & upside down melding the upside down W fo the M for McGregor.   The concept, direction & choreography for "Autobiography" were McGregor's.  Accolades must be given composer Jin's electronic music, lighting design by Lucy Carter and set design & projection by Ben Cullen Williams, a London based visual artist & designer.  The costumer designer Aitor Throup (b Argentina) is a British designer, artist and creative director.  The androgynous black, white, nude palette and ephemeral costumes were magnificent.  The dancers stripped down to bare minimal black shorts, sports bras and the male dancers bare chested for the final movement.  Bravo to all the artists who contributed their talents to making this profound and visually stunning work of art. The dance company was an integrated ensemble of male/female and multi-ethnicities.  If I were to be cynical (and I won't) I would claim the dancers (whom I watched & envied from the 4th row) all so good-looking it felt like an opening to an advertisement or runway show.  Perhaps, McGregor could be charged with hiring only the most beautiful & talented dancers.  If I were a talent scout or casting director or artistic director I'd be looking to lure away all these dancers.  In the meantime, the dance world should be looking to what new heights  Wayne McGregor is going to extend dance and dramaturgy.  I hope McGregor will allow other companies to use his choreography.  It should be seen in numerous originations.

Broadway's LOBBY HERO Stars Chris Evans (Captain America) but It Didn't Win Me Over

LOBBY HERO is a 2nd Stage Production playing at the newly refurbished Helen Hayes Theater.  Playwright Kenneth Lonergan is an Acad. Award nominated dir/screenwriter ("Manchester by the Sea").  Lonergan (b Amer 1962) is also an acclaimed playwright.  His previous play "The Waverly Gallery" was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.  His last play on Broadway "This is Our Youth" was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.  LOBBY HERO, Lonergan's newest play is about to open on B'wy and already garnered a Drama Desk & Olivier Award for Best Play.  For all the play's strength's it has several Achilles heels.  It centers round a revolving set of the inside to a humdrum NYC lobby.  Jeff (a miscast Michael Cera) is the omnipresent lackey "security guard".  Cera was cast in "This is Our Youth".  He is type cast as the milk toast, spineless and grating young person for whom we're expected to sympathize.  However, Cera's portrayal has grown old & stale.  Admittedly, he's also the source of levity to this social drama/comedy that is battered roughly between prescient social issues & injustices which diminish the strengths of its scathing commentaries.  Jeff is seated behind the lobby desk when William his supervisor (an extraordinary Brian Tyree Henry "Atlanta") & "Captain" to several other buildings' guards comes in to check on him and really lays into him what a lousy job he's doing.  William's harsh criticism softens as Jeff's abject & self-deprecating manner seem to quell his anger.  The other 2 cast members are officers; the veteran Bill (a flawless Chirs Evans "Captain America") and a rookie female cop, Dawn (Bel Powley "Arcadia").   Jeff's hapless, pathetic life becomes paltry in comparison to the complications, litigations & moral dilemmas that soon overpower the other three characters.  Jeff fell far from grace from the glory of his war hero father after his dishonorable discharge for smoking pot while on guard duty.  "Everyone does it I was the unlucky one to get caught" bemoans Jeff.  The lives of the officers shed light on police offenses that are covered up by their fellow officers.  William, is a black man who pontificated to Jeff to pull one's self up by maintaining a hardworking, honest life.  Laws begin to bend and familial loyalties prove sovereign.  Lonergan's brilliant writing becomes convoluted and off-balanced at times.   He's written absorbing characters whose double-talk gets themselves busted.  Jeff's feeble persona draws a line in the sand "I take it. But there's a limit."  The other 3 self-righteous characters' hypocritical hearsay, says a lot about social injustice, harassment & abuse of authority.   Basically this amusing play seems to say:  lie and deny.  I'd claim LOBBY HERO a Tony worthy play, but that would be a lie.  

Y/A Film "Every Day" Has a Sensitive Insightful Message that is too Lah Lah Even for LA

The young adult film aimed at teens & preteens is too preachy & too pretentious to give any redeeming qualities.  However, there's a lot to be said for its young lead actress.  And, the premise itself was potentially promising.   A high school student, Rhiannon (a convincing Angourie Rice) finds herself befriended by a friendly but freakish spirit that inhabits a new body Every Day.  There are some constraints to this chimera.  The body snatching persona can only possess the person's body (& mind) for 24 hours.  There are several imposed restrictions.  A, the name it calls itself, cannot stray very far away and B, its age must be in the teen range.  Rice (b Australia '01) is so likable as A's only confidant & comrade you care what her future will look like until the changeling, ET, Yoda...yaddah yaddah character study grows old.  Dir. Michael Sucsy (b Amer 1973) is best known for the Emmy nominated TV movie "Grey Gardens".  "Grey Gardens" is based on two elderly real life eccentric women living in squalor.  EVERY DAY is a totally different genre.  It's made for adolescents and perhaps meant as a serious young love story and virtuous dissection of tolerance.  The fun of this fantasy wears thin after Rhianan is convinced of A's incredulous multi-amorphous body snatching abilities.  While A explains the advantages of accessing the physique & mindset of multitudes of individuals, A notes the gained insight  "what makes everyone different makes everyone the same."  "But doesn't that get lonely?" asks the sensible but susceptible "Rhi".  The platitudes become overbearing and the day A & Rhi have a body/mind sharing experience is too much to bear.  It all gets too Lah Lah even for the LA mindset.  But, I'm part of the over the hill set; way past remembering what it feels like to be young (& dumb, I mean innocent).  The big takeaway comes from Rhi.  Rhi's  family consists of a father whose had a manic, debilitating episode, a mother (Maria Bello, why she took this role is a mystery) is resentful & immeshed in an affair and an older sister  (Debby Ryan) who adds some spark to the mix.  Rhi sagaciously says to her mom "We can't know what it's like to love someone who changes. We can only grow closer or further apart. Grow closer" Rhi requests of her mom (a mostly dishelved looking Bello).  Perhaps, the simplest but most meaningful message came from a sign in the bedroom belonging to the young man meant to be Rhi' soulmate all along "Kindness can accomplish much".  I hate to pain this film as solely flimsy and thanks to the fine cast of young actors especially Rice and Justin Smith (who plays her best/worst boyfriend) there are some redeeming qualities.  Far better films of a similar genre are "Being John Malkovich" for adults and "Beautiful Creatures" for teens.

Nat'l Bk Award Novelist Amy Bloom Discusses Her Latest Novel WHITE HOUSES with Blanche W. Cook

This month is Women's History Month at Roosevelt House and it commenced with a stellar evening of discussion with 2 great writers: Amy Bloom ("Away", "Come to Me") and historian Blanche Cook ("Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1,2 &3").   Ms. Cook was a Co-Founder & Co-Chair of the Freedom of Information & Access Com. of the Org. of Amer. Historians.  The gist of the talk from both Bloom's novel & Cook's biography of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) was the lesbian relationship between  ER & her longtime companion, Lorena Hickok. (LH).  The heart of these 2 great historic women, ER as FDR's active advisor & continual social advocate.  LH was a maverick in journalist circles covering war stories, historical events and interviews.  Their books focused on their love and drew outward on their amazing accomplishments.  Cook, a renown historian focused mostly on wartime was militant in her assertions there were denials & cover-ups pertaining to ER & LH maintaining a lesbian relationship.  Cook spoke of having read the many written correspondences between the women that corroborated their love and the varying stages of their relationship.  "My writing is based on facts that can be documented" Cook claimed.  Bloom also read the letters as research for her novel written from curiosity about the two women's alliance.  Bloom said,"{It} was a pleasure to write about their love affair.  What doesn't look beautiful is beautiful".  I found her candor refreshing.  She admitted having slept through history in school.  I was also intrigued with her confessed struggles in finding the narrative voice for the novel.  "It was not going to be ER voice narrating the novel."  The women discussed the pendulum of acceptance of homosexuality that sprang from a homophobic period in the 30s & 40s.  But, as Bloom stated, "The arch bends slowly.  I was interested in writing a rhapsody of homosexuality which is of interest to me as both as novelist & a queer woman.  These were great complex people and their's a great love story".   Both women writers' approaches to writing varied.  Cook relied solely on documentation & facts.  Bloom said all her novels play with time and memory allowing the reader to enter into the world of the story and enabling the reader to be present.  As a novelist Bloom eloquently her intent was "to hold facts up to the light creating a relationship with an understanding from the inner and outer exploration of their world and love."    

AMY and the ORPHANS at the Roundabout - A Family Comedy/Drama that Could Earn Tony Awards

The deceptively clever play AMY and the ORPHANS will have you laughing & leave you deeply moved pondering what constitutes a family & what are familial/societal obligations for people in need of constant care.  New York playwright Lindsey Ferrentino's previous play also performed at the Roundabout UGLY LIES the BONE was a serious, heart wrenching play.  It was a relentless monologue by a mother whose only child was killed at Sandy Hook in 2012.  The tragically prescient play addressed the pervasive malady of mass shootings in our nation & our nation's schools.  There was nothing light hearted about UGLY LIES the BONE.  It was a character study of a badly disfigured American army vet and her unrelenting pain and struggles to fit back into society.   It spoke of the insanity of war and humanities greater propensity for indifference than empathy.  AMY and the ORPHANS addresses issues of proper health care & guilt ridden responsibilities for family members.    Ferrentino proves adroit at both solemnity & comedy.  In AMY and the ORPHANS comedy is used as a palpable facade for the painful epiphanies of obligatory measures to care for our family members and the horrid failings in institutional care.  This laudatory play is a funny parody of siblings quibbling, innovative storytelling, social commentary.   Foremost, the ensemble cast is outstanding.  Amy (an astonishing Jamie Brewer "American Horror Story") is the youngest of 3 siblings about to venture on a road trip to bury their only remaining parent.  And by the way, Jamie Brewer has Down syndrome, a pivotal factor in this fractious family.  The timeline goes on/off course starting with a young married couple, Sarah & Bobby at a couple's retreat attempting to resolve marital problems.  The couple's problems have been exacerbated by the birth of their third child; a daughter born with Down's syndrome.  Sarah is intent on leaving the marriage if Bobby doesn't consent to Amy being institutionalized as a ward of the state.  She is not capable (or willing) to have Amy living at home.  The circuitous plane, train & automobile trip brings Amy's older brother & sister; Maggie (Tony nominated Debra Monk "Curtains") and Bobby (Josh McDermitt "The Walking Dead") to get her to bring her with to their father's funeral on LI.  Amy's caregiver, Cathy (a hilarious Vanessa Aspillaga, B'wy "Anna in the Tropics") is the brash & bumptious adult whose been mainly in charge (and dedicated) to Amy's wellbeing as her family was mostly being absent.  With wisdom comes sorrow and responsibilities.  Amy is happy where she is and happy watching movies.  Her soliloquy of notorious movie lines at the end is miraculous.  How true & tragic are her lines "I could have been somebody."  This show is a major contender for Tonys.