Chilean Director Sebastian Leilo's DISOBEDIENCE Stars Rachel Weiz and Rachel McAdams

Chilean Director/screenwriter Sebastian Leilo won the Acad. Award for best foreign film with "A Fantastic Woman".  "Disobedience" and "A Fantastic Woman" are both remarkable films centering  upon homosexual love within a rigid & biased society vehemently opposed to same sex relationships.   DISOBEDIENCE is a thoughtful & tender love story about two Orthodox Jewish Women from the same sect in London.  Ronit (a luminescent Rachel Weisz) returns home to London from NYC to attend the funeral of her father, the revered Rabbi. She returns to find that her closest friends Esti (a marvelous Rachel McAdams) and David (a powerful performance by Alessandro Nivola) are now married to each other.  The film begins with the death of Ronit's father while sermonizing on the bima.  His final words spoke of God who created the angels who only obey, animals that only act on  instincts and men & women for whom God granted freedom of choice.  These wisdom & compassion of these words are echoed by David at the end of the film.  This is an immersive & sensitive look within a devout & respectful Orthodox community.   The sex scene late in the film between the two women is sensual & intense.  David is not a religious zealot or tyrant.  He was preparing to accept the position as head Rabbi in the synagogue when unexpectedly David gives a stirring speech declining the honor.  In doing so, he carries on a legacy of Jewish teachings valuing duty & personal freedom.  Freedom is only possible given the ability to choose how to live one's life.  Leilo's fine directing paints a glowing picture of empathy while maintaining one's own strong convictions.

World Premier for the New Juilliard Ensemble by Icelandic Composer Koleinn Bjarnason

Koleinn Bjarnason (b 1958 Iceland) composed "After all, the sky flashes, the great sea yearns" for the New Juilliard Ensemble.  Last night at Alice Tully Hall, the complex and intriguing work premiered.  The title is taken from John Berryman's "Dream Song 14".  It is a work constructed with a series of disjointed movements yet forming a fluid interwoven composition.  The contemporary composition was a compilation of themes reminiscent of modes from Cage, Shostakovich and Mahler.  Moody and ephemeral, the piece allowed the individual instruments to come to the forefront particularly the wind instrumentations.  The opening percussive section was a dramatic syncopation in the forefront but then underscored the following movements.  There was an unstructured melody throughout which was very appealing.  I liked this innovative & multilayered composition. The composer Bjarnason was in the audience and called onto the stage to thunderous applause. "Life, friend, is boring.  We must not say so.  After all, the sky flashes the great sea yearns, we ourselves flash and yearn."  (America poet John Berryman)   The 2nd composition on the program was "Sweet Tijuana, danzas fronterizas" by composer Alejandro Cardona (b Costa Rica 1959).  This piece was a pastiche of many styles including contemporary, jazz, classical and Latin.  There was a virtuoso viola soloist Stephanie Block that was rich and molto in a classical style.  Each movement was intoxicating on its own but I found it jarring & disjointed as a composition.  It felt chaotic and confusing.  Composer Cardona was also in the audience for the US premier of his composition.

French Director Claire Denis' "Let the Sunshine In" Stars Juliette Binoche - il est merde

Claire Denis is a French director of high acclaim.  Denis does not have the claim to fame in the US because her films are not directed to American audiences that require more than angst and sexual liaisons to lure one's attentiveness.  The film boasts the illuminating actress Juliette Binoche as Isabelle, an artist whose search for a sole mate is one long arduous canvas of unrequited love.  Binoche whose magnetic on film does not have the star power to overcome a script bereft of emotional depth.  Gerard Depardieu plays a psychic at the very end of the film (which is way too long in coming).  Depardieu's bumbling new age merde gives the film's finale its final painfully relentless moments.  This intended high brow artsy saga of searching for love will not fly off the ground in any town USA.  Don't waste your time.   Fermez l'cinema ceci.

Ta-Neshi Coates in Discussion with Alex Wagner at 92ndY

Ta-Neshi Coates is an author, journalist & reporter for The Atlantic.  His book "Between the World and Me" received the National Book Award.  Alex Wager is c-anchor for CBS news, previously anchored on MSNBC and is a journalist, author & editor for The Atlantic.  The two dynamic, intelligent and writers/reporters had a warm & companionable banter.  The banter was mostly to promote Wagner's latest book, a autobiographic expose "Futureface: A Family Mystery."  Wagner was born & raised in IA to a Burmese immigrant mother and Caucasian father.  She is an only child who was raised in a white, homogenous city.  She revealed her 1st awareness of being of mixed race when she was 12 & questioned by an adult male who saw her with her father if she was adopted.  This was an epiphany of her bi-racial, duo nationalistic heritage.  "Futureface" is Wagner's contention that future generations will continue to flourish with mixed ethnicities which should lend itself to a merging populations into one a hybrid, egalitarian race.  Her book, with plenty of "buzz kills" is Wagner's search for her family's history on both her mother/grandmother Burma born nationality and her father's American, Irish heritage.  There were plenty of "spoiler alerts" from Coates as to Wagner's discoveries.  And Wagner talk about the blooded history of Burma and the US and that no country is free from persecution.  Her journey of discovery is the focus of her book.  Coates maintained that black America is a Creole race but there is a class system in which lighter skin are more highly regarded and treated and that a class system is far from being eviscerated.

Selected Gifts from Agnes Gund at MoMA - Seldom Seen Works and Recent Acquisitions

Agnes Gund is a life-long philanthropist, art patron and collector.  Pres. Obama nominated Ms. Gund as a Trustee for the Nat'l Council of the Arts.  This collection of 20th & 21st C artworks is an astonishing opportunity to look at art with depth and perspective.  There's the added audio guide which I recommend.  This allows you to hear the artists talk about their works, their interactions with Gund and Gund's own responses to selected works.  Ms Gund's generosity, perceptive eye and social convictions are profound.  I delved into this show with a cavernous interest.  Many iconic artists are represented.  Women and artists of color are highly represented.  There are social & political messages expressed through the works.  Walker's recent large mural "Christ's Entry Into Journalism" ('17) is anything but subtle.  Her images are shocking, repulsive and shameful reminders.  Lying on the floor in front of Walker's mural is Mona Hatoum's "Pin Rug" (1999) a sculpture of tightly condensed stainless steel pins painted black.  At first look it appears as a soft, innocuous rug until you  get close up and note the thousands of sharp objects which reminded me of death by a thousand cuts.  Jackie Winsor's sculpture "Burnt Piece"  (1978) is clustered nearby.  Winsor speaks on the audio guide of the fear she felt living near the Twin Towers and having a premonition of them falling & burning down.  This brick, chicken wire and wood structure was set on fire by the artist with the intent to observing the transformation the destruction it would wrought.  Entering the show there is a smooth white slab tile lying on the ground, Wolfgang Laib's "Milkstone" (1978).  Listening to Laib explain his combining of materials & meditative process and Gund's contemplative response gave the work added wonder.  Nick Cave's colorful, whimsical and delightful sculpture "Sound Suit 11" was in response to the 1992 riots in LA sparked by the acquittal of Rodney King's brutal attackers.  Cave describes his feelings as a black man of being dismissed and without a voice.  The sculpture was meant as another skin or suit of armor.  Both the artists and Ms Gund speak of shifting perspectives, various ways of experiencing the art with intensity, integrity and reflection.   The powerful show speaks to social injustices and condemnations but most importantly it tethers the arts with humanity.  My favorite piece in the show is Glenn Ligon's "Graduating Girl" which is a silkscreen & oil portrait of a young woman in cap & gown holding a diploma.   "Graduating Girl" is emblematic of fresh opportunaties and hope for the future.

"The Supreme Court vs. MLK Jr." Prof Randall Kennedy Lecture at NY Historic Soc.

Guest lecturer Randall Kennedy is Prof of Law at Harvard Law School.  He spoke with anger, and rightly so, about the state judge in AL that sentenced MLK Jr. & his associates in 1963 to prison for disobeying an injunction blocking their right to march in protest against segregation & Jim Crow laws in the South.  Eugene "Bull" Connor was Commissioner of Public Safety in Birmingham which oversaw the Police and Fire Dept.  He was a self-proclaimed white suprematist who used the law to defy civil rights, racial integration and disavow MLK & protestors their rights to march by issuing injunctions.  "Bull" Connor is infamous for ordering firehoses & police dogs to attack black protestors; images that have become shameful iconic reminders of racial hatred and oppression.  The Gov. of AL at the time (1963-7) George Wallace was sworn to uphold segregation, "Segregation now and forever."  Working within the law to issue injunctions against peaceful protests under MLK's leadership Connor ordered the arrests of the protestors.  A state court judge upheld the injunctions as lawful in the interest of protecting public safety and so as not to over burden the local police ensured to maintain peace.  MLK challenge of the constitutionality of the injunctions was denied as cited by the Collateral Bar Rule (CBR).  It's confusing & disheartening to know that the Supreme Court in a 5-4  in the 1967 case Walker v. City of Birmingham, upheld the lower courts ruling against MLK protecting the rulings of the courts and not defending the individual's constitutional rights for free speech.  It was during MLK imprisonment in the spring of 1963 he wrote his letter of civil disobedience a.k.a. "The Letter from Birmingham Jail".  The letter served as a galvanizing, tangible reproducible account of the arduous journey to freedom in a movement mainly centered on actions and words.  Prof Kennedy acknowledged civil rights attorney  Deborah Greenberg in the audience.  Kennedy pointed out that she is the widow of Jack Greenberg who served as Director Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (1961-4) succeeding Mr. Thurgood Marshall.

The True Depiction/Fiction Film "The Rider" A Broken Bronco Rider with Depth of Dignity and Compassion

Nothing about this film about the life of a Brady Jandreau, a South Dakota cowboy & rodeo rider feels familiar.  It's a welcomed & refreshing contemplation of Brady's life after requiring brain surgery & an iron plate in his skill from injuries in the ring.  His critical condition shatter his life-long dreams or horse riding & rodeo competing.  It doesn't diminish his compassion & noble character.  Interestingly, Chinese born director Chloe Zhao has captured the American landscape and lifestyle of the wild frontier which remains foreign or mythic to most American.  Zhao has also created a genre that is a biopic story using the people in his life as themselves while blending facts in a fictionalized style.  This is not a documentary but it's credible & deeply stirring.  Brad y along with his father Tim care for his sister Lily who has Autism. Brady's friends and fellow rodeo riders are very natural and endearing portraying themselves. The group of friends are fun loving & supportive of each other.  They all share an adrenaline rush for the thrills that come along with bronco & bull riding.  As they gather round a fire to playing music they share stories of their friend Lane Scott, a former rising bronco riding star until an accident renders him severely physically & mentally disabled.  The scope of the film covers the beauty of the majestic plains as well as the austerities and struggles of making ends meet.  Brady's love for horses is palpable.  His patience & skills training wild horses earn are amazing to watch.  The emotional power of this film comes from Brady's integrity and devotion to his sister and Lane whom he visits in a rehab facility.  The time Brady spends with his friend Lane are especially poignant.  Lane brings joy & dignity to his friends & family.  The dignity he maintains  shows an unwavering strength while reckoning with his heartbreaking setbacks.  There is so much to admire in watching "The Rider" a richly rewarding film mounted with grace.    

Amy Schumer in "I Feel Pretty" A Forgettable Chick Flick with Muddled Messaging for Empowering Women

"I Feel Pretty" starring the indefatigable Amy Schumer is a romantic comedy by the writing/directing duo Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn.  Together they've fared better with "Never Been Kissed" & "He's Just Not That Into You."  "I Feel Better" uses an old cartoonish gimmick where a blow to the hard results in amnesia & another whack will bring all the old memories back.  Schumer plays Renee Bennett, a.k.a. Amy Schumer whose funny, likable and adorably chubby.  Renee is best girlfriend material but not likely cover girl material for top glamour fashion magazines.  Renee has a way of ingratiating herself with her effervescence & self-deprecation.  But, she makes it painfully clear that only gorgeous gals are visible or worthy in a world that is fixated on feminine beauty.  She's new to soul cycle where she's willing her soul to bring forth the beauty that is within to her outer skin.  She causes an uproar when she crashes to the floor striking head.  When she comes to, it seems as if all her dreams come true.  She miraculously see's herself as drop dead gorgeous giving herself new found confidence and joie de vivre.  Here some of Schumer's humorous antics garner laughs.  She has a  new can do attitude taking charge of her life.  She fearlessly pursues a new career, boyfriend and even enters a bikini contest.  With her new "look" stemming from conceit there is an ugly side that surfaces to her personality.  Another bang to the head and Renee is knocked back to her senses & sees that physically nothing has changed except now she's miserable and self-loathing.  I loathed the movie for its muddled & mean message meant to empower women.  But the clarion bell is that life is wonderful for belles and hell for those whose looks get overlooked being less than drop dead gorgeous.  The film's attempt at a redemptive ending got flushed down the toilet along with the rest of the movie's potty humor.

NYPhilharmonic Plays Bruckner Symphony #9 - Missed Mozart Piano Concerto Though

Today's rehearsal began with the grandeur of Bruckner's 9th and final symphonic masterpiece.  The visiting maestro was world renown pianist & conductor Christoph Eschenback (b Poland 1928).  I was hoping Mozart's Piano Concerto #22 would be #1 on the program.   I'm sorry to have missed this performance.  The last rehearsal I attended at the end of February, New York Philharmonic Conductor Jaap van Zweden (b Netherlands 1960) lead the orchestra.  Maestro van Zweden took over the position vacated by former conductor Alan Gilbert at the start of the year.  In February Mr van Zweden turned and welcomed the audience and announced the microphone would remain on during the rehearsal to allow the audience to hear what was being said between himself & the orchestra at all times .  This was in response to the numerous  requests of many patrons.   This was thrilling and enlightening.  At today's rehearsal Conductor Eschenback said good morning to the orchestra but did not acknowledge the audience.  The microphone remained on during the Bruckner's Ninth Symphony. The symphony was played in its entirety without pausing.  Afterwards, the conductor had the orchestra return to the last movements after giving his comments.  Although the microphone remained on, the exchanges between the conductor & musicians was not decipherable.   It's understandable that some conductors, especially guest conductors may find this invasive & uncomfortable.  It was possible to discern a professional & friendly rapport but as to what was said & heard there was nothing more.

Juilliard Jazz Artist Dip/oma Ensemble Featuring an all Wynton Marsalis Program

Last night's Juilliard Jazz Ensemble featured the music of Wynton Marsalis, Dir. of Juilliard Jazz and the Wynton Marsalis Jazz Orchestra at Lincoln Center.  World renown musician, composer & conductor is a guiding force in the school's jazz division.   Ironically, Marsalis performs on trumpet and his musical program was without a trumpet player.  The ensemble consisted of a pianist, trombone, bass, 2 sax/clarinet players and a drummer.  The first selection was "Knozz-Moe-King" which was a 40 minute composition that set the tone for a night of surprises and sheer enjoyment.  The musical styles varied amongst Dixie sounding jazz, Latin, Cab Calloway swing and my favorite a jazzy funeral march featuring a drum solo by Francsco Cinigilio.  Last night there was little talking or intros just a fabulous & fun night of music.  I was fascinated watching the drummer as he used different techniques of holding his sticks in each hand, seeing the pianist lead the count by tapping a beat on his chest and seeing how the horn musicians stood off to the sides when they weren't playing but kept their own rhythm to the music.  The drummer wore a knit cap and one horn player a small fedora.  The combined talent and cool factor was off the charts.  I'm hoping that some of their coolness gets absorbed by osmosis just being in the audience.

SUMMER The Donna Summer Musical Falls Short of Scoring High on the Charts

SUMMER The Donna Summer Musical has all the winning ingredients to be a mega-Broadway hit but it melts into a sticky icing flowing goo.  With legendary producer Tommy Mottola, book by Tony & Olivier winner Colman Domingo and a hot stuffed musical score, I expected to feel the love but there weren't any sparks.   The 3 lead performers as different aged Donnas were sensational.   But, the fragmented, flashback storylines send things amiss.  The biopic musical of the 5 time Grammy  winning song writer who created a heartbeat and soundtrack of a generation didn't work hard enough for the money you paid.  The audience were never roused to get up and dance except for the show stopping finale, the Oscar winning number "Last Dance."  Summer's life was not all sequins and the show's sequence of events felt hurried or white washed.  Summer's explanation for the misunderstanding of a hateful gay slur seemed weak and the sexual abuse by her priest in the church didn't ring out.  The choreography was uninspired and the scenic design garish.  The show will have a niche audience who'll come to hear their favorites heard on the radio and relive their glory days.   SUMMER is less than the sum of all its parts and it doesn't rise to the top of the charts.    Heaven knows I would've love to love the show but all the sweet highlights were dim.

Leon Golub "Raw Nerve" at the Met Breuer - Disturbing and Powerful Portraits of Power Struggles

The large scale painting on canvas "Gigantomachy II" by artist Leon Golub (b Amer 1922-2004) was recently gifted to the MET.  It encompasses the entire wall of the entrance to the exhibit of Golub's paintings:  "Raw Nerve".  It is arresting and unnerving as intended by the artist.  The majority of works on display depict violence & power struggles which are repulsive and riveting.  Golub strikes out against social unrest, war, racial injustice and abuses of power on canvas.  He captures the horrors of humanity as he confronts the viewer with figures that at times resemble decaying bodies and facial features that show unmitigated terror.  Golub would scrape away layers of paint and this gives the figures a cadaverous and macabre aura.  There are also paintings depicting white privilege turning a blind eye to racial injustice.  He even portrays a white mercenary male abusing his status in a painting suggesting sexual harassment.  The figurative drawings reflect ancient Roman works whose subjects contend with war and violence.  Golub maintained that his work is "Not political art, but rather an expression of popular revulsion."  This is a powerful and even repugnant series of works which are painful images that serve as shameful reminders.    

"Dutch Masters" Off B'wy Written by Greg Keller and Directed by Andre Holland - A Masterful Production

"Dutch Master" is a masterful play written by Greg Keller and directed by Andre Holland.  It's a One Act, Two Actor play that harkens back to slavery though set in NYC in the summer of 1992.  Keller's skillful writing and directorial talent by Holland have created a work of racial inequality that resonates along the lines of  Toni Morrison's novel "The Bluest Eyes" (1970) and Gordon Parks' pictorial series "Segregation Story" (1956).   Keller's play, Morrison's novel & Parks photos all depict with gut-wrenching impact the marginalization of black-Americans and the prevailing advantaged life of white-Americans.  The seismic shift towards racial equality & social justice as portrayed in NYC in 1992 under Mayor Dinkins (NYC's 1st black mayor) remains unfulfilled.  Furthermore, the assumption of white supremacy is pervasive under privileged oblivion.  Erick (a tour-de-force performance by Ian Duff) is a young black man riding the NYC subway when he encounters Steve (Jake Horowitz) whose nose is embedded in a book.  What starts as a harmless and then irksome exchange initiated by Erick morphs into a distressing & volatile encounter that reveals a startling  picture beneath the haze of ignorance.  Steve succumbs to Erick's intimidating swagger and exits the subway to get high at Erick's place. We question Steve's sound judgement and feel his mounting trepidation which turns to piss in his pants terror.  Erick's blind encounter with Steven on the subway held a hidden back history of recognition & resignation that he rails with hostility against an innocuous and unknowing Steve.  The parallels and partitions between racial disparities are similar to those pronounced by Morrison & Parks.  The play paints a powerful & eloquent statement of our nation's challenges and lack of progress.  The director Holland is an accomplished film and Broadway actor.  He starred as Kevin in "Moonlight" & Andrew Young in "Selma".  The playwright Keller is also an actor.  The two connected while attending NYU's Grad Acting program.  Future collaborations & individual projects by these two talented artists should be reckoned noteworthy.

Spanish Playwright Federico Garcia Lorca's "Yerma" at the Armory

"Yerma" by Spanish playwright & poet Federico Garcia Lorca (b Spain 1898-1936) is the 2nd of his 'Rural Trilogy'. The last play in the trilogy was published posthumously after Lorca's assassination in 1936.  In Lorca's short & tormented life he wrote dark & dramatic poems & plays.  "Yerma" in a revised rendition made relevant in today's high tech world and simultaneously it's an ancient tale of eternal immersion into misery and insanity.  "Yerma" harkens back to macabre Greek tragedies such as Euripides' Medea or Socrates' Antigone.  The theatrical glass box set has audiences looking in from two sides encasing the actors in a glass cage.  The very modern setting is minimal, a video monitor flashes the chapters, scenes and time references while the audience is bathed in complete darkness make the audience feel imprisoned as well.  Extremely loud operettas fill-in during the blackouts between scenes.  There's an overriding feeling of being trapped as a voyeur much as the actors are entrapped within their glass house.  The visceral sense of confinement & impending doom is overwhelming.   The play begins happily with a couple, Helen and John celebrating the purchase of their first home.  Helen tells John she would like to have a child.  John is reluctant being in his early 40s but soon happily acquiesces.  Happiness is soon fleeting as Yerma's growing obsession to give birth only bears misery & destruction.  There's little joy in this very dark drama.  Helen's neurotic sister Mary has a child but is in a depressing & loveless marriage.  Their cheerless mother is of little comfort.  Yerma yearns unrelentingly for motherhood descending her into madness and tragedy.  Lorca's powerful universal theme of a woman's ultimate & unaccessible desire as being so omnipotent it destroys whatever else remains in life.  This is a painful & draining experience, one that most theater goers would not choose to endure.  For thespians who yearn for a moving theatrical experience this will leave an impregnable punch to your gut.

Arthur Mitchell with Darren Walker in Discussion about a Stellar Life in Dance and in History

Arthur Mitchell is an American legend in the world of dance.  Born in Harlem in 1934, Mitchell created the training school and the Dance Theater of Harlem (DTH).  The Company & school encompass classical ballet along with many other techniques & styles of dance including jazz, tap, contemporary and int'l dance.  In his mid-80's Mitchell demonstrated his domineering presence and commitment to the arts the ethics of hard work, self-determination and excellence.  Mitchell was a principle dance for the NYC Ballet under George Balanchine who choreographed pieces for him:  "Agon", "Midsummer' Night" and more.  Mitchell is an icon in the dance world for his performances, choreography, expanding the exposure of dance to new audiences and inspiring new generations to reach for limitless opportunities in the humanities.   Darren Walker as Pres. of the Ford Fdtn. directs worldwide philanthropy with an emphasis on supporting excellence in diverse communities with limited resources and access.  Mr Mitchel is a regal & domineering presence.  He's been awarded many honors including the KY Ctr. Honor and the Pres. Medal of Freedom.  He had no qualms in telling the young students in the front rows to sit up straight and tuck in their legs.  To hear Mr. Mitchell recount his life and achievements in the dance world was endlessly fascinating.   Moreover, his message of getting an education, working arduously and learning every form of dance as essential in order achieve a career in dance.  I was inspired by his fortitude and reverence for the arts.  The program began with a performance of "Balm in Gilead" choreographed by Mitchell.  There were other highlights to the program including 3 dances performance.  One performance was "Agon" choreographed by Balanchine specifically for Mr. Mitchell.  It was performed by principle dancers with NYCB.  There was also a panel discussion with an illustrious group; some were original alumni of DTH under the direction of Mr. Mitchell .  The panel included Lydia Abarca Mitchell, 1st Prima Ballerina of DTH, Tania Leon, founding Music Dir. DTH, Sheila Rohan dancer for NYCB & DTH and Anna Kisselgoff Dance Critic for the NYT.  This program a part of the Harkness Dance Center with the 92ndY was astounding.  The amalgamation of legendary artists featuring Mr. Mitchell along with those who have made & continue to make a difference in the world of dance & humanities was miraculous.  The resounding messages were the imaginable is obtainable and empathy is aroused by supporting and being involved in the arts.

Jeremy Irons Recites T S Elliot's "Four Quartets" at 92ndY - An Intoxicating and Sublime Experience

Jeremy Irons is a British actor of the highest order having received numerous honors & awards in film, TV, theater and a Knighthood.  In March, Irons released a recording of the Complete Works of T. S. Elliot (TSE).  For those fortunate to have been at the 92ndY to hear Irons' oration of Eliot's "4 Quartets" it was a luxurious and intoxicating experience that washed over the listener in resplendent waves that were awe-inspiring and serene.  Elliot is an American poet with family ties to the UK.  He's received the Nobel Prize for Lit & the Presidential Medal of Freedom and many other accolades both in the US & England.  Why is poetry is hard and most people never ready for it?  "Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood" (TSE)  Irons was jovial and assured the audience,"Let it go and wait.  See what happens.  Something greater happens."  Irons briefly suggested some topics Elliot refers to; age, time, one's essence, stillness and "the cracks where the light gets in."  With good nature humor, Irons said for the one or two of you in this audience not familiar with Elliot & the "4 Quartets" "Laurence Fishburne being one of them."  He then asked Mr. Fishburne to stand who was received with guffaws warm applause.  I acknowledge being the 2nd person lacking familiarity.  Elliot intended for this collection to be set to chamber music:   Irons informed us that the 1st public reading by Mr. Elliot of his "4 Quartets" occurred at the 92ndY.  He then invited the audience to relax and feel free to nod off.  Many in the audience followed his suggestion and dozed.  I was charmed listening to Mr. Irons'  reading.  The 1st quartet felt Irons was reading as a parent to a child; in a patient and loving manner.  The 2nd & 3rd quartets felt to be an intimate conversation between peers.  In the last quartet, Irons took on a more sombre and railing dialogue.  It felt like a soliloquy to himself as he approaches the end of life while clinging to memories, regrets and a final flailing to embrace life. "What we call the beginnings is often the end.  And to make an end is to make a beginning.  The end is where we start from".  I was enthralled by Elliot's majestic poetry and Irons immersive interpretation.  "You are the music while the music lasts."

At The MET: Joseph Orwell's Birds of a Feather AND the Versailles Exhibits - Plumes and Fluff

This is your last chance to see Joseph Cornell's "Birds of a Feather" an homage to Juan Gris.   Opening next week is "Visitors to Versailles 1682-1789".  Of the two, the small gallery with Cornell's Birds holds more gravitas and fascination than the expansive and regal "Visitors to Versailles 1682-1789".  In the later, the collection of shadow boxes made by Cornell between 1953-1966 placed in the room with the famous Cubist painting "The Man at the Cafe" which inspired Cornell to proliferate and create numerous windows boxes with the image of the great white crested cockatoo.  As playful & dissimilar these individuals boxes are to each other & moreover to Gris' masterpiece (gifted to the MET from the Lauder Fdtn) the challenge of finding reflections betwixt and between is bewitching.  The shadowing, shapes and color palettes resonate with recognition.  I extend my imagination into the selection of the white cockatoo proudly perched and preening his plumes.  Cornell's admiration for Gris is made apparent but I like to inject my theories for Cornell's choice of this fluffy bird.  Gris was a known Francophile and lover of the ballet and opera (for which designed several sets in NYC).  Gris was also the older brother who cared for his younger invalid sibling who had cerebral palsy.  Gris often brought his brother with him to performances.  The boxes are whimsical & enchanting which likely enthralled his brother and the imagery of flight, freedom and travel were a loving metaphor meant for his brother.  "Visitors to Versailles" will not be disappointed when first entering this grand exhibit.  The highlights are the fashions adorned by the aristocracy that are worth the visit.  So too are the bejeweled ornaments and gifts bestowed by visiting dignitaries unto the Royal family whose extravagance knew no bounds up until the French Revolution at the end of the 18th C.  I advise using the headphones to hear the different voices exclaim their abject admiration.  Or in the case of the woman whining about the discomfort riding in the carriage in her expansive dress to appear before the court, a bemusing champagne complaint.  Frankly, this fluffy exhibit was mostly forgettable.  Visit the birds! And, I quiver in anticipation for the next Costume Institute exhibit:  "Heavenly Bodies - Fashions and the Catholic Imagination" opening in May.  

Irish Literary Luminaries Poet Greg Delanty in Conversation with Irish Author Colum McCann

Last night at the Irish Arts Center, Greg Delanty (b Ireland 1958) delighted the audience with his poetry & pondering as prodded by author Colum McCann (b Ireland 1965).  The evening was introduced as a comfortable fireside chat with internationally celebrated poet Greg Delanty (Patrick Kavanagh Award) and National Book Award winning writer Colum McCann.  The evening was a delightful and intimate experience.  McCann set a comfortable rapport with his friend and the audience.  He explained there wasn't going to be a formal structure of reciting & then analyzing poetry.  The camaraderie and mutual imbibing was inviting.  Delanty, in a very thick Irish brogue  was appealing but not always decipherable said ,"I know that most of you probably came out because this guy {Colum McCann} is here and don't have any idea who I am."  This brought laughter and in my case, this was true.   It's also true this was an especially enchanting evening.  Delanty read poems from his newest collection "Selected Delanty" chosen by McCann in random order.  Delanty spoke haltingly (with personal interjections) and divinely.  He was even gleeful and proud when McCann chose 2 poems that he loved.  An "American Wake" was a poem Delanty said he didn't care for "...the memory of memory lost, breaking the heart's of ghosts."  There was much to admire and revel in the readings.  McCann might tell Delanty how he entered & responded to a poem after its reading.  "An American Wake" McCann described it like a prayer.   McCann recited other lines he was smitten with "playing the harp backwards".  Delanty said it was the image he sees in the Brooklyn Bridge and refers to not looking back in regret at leaving Ireland. "Open sesame country" was also a fragment of the poem an allegory for the Statue of Liberty & our nation.  The two spoke about the wakes given to the 'livin in Ireland knowing the person was leaving for good. It's a joyous celebration with the person present along with plenty of good cheer & whiskey.   As the two talked and drank with each othe the audience became an invisible participant in their bantering and rantings.  Delanty was harsh on fellow Irishmen Frank McCourt's writings he felt characterized Ireland as a country of pathetic indigent people.  McCann took issue with this (although that was my sense from "Angela's Ashes").   When asked how Delanty comes to his poems, he was pensive before responding. "Poems come from the back of me all the people who come before us, an awareness of our fragility and a desire to be part of all the people who will follow." Q&A was held outside the theater bar side.  Delanty's poems possess an agility and depth, pathos with layers of the comic & tragic.

Adrian Piper: A SYNTHESIS OF INTUITIONS, 1965-2016 - 4 Year Collaborative Show at MoMA

The entire 6th of MoMA is an expansive exhibit 4 years in the making. It's a 4 year collaboration between the artist Adrian Piper (b Amer 1948) and the MoMA.  Piper has said, "It seemed that the more clearly and abstractly I learned to think, the more clearly I was able to hear my gut telling me what to do."  Walking through these galleries is a provocative, confrontational and demanding experience.  Piper has been classified as a performance artist, political commentary & conceptual artist.  She confronts the viewer to grapple with their own perceptions of racial identity, sexual orientation, biases and one's participation in the world.  If there were a unifying thrust (and they're too numerous to simplify) I would suggest the meme of 3:  See no evil, Hear no evil and Speak no evil.  Piper is courageously candid in using her art to explore her identity, question her relevance in the world and contemplate her own legacy.  Her early paintings were created under the influence of hallucinogens.  There is a psychedelic frenzy to these works.  More arresting are the two collage paintings which references to the disturbing racial bias study.  The girls are holding actual ceramic baby dolls; one white & one black.  There is a collection of geometric works reminiscent of Agnes Martins paintings.  Piper made a series of self-photos taken from her mirror reflections.  She shares a paranoia of not feeling tangible.  There are a lot of appropriated images from the brutalities to blacks  during the civil rights movements.  She challenges the viewer to acknowledge them.  She offers up smiling images of privileged & oblivious white faces.  I found humor, wisdom and scorching accusations in her works dealing with racial oppression.  Her bodily remnants of hair, nails, etc. repulsive but memorable.  I admired her clever & ironic declaration that journalistic photos of protests and arrests are "Not Performance Art".  There's plenty in the show she shares of the joy with her family, friends, people she admired and dance.  FUNK 80s comprises Soul Train videos & shifts to footage of her dancing and offering dance instructions.  This section is celebratory & life affirming.  Again, a lot of her work is in your face, don't turn away deal with it.  Piper posts her letters of dismissal from her University jobs.  There is a sobering homage to the assassinated leaders of the civil rights movement.  And, as you leave this stirring exhibition, Piper is seen in a recent video of herself dancing in the streets.  Oh blah de, life does go on but living in oblivion; without questioning, tolerance and happiness is a legacy without worth.  I will return to process further both Piper's perspectives and my own.  

"A Letter to Harvey Milk" The Musical Is Overflowing with Milk and Honey and Schmaltz

"A Letter to Harvey Milk" is churning with good intentions, humor and delightful musical numbers provided by a live quartet situated above the sparse San Francisco set.  The play is curdling in a loaded plot, partly an homage to Harvey Milk, the 1st openly gay mayor and a heavy handed humanitarian message.  "If everyone held hands no one could hold guns."  (I preferred the poster in the March for Our Lives which read "Arms are for Hugging".  Milk was assassinated the first year he held office in SF in 1978.  Since his death Milk has become a legendary icon in SF and throughout the nation for courageously representing LGBT communities.  Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom '09.  This is not a biopic play but a clever construct for communicating the need for tolerance and living one's own truth.  Harry Weinberg (B'wy veteran Adam Heller) is the affable, widowed senior who signs up for a writing class.  His young teacher is Barbara Katsef (Julie Knitel).  She wears a Star of David which connects her with Harry through their shared Jewish heritage.  A bond of friendship is formed until she dares to share TMI and identifies as a lesbian; or as Harry dotingly dubs a "lesbianalah".   Barbara assigns Harry to write a letter to someone and the letter he so eloquently writes is to Harvey Milk (Michael Bartoli) whom he knew back in the Haight before Milk's political aspirations.  There are plenty of ghosts that come out from the closet including his deceased wife Frannie (Cheryl Stern).  Frannie banters with Harry and sings her protestations against gays & goys.  Oy!  Still there's plenty to enjoy thanks to earnest performances that tug at your heart and the entertaining musical score by Laura Kramer & lyricist Ellen Schwartz.  The buried past of Harry's life in the concentration camps are shared with Barbara after he curtly dismissed her for publicly sharing her sexual orientation.  The inspirational communications & back story in the camps are spread with schmaltz but there is a lot of honey to savor in this musical production "A Letter to Harvey Milk."    

"The Death of Democracy: Hitler'sRise to Power" Author Benjamin Hett in Conversation with Charles Taylor

The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College presented a book discussion "The Death of Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic" with the author Benjamin Hett, Ph.D in History at Harvard and Charles Taylor journalist for the NYT and the Nation.   The theater had an overflowing crowd anticipating  parallels drawn between the rise to power of Hitler and Trump.  This assumption albeit with some merit is a travesty to the credibility of democracy. Hett stated from the start the complacent belief in democracy leads to its downfall.  What was fascinating about Hett's findings in his research were myths that have been perpetrated.  Hett credits misinformation & fallacies due to the influence of a prevailing Nazi Germany exculpating their history.  Hett depicted the years in Germany looming after WWI through the early 1930s as a nation reeling from insurmountable casualties from WWI, a previous civil war a regime change a startling recovery from an economic crisis and influx in immigration; including a massive Jewish population. Jewish business were thriving.   Big businesses were flourishing while funding for the military was  diminishing.  Thriving businesses were being met by higher wage demands and pro military forces aligned with oligarchs.  The elite echelons viewed Hitler as "vulgar & thuggish" and an unlikely candidate.  Hitler served throughout WWI as a private never receiving a promotion which was uncommonly rare.  His sergeant described him as lacking leadership qualities.  Hett quoted Madeline Albright equating "the rise of Trump to the rise of fascism."  The panel attributed the denial of the irrational as an opening to a dystopian future.  Despite rational arguments against Hitler he rose by hateful, irrational & outlandish claims.   Credit was given to his public relations manager able to view Hitler from the public's view and worked with it using campaigns that struck the gut and made use of high tech dynamics of the time and powerful media imageries.  According to Hett our country has its periodic outbreaks of insanity; McCarthyism was the example used.  He maintained that there will continue to be a populous pushback to a govt. where its leader assumes sovereign control with executive orders as our nation is imbued with a democratic culture.  Taylor queried Hett as to the repulsiveness of his research.  As a historian Hett argued that most disturbing is the lack of factual reporting and the abdication of duty to uncover evidence and the most gratifying aspect of his work is to uncover archival material that has not been revealed.

World Premier "Ms. Estrada" - You've Gotta Go to this Hysterical, Clever and Relevant Show

The Q Brothers Collective hip-hop take on Lysistrata is a delightful musical that doesn't & then does, take itself seriously.  Aristophanes' ancient comedy has had its lion share of renditions but never before has a show lacked for more bite and insight into earnest issues of discrimination, military perpetuation, sexual manipulation and social media saturation.  The show is pulsing before it begins with a DJ stationed above keeping the flow pumping into your cerebellum.  Ring, ding dong I can't find anything wrong with this sexual parody with smarts and laughs that flow like a mega keg at a fraternity.  I'm not sure who the Q Brothers Collective are but these 4 creative comedic geniuses behind the scenes seem as if they write for Nat'l Lampoon Magazine.  The non-stop energy in this clever one act play has so many prescient pertinent topics parodied all in a most entertaining way.  Ms. Elizabeth Estrada "Liz" is a co-ed feminist wiz whose over zealous ambitions and oversized violin will stop at nothing to win female equality. Winning means putting an end to the pervasive puking and frat rat games.  Liz inspired by Ms. Spencer's feminist seminar begins the battle of the sexes and this means war.  The weapon wielded by women is sex withheld until their men stop their nonsensical competitions and put them to bed.  This compact musical condenses such clever topical lyrics, staging and choreography some is bound to go over your head.  There's hilarity in the show's absurdity coated in piss & vinegar & mounds of sexuality.  Every musical number is a winner.  I loved the yoga class with big blue balls especially.  The ensemble cast featuring the Bats were riotously outrageous.  Hash tag: you too must see this hip-hop parody.  Ring Ding Dong to miss out on the fun would just be wrong.

"Leaning Into the Wind" A Stunning Doc. of Naturalist Installation Artist Andy Goldsworthy Journey

"Leaning Into the Wind" is a film so exquisitely made that the viewer can't help but be swept away in the natural landscapes with the awe.  Artist Andy Goldsworthy (b UK 1956) provides us with a profound sense of newfound wonder in our surroundings.  Goldsworthy is an extraordinary installation and conceptional artist whose inventiveness and immersion into the beautiful rural countrysides of countries including England and France leave a visceral response.  There is a tactile sensation in response to Goldsworthy's hands-on creations.  This lush film succeeds in embedding the viewer with heightened senses.  Award winning cinematographer Thomas Ridedlsheimer captures the majestic beauty of the outdoors in a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors.  As breathtakingly beautiful as this artistic journey, it is Goldsworthy who brings us quietly, pensively and conspiratorially along on his quest that leaves an impregnable ardor for the magic in the mundane which may have been overlooked.   Goldsworthy possesses a fervent curiosity.  He demonstrates an admiration for nature, the splendor of color,  for transitions and the process of creating.  He's perceptive eye and intriguing ideas are celestial.  "Art causes one to step aside from the normal way of looking."  The images and ideas presented in this enthralling film are inspirational.  The movie offers many gifts.  It stimulates an exuberance  of our everyday surroundings.  The ultimate imagery Goldsworthy instills is the fleeting ephemeral essence found in transformation and becoming different.   "People also leave presence in a place even when they are no longer there."