|
Inside Broadway's Beacon Awards honored two wonderful Broadway performers, Daniel Dae Kim The King and I and Andrea Burns On Your Feet! at the JW Marriott Essex House. After a glorious reception with delicious food and fine wines, champagne, and other strong drinks, that took place in the elegant hotel with the area expanded into the lobby, Executive Director Michael Presser presented the awards to the honorees, and a live performance with the cast of On Your Feet! followed. Scott Nadeau, General Manager of the New York Marriott Marquis was also honored, and many of his colleagues attended to congratulate him. Among the guests was one of my favorite Broadway stars, Bernadette Peters. I have seen every Broadway show in which she has appeared. She is a theatrical treasure.
The 2016 Off Broadway Alliance Awards were presented at Sardi's Restaurant. After indulgng on wine and hors d'oeuvres, Peter Bregger introduced the winners. Among them were director Alex Timbers for The Robber Bridegroom, Lois Smith, Merle Debuskey, and the children of Anne Meara and Anne Jackson, who received their late mothers' awards. The three children of Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson were present, as well as Amy Stiller and Ben Stiller, who was accompanied by his wife, Christine Taylor. It was a joyous event.
Off-Broadway, Out of the Mouth of Babes, by Israel Horovitz, at the Cherry Lane Theatre, features a cast of four excellent actresses, directed by Barnet Kellman. A 100-year-old Frenchman dies in Paris, and four of the women in his life reunite in his loft in Paris, and recall the years they spent with him. Estelle Parsons, Judith Ivey, Angelina Fiordellisi and Francesca Choy-Kee are hilarious with their acerbic wit and caustic remarks, especially their comments about the opposite sex. ,
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) presented Romeo and Juliet, choreography by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, music by Sergei Prokofiev, with magnificent scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis, one of the highlights of this production. The two leads were superb. Hee Seo looks and acts like a 14-year-old Juliet, and her dancing was splendid, especially, in the balcony scene, which closes the first act. Roberto Bolle was a brilliant Romeo, and together with Seo, they were the perfect couple. In the balcony scene, he carried her like a feather. Jeffrey Cirio, as Mercutio, who has been marvelous the entire season in every role, won a well deserved ovation with his Mandolin Dance in the second act. He is an excellent addition to the company. The orchestra was conducted byOrmsby Wilkins.
The most delightful afternoon I have spent this year was at the elegant penthouse of Paula and Al Miller. I was invited to be a panelist with five other artistic professionals from the world of opera to listen to the final recital by seven singers, who hope to pursue a career in opera. The singers were Nichole Cosentino, Roberto Borgatti, Bo-Kyung Kim, Mark Cotton, Holly Gash, Jose Heredia and Rachel Anne Hippert. They all displayed splendid voices, and were accompanied at the piano by Saffron Y. Chung.
The other five panelists were two from Artists Management, Sarah Stephens and Gabriel Couret, and three voice teachers, Dr. Dana W. Talley, Ph.D. (formerly a singer with The Metropolitan Opera), Ira Siff (for the past 10 years a Guest Commentator
|
on all the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts) and Arthur J. Levy (professor of music at Mannes College of Music and CCNY Graduate Center Doctoral Music Program). They all gave superb advice to the performers. This was followed by a wine and cheese reception, where the panelists were able to engage each singer individually. This truly remarkable afternoon was brought about by Maestro Peter Mark, who presents opera masterclasses from a conductor's perspective for emerging professional singers.
I attended the closing night party for the magnificent Broadway play Eclipsed, by Danai Gurira, at the Lambs Club. The cast and creative team were all present, and were congratulated for their excellent work. We were served delicious hors d'oeuvres and drinks. I hope to see all five superb actresses soon in other plays, and I eagerly await Danai's next production. She is a splendid playwright.
I went to the Fran Drescher's Cancer Schmancer Movement 2nd Annual Sunset Cabaret Cruise on the SS Hornblower Infinity at the dock, 353 West St. Fran introduced the cabaret artists, and among the guests were George Takei and Rosie O'Donnell with two of her daughters, Chelsea and Vivienne. A buffet dinner was served with an open bar, before the cruise began, sailing around the tip of Manhattan. It was a very festive affair.
I attended the opening night reception for the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema's 15th New York Asian Film Festival June 22-July 9, 2016 that took place in the Furman Gallery. A music group performed, and wine and beer were served. The opening night film was a world premiere of Kazuya Shiraishi's Japanese crime epic Twisted Justice.
Good Enough to Eat, 520 Columbus Avenue at 85th Street, is the perfect name for a wonderful restaurant, with delicious food and marvelous cocktails.The bread, biscuits, cakes, pies and cookies are baked daily in their kitchen, as are the soups and sauces. All ingredients are bought from farmers and merchants mentioned on the front page of the extensive menu. Breakfast is served daily from 8am-5pm Monday-Friday and at 9am Saturday & Sunday. Lunch 11:30am-5pm Monday-Friday and dinner 5:00pm-10:30pm. Each day a special menu is added. On the evening we ate there, it consisted of Quesadilla of the Day, two soups, Pumpkin and Split Pea with Bacon, and 4 special entrees. My wife chose Grilled Salmon with Burre Blanc sauce served with Baked Potato and Sauteed Broccoli with house salad as a starter. I chose from the traditional menu Charcoal-Grilled New York Strip Steak with mushrooms and red wine reduction, mashed potatoes and broccoli. I also chose Grilled Corn Bread with whole kernel corn with a side of honey as a starter. It was unbelievably scrumptious. The manager, Michael, insisted we also try Beer-Battered Shrimp with honey mustard, and an avocado salad with their own potato chips. The dishes were enormous, and sadly we had to forgo desserts, which from the counter looked luscious. Among the special cocktails were a Martini named Bittersweet with Dorothy Parker Gin. She was the wittiest lady at the famous Algonquin Roundtable. She was quoted as saying that she likes one martini, or two at the most. After three, she is under the table, and after four, she is under the host! I decided that I had better drink a rum and coke. You cannot enjoy a better dining experience, and all the food is good enough to eat.
Click here for more
|
