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Ballet & Pride On Display at Lincoln Center

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts
Category: Reviews
Published on Wednesday, 01 December 2021 18:29
Written by Jack Angstreich

Scene from Bernstein in a Bubble. Photo: Rosalie O’Connor.

After a first week featuring performances of the beloved repertory staple, Giselle, the second week of the Fall Season at American Ballet Theater at the David H. Koch Theater was devoted to several mixed programs, including the Fall Gala. On Wednesday, October 27th, I had the privilege to attend an excellent evening—celebrating Gay Pride—of four dance pieces, beginning with the most extraordinary of all, the witty Bernstein in a Bubble, by Artist in Residence, Alexei Ratmansky, probably the greatest living choreographer, at least among those that employ a classical vocabulary. Set to the jazz-inflected Divertimento, one of Leonard Bernstein’s strongest orchestral scores, Ratmansky here seems to have devised a delightful hommage to the composer’s brilliant collaborator, Jerome Robbins. The work featured an impressive cast, including Skylar Brandt, Chloe Misseldine, Cassandra Trenary, Aran Bell, Patrick Frenette, Blane Hoven, and Tyler Maloney.

Touché by Christopher Rudd and set to music by Woodkid and the magnificent film composer, Ennio Morricone, was an ultimately moving gay love duet, elegantly executed by Calvin Royal III and João Menegussi. Even better was a second duet, by Clark Tippet, Some, choreographed to the Second Sonata for Violin and Piano by William Bolcom, and effectively performed by Brandt and Gabe Stone Shayer.

The dance portion of the program concluded strongly with Indestructible Light by Darrell Grand Moultrie, set to jazz pieces by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Neal Hefti, Billy Strayhorn, and Chuck Harmony, again with a remarkable cast including Jacob Clerico, Michael De La Nuez, Annabel Katsnelson, Kanon Kimura, Melvin Lawovi, Hannah Marshall, Betsy McBride, and Duncan McIlwaine. A fabulous bonus to the evening was the appearance of the dazzling Lypsinka performing her famous act answering telephones while lip-syncing to classic Hollywood actresses, like Elizabeth Taylor and Faye Dunaway, speaking in old films. The event ended with a talkback about Touché with Rudd, Royal, and Menegussi, along with Sarah Lozoff, the consulting Intimacy Director for Ballet Theater’s Fall 2021 Season.

A second program on the following night was even more outstanding, beginning with the exquisite La Follia Variations by Lauren Lovette, set to wonderful Baroque music by Francesco Geminiani, “re-imagined and arranged” by Michi Wiancko, featuring Scott Forsythe, Jonathan Klein, Emily Hayes, Lawovi, Kimura, Clerico, Fangqi Li, and Joseph Markey. Most exciting though was the opportunity to see the compelling Pillar of Fire—set to Arnold Schoenberg’s early, glorious Verklärte Nacht—by Antony Tudor who, after George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton, was one of the premier choreographers of the twentieth century that worked in the classical idiom and whose creations are now sadly undervalued. The primary cast was superb, featuring above all the astonishing Gillian Murphy—who was exceptional in the eponymous role in Giselle the previous week—as Hagar, ably complemented by Stephanie Petersen as the Eldest Sister, Zimmi Coker as the Youngest Sister, Thomas Forster as the Friend, and Cory Stearns as the man from the House Opposite, with characteristically accomplished support from the corps de ballet.

The evening ended delightfully with the brilliant ZigZag—by the admirable Jessica Lang—choreographed to a marvelous selection of songs sung by the inimitable Tony Bennett, including: “What the World Needs Now” by Burt Bacharach with lyrics by Hal David; the signature “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”; "Fascinating Rhythm" by George and Ira Gershwin; “Spring in Manhattan”; Cole Porter’s “It's De-Lovely,” a duet with Lady Gaga; "Just One of Those Things,” also by Porter; “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin, from his classic late feature, Limelight; “Blue Moon” by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart; Duke Ellington’s "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)”; and "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" with music by Michel Legrand and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The enchanting cast included Isabella Boylston, Katherine Williams, Erica Hall, Bell, Hoven, and Royal, with exemplary assistance from members of the corps. I look forward to the return of this terrific company to Lincoln Center in the spring.

Broadway Musical Review: “Diana—The Musical”

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts
Category: Reviews
Published on Monday, 29 November 2021 22:33
Written by Kevin Filipski
Diana—The Musical
Music and lyrics by Joe DiPietro
Book and lyrics by David Bryan
Directed by Christopher Ashley; choreography by Kelly Devine
Opened November 17, 2021
Longacre Theatre, 220 West 48th Street, NY
thedianamusical.com
 
Jeanna de Waal (center) in Diana—The Musical
 
Diana—The Musical comes along after other recent dramatic recreations of the life of Princess Di: the Netflix series The Crown and Pablo Lorrain’s movie Spencer. The Crown delved into the relationship among Diana, Charles, Camilla and the royal family, centered by a sympathetic Emma Corrin as Di, while Spencer was an often risible fever dream in which Kristen Stewart does a weirdly breathy impression rather than a truly interesting characterization, despite the ridiculous awards talk accompanying her portrayal. 
 
Diana—The Musical is a kind of mixture of The Crown and Spencer, with its clumsy and unsatisfying blend of pop, camp, melodrama and comedy centered by a recognizably humane Diana, played with vigor and intelligence by Jeanna de Waal. Unlike Stewart’s impersonation in Spencer—which has little nuance—de Waal’s Diana is closer to Corrin’s lovely, multilayered turn in The Crown.
 
The show’s first act, unfortunately, is an ungainly mess: director Christopher Ashley and choreographer Kelly Devine move briskly from scene to scene in order to keep the focus off the soggy book, lyrics and music of Joe DiPietro and David Bryan. 
 
Careening wildly from bombastic rock which sounds like Jim Steinman/Meatloaf outtakes to interchangeable ballads (too bad “I Will” isn’t the Beatles tune), the songs rarely propel the plot or engage the ear, so Ashley’s busy staging and Devine’s clever movements are needed to propel the action, as during Diana and Charles’ first date, a cello recital by renowned Russian musician Mstislav Rostropovich becomes, in Diana’s bored mind, a dance raveup that the then-teenager would much prefer to such a staid performance.
 
The second act is marginally better because there are a couple of campy interludes taking liberties with Diana’s relationships with Charles (the colorless Roe Hartrampf), Camilla (the sensational—and appealing—Erin Davie) or Queen Elizabeth (the always superb Judy Kaye). 
 
The second-act curtain raiser, “Here Comes James Hewitt,” features Diana’s favorite author and step-grandmother, romance novelist Barbara Cartland (Kaye again, and hilarious) to acidly describe Di and Charles’ crumbling marriage and how soldier James Hewitt became her lifeline, in and out of bed. 
 
Another act two number, “The Main Event”—staged as a mock boxing match between the princess and Camilla a la Ali-Frazier (a line even mentions “the thrilla in Manila,” which happily rhymes with “Camilla”)—approaches the deliriousness of “Hewitt.” 
 
But these moments are few and far between. And the show ends with “If,” a most puzzling closer. After Diana gets her divorce with the queen’s blessing, she sings of looking forward to her newfound freedom along with her young sons, who are smartly never seen onstage. But instead of allowing her that brief moment of happiness, the show’s ensemble mentions, portentously, what happens in Paris in August 1997, when Diana was killed in a car crash while being chased by photographers. 
 
Diana leaves the stage silently and the ensemble strangely gets the last word. We all know what ultimately happened to her, so why deny our heroine her deserved moment of triumph, however admittedly brief? 

November '21 Digital Week III

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts
Category: Reviews
Published on Thursday, 25 November 2021 00:49
Written by Kevin Filipski
4K/UHD Releases of the Week 
Ran 
(Lionsgate)
Akira Kurosawa’s black, bleak 1985 war drama is among the Japanese master’s greatest epics, poetically showing man’s inhumanity as it compellingly welds Shakespeare’s King Lear to traditional Noh theater. Kurosawa’s masterly adaptation gives that tremendous actor Tatsuya Nakadai (hidden behind amazing make-up) one of his best roles as the foolish king who destroys his empire by dividing it among his two older sons and banishing the youngest.
 
There’s a surfeit of sequences to gasp at—especially two unforgettably shot battle sequences, the despairing yet breathtaking final moments, and Toru Takemitsu’s perfectly realized score—in a subtly realized new 4K restoration that shows off Kurosawa’s stunning use of realistic and symbolic color. The lone extra is an interview with the French restoration team; the Best Buy exclusive comprises a garishly colored Steelbook (pictured).
 
 
 
 
 
Mad Max Anthology 
(Warner Bros)
Director George Miller’s classic franchise—Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior/Mad Max 2 (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)—comprises a quartet of kinetic action flicks that, as they rolled on, became catnip for those who don't care about characterization, plot or dialogue but want more explosions, stunts and non-stop action.
 
 
That's just what Miller and his crack technical crew do, conjuring wall-to-wall car chases, races and hand-to-hand combat that, after awhile, become bludgeoning and mindnumbing. But the first film remains a truly original creation, with a pre-superstar (and pre-lunatic) Mel Gibson front and center. The ultra hi-def transfers look incredible; lone extras are on the The Road Warrior disc: a Leonard Maltin intro, Miller and cinematographer Dean Semler commentary, and Road War: The Making of ‘Road Warrior’ featurette.
 
 
 
 
 
The Outsiders—The Complete Novel 
(Warner Bros)
Francis Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s classic teenage novel was a mess when first released; Coppola later improved it somewhat by dropping his father Carmine’s bludgeoning score and replacing it with appropriate period pop tunes. It’s still a messy mix of great and cringeworthy scenes that’s worth a look for the future stars all in one cast: Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and—best of all—Diane Lane, whose Cherry is the most interesting character.
 
 
The 4K transfer looks terrific; new extras include restoration interview with cinematographer Stephen Burum, Zoetrope head of archives and restorations James Mockoski and colorist Gregg Garvin; deleted scenes; Coppola intro and “Anatomy of a Scene” featurette; and “Old House New Home” featurette. Vintage extras comprise a Coppola commentary; Dillon, Howell, Lane, Lowe, Macchio and Swayze commentary; Staying Gold: A Look Back at ‘The Outsiders’; S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa; The Casting of 'The Outsiders'; ‘The Outsiders’ Started by School Petition; and deleted/extended scenes.
 
 
 
 
 
Streaming Release of the Week
Clerk. 
(1091 Pictures)
Kevin Smith, who began his career with a bang with 1994’s Clerks—which heralded a fresh, funny new movie voice—then spun his wheels with movies that either were Clerks retreads or misbegotten attempts to branch out that made one long for Clerks retreads, has nonetheless navigated a nearly three-decade long career, which Malcolm Ingram’s a touch too reverential but well-done documentary shows. Smith was one of the first celebrities to grow his audience online, then branched out into comic books, podcasts and live performances, all while continuing to make the movies he wanted to make.
 
 
Interviews with Smith, his mother, brother, wife, daughter, sidekick Jason Mewes, producer Scott Mosier, and others who’ve worked with him or appeared in his films  (Ben Affleck! Matt Damon! Stan Lee!) give this an appropriately exhaustive feel, although bookending the movie with two Springsteen songs is a bit much (at the final “The Wish” works better than the clichéd “My Hometown”).
 
 
 
 
 
Blu-ray Releases of the Week 
The Bee Gees—How Can You Mend a Broken Heart 
(Warner Archive/HBO)
Since the Bee Gees became such massive stars with Saturday Night Fever in the late 70s it’s easy to forget they had a pretty good career before and after that juggernaut, as Frank Marshall’s incisive documentary demonstrates. We start from their youth in Australia, hitting it big in Britain then the States in the ’60s and onto huge chart success in the mid-70s as they turned to disco, which extended into the early ’80s.
 
 
There’s also a sense of sadness, since two of the three brothers Gibb are gone—three of four, if you count younger brother Andy, also a hitmaker in his own right—and Barry, speaking today wistfully about their lives and shared career, looks as you’d expect someone who has had great highs and terrible lows. The Blu-ray image looks good; extras are two promos masquerading as deleted scenes.
 
 
 
 
 
The Deceivers 
(Cohen Film Collection)
This soggy adventure, which was directed in 1988 by an out-of-his-element Nicholas Meyer, makes an undeniably fascinating historical subject—a marauding band of local Thuggees, known as “deceivers,” killing and robbing in 1825 India—as urgent and exciting as watching water boil.
 
 
Pierce Brosnan plays a British officer who goes undercover to infiltrate the gang, but Meyer’s direction, Michael Hirst’s script and Brosnan’s performance drag down this two-hour drama, despite shooting on actual locations and being produced by the eminent Ismail Merchant. The excellent Blu-ray image at least has a fine amount of grain.
 
 
 
 
 
National Velvet 
(Warner Archive)
One of the all-time beloved movies is this 1944 melodrama about a teenage girl who, with help from a young drifter, trains her beloved horse Pie for the big race and…well, for those few people who don’t know what happens, I won’t spoil it.
 
 
Young Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney are an irresistible (and platonic) young couple and the horse sequences are beautifully done, particularly the race footage. It’s corny, sentimental uplift, which is what moviegoers during WWII wanted. The colors literally pop off the screen in hi-def; extras?
 
 
 
 
 
Snowpiercer—Complete 2nd Season 
(Warner Bros)
The second season of this series based on Korean director Bong Joon Hoo’s 2013 post-apocalyptic sci-fi flick about a high-speed train circling the globe carrying what’s left of humanity after a disastrous attempt to fix global warming (elites in front, dregs in back) brings in Mr. Wilford—the shadowy billionaire behind the super train—who engages in a power play with Layton, the leader of the opposition.
 
 
Once again, despite incoherent plotting and jerky pacing, flashy visuals and the cast—led by Daveed Diggs (Layton) and Sean Bean (Wilford), although Jennifer Connolly is used to less good effect than in the debut season—provide the energy to keep Snowpiercer on track. The season’s 10 episodes look dazzling in hi-def; extras are short featurettes and interviews.
 
 
 
 
 
Some Came Running 
(Warner Archive)
Considering daring in its day, Vincente Minnelli’s vicious 1958 evisceration of the hypocritical values of small-town America has lost some of its luster over the decades, but it still has several moments and images that are indelible and potent.
 
 
 
There’s also a superlative cast, led by Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Arthur Kennedy and Martha Hyer, as well as a canny blend of location and studio shooting that’s pretty seamless. The hi-def transfer looks gorgeous; lone extra is the vintage featurette, The Story of ‘Some Came Running’.
 
 
 
 
 
DVD Release of the Week
The Early Films of Lee Isaac Chung 
(Film Movement)
Before he made last year’s Oscar-nominated Minari, Lee Isaac Chung directed a trio of intimate films that explored the intricacies of relationships, whether young men from different tribes in Rwanda (2007’s Munyurangabo), friends dealing with another’s being diagnosed with cancer (2009’s Lucky Life) or a lonely middle-aged woman who miraculously finds a companion (2012’s Abigail Harm).
 
 
Chung’s understated technique perfectly illuminates the ordinary but remarkable people that populate these films, and that they comprise mainly unfamiliar faces—Amanda Plummer, as Abigail Harm herself, is the exception—makes them all the more real. The lone extras are a Chung commentary and behind-the-scenes footage on Munyurangabo.

Off-Broadway Review—“Morning’s at Seven”

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts
Category: Reviews
Published on Monday, 22 November 2021 21:52
Written by Kevin Filipski
Morning’s at Seven
Written by Paul Osborn
Directed by Dan Wackerman
Performances through January 9, 2022
Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 West 46th Street, NYC
morningsat7.com
 
Alley Mills, Lindsay Crouse, Patty McCormack and Alma Cuervo
in Morning's at Seven (photo: Maria Baranova)


Despite a 1939 Broadway premiere that was not very well received, Paul Osborn’s comedy Morning’s at Seven has had a lengthy afterlife: along with countless regional stagings over the decades, there have been Broadway revivals in 1980 and 2002. The latest off-Broadway incarnation underlines its strengths and weaknesses: this rickety boulevard play avoids taking chances or taking sides but contains nine juicy parts, another obvious reason why it keeps reappearing on stages throughout the country.
 
Morning’s at Seven concerns four sisters, Cora, Arry, Ida and Esther, who live in a small American town in 1922. Cora lives with her husband Thor in one house, along with Arry, while Ida lives with her husband Carl and son Homer in the other. The play takes place in the backyards of both houses, which is where the soap operaish relationships—Arry and Thor might have had an affair; Cora covets the house Homer and his fiancée Myrtle are planning to move into; Carl’s uncertain mental state worries Ida; Esther spends too much time with her sisters, upsetting her husband David; along with other family secrets and lies—play themselves out, predictably if not unsatisfactorily.
 
No one sees Morning’s at Seven for any stunning insights into the human condition but to be entertained by a harmless, humane comedy. And, as this staging demonstrates, it’s not that the jokes and repartee are especially funny or clever but that the nine members of the cast do their best to make everything land. Indeed, there’s not a weak link in the ensemble, including the charming Ally Mills, who only recently joined as Arry after Judith Ivey withdrew with an injury; Mills fits right in, bantering easily with the others.
 
It’s that homespun, believable chemistry among these performers that makes it so enjoyable: you really do believe that Mills’ Arry, Lindsay Crouse’s Cora, Alma Cuervo’s Ida and Patty McCormack’s Esther are loving but bickering sisters. Dan Lauria’s Thor, John Rubenstein’s Carl and Tony Roberts’ David are not far behind as the three husbands, and rounding out the cast are Jonathan Spivey’s Homer and Keri Safran’s Myrtle, who do nicely as the next generation.
 
Director Dan Wackerman puts this nonet through its paces quite capably on Harry Feiner’s realistic set, which looks artfully artificial and lived-in simultaneously. The production has been lit beautifully by James E. Lawlor III and costumed spiffily by Barbara A. Bell. It’s been a long time since there’s been live theater to attend, and Morning’s at Seven will do very well for those wanting light entertainment.

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  1. Off-Broadway Review—New Musical “The Visitor” with David Hyde Pierce
  2. Philadelphia Orchestra Performs Classics & Contemporary at Carnegie
  3. November '21 Digital Week II

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