Well, now that I have taken care of the problem with my youngest grandson, Topher of Fleasburg, FL, it is on to talking about what an interesting time I have scheduled for the next five days, starting tonight with the sold-out Bon Jovi concert at Madison Square Garden. He puts on a great show and I am really looking forward to it. His recent free outdoor concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park drew over 50,000 fans.
For the rest of the time, well, I think you will agree that what follows is a very eclectic schedule of entertainment events (and one of the major reasons I love this City so much) --
Wednesday - 9:00 - “Eh Joe” - “Samuel Beckett's Eh Joe, originally written for television, is stunning in its ability to capture the richness of Beckett's minimalism without a word from the main character. Joe, played by celebrated Irish-born actor Liam Neeson, sits alone in a room, prodded into uncomfortable thought by Penelope Wilton's disembodied voice. A projected close-up of the tortured expression on his face is all the audience needs to understand the pain of a memory explored.” (discounted TDF ticket). Liam Neeson - wow - awesome!!!!
Thursday - 8:00 - “Around the World in 80 Days” - “The Irish Repertory Theatre and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will present AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, adapted by Mark Brown from the Jules Verne novel. In England in 1872, Phileas Fogg is the most exact of men. Well-traveled, very wealthy and with no friends or relatives of which to speak, he keeps his days on the most precise of schedules and spends his evenings at the local Reform Club. After a newspaper asserts that traveling around the world in 80 days is a legitimate possibility, Fogg and his fellow Londoners debate whether becoming a globetrotter is indeed that easy.” (discounted TDF ticket).
Friday - 8:00 - “The Time of Mendel’s Trouble: A madcap musical of Biblical Proportions” - “When Mendel Moskowitz gets a surprise visit from The Burning Bush in his apartment in Brooklyn, his life turns topsy-turvy. Together with his new friend, Murray Schwartz from Miami Beach, they become the two prophets of the Apocalypse, and embark on a madcap spiritual journey that leads them all the way to Jerusalem for some miraculous end-time adventures. An epic musical excursion through the Book of Revelation, the show incorporates a Romeo & Juliet-type love story, political satire, comedy, tragedy, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil when Messiah finally comes to earth. The end of the world was never so zany!” (complimentary ticket).
Saturday - 8:00 - “What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends” - “Four Chairs Theatre Company presents the world premiere of What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends, an anti-social comedy written by award-winning playwright Larry Kunofsky and directed by Jacob Krueger. Matt is a guy who hates all his friends. Celia is a woman at the center of The Friends, a secret group that has perfected friendship through special rules and a rigid ranking system. Can a guy who hates all his friends and a woman who needs friendship to go by-the-book figure out a way to spend time together without going mental? Set in a world of secret hot tub parties, craigslist hookups, and the myriad of ways people try to control intimacy by keeping it away, this edgy and witty new comedy looks at how romance and friendship works -- or doesn't work -- in the way we live now.” (complimentary ticket).
About the shows I saw since the last posting on Thursday, in brief, OK?
The Strangerers - weird, a bit too long, but great acting.
Compose Yourself - a terrific showcase production from the songs written by Larry Grossman.
Stain - Oh My Gawd! Talk about a dysfunctional middle-class family: incest; child abuse; statutory rape of a male teenager; teenage angst; pot smoking; unwanted pregnancy; abortion vs. right-to-life; blackmail; lies, lies and more lies; divorce; and, alcoholism. I think the only hot button issues not touched would have been homophobia and AIDS. Acting was great, story? Well .... not very believable.
Bacchae - Alan Cummings camps up a Greek tragedy with lots of blood, gore and decapitation.
Damn Yankees - this has to be a highlight. Everything about the production seemed to be right on mark, especially the performances of Cheyenne Jackson at Joe Hardy and Sean Hayes as Applegate aka The Devil. I predict a transfer to Broadway.
A Night at the Operetta II - great songs and gorgeous voices.
OK, enough is enough, so ...
Go Yankees!!!
Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment