(no subject)
Saw 'Fun With Dick and Jane'. Enjoyable film. Not Jim Carrey's best, but not his worst. Some fun moments. It could have been more satirical if they played on further with the whole corporate fraud aspect of the film. Found 'Vertigo' and 'The Third Man' at the Barnes and Noble in the Palisades. It was about time. I also picked up 'Serpico', 'Amadeus', 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' as well. Lord knows how many more I will have by the time I get back to New Paltz.
Went to see 'Souvenir' on Broadway last night. For those of you who know, I enjoy bad singing to almost no end. Florence Foster Jenkins, the real-life subject of the play, was a society woman of a certain age who considered herself blessed with the 'true coloratura'. One single note from her mouth was enough to send you heading to the hills. In what became a brief cult phenomenon, her recitals at the Ritz Carlton started word of mouth as to her singing, leading eventually to (what would be) her final recital at Carnegie Hall in late 1944. It's not entirely known whether or not she ever realized that she was possibly the world's worst soprano (on record anyway). The play, 'A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins' by Stephen Templerley, opened last year off-Broadway to acclaim and opened in November at the Lyceum where it also god some great notices, if it's been on life support ever since.
Judy Kaye gives a masterful performance as Florence Foster Jenkins. Her matronly demeanor, her comic timing, the 'singing' and the belief in the character made her someone for whom the audience could care. Donald Corren played her accompanist Cosme McMoon, who guided the audience through the entire show (and never left the stage, I might add). Great comic timing on his part, reacting mostly to everything Madame J would say or do (or wear, for that matter. Her Carnegie Hall costumes were out of this world). However, a lot of his piano-bar singing could have been sacrificed for the play could have used some tightening. The first act, specifically, could have been a bit shorter, it was the more stagnant of the two, noteworthy for the shock-tactic . But the second act was crisp, complete with a recreation of the Carnegie Hall concert (replete with costumes), in a sort of 'best of'. Hysterically funny, until Florence hears the laughter during her beloved Ave Maria. Complete switch in tone, it was almost as if the audience itself had been laughing and we all felt kinda bad. But the accompanist (who retells the story in flashback on the 20th anniversary of her death) reassures her, yet again that they loved her. Then he retells how she died and the impact she had on his life and that maybe it was better to appreciate the music we hear in our heads, and then, Judy stepped out in a new gown (of course) and sang the Ave Maria ("Gounod, that is. I leave the Schubert for the mezzos") as how Florence might have heard it. Gorgeously sung by Kaye, it was quite a moving finale to the evening with a gorgeously designed blackout. On the first Amen at the end of the piece, the lights started to fade and on the second they faded further until she was in complete silhouette with the remainder of the lights dimming ever-so-slowly until they went to black. The woman is getting a Tony nomination, I can almost guarantee it. It's a shame that the play is closing in a week (there just doesn't seem to be enough of an audience for it).
In attendance last night: Jerry Stiller, his wife Anne Meara, Christine Ebersole, Florence Henderson, and Mr & Mrs Brian Stokes Mitchell.
Went to see 'Souvenir' on Broadway last night. For those of you who know, I enjoy bad singing to almost no end. Florence Foster Jenkins, the real-life subject of the play, was a society woman of a certain age who considered herself blessed with the 'true coloratura'. One single note from her mouth was enough to send you heading to the hills. In what became a brief cult phenomenon, her recitals at the Ritz Carlton started word of mouth as to her singing, leading eventually to (what would be) her final recital at Carnegie Hall in late 1944. It's not entirely known whether or not she ever realized that she was possibly the world's worst soprano (on record anyway). The play, 'A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins' by Stephen Templerley, opened last year off-Broadway to acclaim and opened in November at the Lyceum where it also god some great notices, if it's been on life support ever since.
Judy Kaye gives a masterful performance as Florence Foster Jenkins. Her matronly demeanor, her comic timing, the 'singing' and the belief in the character made her someone for whom the audience could care. Donald Corren played her accompanist Cosme McMoon, who guided the audience through the entire show (and never left the stage, I might add). Great comic timing on his part, reacting mostly to everything Madame J would say or do (or wear, for that matter. Her Carnegie Hall costumes were out of this world). However, a lot of his piano-bar singing could have been sacrificed for the play could have used some tightening. The first act, specifically, could have been a bit shorter, it was the more stagnant of the two, noteworthy for the shock-tactic . But the second act was crisp, complete with a recreation of the Carnegie Hall concert (replete with costumes), in a sort of 'best of'. Hysterically funny, until Florence hears the laughter during her beloved Ave Maria. Complete switch in tone, it was almost as if the audience itself had been laughing and we all felt kinda bad. But the accompanist (who retells the story in flashback on the 20th anniversary of her death) reassures her, yet again that they loved her. Then he retells how she died and the impact she had on his life and that maybe it was better to appreciate the music we hear in our heads, and then, Judy stepped out in a new gown (of course) and sang the Ave Maria ("Gounod, that is. I leave the Schubert for the mezzos") as how Florence might have heard it. Gorgeously sung by Kaye, it was quite a moving finale to the evening with a gorgeously designed blackout. On the first Amen at the end of the piece, the lights started to fade and on the second they faded further until she was in complete silhouette with the remainder of the lights dimming ever-so-slowly until they went to black. The woman is getting a Tony nomination, I can almost guarantee it. It's a shame that the play is closing in a week (there just doesn't seem to be enough of an audience for it).
In attendance last night: Jerry Stiller, his wife Anne Meara, Christine Ebersole, Florence Henderson, and Mr & Mrs Brian Stokes Mitchell.