NEW YORK THEATRE TIPS MARCH 2007

[philipchevron]

Philip- any thoughts on the closing of Dublins Andrews lane theatre?

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNIDAUEYEY

It's always a darn shame when theatres close. This one more than most. Among other great shows, I saw Carole King starring in Brighton Beach Memoirs here.

[KathleenwithaK]

I've heard nothing but good things about this one...have to agree...Though I've only had a chance to see the documentary at this point. I'd recommend it to anyone.

But the surprise hit of the season, and the only show apart from the Friel that I can recommend more or less wholeheartedly, is Grey Gardens, (Walter Kerr Theatre) a new musical based upon the cult documentary film about the real-life story of society girl Edie Bouvier (aunt to Jackie Kennedy Onassis), once bethrothed to Joe Kennedy and on her way to First Lady-dom, but by then (1975) reduced to sharing a fairly squalid existence with a mutually-dependent mother and numerous feral cats. If this sounds a little too close to Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? for comfort, well, it perhaps is. But that thumbnail sketch does not take account of Christine Ebersole's extraordinary performance as both Edie and (in act one) her own mother. She has, with some justification, been unofficially crowned new Queen Of Broadway by both critics and theatregoers, but the Tony which will be hers merely for showing-up in June for the Awards will consolidate that title.

Yes, I heard a piece on NPR about the documentary but did not realize it had been made into a musical. Might have to be on the short list.

[miked]

I'm hoping to catch "Assassins" at Porchlight Music Theatre at the Theatre Building if it's close enough to home. I haven't checked maps yet. Or itineraries, for that matter.

Porchlight is about five minutes from the Congress Theatre - it is in Lincoln Park (which is about a ten minute drive from downtown)... I plan to see this as well – I hear very good things!

[strummercalling]

It would be negligent of me not give a thumbs up to Jersey Boys, which won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical and, though it was not even close to being the best musical of the 2005/2006 season, it is a hugely entertaining piece of rags-to-riches-to-rags hokum, sentimental as hell, with a couple of good moments which will make you tear up. This is the bio-musical of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and may appeal to New York visitors who have had their fill of um, proper Art having seen the Pogues next door [literally] at Roseland. This is not to damn it with faint praise, but these "jukebox" musicals have a poor track record and usually need to be approached with caution. It has taken me over a year to get round to seeing this show, as it was so obviously a monster hit from the moment it opened that I knew it was likely to run for years. If you are planning to see it, catch it while the original star John Lloyd Young (as Frankie Valli) is still in the cast. He quite rightly won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for an astonishing tour-de-force vocal performance which would not have disgraced Ethel Merman. Book in advance, it's a tough ticket.

Thanks for that review-- it was quite helpful to me, since I'll be seeing Jersey Boys in March in between Pogues shows.

[kingofdanes]

Thanks for the suggestions Phil, I'm coming from Oklahoma to the see the St. Pattys show, can't wait. I was thinking about seeing Grey Gardens so I'm glad to hear you recommend it. Have a great run, and save some for the 17th, I'll see you there!
Peace,
Matthew

[Fiona]

Philip - Do you know anything about the new play, Defender of The Faith, at the Irish Repertory Theatre? I'm interested in seeing it while we're in NYC for The Pogues show on the 17th, but the play's description on the Irish Rep website makes me wary. ("A sinister IRA investigator conducts a terrifying investigation"). Would this play be more suited to the British Repertory Theatre?
Thanks.

[philipchevron]

Philip - Do you know anything about the new play, Defender of The Faith, at the Irish Repertory Theatre? I'm interested in seeing it while we're in NYC for The Pogues show on the 17th, but the play's description on the Irish Rep website makes me wary. ("A sinister IRA investigator conducts a terrifying investigation"). Would this play be more suited to the British Repertory Theatre?
Thanks.

The first production of this was at the Abbey in Dublin, directed by Wilson Milam, who also directed Lieutenant Of Inishmore. In recent times, the Abbey has been quite open to nuanced views of the Olde Conflicte, as befits the theatre which developed the Protestant Sean O'Casey. That said, I can scarcely remember whether I liked the play or not. When you see as many as I do, only the outstanding tend to leave their mark.

[KathleenwithaK]

Husband is nixing Grey Gardens. Wants something "weirder". Any suggestions?

[philipchevron]

Husband is nixing Grey Gardens. Wants something "weirder". Any suggestions?

There is nothing weirder than Grey Gardens, trust me. Once you get past the first act, at least.

[KathleenwithaK]

Husband is nixing Grey Gardens. Wants something "weirder". Any suggestions?

There is nothing weirder than Grey Gardens, trust me. Once you get past the first act, at least.

Perfect! He'll trust your opinion.

[Adam]

Here's another tip for NYC next week, if you are interested in the Anthology of American Folk Music, edited by Harry Smith in 1952, reissued on CD by Smithsonian Folkways in 1997. I co-produced a film that will be screening at Anthology Film Archives at 2nd and 2nd.

"The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music" will have its New York premiere on Thursday, March 15th, 8:00 p.m. at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave (@ 2nd St). We will have a reception in the Anthology lobby immediately afterwards. I would like to invite you to join us that evening and attend the Thursday screening (or any of the nights you're available).

The film will also screen Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm and Sunday at 5:00. This is part of a larger series of Harry Smith's complete oeuvre taking place March 14 - 18th at Anthology Film Archives.


http://www.harrysmitharchives.com
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org

MAGIC IN MUSIC AND MOTION:
THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF HARRY SMITH
All screenings at Anthology Film Archives, New York
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/index.php

Thursday, March 15 through Saturday, March 17 at 8:00 nightly and Sunday, March 18 at 5:00.
NEW YORK PREMIERE! FILMMAKER IN PERSON!
Rani Singh
THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA: HARRY SMITH’S ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC
2006, 90 minutes, video, color, sound. Produced by Adam Hyman and The Harry Smith Archives.
Prepare for an eclectic journey through THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA. Rani Singh's new documentary film tracks the history of Harry Smith's ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC from its initial compilation of 78rpm records from rural Americana to its release on Folkways Records in 1952. Instrumental in helping inspire the urban folk revival of the 1960s, the ANTHOLOGY continues to influence modern music. An incredible set of interviewees reveal the lasting impact of the ANTHOLOGY and the remarkable personality of Harry Smith. After the box-set’s release on CD in 1997, Hal Willner’s Harry Smith Project concerts celebrated Smith’s idiosyncratic vision, from Nick Cave’s cathartic take on spirituals to Lou Reed’s mesmerizing evocation of Blind Lemon Jefferson. The film includes rare archival footage, performances, and interviews with Elvis Costello, Nick Cave, Beck, Gavin Friday, Sonic Youth, Beth Orton, Philip Glass, David Johansen, John Cohen, Van Dyke Parks, Geoff Muldaur, Petra Haden, Roswell Rudd, Greil Marcus, and more. Join us for a wild ride through a remarkable musical landscape.

Artist, Animator, Ethnographer, Alchemist – Harry Smith (1923-1991) was all this and much more. An utterly remarkable character who produced an eccentric, electrifying body of work, Smith’s legacy and influence continue to be felt across a wide spectrum. Anthology and Harry go way back (he was our Artist-In-Residence) and it has been our mission over the years to promote and preserve his myriad achievements and undertakings in film and beyond.

At the heart of this series is a one-week run of our brand new preservation of Smith’s most fully realized work, FILM NO. 12: HEAVEN AND EARTH MAGIC. Rani Singh, Director of the Harry Smith Archives, will be on hand to present her recently completed documentary THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA: HARRY SMITH’S ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC. In addition, we are presenting 2 screenings of Smith’s epic, the incomparable MAHAGONNY. And finally, there will be an Essential Cinema program of Smith’s short film wonders.

To learn more about Harry Smith, visit The Harry Smith Archives: http://www.harrysmitharchives.com

One others creening - the same night that I'll be seeing the Pogues at Roseland:

Wednesday, March 14 at 7:30.
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
HEAVEN AND EARTH MAGIC WITH LIVE SLIDE & GEL PERFORMANCE!
Harry Smith
NO 12: HEAVEN AND EARTH MAGIC
1957-62, 66 minutes, 16mm. Newly preserved with support from the National Film Preservation Foundation. Preservation work by Cineric, Inc.
For the opening night screening of the preserved print of HEAVEN AND EARTH MAGIC, The Harry Smith Archives and M. Henry Jones will present a live performance with specially designed slides, colored gels and maskings. Smith showed the film with its special projection set-up only once, in the late-1950s at Carnegie Hall, New York City on a specially built projector. This show involved the use of colored gels and slide overlays to create a vividly colored presentation that had the strong feel of a magic lantern show with an animated shadow play at its center. It is characteristic of Smith to have created this antiquated form of color presentation, very much akin to the tinting and toning of silent films, rather than naturalistic color. With the slides and gels, HEAVEN AND EARTH MAGIC regains its aboriginal character as an alchemical séance.

And there are more abstract films by Harry Smith also showing that week at Anthology. Check out their website for details.

[lesh]

Thanks for your list of suggestions, Philip, it inspired me to add a day to my trip down to the City so I'd have time to see a play. So many offerings to choose from, but finally decided I wanted to see something humorous, and so bought a ticket for Avenue Q. It was hard to resist the when I read a description of the show as Sesame Street meets The Simpsons with a touch of Sex and the City.