by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 31, 2009
War is a difficult thing to understand, let alone encapsulate no matter which military conflict is the focus. This is probably why each generation has seen its share of movies exploring war, its heroes, its casualties on the battlefield (and at home) and its paradigm which sends strangers on a journey that brings them out the other end as something we have yet to find a word for, so “brothers” tends to suffice.
As society and even combat itself evolves it leaves it almost impossible to weave a parallel between, let’s say, a WWII Vet and a Vietnam Vet. But what hasn’t changed is the core of the men who fight to defend their country: there are stories attached to each soldier who serves, there are hidden injuries that destroy families who appear whole and subtle innuendos that tie these men to each other that outsiders can never understand. When these “outsiders” turn out to be their own families, well … then the conflict to home can almost do more damage than any tour of duty.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 30, 2009
The Man and The Music - Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse isn’t a name that immediately rings a bell with most people the way, say, Andrew Lloyd Webber does. If you say “the great musical composer, Charles Strouse” people don’t go “Ahhhh, right, of course”. But mention some of his iconic songs and right away the “wow, I didn’t know he wrote that“s and “seriously, that was him?“s come rolling in. So, for those of you who don’t know and need me to hum a few bars …
… Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes / Put her hand in mine and said she loved me so …
No? Not yet? How about
… Grey skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face! / Brush off the clouds and cheer up, put on a happy face!
Warmer? Well you’ve gotta know this one …
… Boy the way Glenn Miller played / Songs that made the Hit Parade / Guys like us we had it made … those were the days
Yeah? Starting to come together? Want the big finish?
… Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You’ll always a day away!
OHHHHH! THAT’S Charles Strouse! Yes … THAT’s Charles Strouse, writer of musicals such as Bye, Bye, Birdie, Annie, Applause and composer of movie scores and TV scores like “All in the Family”. With writing partner Lee Adams he penned half a dozen musicals, and even after that collaboration ended he went on to create a half dozen more with other lyricists (most notably one of my 2nd favorte Muscial Theatre Stephens after Sondheim — Stehen Schwartz for RAGS).
… Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes / Put her hand in mine and said she loved me so …
No? Not yet? How about
… Grey skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face! / Brush off the clouds and cheer up, put on a happy face!
Warmer? Well you’ve gotta know this one …
… Boy the way Glenn Miller played / Songs that made the Hit Parade / Guys like us we had it made … those were the days!
Yeah? Starting to come together? Want the big finish?
… Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You’re always a day away!
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 29, 2009
I have to admit, I didn’t get to see Coraline The Movie when it was playing, mainly because I cover so much theatre that I just don’t get a chance to get out to the movies as much as I used to. But apparently the movie’s director Henry Selick wants to change all that — becuae he’s hitting the pavement in November and seems to be making the rounds specifically for me with not one but TWO different events aimed for the type of person who doesn’t just like to see a movie, but likes to delve in and get the backstory.
If you’re more interested in a screening of Coraline then this choice is for you:
Coraline
With writer/director Henry Selick in person
Thursday, November 19, 7:30 p.m.
Directors Guild Theatre, 110 West 57 Street, Manhattan
2009, 100 mins. Focus Features. Presented in Dolby Digital 3-D. Directed by Henry Selick. With the voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane. Selick adapts Neil Gaiman’s book about a girl who is bored in her new home until she discovers a door and finds an alternative version of her life on the other side. Film critic A.O. Scott wrote in The New York Times that Coraline “lingers in an atmosphere that is creepy, wonderfully strange and full of feeling.”
Call 718.784.4520 to make your reservation.
However, if Mr. Selick himself seems facinating to you, then set your clock one day earlier, and head downtown (not up) to:
AN EVENING WITH HENRY SELICK
Wednesday, November 18, at 7:00 p.m.
Crosby Street Hotel, 79 Crosby Street (between Spring and Prince)
Henry Selick will discuss his career and show clips from his films, including Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and James and the Giant Peach, in a discussion moderated by Chief Curator David Schwartz. Selick’s work is characterized by its emotional and textural richness, and by its adherence to the physicality and hand-made quality of stop-motion animation.
Order online or call 718.784.4520.
I have to admit, I didn’t get to see Coraline (the movie) when it was playing –mainly because I cover so much theatre that I just don’t get a chance to get out to the movies as much as I used to [I unfortunately missed MCC Theater's production of Coraline the Musical as well. Sheesh!]. But apparently the movie’s director Henry Selick wants to change all that — because he’s hitting the pavement in November and seems to be making the rounds specifically for me with not one but TWO different events aimed for the type of person who doesn’t just like to see a movie, but likes to delve in and get the back story.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 29, 2009
In the early part of the century (yes, that would be the year 2000) I became fascinated with Lidia Bastianich and made a point of telling everyone that I wanted to go to her restaurant, Felidia (243 E. 58th New York, NY 10022).
People tend to like me (what can I say?) so everyone made a point of trying to get reservations there. When I went for lunch with some co-workers my boss asked if Lidia was around and would she sign a cookbook? We were told that Lidia was back in her office, but the book was sent back there and arrived at our table at the end of the meal autographed, with a personal inscription, wrapped in tissue paper. We were thrilled.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 26, 2009
What do Bernie Madoff, Wasabi Peas, change of a $10, Kaiser Soze, the shell game, orange juice, a bar bet, a deck of cards and a floating cigarette all have in common? They’re all elements in Jeff Grow’s very entertaining part-magic-show-part-performance-art-piece “Creating Illusion” playing a limited engagement at the D-Lounge.
With a winning smile, a twinkle in his eye, and a quick hand, Jeff Grow (creator and performer) tells stories of illusionists who bring people into their confidence (“Confidence” the root of “con”) and then take them for their money … or for something else. But usually their money. Continue Reading…
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 25, 2009
If you’re like me, you love cake. And the internet. And laughing at other people’s mistakes. So chances are you’ve come across Cake Wrecks already and I’m not about to tell you anything new. This tip is not for you.
This tip is for those among us who have technology-averse loved ones who say things like “I saw that secret code you sent me in your email, but it didn’t make any sense” … and you reply “That was just a link, dad. All you have to do is click on it.” And anonymous loved one says “Oh, I didn’t want to break the internet. Can you just print it out and send it to me in the mail? ” But how do you mail an ENTIRE WEB SITE of funny images? Well … now you can …
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 19, 2009
Where were you during the New York blackout? People still ask, even though the most recent one happened six years ago. But live through just one in New York City and you’ll understand why it’s such a bookmark in the story of your life here; in a city that never sleeps, that is always alive and jolted with energy – of the personal kind as much as the Con Ed kind – it’s eerie to see it all go dark, quite, and almost retro. Neighbors will gather on their stoops to share their stories, and perhaps their food (someone has to eat all the ice cream before it melts …) music or news sounds tinny as it comes to you from that old transistor radio you keep “for emergencies”, and all the distractions that fill up our days disappear in a snap. I sure remember where I was during the blackout …
New York City had two of them that stopped the city still – one in 1977 and one in 2003. Blackouts written by J. Anthony Roman and Directed by Jill DeArmon, is two acts connected by history and legacy, and divided by one tragic loss.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 9, 2009
It’s always fun to try to envision the future; to take an every day pastime such as the internet or TV or twitter or whatever else is the current “thing” and spin it out to its fullest realized interpretation either as a fantasy or a cautionary tale. Even better is to look at futuristic tales years later and chuckle a bit at what’s actually come true, and what is still never going to happen.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 6, 2009
If Marrying Meg was a book, it would lay solidly in your lap, with a cover made of fine tooled leather, each page edged in gold leaf. Fairy dust would shimmer up out of it as you turned each page and sank deeper and deeper into this amazing world that Mark Robertson (book, lyrics and music) created. But Marrying Meg is, thankfully, more than a book, and more than a play, even. It is a charming, magical, amazing musical that was crafted by a man who has a rare gift – the ability to write a new musical that has the chops of an old musical, but all the energy, nuance and vitality of a brand new musical. The songs are fresh, the lyrics are delightfully robust – clever enough to give your ear a treat without being so verbose that you can’t follow the meaning.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 19, 2009
You can tell it’s Fringe Season when theatres ’round the city are suddenly bustling with life at odd hours of the day and escorting people in and out quickly so they can strike a set and get ready for the next show which is happening in, oh, about a minute. Yes, it’s all about endings and beginnings at Fringe which is why it’s rather fitting that I started my rounds this year with two very different plays that both dealt with the same fine line between living and dying, and what you do with that quick snap of a moment in between the two blackouts. Eli and Cheryl Jump takes you off on the wind of fanciful, magical, dreaminess while Look After You shows the realistic portrait of a life interrupted by a flash of illness that comes quickly and takes certainty with it. Both plays speak to the frailty of what we take for granted every day, both highlight what it means to be a survivor.
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