Contributing Writer
By Michall Jeffers The opening program of Mostly Mozart 2015, was actually made up of only Mozart, and the result was a delightful evening for all the music lovers in the audience. The Festival is an annual summertime tradition in New York; this is its 49th year, and there’s no doubt that the tradition…
Francesca Carpanini as Miranda and Sam Waterston as Prospero in a scene from “The Tempest” at the Delacorte Theater (Photo credit: Joan Marcus) by Michall Jeffers It was only fitting that the sky was threatening; it had been raining hard all day, and everyone wondered if the show would go on. It did, of course;…
By Michall Jeffers Suggestion: if you have out-of-town visitors this summer, take them to see Mama Mia. At the performance I attended, the audience was filled with foreign tourists, many of them Asian, and they were having a ball. Let’s face it, the plot is simple, and the language is easy to understand for anyone with…
Ken Watanabe as the King of Siam & Kelli O’Hara as Anna photos by Paul Kolnick By Michall Jeffers A hush comes over the house. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for, and we’re not disappointed. In the middle of the friendly dance, the King tells Mrs. Anna that holding two hands is not…
Bradley Cooper as John Merrick, Alessandro Nivola as Dr. Fredrik Treves & Patricia Clarkson as Mrs. Kendal By Michall Jeffers Fans of Bradley Cooper may well be amazed by his performance as John Merrick; many hardened theater critics will be, too. As the abused, tormented man cruelly twisted by deformity and fate, Cooper is…
Larry Pine , Vincent Kartheiser, photos by Carol Rosegg By Michall Jeffers It’s hard for us to imagine a time when film noir was considered daring and even dangerous. We’ve seen so many parodies of men in fedoras with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, growling “Stick with me, Baby.” Billy & Ray…
Megan Mullally and Nathan Lane by Michall Jeffers The answer is Nathan Lane. The question is what’s the best reason to see It’s Only A Play. This nearly sold out smash hit is playing to full houses chocked with appreciative theater goers. Just as trumpeted, the laughs never stop. Director Jack O’Brien has done…
Kristine Nielsen, Rose Byrne, James Earl Jones photos by Joan Marcus by Michall Jeffers The year is 1936, deep in the Great Depression. But you’d never know it from the cheery attitude of the multi-generational Sycamore family in the current production of You Can’t Take It With You. Director Scott Ellis has taken this…
By Michall Jeffers Note for next season: If you have an opportunity to get a seat facing the conductor at the Mostly Mozart Festival, grab it! Seeing the program from this angle is a whole different experience, and it’s well worth it. Conductor Louis Langree exudes sheer joy, and clearly inspires the musicians with…
By Michall Jeffers Jan Maxwell is what’s known as “An Actor’s Actor;” there just doesn’t seem to be anything she can’t do. The City of Conversation revolves around her; she’s on stage nearly the whole time, and every scene concerns her character, Hester Ferris, in one way or another. Hester is the Hostess with the…