SINGER GARRY NOVIKOFF-WOW !!!

 




RUN AND HEAR THE MULTI-TALENTED GARRY NOVIKOFF !

If you're not lucky enough to hear him live ( he plays in and around NYC often),
 then go on  youtube and enjoy his many videos, they will brighten up your day.
You can also  hear him on cdbaby or spotify.

 To get a more comprehensive idea of this artist check out his website:
garrynovikoff.com 

BETTER YET, BUY HIS CD, "A NORMAL LIFE"...

TREAT YOURSELF TO HIS ADEPT PLAYING OF VARIOUS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, CLEVER LYRICS AND  BEAUTIFUL VOICE...
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I was invited to a holiday party in December where the usual food, drink and pleasantries abounded.  I figured I'd put in my usual 2 hours and go home.

Suddenly my time at the party was happily extended as I sat mesmerized by the talents of this award winning singer, GARRY NOVIKOFF; he was a guest and treated us to a variety of songs from his extensive catalogue.
I wasn't alone. He turned an ordinary party into an "event".
We clamoured to buy his CD & now it's one of my new favorites.
Why many of his songs are not merely funny, but thoughtful and clever, is because there's always the element of surprise to them accompanied by catchy music in which you find yourself singing along to pretty quickly ("Dog on the Moon" or "Instant Passion").

  The song construction and melodies are layered; to me, this is  the sign of a true artist in the vain of a Cole Porter , Stephen Sondheim or Richard Rodgers.

NOVIKOFF then turns around reaches deep into his soul and tears your heart out with a song like "Lenny". When I watched him perform this on youtube, I wept. He embodies a young James Taylor singing that masterpiece.
Go ahead treat yourself to this performance and tell me I'm wrong...

I had recently seen the amazing Jimmy Webb and I found his opening act was a bit lame. This particular piano player was just that, a great piano player; however, his attempt to work in clever lyrics didn't work-at best they were one dimensional and not particularly creative. I hate to bring his lack of lyrical talent into his otherwise amazing tickling of the ivories but I do this only to say that within a few weeks I saw how it's really done by NOVIKOFF.

The only thing I regret is that I just found out about GARRY NOVIKOFF since after researching him I realize he's won numerous deserving awards and a multitude of great press from respected critics and fans alike.

Let's wrap this up by sayin' GARRY NOVIKOFF is a consummate performer.

Don't wait as long as I did to enjoy his talents.

CUBAN COMIC DIES "NOW, HE WAS FUNNY!"

 

 

Cuban Comedian Alvarez Guedes Dies 

 Exiled comedian was known for his 'Cubaneo' jokes... (as a youngster I was exposed to this hysterical comic with his saucy humor with both records & books)--always funny, always original, often copied; rumor has it that outside of his legendary persona he was a very humble, educated & kind man. Thanks for the laughs "compadre"--RIP)

MIAMI -

Comedian Guillermo Álvarez Guedes, who was beloved among Cuban exiles in Miami, died in his Kendall home Tuesday.

Family friend Delio Regueral said Guedes had been at Doctor's Hospital in Coral Gables earlier this month after experiencing a stomach ache that was later diagnosed.

"He was a  genius in acting and comedy," Regueral said in Spanish. "Even though he was a comedian, he was a very serious man."

Guedes, also an entrepreneur, co-founded Gema Records in 1975, formerly in Sweetwater. He helped to launch the careers of Rolando Laserie, Celeste Mendoza and other stars.

"He helped a lot of people," Regueral said. "People would come and knock on his door and if he could help, he would."

"THE NANCE" & "THE WAY WAY BACK"

PLAY: 'THE NANCE"

 ONE OF THE BEST PLAYS I'VE EVER SEEN.

NATHAN LANE & THE CAST (ALL GREAT BUT ESP LEWIS J. STRADLEN AS THE THEATER OWNER & JONNY ORSINI IN THE BUFF--HOTT!) WILL HAVE YOU PEEING WITH LAUGHTER WHILE TACKLING ISSUES SET IN 1937  (IT'S THE END OF VAUDEVILLE & ESP. THE NANCE CHARACTER IN ANY SHOW IN NYC).

1937 WAS STILL A TIME WHEN ANY SINGLE MAN CONVERSING WITH ANOTHER SPARKED SUSPICION -AND AT TIMES BRUTALITY-FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT MANDATED BY THE POLITICIANS OF THE DAY-SOUND FAMILIAR?
I AM ALWAYS FASCINATED HOW OLD ISSUES STILL RESONATE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY. THEY STILL WANT US TO DISAPPEAR AND DENY OUR RIGHTS, GAY BASHING IS ALIVE & WELL WHILE MANY TIMES LAW ENFORCEMENT LOOK THE OTHER WAY, WHICH HURTS AS MUCH AS A BEATING.

ONE SPOILER ALERT: DID YOU KNOW THE THEN MAYOR WAS BANNING ANYTHING GAY SO "REGULAR" TOURIST WOULDN'T BE SUBJECTED TO "THEM" WHEN VISITING THE 1939 WORLD'S FAIR?
"THE LITTLE FLOWER" ( IN MY OPINION, A THORN ON MY BACKSIDE), MAYOR FIORELLO LA GUARDIA MADE THIS PUBLIC POLICY.
 ASSHOLE!
 I DON'T EVEN WANNA FLY OUTTA LAGUADIA ANYMORE. HE DID SOME GREAT THINGS FOR NYC BUT THE FEAR HE INSTILLED & PROMOTED IS UNFORGIVABLE.

ALTHOUGH I MAY BE COMING OFF THIS REVIEW AS TOO DEEP, "THE NANCE" IS A LAUGH A MINUTE.
I'VE SEEN NATHAN LANE A LOT ON STAGE & SCREEN BUT THIS IS BY FAR HIS MOST TAILORED-MADE ROLE YET. I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD, I'M SURE I MISSED A FEW JOKES & INNUENDOS. (BTW, ONE OF MY ORIGINAL JOKES WAS STOLEN--WTF?--AND IT WORKED BEAUTIFULLY!)
SADLY THIS CLOSES AUGUST 11TH--SO RUN!!!!!! REALLY RUN TO SEE IT !!!!
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MOVIE:  "THE WAY WAY BACK'

ORIGINALLY I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE CUTE & MOST REVIEWS PROMPTED THAT THINKING. I HAD NO IDEA I'D BE LAUGHING FOR 2 HOURS STRAIGHT.

THE CASTING WAS GENIUS. IT'S ONE OF THOSE MOVIES I NEED TO OWN. AS I MENTIONED ABOUT "THE NANCE", I'M SURE I MISSED MANY FUNNY LINES SINCE I COULDN'T STOP LAUGHING. THE MOVIE IS FULL OF HEART & WE WILL ALL IDENTIFY WITH NOT FITTING IN SOMEWHERE (THE WHOLE UNDERDOG SYNDROME).

IT'S ABOUT FINDING A FAMILY WHERE YOU LEAST EXPECT IT. A COMING-OF-AGE FILM BALANCED PERFECTLY WITH A LOT OF HEART & THOUGHT PROVOKING CHOICES AND  SCENARIOS.

NOT SINCE I SAW ROSALIND RUSELL DESCEND THE STAIRS IN "AUNTIE MAME" HAVE A SEEN AN ENTRANCE BY AN ACTRESS AS ALLISON JANNEY SO BRILLIANTLY DOES HERE--YOU CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF HER!

LIAM JAMES IS REMINISCENT OF ROBBY BENSON--ADORABLE & BEAUTIFULLY UNDERPLAYS HIS ROLE. SAM ROCKWELL AS A QUIRKY/FUN FATHER FIGURE STEALS EVERY SCENE. THE MOMENTS--TOO BAD THERE ARE FEW-WITH ONE OF THE WRITERS OF THE FILM, JIM RASH. ARE TOO HYSTERICAL TO TAKE (HE PLAYS THE "I'M LEAVING THE PARK" CHARACTER. HE ALSO WON AN OSCAR FOR CO-WRITING "THE DESCENDANTS" & GOT LAUGHS AT THE OSCARS FOR IMITATING ANGELINA JOLIE'S LEG STANCE)). WHAT A GREAT, FUNNY & TOUCHING SCREENPLAY (SEXY NAT FAXON, ALSO IN THE MOVIE IS THE CO-WRITER).

RUN TO SEE THIS TOO. IT'S A FAMILY MOVIE WITHOUT 3D OR THE BELLS & WHISTLES NOW EXPECTED WHEN SAYING "FAMILY MOVIE".
 ONE OF THE FUNNIEST MOVIES EVER!

JEAN STAPLETON DIES, 90--R I P

 

 I had the amazingly good fortune to meet this lovely & talented woman in 1986 when she was starring in "Arsenic and Old Lace"in NYC.

The Theater Wing in NYC offered fans a chance to have conversations with actors starring on Broadway. I made it to a number of these limited sessions and had many memorable times.

My selfish goal was to make Ms. Stapleton laugh. When I caused her to have a genuine guffaw, it gave me such joy since I consider her one of the funniest actresses who ever lived. I left on a cloud.

Thank you Ms. Stapleton for being a part of my comedic development & appreciation of the layers a comic/actress can achieve. God bless you!

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 CNN) -- Actress Jean Stapleton, best known for her role as Archie Bunker's wife in the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," has died, her son said Saturday.

(CNN): 

"Her son John Putch told CNN about her passing and, along with his sister Pamela Putch, wrote an obituary saying that she "passed away peacefully of natural causes" on Friday at her New York City home "surrounded by friends and her immediate family."

The daughter of an opera singer and businessman, Stapleton grew up on Long Island and in New York City. It was there during the early 1940s, while working as a typist for the British War Ministry Office, that she began her career in theater.

Stapleton made it to Broadway in the production "In the Summer House" in 1953, the same year of her television debut on the daytime drama "Woman With a Past." Other big stage roles followed, including in "Bells Are Ringing" and "Damn Yankees."

She also did more and more television, including appearances on shows such as "Philco TV Playhouse" and "Dr. Kildare."

Her breakout role was as Edith Bunker, the kindhearted foil to husband Archie, played by the late Carroll O'Connor.

"All in the Family" was one of television's most popular shows as it broke ground while tackling a host of social issues such as racism, sexuality, life and death. Edith Bunker, played by Stapleton, for instance revealed that she had breast cancer on the show, a rare occurrence at the time.

"I just loved doing it from the very beginning," Stapleton told CNN in 2001, shortly after O'Connor's death..."

RAIN PRYOR (RICHARD'S DAUGHTER)--A MUST SEE!

RAIN PRYOR STARS IN THE GROUNDBREAKING OFF-BROADWAY PLAY:
 
" FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES"--A MUST SEE !!!
(at the ACTORS TEMPLE THEATER -NYC)

--FUNNY !!!
--CREATIVE !!!
--POIGNANT !!!
--BRILLIANT !!!
--AWARD WINNING PLAY !!!

"Fried Chicken and Latkes played to sold out crowds and standing ovations every night at the 375 seat Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA, and repeated that success at the Culture Project in New York, Chicago, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, and Scotland..." (WOODSTOCK FRINGE) 

I AM A HUGE THEATER FAN/SUPPORTER. I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE MANY GENRES OF THEATER; FEW, HOWEVER, HAVE BEEN MILESTONES- "FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES" RANKS AS ONE OF THEM.

THE FIRST PLAY I EVER SAW ON BROADWAY WAS "GODSPELL". I WAS HOOKED ON MUSICALS AT THAT POINT. AT INTERMISSION THEY INVITED THE AUDIENCE TO COME ON STAGE AND DRINK WINE, (I'M SURE IT WAS GRAPE JUICE--SUSPEND I TOLD MYSELF, IT'S THEATER), WITH THE CAST. I WAS HOOKED. 

THIS FIRST MILESTONE LEAD ME TO NAVIGATE TOWARDS MORE & MORE MUSICALS-SEEING "A CHORUS LINE 5X; LES MIZ 4X, ETC. 

THEN IN 1984 I HAD A LIFE ALTERING EXPERIENCE, IN THE GREAT WHITE WAY, WHEN I SAW THE BRILLIANCE OF WHOOPI GOLDBERG IN HER ONE WOMAN SHOW. I THEN STARTED EXPANDING MY HORIZONS TO DRAMAS/COMEDIES AS WELL. MILESTONE NUMBER 2.

WHAT RAIN PRYOR DOES IS YET ANOTHER MILESTONE. NOT ONLY DOES SHE DO CHARACTERIZATIONS, AS WHOOPI DID, BUT THIS AMAZING ARTIST SINGS, DANCES AND USES BELLY ACHING HUMOR TO TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A JOURNEY OF HER UNCONVENTIONAL LIFE:  BEING HALF, WHITE JEWISH & HALF, BLACK (HENCE THE TITLE) AND HAVING THE EXTREMELY UNCONVENTIONAL FATHER, RICHARD PRYOR.

I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH OF HOW HER GENIUS IS ABLE TO EMBODY SO MUCH IN THE SHORT SPAN OF ONE HOUR. 

THE TICKETS ARE INEXPENSIVE WITH A PRICELESS RETURN. DO NOT MISS IT!

TREAT YOURSELF, YOU WILL THANK ME.

I HAD READ HER BOOK AND HAD SEEN HER ON TV BUT BOTH WERE UNDERWHELMING WHICH LEAD ME TO THIS PLAY WITH MEDIUM TO LOW EXPECTATIONS. I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE SURPRISED AND THANKFUL.
LUCKILY SHE IS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO THANK HER GUESTS IN THE LOBBY WHEN THE SHOW IS OVER AND I MADE SURE SHE REALIZED WHAT AN IMPACT IT HAD MADE ON ME. 

I'D GLADLY SEE IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN...

 A BROADWAY HOUSE NEEDS TO COME CALLING. 
SHE DESERVES A HUGE SPACE, A NEW AGENT TO PROMOTE THE SHOW BETTER AND PERHAPS A TITLE CHANGE ( MAYBE INCLUDING HER FATHER'S NAME) ---THE AUDIENCES WILL FLOCK TO IT ! 


 GO TO:  BROADWAY.COM ---TO SEE RAIN PRYOR EXPLAIN IT BEST-------YOU'RE WELCOME---LOL



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( ONE PIECE OF ADVISE: EVEN IF IT'S THE QUESTIONABLE WIKIPEDIA, READ ABOUT HER LIFE PRIOR TO SEEING THE PLAY SO YOU CAN APPRECIATE THE TRANSLATION FULLY)

BTW, I OWN THE BOOK THE SHOW IS BASED ON IN CASE ANYONE I KNOW WANTS TO READ IT

"OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES"--play

"OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES"- 

OY!!!!!

A NEW PLAY -OFF BROADWAY-AT THE WESTSIDE THEATER, NYC.

A LAUGH ABOUT EVERY OTHER MINUTE. IF YOU CAN GET TIX FOR UNDER $60-RUN!!!

OVERALL A NIGHT OF BELLY-ACHING LAUGHS WITH RECYCLED TRADITIONAL, BORSCHT BELT MATERIAL INSERTED WITH SOME GOOD NEW ONES (don't let the "old" fool you, some jokes are very dirty--fun!)

ALONG WITH SOME LEGENDARY OLDER COMICS, (MARILYN SOKOL HAS HER "PHONE" SKITS AT THE SMITHSONIAN IN DC), TWO YOUNGER ACTORS ADD A CONTEMPORARY ELEMENT.

THE CAST CONSISTS OF:  Audrey Lynn Weston, Marilyn Sokol, Lenny Wolpe, Todd Susman and Bill Army-all of them more than qualify for this type of  play.

The pacing is amazing, from gags, to straight-on jokes, songs and even autobiographical memories of how & why comedy came into their lives & the healing effect of it. I CONCUR!

It's about 90 minutes of fun.

I highly recommend it, but again if you can get it (and you can with GOLDSTAR & other discounted sites) for $60 or under.

Except for one usherette & the concession guy, the staff can use some manners--this was my only complaint; they made me "Meschugenah!"

Thanks Danny!

ERANEST BORGNINE DIES --95

Actor Ernest Borgnine dead at 95...

One of those legendary character actors has died from kidney failure.

Once the viewer caught Borgnine in a late movie you knew you had bumped into an old friend. He had that special quality of vulnerability & gruff.

Winning an Oscar for "Marty" in 1955, he showed his versatility in different roles. Most people remember his energentic charcater in television's "McHales Navy" (actually it was IN the Navy that Borgnine began taking an interest in theater. He continued to bee seen on stage, screen & a lot of television-even on "E.R."

Though married 5 times I remember Tova & her skin care products as a kid & find it terribly  campy (she survives him).

 

"PETER AND THE STARCATCHER" on BROADWAY

Synopsis

"A wildly theatrical, hilarious and innovative retelling of how a miserable orphan came to be The Boy Who Never Grew Up, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER upends the century-old legend of Peter Pan..."

We went to see "PETER AND THE STARCATCHER" on the auspicious day this highly original play was nominated for 9 TONY awards.

It is one of the most unique pieces of theater I have ever seen. Did I love it? Not really, not because it wasn't well acted (esp. a tour de force by Christian Borle- the rest of the cast "ate up the  scenery"-a direct quote for the narrative-as well). The staging was magnificent. If you're a word person and love clever tongue-twisters, double entendres, etc, you'll go wild for it. I AM a word person but this is the type of play I personally would have liked as part of a showcase, not over 2 hours of it. However, I am in the minority: the audience and most critics LOVED it as well as my date.

I went knowing little that this is a prelude to the Peter Pan story we all know from childhood, and I was in awe and found new respect for the multi-talented Christian Borle, who I only know from the hit series "SMASH". WOW! 

(UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2012: BORLE IS NO LONGER IN THE CAST)

I had a good time and laughed 50% of the time, not bad since a generous friend was able to comp us-we had a nice night.

What puzzles me is that it was nominated for score and costumes--huh? Undeserved, since they was little creativity of both.

If you're tired of seeing traditional musicals or plays, check this one out but be alert-they cleverly speak quickly and melodically and do not take anyone who has not mastered the English language-it's quite a fete to absorb all the nuances.