For cinephiles, Francophiles, feminists: ‘Young French Cinema’! 2
Dec
15
2020
If you fit one, or all, of the categories — cinephile, Francophile, feminist — as do I (all three) then Wednesday night, December 16, Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz has something in store for you! It’s a new documentary, Delphine and Carole, slated to open a new, COVID-averse film festival, “Young French Cinema.” The friendship between screen ...
Blowing in the wind, in a COVID-era dance by Jody Sperling
Dec
7
2020
Don’t tell me just because I live in Los Angeles, I am plastic! The world is conspiring to make us all that way! As choreographer Jody Sperling notes, plastic is something we all share — in a bad way. We wear it, we swim in it, we ingest it, we even inhale it. We are in ...
Buy Bobo, support Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Dec
1
2020
In 1945, the only clown out of eight manufactured marionettes coming down the Bob Baker assembly line was Coco. One day Bob Baker decided to create a new character from the scraps and discards left on the cutting tables and floor. Bobo was born. Bobo, in his day, was a success. Thousands of Bobos were ...
‘Give in!’ Buy Gwen Verdon portrait at Bonhams auction
little man little lola wants you. 12.5 x 17.75 in. As “Lola” in Damn Yankees, Gwen Verdon brought down the house with her powerhouse performance and her inimitable version of “Whatever Lola Wants,” performing the role over 1,000 times. She began both a working and personal relationship with choreographer Bob Fosse as a result of ...
David Winters ‘Cool’ solo, in ‘West Side Story’
Jets boys, David Winters at center in red In an interview with Toni Basil that includes rare footage of the original Broadway cast of West Side Story, Jerome Robbins protege David Winters (1939 – 2019) explains how he conjured his unusual solo in the role of “Baby John” in 1957. When it came time for ...
Drive-in movie for the angels
Nov
29
2020
photo by taylor umphenour courtesy of hollywood legion drive in We don’t need no suburban drive-in movie. We have the Hollywood Legion Drive In, a very urban one inside the wee village of Los Angeles. It’s the “first-ever drive in in the heart of Hollywood.” And here’s how it looks at night! Tonight, the hills ...
The Hollywood Hills are alive … with ‘The Sound of Music’
Nov
28
2020
julie & the hills It’s the holiday season and we’re all nearly croaking of isolation in our cobbled, separated, lonely, despairing but well-worn nests at home. There’s one remaining way to go out and safely be with others. No, not a walk in mother nature. Rather, a big spin on a cinematic mountain-top with Julie ...
‘Sittin’ In’ at golden-era jazz clubs 1
bird & friendscourtesy of jeff gold These days, every self-respecting college and civic performing arts center has a subscription jazz series. It’s no surprise, then, that many people see jazz as concert music. But it wasn’t always so. 1930s and ‘40s jazz musicians mostly worked in ballrooms with dance bands, but they stretched out and ...
I get by with a little help from Gwen Verdon
carol burnett, phyllis diller, bobby gentry, gwen verdon Dateline Nov 20: It’s been a wretched week. A crazy person, with “a little help” from his equally crazy friends, is foisting a coup d’etat on our democracy; the very air of my neighborhood has become a dicey thing to breathe; and the Doris Duke Theatre where ...
Dance world on fire, at Jacob’s Pillow
Heart-rending sight, courtesy BerkshireEdge.com The dance world responded with shock and sorrow on Tuesday to the news that an early-morning fire had completely destroyed the Doris Duke Theater at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Located on a bucolic 220-acre campus in the Berkshire area of Massachusetts, the internationally-known Festival had added the more intimate Duke ...