“Mary Poppins, step in time!” cries Van Dyke to Breaux & Wood choreography 5
Kick the knees up! Step in time Votes for women! Step in time It’s the master! Step in time Step in time. As we enter movie theaters in anticipation of the fun and joy director Rob Marshall and his choreography partner, John DeLuca, have in store for Mary Poppins Returns, let’s step in time … ...
‘Wall art’ a child can understand
Jan
5
2019
“Enough with the memes,” griped Senator Charles Schumer to Donald Trump on Twitter. Luckily, Sen. Schumer did not tweet, “Enough with the arts memes.” That leaves us free and clear to share our collection of ‘wall art’ for the eggification, sorry! edification of America’s ‘Chief Egg-zecutive.’ Spanning the centuries, artists have illustrated the nursery rhyme ...
John Sebastian’s Greenwich Village memories 4
John Sebastian’s songs for the Lovin’ Spoonful placed him firmly in the elite 1960s songwriting fraternity that helped turn rock from entertainment to an art form. Like Paul Simon, John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Sebastian was one of the prime architects of folk-rock. That crop of folk ...
‘Ballets With a Twist’ leads the way in reaching new audiences
It doesn’t feel like they do it to fulfill a foundation, or government, ‘outreach’ grant — although they certainly deserve one. They seem to do it by instinct, by coupling brains, creativity and talent with a genuine desire to connect and entertain. That’s why I applaud boutique ballet company ‘Ballets With a Twist‘ for its ...
Marilyn could play comedy, or drama, according to her directors
Dec
10
2018
Henry Hathaway, on MM and high drama: I think her whole life might have changed in Darryl Zanuck would have let her … I wanted to do Of Human Bondage with Marilyn and Jimmy Dean way back then … because after I did that picture with her [Niagra] I found her marvelous to work with, ...
Do look now at Nicolas Roeg’s ‘Don’t Look Now’
Dec
10
2018
A fitting tribute to British director Nicolas Roeg, the man who just fell from Earth passing away on November 23, 2018, at age 90 is a screening of his eerie, atmospheric thriller from 1973, ‘Don’t Look Now.’ The New Yorker recommends the film. But, in Los Angeles, we have a big-screen viewing of it, with ...
A thoughtful, joyous Kurt Elling Christmas at Segerstrom
Two years ago, jazz singer Kurt Elling released The Beautiful Day: Kurt Elling Sings Christmas. As he’s a vocalist who likes to have his way with a song to the point of redesigning it, that CD was a bit of a surprise. But for anyone familiar with Elling’s background, it made perfect sense. The son ...
By day or night, ice or ammo: a tale told in imagery
Osceola Refetoff, “Stop-Liquor Jr Market, Mojave, California Los Angeles-based photographer Osceola Refetoff was named Photo Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club in noting Refetoff’s work with KCET’s arts and culture series Artbound. Refetoff also took top honors in the Photo Essay category for the Artbound story in collaboration with Christopher Langley, ...
‘When I say freedom, you say jazz’: JazzAntiqua @ 25
Folk flooding toward the theater half an hour before showtime gave the first indication that something special was on tap at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center on Saturday night. In Los Angeles, traffic-frazzled late arrivals are the norm. The faithful flocked to a special, nearly familial, celebration: JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble‘s big 25th ...
‘Eloise’ to reign over new home after Bonhams auction
Toting a history as lively as its inspiration, this portrait of the mischievous overlord of the Plaza Hotel, Eloise, was painted as a birthday gift by Hilary Knight for his Eloise co-creator, Kay Thompson, in 1956. After displaying the work during her appearance on Edward R. Murrow’s “Person to Person” on CBS, Thompson then loaned ...