THEATER 
I vividly recall the live Playhouse 90 production in 1957 of William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker, with Teresa Wright and Patty McCormack as Annie and Helen and Burl Ives as Captain Keller. It was the glory days of live TV, where actors balanced their roles without a net in such memorable original productions as Studio One’s Twelve Angry Men, The Kraft Television Theater’s Patterns and Playhouse 90’s Requiem for a Heavyweight and The Miracle Worker, each of which segued to motion picture versions. I later saw Gibson’s adaptation of his teleplay for a 1959 Broadway production with Anne Bancroft as Sullivan and Patty Duke as Keller. The two reprised their roles for the 1962 feature film. Two season’s ago, a laudable production of the play was mounted at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Last month, I was accompanied by granddaughters Jesse and Abby, who were very much up on the Helen Keller story through their schoolwork and personal interests and proclivities. Each of them rated the Circle in the Square production with three bows out of a possible five.


Jessica Drucker 17 (left) and
Abigail Drucker 11

Abigail Breslin as Helen Keller and Alison Pill as Annie. Photo: Joan Marcus

The Miracle Worker
Circle in the Square
Broadway & 50th St.
Final performance April 4, 2010.

Reviewed by Jessica Drucker and Abigail Drucker

Jessica: I liked the show considerably more than I thought I would. I thought Abigail Breslin did a fantastic job portraying Helen Keller as a deaf and blind person. Though I read her autobiography, Breslin made me more aware of the troubles in Helen’s life and how difficult it was to connect with her. It was poignant to see right before your eyes, how difficult it was to get through to her. And when they did get through to her it was such a miracle. I thought that Alison Pill as Anne Sullivan was outstanding. When the script called for it, she could be genuinely funny. Her wit gave her a fresher outlook on the obstacles she had in getting through to Helen and it prevented the play from becoming maudlin. It was the first time I witnessed an in-the-round staging, which on balance, versus the typical proscenium stage, I admired. We were so close we were almost in the living room or bedroom with the actors. I also thought highly of Director Kate Woriskey’s blocking and set designer Derek McLane’s placement of the props and furniture that were suspended overhead and strategically lowered for each particular scene. The drawback of the circular stage were the rare times when an actor was directly in front of me in my second row seat with his or her back to me. I thought that Matthew Modine as Captain Keller, Helen’s father, was annoying at times, because he was yelling his lines. As Helen’s brother James, Tobias Segal was insignificant in terms of the plot. Annie’s dead brother Jimmie, (Lance Chantiles Wertz) appeared and disappeared randomly and was a complete distraction. If they wanted him in the play they should have provided more background about the hardships both he and Annie endured. I thought the ending was too abrupt. I wondered to myself, how could she possibly manage to miraculously say Wah- wah for water as Annie worked the pump on stage.
Abby: I liked it a lot, but I didn’t like the scary boy who played Annie’s dead brother, who came out to the side of the stage and twisted his body. I thought Annie and Helen were played by very good actors but I also didn’t think the acting was that good with some people. Also, they kind of left things out. When they went to the special little house that Captain Keller built there was no one else that accompanied them. There was just those two. And just one room. I liked the round stage a lot, but there was a pole that came down in front of my view from time to time that was annoying.

For Abby and co-creators Michael Hoffman and Tamara Chapro’s PSA on Animal Abuse, please copy and paste:
http://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/202320915213238160/lib/
202320915213238160/Animal_Abuse.mov

Lily Feinberg (10) and brother James (12 ½)
are keen on Paper Mill Playhouse comedies
and musicals.

(L-R) Alex Wyse (Jay) and Maxwell Beer (Arty) in “Lost in Yonkers.”
Photo: Peter Jennings.

Paper Mill Playhouse
22 Brookside Drive
Millburn, NJ
973-376-4343


Lost in Yonkers
Reviewed by Lily Feinberg
Lost in Yonkers is a show I never thought that I would like. I like shows that have many characters and lots of songs, and this was not one of those shows. Yet I found myself hooked as I watched. This show is a funny and emotional comedy that I loved every second of. It’s about two brothers who are stuck with their old and grouchy grandma, who doesn’t have one nice thing to say, and never has. Watch as they spend time with the whole family, Aunt Bella, Uncle Louiie and Aunt Gert. Next time it plays at Paper Mill or other theater in New York, this is a show that I recommend to you if you like to have a good time.

Smokey Joe's Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, (L-R) Dennis Stowe,
E. Clayton Cornelious, Bernard Dotson, and Eric LaJuan Summers.
Photo: T. Charles Erickson.


Smokey Joe’s Café
Paper Mill Playhouse
Through May 2

The New Victory Theater
209 W. 42nd St.
646-223-3010
www.newvictory.org

Brent McBeth hoofs it spectacularly in “Time Step.”
Photo: Peter Dressel.

Time Step
New York’s Parallel Exit
Through April 18
Parallel Exit skillfully fuses the effortless tap modes of Astaire, Kelly, Robinson Ebsen and Bolger with the knockabout comedy of Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel and Lloyd. Shuffling in time between past and present, the dancers and musicians tell the story of three high-stepping hoofers known as the Dapper Tap Trio. With jaunty piano and vaudevillian flair, Time Step evokes the bygone era of classic movie musicals. Formed by artistic director Mark Lonergan in 1997, Parallel Exit has performed all over the world. As a voter I recollect that the company received a 2008 Drama Desk nomination for “Unique Theatrical Experience.“ Ages: 6+. 60 minutes.

Photo: Tony Griffiths

Elephant
UK’s Dodgy Clutch and Johannesburg’s Market Theater
Through May 2
If you witnessed the marvelous young talent from South Africa in the musical Sarafina back in 1988, you and your grandkids are going to love Elephant which is at once a poignant theatrical work and a visual feast of African song and exultant tribal dance. Performers from the UK and South Africa come together to present a powerful tale of family, redemption and Ubuntu (humanity) while showcasing remarkably lifelike elephant puppets. Ages 7+. 75 minutes.

Photo: Pedro Gato

PaGAGnini
Madrid’s Yllana Comic String Quarter.
May 7 – May 23
Ola! Armenian violinist Ara Malikian leads a wacky quartet of high strung string artists who make musical mockery of Mozart, Chopin, Pachebel, and even U2. With twists on symphonic treasures and modern melodies, this wordless concert should appeal to erudite spectators and their grandchildren Ages 6+. 60 minutes.

Paper Mill Playhouse Children’s Theater
In Association with Four Meritorious Production Companies.
22 Brookside Drive
Millburn, NJ
973-376-4343
Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m.
www.papermill.org.

Goodnight Moon & The Runaway Bunny
Produced by Mermaid Theater of Nova Scotia.
May 1, 2
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia (the company behind the black light puppet production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar) returns with its adaptation of Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd's bedtime classics. Whimsical puppetry, dreamlike imagery, and original music bring a new sense of appreciation to these stories that have delighted generations. Goodnight Moon is a celebration of familiar nighttime rituals, while The Runaway Bunny’s tale of leaving home evokes reassuring responses from his loving mum. Both stories feature appealing rabbit characters and the soothing rhythms of bunny banter and dream-like imagery. Ages 5 to 10.

Are You My Mother?
Produced by ArtsPower National Touring Theater.
May 8, 9
At long last, Baby Bird emerges from her shell and expects to be greeted by her mother’s song, but her mother is not there. With the help of Dog, Cat, and Hen, Baby Bird sets out in search of Mother Bird in this colorful musical adventure based on P.D. Eastman’s whimsical and well-loved picture book. Ages 5- 7.

Charlotte’s Web
Produced by TheatreworksUSA.
May 15, 16
Based on E.B. White’s loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte, this treasured tale, featuring mad-cap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love, and the true meaning of friendship. Ages 5 - 10

MOVIES

(Reviews by Lily Feinberg)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Lightning Thief.
I loved the Percy Jackson books, so I had extremely high expectations for the movie. If I had not read the books, the movie would have been one of my favorites, but I had read the books, and while the movie was good, it was not at all like the book was. This is the story of Percy Jackson finding out he is a Hal Blood and soon goes on a quest to save his mother, and get Se8s’s lightning bolt. The story was good, better than good, great, but they left out so many parts, it is barely the same story as the one in the book. But even so, this movie was amazing, and if you have read the book or not, I suggest this movie to people of all ages. I promise it will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Valentine’s Day
This movie was (as the critics say) the perfect date movie. But I must say, I wasn’t as happy with it as I thought I would be. This movie has a good plot, and is extremely star-studded, but it doesn`t have that certain spark that I like in my movies. I watch as this movie goes from couple to couple and I find that as it moves back and forth, I want to watch the same couples over and over, and while some are so good, others I dread watching. But the good actors and actresses, and those good couples are so good, that it makes this movie absolutely great. I suggest this movie, date, or no date.

Zach Drucker and Chris Poldoian | Bad Samaritans

Self−(en)titled
Reprinted by permission of Tuft’s Daily.
Just last month, the film Hot Tub Time Machine was released. Reviews were mixed, and the cast wasn’t particularly marketable. Yet everyone we knew had heard of the movie. The reason: the title. It was so obvious, yet so ridiculous. Like a song by Ke$ha, we loved to hate on it for its superficiality, but we couldn’t seem to get it out of our heads.

We’ve been told that we should never judge a book by its cover, but it’s hard not to at least make cursory assessments of things. (We’re talking to you, nameless blonde girl who wouldn’t dance with either of us, despite our glowing personalities and ripe senses of humor.)

There are plenty of ways for a movie title to stand out. It can be simple, like the playfully straightforward Up (2009), or hilariously convoluted, like Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006). Similarly, a very forthright title can easily sum up a movie and attract viewers by taking the mystery out of things. For example, we love the directness of the title of the 2004 film Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are movies with esoteric titles that leave people wanting more. The best example is Cloverfield (2008). Studio execs didn’t release the name of the movie for months, which only added to the movie’s mystique. By not titling the film, producer J. J. Abrams created a knowledge vacuum that drove up interest and hype.

Sometimes a controversial movie title can raise enough eyebrows to catch viewers’ attention. Think of next month’s Kick-Ass or Inglourious Basterds (2009). Both are notable for the use of colloquialisms, but the latter also displays brazen spelling which usually makes us “sic” to our stomachs, it seems only fitting for someone as idiosyncratic as Quentin Tarantino to title his movie as such to separate it from its similarly titled 1978 inspiration. It is never explained in the movie, but it certainly got people talking. Another movie title with colorful language is Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), which was the subject of a lot of controversy when people began making a fuss over the word “porno.” Parents and negative Nellies all over the country complained about the posters and ads. The Weinstein Company tried to leverage this PR storm into hype by releasing print ads declaring, “Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks made a movie so outrageous that we can’t even tell you the title.” Unfortunately, the film’s lukewarm critical response led to a flaccid performance at the box office, dispelling the notion that a provocative could enhance a film’s financial outlook. For the most part, attractive movie titles can only work to get otherwise lackluster films some easy opening weekend bucks. Take Snakes on a Plane (2006): Samuel L. Jackson only agreed to star in that film because of the title. The prescient SLK picked up the script, read the first line and signed the contract. That’s why the film got $15 million in its first weekend.

MUSEUMS

H. A. Rey, final illustration for This is George. He
lived in Africa, published in The Original Curious
George (1998), France, 1939–40, watercolor,
charcoal, and color pencil on paper.
© 2009 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Curious George Saves the Day:
The Art of Margret and H. A. Rey,
The Jewish Museum
1109 5th Avenue @ 92nd St. – 5th Floor.
212-423-3271
Through August 1.

Reviewed by My Kind of New York Arts Correspondents Maury Leon and Martha Halperin.

Curious George, that cunningly irrepressible monkey of the famed children’s books, captured the imagination of kids, parents and grandparents when he first appeared in the U. S. in 1941. His popularity rivals that of Geisel’s The Grinch and Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are. Nearly 80 original drawings and preparatory works and documents are on view. In 2000, a seminar on Design was held at the New York Institute of Medicine on 5th Avenue in New York City. Among the presenters was Russian-born architect and product designer Constantin Boym. Mr. Boym spoke of the influence of Curious George on his work. Princeton Architectural Press published a book about Mr. Boym’s designs in 2002 appropriately titled, Curious Boym. Curious George, is renowned for his ability to “save the day.” H.E. Rey and his wife Margaret, the illustrator and author respectively, were Jews who left Germany for Paris in 1936 through early 1940. The Reys were well-established artist-authors whose children’s books were published in Paris. When the Germans occupied northern France, the Reys kept one step ahead of them, to Normandy, to southern France and Spain, ultimately to Bordeaux. Their final destination from Europe was to Brazil, where Rey became a citizen. From Brazil they traveled to the United States, arriving in New York City in March of 1940. The Reys carried their work with them in their luggage, which likely helped them though tightening U.S Customs and Immigration. Many of Curious George’s escapades are eerily similar to those faced by the Reys in their flight from Europe. He is often on the run, surviving narrow escapes through originality and spunkiness. Settling in Greenwich Village, NY, the Reys chronicled in their whimsical fashion Manhattan, including the famous red buses on Fifth Avenue. Their last work was Whiteback: the Penguin Sees the World: In the storyline, the penguins, like the Reys, are emotionally still on the run, still staying one step ahead of danger.

The story of their life in Paris and narrow escape is also told through an interactive timeline. The exhibition includes a reading room inspired by the beloved monkey’s escapades in Curious George Flies a Kite.

JAZZ

Danny Janklow.

Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola
Jazz at Lincoln Center
B’Way & 60th St. – 5th floor.
212-258-9595
Temple University Jazz Band
With Saxophonist Danny Janklow
7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Twenty-year old Danny Janklow, a junior at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music, acknowledged by jazz aficionados as North America’s top young saxophone soloist, will be doing his rendition of such classics as “Alone Together” and “My Foolish Heart” on his alto sax in the convivial atmosphere of Dizzy’s.“

KIDS TRAVEL DOC

Is a must for any reader of this column having kids or grandkids. This extraordinary resource is helmed by one of the country’s most notable and peripatetic pediatricians, Karl Neumann, MD, who is also a consummate authority on travel.
Click: http://www.kidstraveldoc.com/