CIRCUS

International Clown Hall of Fame inductee Barry Lubin is Grandma
Photos: Bertrand Guay/Big Apple Circus

Paul Binder, founder and artistic director of the Big Apple Circus,
is Ringmaster for his 31st and final season.

Helena had never been to a circus before, so she had little idea of what to expect. When we entered the Big Apple tents, not yet completely dry (it had been raining), yet we were heated with anticipation.  Helena put on her clown's nose of red foam. As the lights dimmed, and a drum roll began, she sat bolt upright in her seat in the second row, her eyes fixed on anything that even threatened to move.  Paul Binder appeared, welcomed everyone, and spoke of the achievements of Mozart and Beethoven, at which point “Grandma” sauntered out onto stage carrying an oversized music box. As she opened it, she interrupted the ringmaster’s introduction with a banal music box theme.  Binder politely asked Grandma to please close her music box.  His request was ignored, whereupon a hammer-bearing confederate appeared from the wings and smashed the box into little pieces and springs.  Not discouraged in the least, Grandma picked up all the pieces and dropped them into her large, unsightly handbag. As Binder continued his talk about the great composers, Grandma peered out at the audience, and opened up her handbag, stuffed with the remnants of her music box.  What emerged was nothing less than the sound of the music box, undiminished, as if it was still intact. At this, the ringmaster announced that, “well, you simply cannot stop the music, and what else was there to do but to “play on!’'   

Some of the things Helena enjoyed most:

		Regina Dobrovitskaya's breathtaking act on a swing while hanging from her ankles.
		The LaSalle Brothers' juggling act.
		Guimeng Teng, catching and balancing huge urns on his head.
		The "toy man,"  aka the Belgian mime (Olivier Taquin), who mimics a wind-up doll.
		Luciano Anastasini and His Pound Puppies, who ride out into the ring in a tiny locomotive.
		The Rodion Troupe, in which two men use a flexible beam to bounce a lithe woman who performs a triple somersault and lands on her feet, on the beam.
		The Najing Duo, in which An Nan dances in toe shoes on the head of her partner, Zhu Zhengzhen.
		The Flying Cortes, the amazing trapeze act.
		And of course, the periodic reappearance of Grandma (Barry Lubin)--by now a classic character in the history of the circus.

For a child, this was the ideal first experience of a circus. It is a truly magical and wondrous way to spend an afternoon for a youngster of any age, including one's self.

Photo: Darin Basile

Cirque Mechanics’
Birdhouse Factory
Wheels Into
New Victory Theater
209 W. 42nd St.
646-223-3010
Nov. 14 – Dec. 14

Birdhouse Factory was conceived by Chris Lashua, originator of the daring and inventive German Wheel act in Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam. It showcases veterans of the Pickle Family and Moscow Circuses. Gravity-defying assembly-line workers, crane operators and mechanics twist and transmute into strange and silly shapes. Much more than just cogs in a wheel, the powerful performers in this off-the-wall production exact a seamless blend of physical prowess and colorful creativity. Their inspiration? Well, they would suggest, and I quote, “the industry murals of Mexican artist Diego Rivera, the outrageous illustrations of cartoonist Rube Goldberg, and the slap-stick humor of Charlie Chaplin’s film Modern Times.” That’s heady stuff. 80 minutes without intermission. Ages 4+

MUSEUMS

Tight Rope Artists from Calder's Circus 1926-31. Wire, cloth, graphite, leather, lead, paint, and string, dimensions variable.
Whitney Museum of American Art: Photo: Sheldan C. Collins

Tight Rope Artists' Horse. Drawing after 'Calder's Circus,’ 2008.
Color Markers: Lily Feinberg (8)

Wire caricature portrait of tennis great Helen Wills.

Alexander Calder
The Paris Years
1926-1933
Through February 15, 2009

Happily for your grandkids and you, in addition to the Big Apple Circus and Cirque Mechanics, there is another circus of note in town worthy of your attention. Lent by Alexander Calder in 1970 to the Whitney, his Circus has evoked flashes of merriment to onlookers for lo these many years. The Whitney presently has the largest body of works by Calder in any museum and is the exclusive American venue for this landmark exhibition, which was co-organized with Paris’s Pompidou Center. When Alexander "Sandy" Calder (1898–1976), arrived in Paris in 1926, he aspired to be a painter. When he left in 1933, he had evolved into the artist we know today: a major force in 20th century sculpture. During those seven Parisian years, Calder's lithe animated drawn-lines transformed from two dimensions to three, from ink and paint to wire, as his radical innovations included wire caricature portraits, a bestiary of wire animals, his beloved and critically important miniature Circus (1926–31), abstract and figurative sculptures, his suspended "mobiles" and stationary stabiles.

[See James Feinberg’s Review of Calder in his Grandkid’s Eye View column.]

Cécile and Jean de Brunhoff with sons Laurent (left) and Mathieu ca. 1930, at about the time they created Babar. Cécile invented the story outline and Jean expanded, wrote, and illustrated it. As an adult, Laurent would go on to continue the series. Photo: Van Hamel Family Arc hives

Laurent de Brunhoff, 2007. Photograph: Phyllis Rose.

Jean de Brunhoff (1899-1937), "The elephants carried Babar, Arthur, and Celeste in triumph," study for Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant (The Story of Babar), 1931, watercolor. The Morgan Library & Museum

Drawing Babar:
Early Drafts and Water Colors from
First Books by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Ave.
212-265-0008
Through January 4, 2009

“Here you get to see the amazing early drafts and drawings about Babar. It’s a hard decision choosing which ones to look at first. It’s interesting to see the first copies of the Babar books which have been translated into many languages. His green suit makes him stand out incredibly. I suggest looking at all the books that are set aside for children to read. He is probably the most interesting elephant in children’s fiction.” Lily Feinberg.

Did you know that the famed Babar children’s book series was written by two men: de Brunhoff, père et fils, yet inspired by the woman of the household ? I confess I didn’t, despite having read several dog-eared copies aloud in English and broken French to my children and their children, two of whom (James and Lily) accompanied my wife and me around this fascinating and charming exhibition that includes approximately 175 works. One evening in 1930, Cécile de Brunhoff invented a story about an unnamed little elephant for her sons Laurent and Mathieu. Her husband, Jean, an accomplished painter, expanded, illustrated, and published the tale in 1931 as Histoire de Babar. This fascinating exhibition explores the working methods of the two authors, who, 15 years and a generation apart, created the fictional character, French in style but universal in spirit, whose green suit and yellow crown have become recognizable to children and adults throughout the world. Drawing Babar features an extraordinary series of drawings and manuscript material acquired by the Morgan in 2004, including nearly all surviving working drafts for Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant (The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, 1931), the first book by Jean de Brunhoff (1899–1937), and for Babar et ce coquin d'Arthur (Babar's Cousin: That Rascal Arthur, 1946), the first book written and illustrated by Laurent de Brunhoff (b. 1925), Jean's eldest son. Laurent, an abstract painter, took up the story just after World War II, publishing Babar et ce coquin d'Arthur at the age of 21. The development of such memorable episodes as the marriage of Babar and Celeste and the purchase of his signature green suit is traced from preliminary pencil sketches to splendid, finished watercolors. A highlight of the exhibition is Jean de Brunhoff's maquette for Histoire de Babar, a small illustrated booklet that he made at the midpoint of his composition process. All pages of the maquette are shown in an accompanying digital facsimile, providing the public with full access to Histoire for the first time.

MUSIC

Delta David Gier.
Photo: Mark Pollard/Visual Solutions Group

New York Philharmonic
Young People’s Concerts®
Ravel’s Paris
Avery Fisher Hall
Lincoln Center
(212) 875-5709
Nov. 22 - 2 p.m.

This season, conductor and Host Delta David Gier explores “Capitals of Music” with concerts devoted to cities that have been instrumental towards the creation of great music. The concert will be preceded at 12:45 p.m. by Kidzone Live!, an interactive music fair, where your grandkids can try out instruments and hear musicians perform, on the Grand Promenade and upper tiers of Avery Fisher Hall.

DANCE

The Nutcracker
NYC Ballet New York State Theater Lincoln Center Plaza
Columbus Ave. at 63rd St.
212-721-6500
Dec. 30 – Jan. 3, 2009

It is fair to state, that my wife and I – City Ballet subscribers for more than four decades - have surfeited our quotient of Nutcrackers on our children and grandchildren’s behalf. Yet that doesn’t in the least diminish our admiration for the beloved Balanchine-choreographed production. Based on the glorious Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky score, it boasts a Christmas tree that grows from 12 to 40 feet, a snowstorm, and hundreds of elaborate costumes, including one for Mother Ginger that measures nine feet wide and weighs 85 pounds. This year, New York City Ballet presents 45 performances of the holiday classic, choreographed by the immortal George Balanchine. The production includes the Company’s entire roster of more than 150 dancers and musicians, as well as two alternating casts of 50 children from the School of American Ballet, official school of New York City Ballet.

‘Buked is one of Revelations’ most overpowering sequences.
Photo: Paul Kolnick

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Presents Revelry & Revelations
City Center
405 West 55 th Street
New York , NY 10019
581-1212
Dec. 3 - Jan 4, 2009

Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham! When I hear that triumphant refrain, it can mean only one thing. I am blissfully in the bosom of my favorite of all dance creations, Revelations, from one of the world’s great dance companies. The company, founded by Alvin Ailey who died much too young, continues to thrive under the nurturing leadership of the statuesque former Ailey dancer Judith Jamison. Taking my children and/or grandchildren each seasonin which the AADT visits City Center (this now being its 50 th year) is as axiomatic as taking them to the Nutcracker at the City Ballet or to Peter Luger’s for steak. When readers and friends ask me for advice on where to take their kids or grandkids each holiday season, I simply say, “Revelations,” no matter their age. This year, there will be 24 opportunities to do so. In the two score times I’ve visited Revelations, the music always was “canned,” which I must say, never diminished the impact of the performance. However this year, the dancers will be backed by “live orchestrations” at the following evening performances: Dec. 3, 6, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 (matinee & evening). The yellow-highlighted performance dates will showcase Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Ella Mitchell and members of the Riverside Church Inspirational Choir. For you readers , there is no better time than New Year’s Eve for revelry at Revelations.

FREE HOLIDAY TRADITION

CitiTrain

Annual Holiday Model Train Exhibit.
Citigroup Center Atrium
Lexington Ave. and 53 rd St.
973-492-8820
Nov 28 – Jan 2

Daily through Jan 2 except Christmas Day. Mon.- Sat. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sun. Noon to 5 p.m. Take the grandkids on an imaginary journey through animated scenes depicting life in the 1940s and 1950s, connected by a common theme, the railroad. Your charges will love the miniature Main Street, USA featuring a town square, houses, shops, cars, trucks and people going about their daily activities. Departing or arriving at the Victorian Station is a collection of over 30 authentic model trains that whisk along an intricate maze of tracks, over bridges, through tunnels, all around New York's countrysides and cityscapes. They are lit by synchronized street lights, neon building signs, and chaser lights at a drive-in movie. Much of the fun is in spotting the tiny animations like ice skaters on a frozen pond, a carpenter sawing wood, kids on the family swing set, and other recognizable signs of the times.

THEATER

Brian Sears as Will Parker and Megan Sikora as Ado Annie sing All ‘er Nothin’.

The Paper Mill Playhouse’s 70th Season
Brookside Drive,
Millburn, NJ
 973-376-4343

Oklahoma!
Reviewed by Lily Feinberg

Final performance Oct. 19.

I liked the music which was beautiful, like for instance People Will Say We’re in Love, or catchy like Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City, or fun like The Surrey with the Fringe on Top, or funny like I Can’t Say No and Pore Jud is Dead or exciting like Oklahoma! itself. I like the scenery which takes you back to the time when Oklahoma was about to become a state. I loved the opening scene with Curly singing Oh What a Beautiful Morning and he is joined by Aunt Eller. I liked the fact that besides the main part of the story between Curly and Laurey, there were other happenings such as another couple that were important to the plot, Ado Annie and Will Parker. As for the dancing, it really stood out with such numbers as The Farmer and the Cowman should Be Friends and Many a New Day. If you ask me how I remember all those songs, it’s because we constantly play a CD from the original Oklahoma!, which my grandpa keeps telling me was so great. He also told me he interviewed two of the original leading ladies, Joan Roberts, who played Laurey and Celeste Holm who was Ado Annie. Celeste Holm later got an Academy Award. Both women are still very much alive.

In rehearsal with High School Musical.

Disney’s High School Musical
Through Dec. 7

No doubt your kids and grandkids know the plot line. Troy, captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella, a shy academically gifted transfer student discover they share a secret passion for singing. When they audition together for the lead roles in the school musical, it threatens East High’s rigid social order and sends their peers into an uproar. The “jocks”, “brainiacs”, and “thespians” hatch convoluted plots to separate the pair and keep them off the stage. However, by taking chances and defying expectations, the couple inspires other students to explore and showcase their own hidden talents. Shayne Austin Miller, the outstanding publicist for the Paper Mill advises not surprisingly, that tickets are going like hotcakes. So be advised.