November 19, 2006
The latest incarnation of downtown legends Kiki and Herb comes on the heels of their summertime Broadway debut, which lasted four weeks and ended when in Kiki's words, "we were replaced by puppets"—the puppets of Jay Johnson: The Two and Only.
While their past holiday shows as well as "Kiki & Herb Will Die For You" explored the full range this dynamic duo's abilities, the present run of late-night appearances at Joe's Pub seems deceptively unpolished. Kiki repeatedly grieves over their being booted from Broadway—though noting Lafayette Street is a mere "block away". Their show returns to its old cabaret roots, mixing classic covers with extensive repartee with the audience. For example, Kiki describes her failed romance with a charming man she met while on Broadway, singing "a song about him" which turns out be a highly inspired "Frosty the Snowman," belted-out with much gusto and lament in the upper and lower vocal ranges. Ditto for their tried-and-true "Hello! Hello! Hello!" which metamorphoses into their beloved and astounding cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." A good deal of spontaneity infects the show, sprinkled throughout with other classics such as a tormented cover of Prince's "Purple Rain."
The storyline since leaving Broadway features one of much bathos, a recurring element in elderly Kiki DuRane's very sad life; Kiki now takes care of her sister Candy in New Jersey, who suffers from "ass cancer," which clearly seems so over the top that the audience roars with laughter. Her appearance is all the more wayward, augmented by a wild bouffant hairdo; it appears as though Kiki stuck her finger in the socket before coming on stage. Ditto their makeup, which presently makes the duo appear even more wrinkled and down-and-out than ever. It's delicious, and their crooning mixed with joy de vivre is contagious.
Additional shows at Joe's Pub in the coming weeks plus a December holiday spectacular await the downtown set. It might be farewell to Broadway for Kiki and Herb, and perhaps for the better as the spontaneity and warts make for a truly remarkable two hours in this packed venue.
Tags:
jay johnson, joes pub, kiki and herb, nirvana, prince
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Posted on 11/19/2006
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November 17, 2006
Daniel Craig puts in a remarkable performance as the new James Bond in Casino Royale , and after reading the hype about the London opening attended by Queen Elizabeth and countless stars, the classic Ziegfeld was obviously the place to see it.
With a grainy opening in black and white, this 21st Bond film represents a departure from previous films in several senses. While Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton carried on the 1970s Roger Moore archetype of Bond as man-of-leisure and polished spy, Craig offers grit and a very dark side to the character, proving faithful to the original 1953 Ian Fleming book. We haven't seen anything like these noir aspects of Bond on screen since the earliest Sean Connery films or Live and Let Die.
But after Bond earns his "00" status brutally making kills, the opening credits that follow offer up the typical lush color and pulsating theme music. Riotous casino motifs and card suits (mostly spades) shoot in various directions, and this extravagance quickly segues to fast action in two exotic locales: A huge muddy set suggests a rebel stronghold, a rough jungle redoubt in remote Uganda, followed by breathtaking action pursuing a suspect through a beachfront construction site in Madagascar.
As usual, M (Dami Judi Dench) is rather peeved with Bond's actions. Without revealing the story line or unfolding of dramatic action, I must nevertheless say that the fast pace through the Bahamas, Miami and then Montenegro's Casino Royale is indeed breathtaking. Moreover, this Bond does bleed quite a bit; the slicing and dicing in this first Bond movie in four years seems savagely violent. In addition, while the leading lady has less kittenesque qualities than earlier cunning vixens such as Ursula Andress or Pussy Galore, she nevertheless has a rough multifaceted personality that builds on the complexity of Bond's.
Casino Royale features neither Q nor Moneypenny, though some fascinating gadgets and big gun in the glovebox of Bond's remarkably uncomplex car do recall Q—as does Bond's classic play-on-words with "penny" and "money". Fortunately, several classic elements remain: a stunning Aston Martin; a gratuitous shot of the Houses of Parliament; gambling tens of millions from H.M. Exchequer at the casino; and several variations on the Bond martini. A pro pos gambling, the card scenes last so long and are shot with a variety of techniques that at times the movie resembles a far more glamorous world series of poker than you'll ever catch on the small screen. But so much of the movie seems refreshing precisely because it does not slavishly adhere to the by-now tired leitmotifs of the past 20 Bond films. Perhaps given the absence of political issues—apolitical terrorists notwithstanding—Casino Royale will be the first 007 film to be screened in China. The movie already broke box office records in Britain and clearly will lead the pack in US receipts this weekend. Probably the most enjoyable Bond film in twenty years—since The Spy Who Loved Me. For maximum viewing effect, go see it on a huge screen.
Tags:
casino royale, daniel craig, james bond, judi dench, live and let die, roger moore, sean connery, the spy who loved me, ziegfeld
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Posted on 11/17/2006
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November 17, 2006
An opportunity to step away from the usual concerts and operas at Lincoln Center arises when the Juilliard School presents a concert. Last night's performance by the New Juilliard Ensemble at Alice Tully Hall featured a number of premieres and some students of exceptional ability. Joel Sachs conducted five fascinating and rather different pieces, during which several students shone; in particular, Ann Miller distinguished herself on violin playing the novel Violin Concerto No. 2 (1998) by David Matthews. This concerto has five sections, and the third with solo violin and wind parts suggests the songs of Australian birds (a fascinating trope most famous in Messiaen's "Turangulila-Symphonie").
The opening piece featured the New York premiere of Mary Finsterer's "Nyx" (1996), offering many curious and disparate elements that blended rather harmoniously, especially the parts for flute played by Emi Ferguson and Xiang-Yu Zhow on bass clarinet. There followed Pablo Ortiz's "Heat Wave," a world premiere with a self-described "relentless tempo" during which various forms of waves are musically suggested. Even more curious was David Glaser's "Apparitions" (2005), based on the collages of Linda Plotkin, whose otherworldy forms included musical depictions of "Dragons Observed" and "Serpent's Tail" and a number of others. The closing piece was the rousing and vibrant world premiere of Ricardo Romaneiro's "Blue Steel," a "highly energetic work depicting the orchestra as a machine." Given the audience's thunderous reaction, that is no understatement.
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Posted on 11/17/2006
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