• Upcoming Trips and Events

  • NONE BOOKED AT THE MOMENT

  • plays and concerts

  • March 21 2024 - LLOYD Altman concert (See blog post)

  • January 27th - Saw a first-class revival of Tennessee William's "The Night of the Iguana" at the Pershing Square Signature Theater. The set, lighting and acting were all great! The cast, in particular, sustained three hours of dramatic dialogue without fault.

  • January 14, 2024. With the sincerest of thanks to Ally, close friend of Christine, who gave us tickets which she was unable to use herself, we were able to see the Met's latest production of Madama Butterfly. The production requires the high skills of about twenty puppeteers, three of whom are dedicated to manipulating Cio-Cio-San's toddler! This, they do with an amazing degree of reality, including gestures such as tugging at his mother's dress and jumping into her arms! There is a snag, however; puppeteers require near invisibility in order to make their work convincing. Dressed from head to toe in black, they need a very low light to hide in. The set designer's solution was to build a black-painted stage, sloping back and upwards. The producer had his characters enter the stage from the back of this hill in dramatic lighting, while the puppeteers moved at will in the gloom below. But, it was not the Puccini I knew so well and was moved by since I saw the Sadler's Wells production some seventy years ago! The arias were there and the pathos and emotions still evident, but my overall feeling was that the music was playing second fiddle to the visual fireworks!

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  • November12, 2023. Saw the finest revival I have seen in New York for many a year! It was Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man" put on by the Gingold Theatrical Group at Theatre Row. It was directed by David Shaller (godson of Hermione Gingold) who had his cast come to the front of the stage at each scene to explain to the audience the action to follow. Shaw's humour never missed a beat--The audience was in stitches from beginning to end!

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Ben’s Page

Welcome

The content of this bBenbloglog is directed mainly, but not entirely, towards friends and travelling companions who may now still be numbered among the hundreds in spite of the attrition of the years. Their varied interests cover the world’s spectrum. The aim is a personal one, it is to keep the conversation and exchange of ideas going for as long as I am able. The blog, then, will give viewers a fairly continuous idea of where I am and what I am up to so that they can respond when an interest is sparked. I hope that my camera will help prompt your comments and e-mails.

The “Recent Posts” widget (sidebar) on the right will give you an idea of the travels I have just made and of my New York impressions. Below this is an index of my ‘Memoirs’ chapters which can now be read in the order in which they were written.

On the left-hand side you will see a notice of my upcoming trips followed by a notice of my theatre- and concert-going and what my thoughts of the performances were. Below this, there is  a widget which allows those interested to register and receive notices of new posts automatically.

Note: Click on the pictures, most will enlarge to full screen and give much greater detail:

                       

 

Christine’s pictures from the Ukraine Museum – Newly opened on 6th Street: 

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