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The Collaboration: Sometimes Plays Hit Close To Home

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I had completely forgotten that I attended the gallery where Andy Warhol and Jean-Michele Basquiat had their shown. It wasn’t until I saw the poster in the show The Collaboration by Anthony McCarten, that I realized I had been there. Basquiat actually did a well-known portrait of a man I lived with while in Bequia. I remember when Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988 at the age of 27 and Michael Stewart was murdered in the East Village. Back then heroin was rampant, as were overdoses and death.

Paul Bettany, as Warhol, and Jeremy Pope, as Basquiat, channel these two men to perfection. They bring a sensitivity, a shared genius, empathy, madness and heart, to men who many have a pre-existing notion of. Both are giving outstanding performances. Their relationship feels real, with the ups and downs of dysfunctional insecurities.

Paul Bettany, Jeremy Pope Photo credit © Jeremy Daniel, 2022

Both men came from different work ethics and perspectives. Warhol started the Pop Art movement. To Warhol, “Art was anything you can get away with.” He was known for his celebrity and his celebrity friends, but his love was documenting in film. He exploited commercialism stating, “You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.” Warhol was deeply interested in the concept of time and death, as was Basquiat, but in a much different way.

Jeremy Pope Photo credit © Jeremy Daniel, 2022

Basquiat was a neo-expressionist who wanted fame and believed art had to come from deep within your psyche. At 22, he was the youngest artist to exhibit at the Whitney Biennial. Before that he was known for tagging SAOS around the East Village. The more fame, the more recognition, the more drugs, the more sex, the more everything.

Paul Bettany, Erik Jensen Photo credit © Jeremy Daniel, 2022

The Collaboration shows how Warhol and Basquiat are put together by art agent Bruno Bischofberger (perfectly played by Erik Jensen). Bischofberger lies, telling each it is the other who desires the collaboration, but the truth is both need this — Warhol to become relevant again and Basquiat to launch into the celebrity world in the 80s. The two become close friends and a major part of the downtown scene. When Michael Stewart is beat up, we see how Basquiat’s paintings are really a way of trying to bring back the dead and how he feels lost in an almost predominately white world.

Krysta Rodriguez Photo credit © Jeremy Daniel, 2022

Playing one of Basquiat’s girlfriends Maya, Krysta Rodriguez is highly underused.

Paul Bettany, Jeremy Pope Photo credit © Jeremy Daniel, 2022

Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, Act 1 moves slowly, but Act 2 packs a punch and delivers by the end.

Paul Bettany, Jeremy Pope Photo credit © Jeremy Daniel, 202

McCarten, uses his play to get out his views on artistic freedom, money vs art, politically correctness along with racial undertones, but he also brings back an era when drugs, sex and art were rampant. These are conversations we need to have and The Collaboration does it well.

Paul Bettany, Jeremy Pope Photo credit © Jeremy Daniel, 2022

The Collaboration: Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th St. Until February 5th.

Suzanna, co-owns and publishes the newspaper Times Square Chronicles or T2C. At one point a working actress, she has performed in numerous productions in film, TV, cabaret, opera and theatre. She has performed at The New Orleans Jazz festival, The United Nations and Carnegie Hall. She has a screenplay and a TV show in the works, which she developed with her mentor and friend the late Arthur Herzog. She is a proud member of the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle and was a nominator. Email: suzanna@t2conline.com

Art

Events In April Bring Easter, Spring and Flowers Galore.

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Photograph: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc.

Join the Judy Garland and Fred Astaire tradition with the Easter Bonnet Parade on Fifth Avenue. There is also the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden or right at home the flower show at Macy’s. On select Fridays every month, you can enjoy Free Admission to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum between 5 pm and 9 pm.

Until 4/9: Macy’s Flower ShowThe show includes beautiful, bright floral arrangements, special events including live music, and kids’ activities.

until 4/23: This is The Orchid Show‘s 20th year. Reconnect with nature while experiencing the picture-perfect beauty of the orchids. On select nights, adults can experience the exhibition through Orchid Nights, with music, cash bars, and food available for purchase.

4/1-30: Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival, hosted by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, celebrates Japanese culture and the arrival of spring. It features a variety of cultural performances and activities, as well as a small flea market, tea ceremonies, and crafts. The highlight is the magnificent display of cherry blossom trees, with over 200 trees in full bloom. Visitors can admire the pink and white blooms and enjoy a traditional Japanese atmosphere. Tickets are usually around $40 for adults, though seniors and students get a reduced rate of $35.

4/7-16th: The New York International Auto ShowThe first new york Auto Show took place in 1900, for over 120 years now they have been sharing what’s new and interesting in the auto industry.

4/9: The Easter Parade starts near St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 10am. The tradition dates back to the 1870s, where elaborate bonnets and fashion galore is full frontal.

4/9: “Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time,” comes to MoMA.

4/15: The Tartan Day Parade is an NYC tradition that offers attendees a unique way to celebrate and honor Scottish culture. For the 25th year, there will be bagpipes, dancers, and even Scottish dogs marching in the parade. Attendance is free and open to the public. In addition to the parade, expect a whole week of Scottish-themed events and festivities.

4/15: Pillow Fight in the Park at Washington Square Park.

4/15: The New York Restoration Project is giving out 3,500 free trees to New Yorkers across all five boroughs. To get one of the 3,500 free trees that will be given away, register in advance on this website, where you’ll also get to browse through the current list of distribution dates, times and locations.

4/15 and 29: f the likes of udon, yakitori, ramen, and taiyaki make your mouth water, then mark your calendar for Japan Fes in Chelsea. The event will be held from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and is considered a paradise for Japanese foodies and cultural enthusiasts.

4/16: Holi in The City demands food, music, dance, and fun while embracing people and organizations from all ethnic and religious backgrounds.

4/22: Earth Day celebrated in NYC with a festive, family-friendly outdoor fair in Union Square. There will be dozens of exhibitors, interactive displays, a green-vehicle show, family activities, music, and entertainment. 12-6pm.

4/27: Attend The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience

4/27- 30: Antiquarian Book Fair now in its 63rd year, this festival for book collectors at Park Avenue Armory for a full weekend of first editions, maps, manuscripts and other treasures from literary epochs past from nearly 200 exhibitors.

 

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Ken Fallin’s Broadway: Celebrating Hadestown’s 1000th Performance

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On Sunday, March 19, 2023, Hadestown celebrated the first day of spring and the show’s recently-achieved milestone of 1,000 performances at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre.

The handsome artist with Anais Mitchell

On hand were songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin, Tony Award winner Lillias White, original Broadway cast member Jewelle Blackman as Persephone, Grammy Award winner Reeve Carney as Orpheus, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Hades, and two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada as Eurydice. were joined by Amelia Cormack, Shea Renne, and Soara-Joye Ross as the Fates. The chorus of Workers is played by Emily Afton, Malcolm Armwood, Alex Puette, Trent Saunders, and Grace Yoo.

The winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Hadestown is the most honored show of the 2018-2019 Broadway season. In addition to the Tony and Grammy Awards, it has been honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.

Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — Hadestown invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, Hadestown delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.

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The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation’s Golden Age

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In the summer of 1941, Walt Disney’s top animator led hundreds of Disney artists out on strike, nearly breaking the studio. This is the true story of those two creative geniuses, plus a corrupt advisor and a mafia gangster, who collided to cause the greatest battle in Hollywood history.

An essential piece of Disney history has been unreported for eighty years.

Soon after the birth of Mickey Mouse, one animator raised the Disney Studio far beyond Walt’s expectations. That animator also led a union war that almost destroyed it. Art Babbitt animated for the Disney studio throughout the 1930s and through 1941, years in which he and Walt were jointly driven to elevate animation as an art form, up through Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia.

But as America prepared for World War II, labor unions spread across Hollywood. Disney fought the unions while Babbitt embraced them. Soon, angry Disney cartoon characters graced picket signs as hundreds of animation artists went out on strike. Adding fuel to the fire was Willie Bioff, one of Al Capone’s wise guys who was seizing control of Hollywood workers and vied for the animators’ union.

Using never-before-seen research from previously lost records, including conversation transcriptions from within the studio walls, author and historian Jake S. Friedman reveals the details behind the labor dispute that changed animation and Hollywood forever.

Join a book talk with the author Jake S. Friedman on March 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, at The Lambs, 3 West 51st, 5th floor. RSVP@The-Lambs.org. The book will be available to be purchased and signed by the author.

Jake S. Friedman is a New York–based writer, teacher, and artist. He is a longtime contributor to Animation Magazine, and has also written for American History Magazine, The Huffington Post, Animation World Network, Animation Mentor, and The Philadelphia Daily News. For ten years he was an animation artist for films and television as seen on Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Saturday Night Live. He currently teaches History of Animation at the Fashion Institute of Technology and at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. The rest of his time he specializes in mental health for the creative psyche.

The moderator will be honorary Lamb Foster Hirsch, a professor film at Brooklyn College and the author of 16 books on film and theater, including The Dark Side of the Screen:Film Noir, A Method to Their Madness: The History of the Actors Studio, and Kurt Weill on Stage: From Berlin to Broadway.

The Cole will be Magda Katz.

More about the book here.

 
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