The Imaginary Invalid (5/24/25)

Molière in the Park (the park being Prospect Park in Brooklyn, at the LeFrak Center)

This is the first time I've ever seen a Molière play. The seven actors (two of whom played multiple roles) did a wonderful job of presenting this French farce in an English translation. All of the speaking actors are members of Actors' Equity Association. Whether a waiver was involved, I do not know. The choreographer danced in the performance, and the composer/cellist also took part in the live performance. I wasn't overwhelmed with the dancing (hip-hop, pop-lock) but it was done well.

OK, I'm going to make this all about me for a few sentences. When I was a kid, we did plagiarized versions of folk tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel) and Disney movie musicals (Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty) at a playhouse in a park with a covered audience area. This, though, in Brooklyn, was our Playhouse in the Pines on steroids. The set, while minimal, was very effective. The lighting seemed to be effective (I attended a matinee). The audience (about 250 of us) sat in a squared off horseshoe, though all of us could see all of the action.

It was very funny, without veering into slapstick. It turns out that the Imaginary Invalid eventually learns that he really is not an invalid. There are also philosophical agents at work that change the minds of more than one character. Other characters learn to view themselves from other vantage points. Seeing an open-air theater performance was a lot of fun and also brought back a lot of memories.

The organization is called Molière in the Park, and they've been doing this for quite some while (nineteen years?). I'm glad I stumbled upon them this spring. I'll be on the lookout for other presentations of theirs. I am a lucky fellow, indeed.

ConcertMeister

Opera Essentia – The Queen’s Heart: A Distillation of Handel’s Radamisto (5/15/25)

Jeffrey Mandelbaum (Radamisto) ~ countertenor & Artistic Director; Kristin Renee Young (Zenobia) ~ soprano; Teresa Castillo (Polissena) ~ soprano; Amelia Sie ~ violin; Serafim Smigelskiy ~ violoncello; Rebecca Pechefsky ~ harpsichord; Rod Gomez ~ stage director  

 Excerpts from Radamisto (1720), HWV 12 G.F. Handel (1685‒1759)  

     Overture 
     Sommi Dei (Polissena) 
     Qual nave smarrita (Radamisto) 
     Empio, perverso cor! (Zenobia) 
     Tu vuoi ch’io parta (Polissena) 
     Deggio dunque, oh Dio, lasciarti (Zenobia) 
     Ombra cara (Radamisto) 
     Troppo sofferse (Zenobia) 
     Dolce bene di quest’alma (Radamisto)
     Quanda mai pietata sorte (Polissena) 
     Se teco vive il cor (Radamisto & Zenobia)   

Six performers, a redacted plot, three characters without much to hang their characterization on – it was still slightly successful.

Translations for the arias, and one duet, were provided, but they simply pointed us in the direction of lament, lament, quicker tempo, after the opening overture by the violin, cello and harpsichord which was rather brisk and crisp, and then back to lament.

This was essentially a love triangle with one gal (Polissena) really knowing that she was on the outs. But Zenobia didn't really believe that she was the one for Radamisto. (Did I mention that this was an opera?)

By the end, Radamisto and Zenobia were together and happy. And Polissena was happy for Radamisto and Zenobia, even after all of that lamenting. (Did I mention that this was an opera?)

Since this was a baroque opera, there was tuning of the cello and violin twice between two of the arias. One of the arias had just cello and harpsichord accompaniment. It was noteworthy because the violin was not included. Just an oddity I noticed.

Even with all of that going on, I enjoyed myself. The minimal staging was effective and the performers were great.

All in all, a great freebie concert (and yes, I made a small donation on the way out).

ConcertMeister

Janes Walks (II/III) – 5/3/25 and 5/4/25

I'm combining these two days because I just could not find the first walk. It was called Learning from  space station: imagining a regenerative New York City

Here was the listing: Meet at Rockefeller Park by Ping Pong table 75 Battery Place. Hmm, an internet search informed me that Rockefeller Park was part of Battery Park. I found Battery Park, but not Rockefeller Park. I'm not one of those males who is afraid to ask for directions. I asked, "Where is Rockefeller Park?" Answer, "Uptown." Well, I knew that was wrong, so I found a Battery Park employee and asked, "Where are the Ping Pong tables?" Answer, "There are no Ping Pong tables." As a last resort, I found Battery Place, but not 75 Battery Place. And Battery Place was outside of Battery Park, so I gave up.

Next was Seen But Now Heard: Visiting the "Supermuses" in Central Park
It began at the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument, and focused on Central Park sculptures and the women who were the models. The walk leader was very knowledgable and shared lots of information. Sometimes too much. The walk was scheduled from 1:00–2:30pm. It ended around 3:15pm.

The Supermuses were Audrey Munson (we saw her at Columbus Circle), Hettie Anderson (59th and Fifth, the angel with General Sherman), Doris Droscher sort of, her Pomona (also at 59th and Fifth) is being renovated, and Charlotte Cushman, the model for the angel at Bethesda Fountain, sculpted by Emma Stebbins. I urge you to do cursory searches on all four Supermuses and maybe on Emma Stebbins, as well.

Sunday took me to the Williamsburg Bridge. Oddly, I'd been there before on a Janes Walk music tour that took us to center span, where a jazz musician (saxophonist Sonny Rollins) who, without an indoor practice space, would sometimes play many hours a day. Our walk leader informed us that there were raves there sometimes. But I digress. This Walk went from Manhattan all the way to Brooklyn. The leader was, once again, very knowledgable. Info on the towers and the suspension cables was forthcoming, including comparisons to the Brooklyn Bridge, because, why not? At the time it was completed, the Williamsburg Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Having done a Brooklyn Bridge walk a year or two ago, I asked why I wasn't seeing locks attached to chain link fences along the way. The guide said he wasn't sure. Lo and behold, about two-thirds of the way across, we saw locks. If I'm remembering correctly, they began as 'locks of love' in Paris and slowly took over many bridges in many cities. They are now discouraged.

Oops, though I'd carried it with me all three days, I finally had to open my umbrella toward the end of the Williamsburg Bridge walk.

I had lots of time before my final walk, so I made my way to the Lower East Side (2nd Avenue and 7th Street) and treated myself to lunch at a Ukrainian restaurant. It was established in 1954, as was I, so I took that as an omen. I had a cup of wonderful mushroom barley soup and a bona fide Ukrainian beer. Viva Ukraine!

My final walk was Murder on Second Avenue. The drizzle threatened again, but we made it through the walk. The leader was very knowledgable once again. In fact, he lived through two murders on or near 2nd Avenue in the early 1980s. One happened at a local restaurant near his E 4th St apartment and one happened next door to his apartment. Not next door to his apartment building. Next door to his apartment. He called 911. And since the AIDS epidemic was at its height then, there was another type of murder going on. Brian Rose, the walk leader, has actually written an account of that era, and he read his words to us as well as adding other nuggets of information. I have sent out a request to Mr. Rose. I will not include a link here until I get his permission. But if you search on Brian Rose and Murder on Second Avenue, you'll find the whole story. Permission was granted. Murder on Second Avenue / New York - JOURNAL • BRIAN ROSE

Will I do Janes Walks again? Yep. Not as many per day as I did four or five years ago, but I like to think I may be more selective these days.

As an extra, Mr. Rose took us past Extra Pl and its adjacent empty alley (very rare in lower NYC). I hope the photos come through.

ConcertMeister

Janes Walks 2025 (I)

Friday, May 2, 2025 – Chinatown – We met at (but did not go into) the Museum of Chinese in America. Maybe another trip. The JW tour leader was very knowledgeable, if a bit hard to hear. She had a yellow MAS/Janes Walk paddle. She was short. I usurped the paddle and raised it high above my head, in order to keep our group of about twenty together. Some street signs (but not all) include Chinese characters. They would not necessarily be understandable to the Chinese people reading them, since there are so many dialects to choose from. I learned a lot, including the location of a pocket park I can go to if/when I'm on jury duty in the future.

My second Friday walk was Brooklyn Bridge Park. Also fun. Our walk leader was an employee, so she knew her stuff. The park encompasses six piers that were formerly part of the Port Authority Trans Hudson. PATH decided to abandon them, and a new group took over, raising all of the funds needed so that government sponsorship was not necessary, though the new organization and NYC Parks work very closely together. Piers 1 (north) and 6 (south) were developed first, then the construction crew worked their way into the middle over several years. One of the piers was built using a special type of styrofoam that lends a slightly hilly effect to the pier. Included on the other piers are a soccer field, beach/sand volleyball courts, and pickleball courts (formerly bocce, hey, they're keeping up with the times). There was also a playground area and a picnic/barbecue area. When I arrived at Pier 1, I noticed that the barge (of Bargemusic fame) was no longer there. The organization still exists in a building but, alas, not on a barge.

More to come.

ConcertMeister (aka WalkMeister)