I’ve seen many versions of Alan Turing’s story, including the very fine play, Breaking the Code with Derek Jacobi, (poptechjam.com) later made into a BBC movie, and a more recent excellent documentary, Codebreaker. Most of them focused on how the establishment treated his homosexuality with chemical castration, leading to his tragic suicide. None of them…
When you wake up singing one of the songs from a musical, you know it has registered in your deep musical memory. This morning, I woke up with “I Was Born Under a Wand’rin’ Star” ringing in my head and Rory with “Maria” in his. These two wonderful songs are from a Lerner and Loewe…
When hungry for just a good whatever meal, knowing New Yorkers head for a diner, one of thousands throughout the city. (Metro Diner) These all-around-fare coffee shops (in the old sense–a plain cup of coffee not a Starbucks mega-fancy cup) offer encyclopedic menus covering the ethnic (usually a smattering of Greek, Italian (Metro Diner–spaghetti and…
If you haven’t been to this little gem of a museum, set aside a day to do so–(maybe the same day you eat lunch at Red Rooster around the corner). (studiomuseum.org) A stunning building re-designed by the late Max Bond, its five floors provide just enough wall space to display several artists’ work–just enough to…
Somehow the presence of Colin Firth and Michael Caine lured me into thinking I would get a clever and thoughtful or at least a genial and stylish spy thriller. (entertianmentwallpaper.com) Despite the usual expert performances of these mega-actors, we got none of the above. I know, I know it’s based on a comic book, but…
Slated to hear Jonas Kaufmann do one of the two performances of Don Jose at the Metropolitan Opera he signed on to, we, like the other 4,000 Met audience members were disappointed to read in the Times that he was ill, but not disappointed enough not to go. And Carmen is a great piece and…
I have talked about Chef Marcus Samuelsson before–everywhere we’ve eaten his food, we’ve been pleased–from his old days at Aquavit (not the same since he left) to American Table at Lincoln Center, a quick, reasonable place to get a bite in that very crowded expensive area. But oddly it has taken me a long time…
