Wheel(don)'s on Fire

New York City is at its absolute best in the Summer.

The City whirs with nervous energy through Autumn, Winter and Spring and finally expresses itself in Summer. One of the many benefits of the season is Summer Stage in Central Park, wherein high-caliber performers from all genres present free shows. My friend SKW recommended that we catch Christopher Wheeldon's company, Morphoses, and what a treat it was!

Morphoses is three years old and borrows much of its dancing talent from principals at other leading companies like the City Ballet and the Royal Ballet; Christopher Wheeldon, the company's founder, is a former dancer at both. His dancing and ideas may be modern, but they happen within the realm of ballet and, as my friend PMH says, "He's the best thing to happen to ballet since Balanchine." I couldn't agree more.

For the Summer Stage production, Wheeldon collaborated with singer Martha Wainwright to produce new, original and sometimes very upbeat songs to inspire his choreography. She performed live (below, with guitar) which made my viewing experience that much more rich.

Here are some more photos. Fortunately, they allowed photography. Unfortunately, they prohibited flash. I did the best I could.

NYCBallet principal Wendy Whelan, with Edward Watson of the Royal Ballet.

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More NYCB Dancers: Below Left: Teresa Reichlin (in blue), and Below Right: Tiler Peck (at left)


And some photos of the INCREDIBLE Maria Kowroski (from City Ballet).
I ran into my Princeton friend, a former ballerina, BAI, after the performance and we both agreed that we never truly valued Kowroski until seeing her dance Wheeldon's pieces. He takes advantage of her muscularity and her ability to think deftly on her feet. She was extraordinary.



Seeing dance makes me miss my ballet days immensely, but sometimes it's better to leave it to the pros. I may not be on stage, but by watching them dance from my blanket I was able to eat brie with water crackers!

I loved Wheeldon's choreography and the exquisite performances he's able to coax out of his marvelous dancers (including 16-year-old Beatriz Stix-Brunell). I thought each subsequent piece was the best dancing I'd ever seen in my life, but it kept getting better and better. I cannot wait to see Morphoses at City Center in October!

Cxx.

Weekend Recap and Happy Surprises

FRIDAY:

• Early birthday surprise for the Bunny. Where could this cab be taking us...?

Taa Daa! "Blithe Spirit"! Angela Lansbury and cast were wonderful.

It was a delight to watch AL win a Tony only 2 days later!

SATURDAY:

• Brunch with the Bunny at Belcourt.
• Post-Brunch with TAG at Alice's Tea Cup (aka our clubhouse); yes, I ate a post-brunch.
• Stroll to Tiffany to get a new backing for my most beloved earrings. Cost of jewelry repair plus steam cleaning? Only $8.67. As I said to the customer service associate, "This is the best purchase I've ever made at Tiffany!" His response? "Yes, it IS possible!"
  

They needed a spiffying up! Don't they look great?!

These earrings are my perfect piece of jewelry. I feel like my best self when I have them on.

• Post-Tiffany stroll down 5th Avenue. I wandered into the Rock Center Anthropologie and noticed a familiar looking woman who spoke with an English accent. I quickly recognized her as an actress from "The Norman Conquests." I congratulated her on a job very well done, a compliment that she graciously accepted. I haven't enjoyed a show as much as I enjoyed "Table Manners" in a long time. Little did we know that the very next day she would be onstage with her cast at Radio City (also in Rock Center) accepting the Tony for Best Revival of a Play!
  
• Dinner at Morandi with my gorgeous friend, MBM. We shared meatballs and tagliatelle bolognese. Delicious!
  

SUNDAY:
The highlight was watching the Tonys, of course. When I was younger and an aspiring actress (I've acted since I was 5 and used to have an agent), the Tonys helped me dream. As I got older, the Tonys helped me select which shows to see on my annual trips to NYC. One of the best shows I've ever seen, "Contact", was selected as one of the shows I saw on my 16th birthday weekend celebration because I was so in awe of the Tonys performance.

Highlights from this year's awards ceremony included honors for some of the shows I most enjoyed this past season:

• Blithe Spirit: Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Angela Lansbury)
• Equus: Best Sound Design of a Play
• Next to Normal: Best Original Score, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley), Best Orchestrations (tied with Billy Elliot)
• The Norman Conquests: The Bunny's friend is a producer on this show, and we were particularly pleased when it was announced that he won a Tony for "Best Revival of a Play"
  
• Shrek: Best Costume Design of a Musical

(I may well be the only person in NYC who saw "Hair" and didn't like it. Ah, well.)

MONDAY (the Happy Surprise!):
After a long and exhausting day at work, I came home and found this package from mon amie Parisienne, MLPR, waiting for me:

Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe...and Beaubourg? Or, instead, apartment buildings of the banlieue? Haha.

Back in April I mailed MLPR a pack of postcards that you can cut, fold and paste into 3-D scenes of NYC, a city that she dearly loves.

Her gift to me couldn't have been more PERFECT!
We are obviously sending propaganda to each other to inspire upcoming visits!
I can hear Paris calling my name.....
Thanks, M, for making me smile, for warming my heart, and for setting a happy tone for my week!

I do have SO SO much to be grateful for, and so many things to make me smile.

Cxx.