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The Great Gatsby – Immersive Show Brings F. Scott Fitzerald’s … – Times Square Chronicles
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At the Park Central Hotel, the roaring 20’s, and F. Scott Fitzerald’s The Great Gatsby comes to life in an Immersive production that involves you in the action. As the audience, you are guests at one of Gatsby’s legendary parties. Here Nick Carraway (Rob Brinkmann), narrates the story of Jay Gatsby (Joél Acosta) the fated billionaire and his longtime love Daisy Buchanan (Jillian Anne Abaya). In the way are Daisy’s husband Tom Buchanan (Shahzeb Hussain), Tom’s social-climbing mistress Myrtle Wilson (Claire Saunders), Turtle’s jealous husband George B. Wilson (Keivon Akbari),Daisy’s best friend Jordan Baker (Stephanie Rocío) Kitty a performer (Kiki Burns) and Meyer Wolfsheim (The multi-talented Charlie Marcus).
Guests are encouraged to dress to kill in the time period and if you don’t you just might hear Gatsby remark “Most of you are dressed impeccably, For those of you who don’t Please stand in front of someone who is not.”
Jillian Anne Abaya, Stephanie Rocío Photo By Joan Marcus
We enter the main ballroom, which is a massive 16,000 square feet (hello, producers take note!). The space is suited to perfection by Shoko Kambara’s skilful art direction, production designer Casey Jay Andrews, decorator and prop Faye Armon-Troncoso, Lauren Helpern, and Butter Designs, and Jeff Croiter’s lighting that sets the scenes to eery days of yesteryear.
Claire Saunders, Keivon Akbari Photo by Joan Marcus
The casts sings, as we are taught the Charleston choreography by Holly Beasley-Garrigan as era-specific music and the original score composed and produced by Glen Andrew Brown and Tendai Humphrey Sitima, with arrangements and additional composition by David Sims run through out the night.
Jillian Anne Abaya, Joél Acosta Photo By Joan Marcus
Gatsby enters looking like Jake Gyllenhaal, he is plotting his getting his obsession to reunite with his former lover. As we are invited to change locations when a character invites you. My guest and I decided to stay put, so we saw most of the main action and scenes that made the body of this production move forward. Part of the beauty of this show is it is ripe for multiple visits and experiences.
Jillian Anne Abaya, Joél Acosta , Rob Brinkmann, Stephanie Rocíos Photo By Joan Marcus
Alexander Wright’s direction and adapted text keeps the action moving and the cast is remarkably good and engaging
In Gatsby love is elusiveness, class structure dictates who wins and social tragedy tugs at your heart, but finishes with a party, complete with more dancing and booze inspired. After all, even today we sweep over tragedy and numb ourselves to its consequences.
It is sad this production is closing so soon.
The Great Gatsby — The Immersive Show at the Gatsby Mansion in the Park Central Hotel closes Sunday
The Glorious Corner
Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park Time-travel to the Middle Age
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
She Says, Marry Harry is The Fantasticks or Celebration of Today
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Thank-you again to Eli Marcus and the staff of Dave and Buster’s, at 234 West 42nd Street.
Eli Marcus
Eli was sending the concierge’s to the show The Shark Is Broken.
The producers of The Shark Must Be Broken, Eli Marcus and the general manager of Dave and Buster’s
There were lots of new friends to be made such as Carol Mennie, Caroline Rosado from the Hilton, Dinnella Collado from the Washington Square Hotel, Benjamin Maddy from Dave and Buster’s and Maddie of Benjamin Steakhouse Prime
Maddie
This destination for sports enthusiasts, foodies, and arcade offers space, fun and some fabulous happy hour deals.
All across the multiple screens were football, basketball, and hockey games from across the sporting world. At the sports bar an impressive selection of drinks, including craft beers, signature cocktails await. I sampled some their tasty bites and was impressed.
wings
Pretzel Dogs
To sooth your inner child air hockey and arcade games are waiting to be played.
Margarita and I playing for Make A Wish
If you are looking for entertainment they have a legendary Trivia Night with fantastic prizes.
Double Pepperoni Flatbread
wings
BBQ Chicken Flatbread
This is actually a great place to throw your holiday parties.
Fire-Grilled Atlantic Salmon
Boneless Wings
Chocolate- and caramel-filled churros with chocolate and salted caramel dipping sauces.
I am so glad the Mayor of Times Square invited me to his event.
Margarita Parlionas and Eli Marcus
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Mike Young‘s Night at The Ned takes place weekly in the members’ Magic Room space, and presented by Akiva. The next show is Sept 27th, and will be weekly thereafter. Past attendees and comedians have included notables like Michael Rapaport, TJ Miller, Jeffrey Ross, Chris Rock, Robin Thicke, and many more.
The comedians who joined the lineup on Friday, Sept 15th, to surprise the room packed with 90 The Ned members/guests (and a bevy of models), included the below. Attendees, inclusive of members, enjoyed custom cocktails, wine, beer and bottle service during the performance, and dined on cuisine from The Ned’s signature menu favorites. The show takes place in The Magic Room, an exclusive feeling lounge complete with a beautiful wooden bar, featuring plush jewel toned velour seating, a red decor aesthetic, and ambient table lamps. It is the perfect setting for an intimate comedy show, complete with a stage, and a grand piano.
Photos Courtesy of Geoffrey Nurse/GN Studios for The Ned
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You Gotta Believe , a New York City-based, national organization that focuses exclusively on finding permanent parents and families for older kids in foster care, hosted its 9th annual Voices: Stars for Foster Kids benefit concert at Town Hall in NYC, on Monday, September 18th.
Created and hosted by Stars In The House’s Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, the benefit concert featured special performances and appearances by Donna Murphy, Patina Miller, Adam Pascal, Sharon Catherine Brown, Javier Colon, Ta’Nika Gibson, Matt Gould, Norm Lewis, Griffin Matthews, Gracie McGraw, Krysta Rodriguez, Cody Saintgnue, NaTasa Yvette Williams, Bellamy Young, Andrea McArdle and Executive Director of You Gotta Believe Jennifer Pinder. The evening was be directed by Brenda Braxton with music direction by Seth Rudetsky. Other guests in attendance included: Jackie Hoffman, Our Lady Jay, Tom Cavanaugh, Juwan Crawley, Jackson Walker, and others.
Special moments included: Bellamy Young sharing her personal story of being a foster child – and at 8-years-old identifying with the song “Maybe” from the musical ANNIE. After she shared her touching story with the crowd at Town Hall, the original “Annie,” Andrea McArdle surprised Bellamy on-stage and sang “Maybe” to her. Also, actor & model Cody Saintgnue sharing his own story about of being in foster care and later adopted – and what his family means to him. The “Voice” winner Javier Colon came on-stage to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – a song that reminded him of his childhood, to him.
Today nearly 400,000 children are in foster care in the United States, and every year as many as 22,000 youth will age out of the foster care system. Without the safety net of a forever family to provide the security and comfort most take for granted, these young people are left on their own to face a future filled with hardships — from lack of education to unemployment, higher rates of incarceration, poor health, early parenthood and homelessness. A staggering 20% of youth who age out alone will experience homelessness – that’s 4,000 homeless kids each year.
Due to the transformative work of YGB since 1995, thousands of parents have been trained to make an unconditional commitment to youth in care, over 750 families have been licensed as foster families after receiving training through YGB, and nearly 375 older youth have been adopted into families trained by YGB. YGB offers families perpetual support, including counseling and mental health services, to ensure permanency.
Created by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley in 2015, Voices: Stars for Foster Kids brings together the very best performers from the American stage and screen to raise awareness about the plight of kids in foster care, particularly those aged 10 and older who are in danger of aging out of the foster care system alone. Combining celebrity, music, and everyday people sharing their incredible stories, Voices: Stars for Foster Kids directly benefits YGB’s mission to find permanent families for older kids in foster care. Since its inception in 2015, Voices: Stars for Foster Kids has raised $3,392,300 for YGB.
For more information on You Gotta Believe, VIP tickets, and sponsorship opportunities, please visit YouGottaBelieve.org.
Photo Credit: Jenny Anderson / Getty Images for You Gotta Believe
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G.H. Harding
WENNER TAKES A DOWN —Jann Wenner always speaks his mind and this week he may have overstepped just a bit. In an interview that ran in the New York Times about his new book called Masters, he quite openly said that there were no black or R&B artists in it, because they were not able to articulate properly. I know, I felt the same way reading that. Minutes later, he was let go by the board of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which he helped start with Ahmet Ertegun way back in 1983.
Ahmet Ertegun
His Like A Rolling Stone autobiography book was quite an indulgent read last year, but Wenner has in the last several years suffered several health set backs and it was pointed out that he may not be in his right mind. Still, he should have spoken way more carefully. I’ve known Wenner for decades and trust me, he feels he’s way entitled, and that said, you can rest assured that there were dozens and dozens of people (and former employees) waiting to take him down.
The sad fact is that most of the accusations are true. That said, let’s face it Rolling Stone magazine in it’s heyday was a miraculous outlet for so much music and terrific journalism – from Ben Fong-Torres to Hunter Thompson and Jann himself .. it was distinguished. Now, he may have killed it all.
Rolling Stine magazine Monday posted this – essentially disowning his from the magazine: “Jann Wenner’s recent statements to the New York Times do not represent the values and practices of today’s Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner has not been directly involved in our operations since 2019. Our purpose, especially since his departure, has been to tell stories that reflect the diversity of voices and experiences that shape our world. At Rolling Stone’s core is the understanding that music above all can bring us together, not divide us.”
Here’s the report from Deadline: https://deadline.com/2023/09/jann-wenner-removed-rock-and-roll-hall-fame-foundation-board-1235548690/comment-page-1/#comment-3858649
FILE – Drew Barrymore attends the Time100 Gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, April 26, 2023, in New York. The National Book Awards dropped Barrymore as the host for this year’s ceremony, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, a day after her talk show taped its first episode since the Hollywood writers strike began. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
DREW’S BLUES — Boy, what did Drew Barrymore ever do to deserve the treatment she’s been through with the media. Sure, her ideas to bring back her daily-chat fest was a good one, for the right reasons, but everyone from Rosie O;’Donnell to the trade papers have bounced on her like madmen. I never met her, don’t hate her, but really … let’s get back to something real, like these Russell Brand-accusations!
SHORT TAKES — We finally caught David Bryne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love and absolutely loved it. I remember it well when it premiered at the Public Theater way back when and knew they were trying to get it to Broadway. Honestly, I never thought twice about the Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos story, but the play was riveting then and it remains now. They’ve outfitted NYC’s magnificent Broadway Theater with disco-balls galore and club-lighting and the immersive experience is terrific. Here’s a great re-cap of the play’s evolution from Theatre Guide: https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/how-the-music-of-here-lies-love-evolved-on-the-way-to-broadway …
Chris Carter and Micky Dolenz – Breakfast With The Beatles
Micky Dolenz appeared on Sunday’s Breakfast With The Beatles with Chris Carter (on KLOS) and talked about his new Dolenz Sings R.E.M. on Glenn Gretlund’s 7a Records. He also talked about his time with The Beatles and John Lennon. Carter also played a mash-up of Monkees and Beatle-songs which was done in England and it was superb. Here’s a shot from the event at LA’s Hard Rock Cafe on Highland and Hollywood Blvd. … SIGHTING: PR-pasha David Salidor and Benny Harrison at Monday’s Cutting Room tribute to Burt Bacharach … RIP Sammy Ash …
Jimmy Buffet
I’ve been thinking the best way to describe Jimmy Buffet and I saw this headline in LA Magazine: leisure evangelist– and it fits perfectly …
Happy Bday Donnie Kehr and Richard Branciforte.
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Dan Mapp; Brad Auerbach; James Clash: Robbie Robertson; Carol Ruth Weber; Randy Alexander; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Andrew Gans; Kathy Brown; Roger Clark; Chris Boneau; Tricia Daniels; Dan Zelinski; Benny Harrison; Steve Walter; Gil Friesen; Donna Dolenz; Dan Mapp; Brad Auerbach; James Clash; and ZIGGY!
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Jackie Weld Drake, longtime chair of Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, opened her Upper East Side residence to celebrate the upcoming Fiesta! Gala at The Plaza Hotel on October 10.
Two days of entertainment began with a cocktail party, September 13th, which she hosted with George Corton, Darlyn Portes, and Sissi Fleitas. The next day was a luncheon for the Fiesta! Gala’s junior committee, affectionately called the Pachanga’s.
Guests included Board Members Martha Bograd, Michéle Gerber Klein, Alberto Mariaca, Ben Rodriguez-Cubenas, and Jean Shafiroff, as well as Estrellita Brodsky, Susan Cheever, Anencia Dixon, Lee Fryd, Susan Gutfreund, Ann Nitze, Marc Rosen, Victor Roquette, Daisy Soros, and Barbara Tober, joined by Casita Maria Executive Director Felix Urrutia and Artistic Director Gail Heidel.
Casita Maria creates a safe and welcoming community, enriching and uplifting youth and families towards success, through shared cultural, art and educational experiences and programs. Headquartered in the South Bronx, Casita Maria was established in 1934 by Claire and Elizabeth Sullivan as the first charitable organization to serve Latinos in New York City. Operating from a five-room tenement apartment in East Harlem, the Sullivan sisters, public school teachers who were also relatives of TV personality Ed Sullivan, had a primary mission to offer after school enrichment and recreational activities for the children of newly arrived families from Puerto Rico. Today, Casita Maria remains dedicated to its original mission, delivering services to the mostly Latino youth, and families of the Hunts Point community it serves in the Bronx. In 2009, Casita Maria inaugurated a state-of-the-art facility encompassing performance spaces, exhibition gallery, dance, and music studios, and more on its Simpson Street campus. This 90,000 square foot, six-story educational and cultural facility in collaboration with the Department of Education has enabled Casita Maria to expand its scope and capacities as a beacon of excellence.
Casita Maria’s 89th anniversary Fiesta! Gala will honor Grammy winning producer Nelson Albareda, Dr. Ramon Tallaj, the founder of SOMOS network, and Ambassador David and Jennifer Fischer. For tickets email fiesta@casitamaria.org.
PHOTOS BY ANNIE WATT AGENCY/JOHN SANDERSON
Ken Fallin’s Broadway: “Leading Lady; the Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy”…NEW autobiography of Charles Busch
Monkee-Micky Dolenz Sings REM On New Release
Dîner en Blanc Returns to New York City in Epic Fashion
We’re Here to Help – When Guardianship Goes Wrong
The Glorious Corner
Ode to a Fabulous New York Fashion Week
Off-Broadway’s Muddy and Flat “Pay the Writer”
Voices: Stars for Foster Kids
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