Boston Strong

As I was away last week, I was unable to share my thoughts about the horrific events that occurred in Boston. I hope that you'll indulge me now.

I was in a shop in California with my parents, buying them their first iPhones (that was interesting), when I saw on my own phone the news about the bombings in Boston. My heart lurched as I scrolled through the images, recognizing Boylston Street and my beloved Boston Public Library.

Although I grew up in California and now live in New York, I spent a good portion of my adulthood in Boston and think of it as a second home. I was one of the many who arrive in  Massachusetts each fall to attend school. But instead of leaving after graduation, I stayed on. 

Perhaps it was because there were four real seasons or that there was history at every turn or that the architecture was so different from that of San Francisco. Whatever the reason, I fell in love with the place. 

Some people say that Boston is unfriendly; that you can live there for years and never be accepted by the locals. That was not my experience. I felt comfortable from the start. A friend who's from there once told me that I was the first person she had ever met from the West Coast who fit right in. I took it as a compliment. And so I lived there until a career change required a move to New York.

Although I love Boston and have days when I miss it, I'll admit it has its faults: the insane closing hours (what bar doesn't stay open until two?), the accent that can be grating (but which I grew fond of), the crazy drivers, the lack of air conditioning. And after living in New York, it seems tiny. But then again, what place is perfect? 

And so when I stood there, reading the news, all I could think of was "they attacked my city." It felt strange being 3,000 miles away. Even being back in New York would have meant being closer than I was at that moment. For the next few hours I emailed/texted friends and checked Facebook constantly for status updates. Over the next few days I watched the news as much as I could, waiting for updates. I clapped when Neil Diamond came out to lead the crowd at Fenway in a rousing version of "Sweet Caroline" and laughed when I heard Big Papi's speech that was so endearing that even the FCC forgave him for his use of a certain word. And I was moved by President Obama's speech at the interfaith service, particularly these words:

"When the Sox or Celtics or Patriots or Bruins are champions again—to the chagrin of New York and Chicago fans—the crowds will gather and watch a parade go down Boylston Street. And this time next year, on the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for the one hundred and eighteenth Boston marathon.”

Yes they will. Be strong Boston.

Photos by Michele.

Back Home

Just returned from California where I spent the week visiting family and friends. It was great fun but now I must get back to real life and work tomorrow. Photos and tales coming up.

iPhone photo by Michele.

Spring Break

I'm taking a bit of a spring break this week so things are going to be quiet around here but I have a laundry list of subjects I'm writing about so expect some new tales soon. In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying a lovely April and all the beautiful blooming bulbs.

iPhone photo of St. Peter's Chelsea by Michele.

Je m'appelle Candy

Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola have made a darling short film for the launch of Candy L'Eau, a lighter version of Prada’s popular scent. With a nod to Truffaut’s Jules et Jim, the film stars the cool French actress Léa Seydoux as a woman torn between two admirers. It's filled with wonderful colours and a version of Paris that seems to only exist in the movies. In other words, it's delightful.

Mark and Misha

Mikhail Baryshnikov and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Photo: Andrea Mohin/New York Times

Readers of this blog are familiar with my love of the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG). So it should come as no surprise that Sunday night I was thrilled to see them perform at their home in Brooklyn. Add special guest Mikhail Baryshnikov to the mix and it was a perfect event.

The show began with The Office, an older piece set to Antonín Dvořák’s Bagatelles for two violins, cello and harmonium, Op. 47. A small group of dancers dressed in workplace attire dance almost feverishly until they are interrupted by a clipboard-bearing woman whose arrival signals the departure of one dancer. This continues to occur until only one dancer remains. What happens to them once they leave the stage? An incredibly poignant and moving work, it should get performed more often.

This was followed with A Wooden Tree, a piece that only Morris could create. Choreographed to the whimsical recordings of Scottish humorist Ivor Cutler (this was an exception to the usual MMDG rule of using live music), the new work had the dancers, decked out like colourful ragamuffins, twirling, skipping, and even hopping around the stage. The group included Mikhail Baryshnikov who I haven’t seen perform since the premiere of Morris’ The Argument in Boston back in 1999. The 65-year-old may have been just one of the ensemble but it was clear that all eyes were on him. It was a truly delightful piece. And if you’ve never heard of Cutler, I suggest you check him out.

Two world premieres were presented after the intermission. Jenn and Spencer, a beautiful duet set to Suite for Violin and Piano by Henry Cowell, merged classical movements with the pure physical so key to Morris’ work. It was also named for the two dancers who performed the piece—a wonderful tribute to their talent and grace. Crosswalks, danced to Carl Maria von Weber’s 1816 Grand Duo Concertant, for clarinet and piano, Op. 48, had echoes of some of Morris’ grander pieces with dancers crisscrossing the stage sometimes in seeming unison, while at other times literally bumping into each other or, in the case of one female dancer, run over. Whereas I enjoyed the lightness of A Wooden Tree, this may have been my favourite of the new works.

The Mark Morris Dance Center. Photo: Michele

The James and Martha Duffy Performance Space at the dance center seats fewer than 150 people and was probably the most intimate space I’ve ever seen MMDG perform. At the end, Mark Morris walked on stage and took repeated bows with his dancers. I couldn’t have enjoyed myself more.

The remaining sold-out performances at the Dance Center run through April 14. For more info on the MMDG, check out their site here.

Goodbye Mr. Ebert

“So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. 

I’ll see you at the movies.”—Roger Ebert

We all knew it was going to happen one day but when I saw the news this afternoon that Roger Ebert had passed away I felt a sudden wave of sadness. For many people of my generation Siskel and Ebert were the film critics. From them we learned to give a film a thumbs up or down, to argue passionately on behalf of a film or director that we felt strongly about, and that the films that last don't necessarily need, in Ebert's words, "lofty themes or Byzantine complexities." 

Tuesday Ebert posted what was to be his last blog post. Entitled “A Leave of Presence,” it announced that his cancer had returned and therefore he would be slowing down a bit but that he had plans for new projects. For a person who had gone through as much as he had with his health, Ebert was extremely productive writing books, numerous reviews, blog and Facebook posts. I especially enjoyed his Facebook posts. For a while he ran a daily contest where he would post a photo of an old Hollywood star and ask his fans to guess who it was. I was thrilled when twice I was the first to answer correctly (Robert Montgomery and Donald Meek).

Yes there are other film critics who I enjoy reading like Anthony Lane but with Ebert’s passing it feels like an era has come to a end. The balcony is now closed.  

Happy Birthday, Doris Day!

Doris Day during rehearsals for Calamity Jane (1953).

Today is Doris Day’s birthday. Born on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Doris is an incredible actress and singer who during her film career was able to move easily between musical comedies and dramas. She is also a great animal lover whose two charities—the Doris Day Animal Foundation and Doris Day Animal League—have helped save and improve the lives of thousands of animals.

For me, watching a Doris Day film immediately takes me back to my childhood when I would sit enthralled in front of the television set whenever one of her films came on. By the Light of the Silvery Moon, On Moonlight Bay, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Pillow Talk, That Touch of Mink, and Midnight Lace were just a few of her films that turned me into a huge fan. To this day, I still know the words to all of her songs and can often be found singing them (much to the dismay of my neighbours). But none of her films made more of an impression on me than Calamity Jane (1953). From the buckskin outfits to the dancing to the fights with Buffalo Bill to her drink order ("make mine sarsaparilla"), I loved Calamity Jane and Doris Day. So it seems only fitting to pay her tribute today with a clip of one of the best songs in the film, “I Could Do Without You,” which she performed with the handsome Howard Keel. So Happy Birthday, Doris Day!