New York City Archives - Page 3 of 34

24Oct

Guest Post: The Velveteen Rabbit Review

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Guest writer Liat Ginsberg is a mother and former journalist for the Israeli newspaper, Maariv. She taught at the Film and Media Department at Hunter College. Our society is consumed with look, beauty, celebrity and money. Parents are constantly struggling to teach kids that life is more than external beauty. The Velveteen Rabbit, now playing at the Linda Gross Theater in Manhattan, is a play that demonstrates to kids through a rabbit and a skin horse some very important lessons. The musical, which is directed by Anya Saffir and adapted from the book Read More

09Oct

Giveaway: The New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show (Family Pack)

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I've done this giveaway several years in a row, and I'm happy to be doing it again. The New York Botanical Garden’s annual Holiday Train Show is a part of our annual ritual of living in the NYC metropolitan area and it's back this year with additions to this NYC seasonal tradition, which will open to the public on Saturday, November 21, 2015, and run through Monday, January 18, 2016. The new Holiday Train Show enhances the visitor experience with three components, in addition to the ever-popular miniature wonderland including a short film screening Read More

25Apr

A Spell-Bounding FUN HOME on Broadway

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Every now and then I have a magical Broadway experience where a play knocks me out of my zone and brings together music, a social issue, talent and good story-telling. Today was such a day when I saw the play FUN HOME. I don't think I've had this kind of experience since seeing Next to Normal about five years ago. FUN HOME, a play based on a book by Alison Bechdel (yes, also of the famous Bechdel Test), and directed by the wonderful Sam Gold, is a play that left me giving the cast a standing ovation. There are so many things to say about this play, I'm Read More

23Apr

Guest Post: A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream at The New Acting Company

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Liat Ginsberg is a mother and a former Journalist for the Israeli newspaper Maariv. She taught at the Film and Media department at Hunter College. When the pamphlet of The New Acting Company advertised that the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream is appropriate for kids age 5 and up, I doubted it. I told myself , “How could a kid understand a language from 1594”? But I decided to take the risk with my 5 year old twins. I already imagined that they are going to embarrass me and I’ll have to leave the theatre in the middle of the play. To my amazement, they Read More

08Apr

Review: The Revival of Gigi on Broadway

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When I invited my mom to attend a press viewing of the revival of Gigi on Broadway, she was ecstatic, claiming it's one of the most memorable shows she ever saw as a teenager in the 1950s. She remembered the songs and story very clearly from the show, as well as the film. I'm also in that celebrated category of remembering the story. While spending time in Paris in my 20s, I went to see the film again at a small repertory cinema and embraced the performances of Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier, and Hermione Gingold. This was the first time Read More

08Apr

Announcing Finding Neverland and a Giveaway

Posted by The Culture Mom 106 Comments

If you're a Peter Pan, Glee and Frasier fan like me, you're surely excited about the upcoming FINDING NEVERLAND on Broadway. Starring Matthew Morrison and Kelsey Grammer, FINDING NEVERLAND (produced by the folks at the Weinstein Company) follows the story of author J.M. Barrie and his relationship with the family of widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, who eventually became Barrie's inspiration to write Peter Pan. The musical explores the power of imagination to open up new worlds, and the pressures put upon those worlds by the inevitability of growing up. Read More

31Mar

Guest Post: Review of Harold and the Purple Crayon at Brooklyn Center

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The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon, which appeared at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts this past Sunday, which was produced by Enchantment Theatre Company’s production, is based on a picture book by Crockett Johnson. It tells the story of Harold, who one evening decided to go for a walk in the moonlight. He wears face masks so that only the actors’ body movements can convey emotion, though the audience will think that the actor is only five. To conquer his fear of darkness, he draws a moon (through video animation) and a Read More

31Mar

WICKED at The Westin New York at Times Square

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This past weekend was a special one for my tween and I as we stayed over night in NYC in Times Square for the first time. Sure, we've stayed over night in the city before but not right in the heart of Broadway. And for two culture vultures, that meant everything. We were invited by The Westin at Times Square to check out the WICKED Night Out, an exclusive WICKED-themed hotel package. My daughter first saw the show at age 6 and again at age 10. As a tween, the show holds special memories for her and I knew the hotel would have an appreciative visitor. Read More

30Mar

Review: Catch Me! (Attrape-moi) at The New Victory Theater

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A Saturday afternoon spent at the New Victory Theater is the perfect one for my kids and I, and this past Saturday was no exception. My daughter and I went to see the extremely creative and utterly wonderful CATCH ME! (Attrape-moi), featuring the six young talents of Flip FabriQue, an up-and-coming troupe from Quebec City, Canada, whose members have performed with Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, 7 Fingers and more. We ventured to a 12pm show which we found full of other families with (much younger) children than my tween. But after being an avid Read More

26Mar

Review and Giveaway: The Heidi Chronicles on Broadway

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Let me preface this review by saying I'm a huge Wendy Wasserstein fan. I was introduced to her plays as a high-school student studying drama in a performing arts school. Her plays resonated with me instantly - as a theater lover, as a feminist, as someone looking through her choices in life as a young woman. I heard her speak several times before she passed away – once in college and once at a conference right before when I had my first child. I’ve read all her plays, read her biography and wish more than anything that she was still here on this earth Read More