Month: August 2018

Playwright Neil Simon, a master of comedy whose laugh-filled hits such as “The Odd Couple,” “Barefoot in the Park” and his “Brighton Beach” trilogy dominated Broadway for decades, has died. He was 91.

Simon died early Sunday of complications from pneumonia in New York, said Bill Evans, his longtime friend and the Shubert Organization director of media relations.

In the second half of the 20th century, Simon was the American theater’s most successful and prolific playwrights, often chronicling middle class issues and fears.

Starting with “Come Blow Your Horn” in 1961 and continuing into the next century, he rarely stopped working on a new play or musical.

The theater world mourned his death, with actor Josh Gad calling Simon “one of the primary influences on my life and career.” Playwright Kristoffer Diaz said simply: “This hurts.”

Simon’s stage successes included “The Prisoner of Second Avenue,” “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Plaza Suite,” “Chapter Two,” “Sweet Charity” and “Promises, Promises,” but there were other plays and musicals, too, more than 30 in all. Many of his plays were adapted into movies and one, “The Odd Couple,” even became a popular television series.

For seven months in 1967, he had four productions running at the same time on Broadway: “Barefoot in the Park”; “The Odd Couple”; “Sweet Charity”; and “The Star-Spangled Girl.”

Simon was the recipient of four Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, the Kennedy Center honors (1995), four Writers Guild of America Awards, an American Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement honor and, in 1983, he even had a Broadway theater named after him when the Alvin was rechristened the Neil Simon Theatre.

In 2006, he won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which honors work that draws from the American experience. The previous year had seen a popular revival of “The Odd Couple,” reuniting Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick after their enormous success in “The Producers” several years earlier.

Simon received his first Tony Award in 1965 as best author, a category now discontinued, for “The Odd Couple,” although the comedy lost the best-play prize to Frank D. Gilroy’s “The Subject Was Roses.” He won a best-play Tony 20 years later for “Biloxi Blues.” In 1991, “Lost in Yonkers” received both the Tony and the Pulitzer Prize. And there was a special achievement Tony, too, in 1975.

Simon’s own life figured most prominently in what became known as his “Brighton Beach” trilogy: “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Biloxi Blues” and “Broadway Bound”, which many consider his finest works . In them, Simon’s alter ego, Eugene Morris Jerome, makes his way from childhood to the U.S. Army to finally, on the verge of adulthood, a budding career as a writer.

Simon was born Marvin Neil Simon in New York and was raised in the Bronx and Washington Heights. He was a Depression-era child, his father, Irving, a garment-industry salesman. He was raised mostly by his strong-willed mother, Mamie, and mentored by his older brother, Danny, who nicknamed his younger sibling, Doc.

Simon attended New York University and the University of Colorado. After serving in the military in 1945-46, he began writing with his brother for radio in 1948 and then, for television, a period in their lives chronicled in Simon’s 1993 play, “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.”

 
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In historic Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, musician Jamey Turner is playing a most unusual instrument, the glass harp. This harp actually consists of ordinary stemmed glasses filled with water that Turner plays with his fingertips by rubbing the rims to create a range of musical tones. He performs music such as “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony or the famous theme from the Star Wars movies.

The people who stop by are awestruck by the glass harp music Turner has been showcasing on a street corner in Alexandria for more than 25 years. It doesn’t take long before they drop dollar bills or larger amounts into a donation basket to show their appreciation for Turner.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Nicole Schwarss, a visitor from Germany. “I’ve never heard something like this before.”

Almudena Casdaneda from Mexico was spellbound.

“It’s a very different way to play music,” she said, “and it seems difficult to do, and to remember which cup sounds which way.”

Second nature

But to 78-year-old Turner it’s second nature because he started playing the glass harp some 50 years ago. Although he also plays other instruments, the glass harp is his passion. He got the idea as a young age from his father. When he was 6 years old, he said, he heard his dad playing around with a glass of water at the dining room table and he liked the sound a lot.

Turner sets up his instrument, consisting of 60 glasses, on a wooden soundboard anchored with rubber bands, which keeps the stemware from breaking. He uses inexpensive glass instead of crystal, which he says rings too long and doesn’t give him control of the notes.

Turner tunes each glass to a different pitch by partially filling them with distilled water, which he said gives better sound than water with chemicals and minerals. Then he uses a turkey baster to squirt additional water into the glasses to fine-tune them.

As Turner rubs his dampened fingertips around the rims, the smaller bowls produce higher pitches, while the larger ones resonate deeper tones. The more water in any of the glasses, large or small, will also lower the pitch.

Turner actually “auditions” his glasses at stores before he buys them. 

“I explain that I’m looking for a few that I can make music on. Then I usually find only one or two that will have a good sound,” he said.

Audience participation

Turner loves having an audience and teaching people about his instrument. He explains how he plays the chords. He gave some visitors the opportunity to play music with him, by having them rub the rims of the biggest glasses.

Joeli Pepe, a girl from New York, was all smiles as her glass vibrated a bass tone.

“I didn’t know it made that much sound,” she said.

She also learned from Turner that the glass harp was popular in the 1700s when classical composers like Mozart wrote music specifically for the instrument. There have been 400 pieces written for the glass harp. But Turner plays all kinds of music, from contemporary jazz, to country, to the U.S. national anthem. He amazed a Chinese visitor by playing a tune that is popular in China.

Turner said he has been able to make a living as a glass harpist and has even played with top U.S. orchestras. He has performed at numerous places around the country, including the Easter Egg Roll at the White House, for various embassies in Washington, and at Walt Disney World in Florida. A few years ago, he got to perform in Japan.

With so few people playing the glass harp, Turner is hoping the next generation will keep the instrument alive.

“I think it is gaining in popularity,” he said. “A lot of people have seen me on YouTube, and so I’ve seen a lot of people experimenting with it on YouTube.”

“People can’t help but smile when they hear the glass harp,” said Turner, as he played Happy Birthday to a little girl who gave him a big grin.
…

In historic Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, musician Jamey Turner is playing a most unusual instrument, the glass harp. This harp actually consists of ordinary stemmed glasses filled with water that Turner plays with his fingertips by rubbing the rims to create a range of musical tones. He performs music such as “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony or the famous theme from the Star Wars movies.

The people who stop by are awestruck by the glass harp music Turner has been showcasing on a street corner in Alexandria for more than 25 years. It doesn’t take long before they drop dollar bills or larger amounts into a donation basket to show their appreciation for Turner.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Nicole Schwarss, a visitor from Germany. “I’ve never heard something like this before.”

Almudena Casdaneda from Mexico was spellbound.

“It’s a very different way to play music,” she said, “and it seems difficult to do, and to remember which cup sounds which way.”

Second nature

But to 78-year-old Turner it’s second nature because he started playing the glass harp some 50 years ago. Although he also plays other instruments, the glass harp is his passion. He got the idea as a young age from his father. When he was 6 years old, he said, he heard his dad playing around with a glass of water at the dining room table and he liked the sound a lot.

Turner sets up his instrument, consisting of 60 glasses, on a wooden soundboard anchored with rubber bands, which keeps the stemware from breaking. He uses inexpensive glass instead of crystal, which he says rings too long and doesn’t give him control of the notes.

Turner tunes each glass to a different pitch by partially filling them with distilled water, which he said gives better sound than water with chemicals and minerals. Then he uses a turkey baster to squirt additional water into the glasses to fine-tune them.

As Turner rubs his dampened fingertips around the rims, the smaller bowls produce higher pitches, while the larger ones resonate deeper tones. The more water in any of the glasses, large or small, will also lower the pitch.

Turner actually “auditions” his glasses at stores before he buys them. 

“I explain that I’m looking for a few that I can make music on. Then I usually find only one or two that will have a good sound,” he said.

Audience participation

Turner loves having an audience and teaching people about his instrument. He explains how he plays the chords. He gave some visitors the opportunity to play music with him, by having them rub the rims of the biggest glasses.

Joeli Pepe, a girl from New York, was all smiles as her glass vibrated a bass tone.

“I didn’t know it made that much sound,” she said.

She also learned from Turner that the glass harp was popular in the 1700s when classical composers like Mozart wrote music specifically for the instrument. There have been 400 pieces written for the glass harp. But Turner plays all kinds of music, from contemporary jazz, to country, to the U.S. national anthem. He amazed a Chinese visitor by playing a tune that is popular in China.

Turner said he has been able to make a living as a glass harpist and has even played with top U.S. orchestras. He has performed at numerous places around the country, including the Easter Egg Roll at the White House, for various embassies in Washington, and at Walt Disney World in Florida. A few years ago, he got to perform in Japan.

With so few people playing the glass harp, Turner is hoping the next generation will keep the instrument alive.

“I think it is gaining in popularity,” he said. “A lot of people have seen me on YouTube, and so I’ve seen a lot of people experimenting with it on YouTube.”

“People can’t help but smile when they hear the glass harp,” said Turner, as he played Happy Birthday to a little girl who gave him a big grin.
…

Musician Jamey Turner chose an unconventional career path by becoming a glass harpist. He plays music with glasses filled with water. He uses his fingertips to rub the rim of the glasses to create a range of musical tones. VOA’s Deborah Block watched Turner play the glass harp in Alexandria, Virginia, where people seemed to be awestruck by the sounds he created.
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Musician Jamey Turner chose an unconventional career path by becoming a glass harpist. He plays music with glasses filled with water. He uses his fingertips to rub the rim of the glasses to create a range of musical tones. VOA’s Deborah Block watched Turner play the glass harp in Alexandria, Virginia, where people seemed to be awestruck by the sounds he created.
…

Crazy Rich Asians, a romantic comedy by filmmaker Jon Chu, showcases lavish sets and beautiful, rich people. Set against the exotic and ultramodern backdrop of Singapore, the film rewards its audience with an uplifting modern day fairy tale. But what makes this Hollywood film stand out, is its all Asian cast and the clear message: Not all Asians are the same.

Based on Kevin Kwan’s book of the same title, the film starts with a young Asian couple in New York. Rachel Chu, played by Constance Wu, an Asian American economics professor at New York University. Nick Young is from Singapore. Having dated for over a year, the couple is starting to get serious about each other but have yet to take the next step. NIck, played by Henry Golding, invites Rachel to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Nick’s idea is to introduce Rachel to his family.

As the couple sets out for Singapore, what Rachel does not know is that Nick is the scion of one of the city-state’s wealthiest families and one of its most eligible bachelors. Before she even gets there, her picture has gone viral on social media, and as soon as she arrives, she becomes the target of many wealthy young women who aspire to marry Nick.

Nick’s formidable mother Eleanor Young, played by Michelle Yeoh, feels that American-born Rachel, played by Constance Wu, is not suitable for her son. She rejects the young woman’s American values of independence and self-determination as an affront to Singapore’s traditionalist values.

Rachel’s and Nick’s relationship unfolds against the sophisticated backdrop of the Asian island’s exotic landscape, and mouthwatering culinary creations. Their relationship is tested but grows despite the antagonism and cruelty Rachel faces from Nick’s mother and her snobbish friends.

Throughout the bitter sweet roller coaster, the cast features funny, quirky, and serious characters, among them, Hip Hop artist Awkwafina. She plays Peik Lin Goh, Rachel’s former roomate and friend from the States now living in Singapore. Peik Lin helps navigate Rachel through various cultural hurdles and provides comic relief. The cast is impeccably dressed, impossibly rich, and all of them, Asian.

Lead actress Constance Wu touts the all Asian international cast of the film. “I love the fact that we have Asians from Australia, from England, from Costa Rica, from America, from Singapore, from Malaysia, we have Asians from all over.”

Wu says the film moves away from the clichéd image of the Asian as a disenfranchised minority in the US. “So frequently Hollywood thinks that Asians are this one monolith. Like there isn’t a difference between Asian Asians and Asian-Americans. Or British Asian, or Australian Asians. And there is a difference! Because there is a cultural difference. The fact that this movie really differentiates that, it’s something that doesn’t happen a lot.”

The film’s message and its lavish cinematography appears to have paid off. Crazy Rich Asians has become a box office hit – elevating the hopes of cast and fans that Asian actors are finally becoming part of Hollywood’s mainstream. A day after the film’s premiere in Singapore, Victoria Loke, who plays wealthy socialite Fiona Cheng, spoke to VOA about the film’s success.

“During filming,” she said, “we never really thought about how big an impact that was going to make. So many Asian-American audiences have messaged us separately as actors, our director, our producers, thanking us for having a stake and being a part of this representation of the Asian American community.”

Despite the film’s box office success, Loke said it also has had its share of criticism.

“There has been a lot of conversation in Singapore and Asia about how this film only represents the 1 percent of Singapore: she said. “There are a lot of people who don’t relate to that. This is about Crazy Rich Asians, it’s about a very small niche, and of course there will be lot of fair criticism about the fact that it doesn’t represent fully the entire population. ”

Representative or not, the film has played to sold out theaters in Asia and the U.S. And Victoria Loke confirmed that the film has already been green-lighted for a sequel.
…

Crazy Rich Asians, a romantic comedy by filmmaker Jon Chu, showcases lavish sets and beautiful, rich people. Set against the exotic and ultramodern backdrop of Singapore, the film rewards its audience with an uplifting modern day fairy tale. But what makes this Hollywood film stand out, is its all Asian cast and the clear message: Not all Asians are the same.

Based on Kevin Kwan’s book of the same title, the film starts with a young Asian couple in New York. Rachel Chu, played by Constance Wu, an Asian American economics professor at New York University. Nick Young is from Singapore. Having dated for over a year, the couple is starting to get serious about each other but have yet to take the next step. NIck, played by Henry Golding, invites Rachel to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Nick’s idea is to introduce Rachel to his family.

As the couple sets out for Singapore, what Rachel does not know is that Nick is the scion of one of the city-state’s wealthiest families and one of its most eligible bachelors. Before she even gets there, her picture has gone viral on social media, and as soon as she arrives, she becomes the target of many wealthy young women who aspire to marry Nick.

Nick’s formidable mother Eleanor Young, played by Michelle Yeoh, feels that American-born Rachel, played by Constance Wu, is not suitable for her son. She rejects the young woman’s American values of independence and self-determination as an affront to Singapore’s traditionalist values.

Rachel’s and Nick’s relationship unfolds against the sophisticated backdrop of the Asian island’s exotic landscape, and mouthwatering culinary creations. Their relationship is tested but grows despite the antagonism and cruelty Rachel faces from Nick’s mother and her snobbish friends.

Throughout the bitter sweet roller coaster, the cast features funny, quirky, and serious characters, among them, Hip Hop artist Awkwafina. She plays Peik Lin Goh, Rachel’s former roomate and friend from the States now living in Singapore. Peik Lin helps navigate Rachel through various cultural hurdles and provides comic relief. The cast is impeccably dressed, impossibly rich, and all of them, Asian.

Lead actress Constance Wu touts the all Asian international cast of the film. “I love the fact that we have Asians from Australia, from England, from Costa Rica, from America, from Singapore, from Malaysia, we have Asians from all over.”

Wu says the film moves away from the clichéd image of the Asian as a disenfranchised minority in the US. “So frequently Hollywood thinks that Asians are this one monolith. Like there isn’t a difference between Asian Asians and Asian-Americans. Or British Asian, or Australian Asians. And there is a difference! Because there is a cultural difference. The fact that this movie really differentiates that, it’s something that doesn’t happen a lot.”

The film’s message and its lavish cinematography appears to have paid off. Crazy Rich Asians has become a box office hit – elevating the hopes of cast and fans that Asian actors are finally becoming part of Hollywood’s mainstream. A day after the film’s premiere in Singapore, Victoria Loke, who plays wealthy socialite Fiona Cheng, spoke to VOA about the film’s success.

“During filming,” she said, “we never really thought about how big an impact that was going to make. So many Asian-American audiences have messaged us separately as actors, our director, our producers, thanking us for having a stake and being a part of this representation of the Asian American community.”

Despite the film’s box office success, Loke said it also has had its share of criticism.

“There has been a lot of conversation in Singapore and Asia about how this film only represents the 1 percent of Singapore: she said. “There are a lot of people who don’t relate to that. This is about Crazy Rich Asians, it’s about a very small niche, and of course there will be lot of fair criticism about the fact that it doesn’t represent fully the entire population. ”

Representative or not, the film has played to sold out theaters in Asia and the U.S. And Victoria Loke confirmed that the film has already been green-lighted for a sequel.
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