::: George Christy ::: From the Beverly Hills Courier

Catfish Row. Opera favorite Catfish Row. Opera favorite Francesca Zambello directed this rewarding production. And on opening night we were privileged to hear Kevin Short as the sturdy Porgy, Morenike Fadayomi as sexy Bess who runs off with SportinÕ Life, played by Jermaine Smith in a showstopping performance with his singing and acrobatic dancing to It AinÕt Necssarily So. Angela Jackson as Serena breaks hearts with My ManÕs Gone Now, and Lester Lynch stands out as the tricky Crown, with other singers alternating on different nights in the leading roles, and those Gershwin classics such as Summertime linger with you after leaving the theater. A long ways away from 1926 when George Gershwin read Dubose HeywardÕs novel Porgy, and by 1935 completed 700 pages of music. A 1935 Broadway run at the Alvin Theatre studiously avoided that worrisome word opera, with Gershwin dying two years later. Historians acknowledge that Porgy and Bess may be the only opera inspired by 1920s and 1930s jazz that survived beyond World War II. Glamour girls sashayed during the unveiling of the $5 million flagship Escada Boutique in the Beverly Wilshire, with Wolfgang Puck seducing the palates of the crowd with the nonstop passing of his hors dÕoeuvres of smoked salmon pizza, lobster rolls, stuffed baby artichokes with shrimp, mini cheeseburgers, filet mignon tartare, tomato tart tatin. Even the thinnest models were unable to resist. Hilary Swank, who most likely received a fee (and why not?), hosted the evening with the handsome, 36-year-old Italian-born creative director Damiano Biella, the Munich-based CEO Frank Rheinboldt, Escada USAÕs president and COO Lawrence DeParis. Floating through the shadowy boutique were Naomi Watts, Maria Bello, Angela Bassett, Geena Davis, Sophia Bush, Sanaa Lathan and others, with VogueÕs Andre Leon Talley flying in for the weekend. If you havenÕt heard about Bob HoflerÕs The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson, itÕs time to pick up a paperback and read a crackerjack perspective on HollywoodÕs Henry Willson, who not only launched Rock but Robert Wagner, Clint Walker, Lana Turner, Natalie Wood, Tab Hunter, Troy Donahue, Guy Madison, Rory Calhoun. The paperback edition contains Òmore juiceÓ about RockÕs marriage to Phyllis Gates, who was WillsonÕs secretary, and BobÕs now researching a biography of Òbaby mogulÓ impresario Allan Carr, who gave us Grease, was a hotshot party host, famed for his caftans and smart as a whip. Prior to being senior features editor for Variety, Bob served as the trade paperÕs theater reviewer, and during his return visit from New York, we asked for recommendations on whatÕs best on Broadway. He loved LoveMusik, about the monogamous Kurt Weill and the sluttish Lotte Lenya Ð Òunmissable, complex, and I hand it to director Hal Prince who pulled amazing performances from Donna Murphy as Lenya and Michael Cerveris in the role of composer Weill, whose songs are threaded throughout the evening.Ó He praises Jerry Mitchell, the director-choreographer of Legally Blonde starring Laura Bell Bundy in a breakthrough performance, and reminds that Reese Witherspoon didnÕt sing and dance in the film version. ÒJerryÕs the star-engine of that show, a huge crossover hit for adults and young people.Ó Bob found Frost/Nixon with Frank Langella and Michael Sheen Òvery good, even though some of itÕs made up,Ó and the musical adapted from Franz WedekindÕs Spring Awakening is better than Rent with its rock songs of love, angst and sexual repression expressed in modern style. ÒA tour de force is Christine EbersoleÕs performance as the two Edith Beales in Grey Gardens. Worthy of a Tony!Ó Auditioning so far to replace Don Imus on CBS Radio are our popular syndicated KABC broadcaster Larry Elder, KTLKÕs Stephanie Miller, WPATÕs Michael Smirkonish of Philadelphia, along with more inline in line for this powerful spot. directed this rewarding production. And on opening night we were privileged to hear Kevin Short as the sturdy Porgy, Morenike Fadayomi as sexy Bess who runs off with SportinÕ Life, played by Jermaine Smith in a showstopping performance with his singing and acrobatic dancing to It AinÕt Necssarily So. Angela Jackson as Serena breaks hearts with My ManÕs Gone Now, and Lester Lynch stands out as the tricky Crown, with other singers alternating on different nights in the leading roles, and those Gershwin classics such as Summertime linger with you after leaving the theater. A long ways away from 1926 when George Gershwin read Dubose HeywardÕs novel Porgy, and by 1935 completed 700 pages of music. A 1935 Broadway run at the Alvin Theatre studiously avoided that worrisome word opera, with Gershwin dying two years later. Historians acknowledge that Porgy and Bess may be the only opera inspired by 1920s and 1930s jazz that survived beyond World War II. Glamour girls sashayed during the unveiling of the $5 million flagship Escada Boutique in the Beverly Wilshire, with Wolfgang Puck seducing the palates of the crowd with the nonstop passing of his hors dÕoeuvres of smoked salmon pizza, lobster rolls, stuffed baby artichokes with shrimp, mini cheeseburgers, filet mignon tartare, tomato tart tatin. Even the thinnest models were unable to resist. Hilary Swank, who most likely received a fee (and why not?), hosted the evening with the handsome, 36-year-old Italian-born creative director Damiano Biella, the Munich-based CEO Frank Rheinboldt, Escada USAÕs president and COO Lawrence DeParis. Floating through the shadowy boutique were Naomi Watts, Maria Bello, Angela Bassett, Geena Davis, Sophia Bush, Sanaa Lathan and others, with VogueÕs Andre Leon Talley flying in for the weekend. If you havenÕt heard about Bob HoflerÕs The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson, itÕs time to pick up a paperback and read a crackerjack perspective on HollywoodÕs Henry Willson, who not only launched Rock but Robert Wagner, Clint Walker, Lana Turner, Natalie Wood, Tab Hunter, Troy Donahue, Guy Madison, Rory Calhoun. The paperback edition contains Òmore juiceÓ about RockÕs marriage to Phyllis Gates, who was WillsonÕs secretary, and BobÕs now researching a biography of Òbaby mogulÓ impresario Allan Carr, who gave us Grease, was a hotshot party host, famed for his caftans and smart as a whip. Prior to being senior features editor for Variety, Bob served as the trade paperÕs theater reviewer, and during his return visit from New York, we asked for recommendations on whatÕs best on Broadway. He loved LoveMusik, about the monogamous Kurt Weill and the sluttish Lotte Lenya Ð Òunmissable, complex, and I hand it to director Hal Prince who pulled amazing performances from Donna Murphy as Lenya and Michael Cerveris in the role of composer Weill, whose songs are threaded throughout the evening.Ó He praises Jerry Mitchell, the director-choreographer of Legally Blonde starring Laura Bell Bundy in a breakthrough performance, and reminds that Reese Witherspoon didnÕt sing and dance in the film version. ÒJerryÕs the star-engine of that show, a huge crossover hit for adults and young people.Ó Bob found Frost/Nixon with Frank Langella and Michael Sheen Òvery good, even though some of itÕs made up,Ó and the musical adapted from Franz WedekindÕs Spring Awakening is better than Rent with its rock songs of love, angst and sexual repression expressed in modern style. ÒA tour de force is Christine EbersoleÕs performance as the two Edith Beales in Grey Gardens. Worthy of a Tony!Ó Auditioning so far to replace Don Imus on CBS Radio are our popular syndicated KABC broadcaster Larry Elder, KTLKÕs Stephanie Miller, WPATÕs Michael Smirkonish of Philadelphia, along with more inline in line for this powerful spot.