QUARTET at the Violet Crown

"Growing old is not for sissies."  Not if you do it with a lust for life and appreciation that you can REALLY say what you think and how you feel.  Dustin Hoffman has directed a wonderful film about a variety of old people in a nursing home for retired opera singers from the UK.  Many of the actors are now elderly famous opera singers and I beamed to see their earlier photos during the credit sequence.  Maggie Smith is the grande dame who has a much harder time accepting her aging than the rest of her quartet.  Pauline Collins is just brilliant and adorable as the Alzheimerish (I know that's not a word) Cissy and her husband played by Billy Connolly is adorable as the sex fueled Wilf.  I cried and laughed simultaneously throughout this film while I drank some wonderful concotion made with orange juice, cucumbers and oh yes!  vodka!!  For me "growing older" has been loads of fun.  And I welcome more films like this which will bring the world of aging into it's proper place called "life."

BREAKING SALSA TEXAS 2013

Last night we headed to Emo's on the East Side for a salsa dance competition and B Boy City breakers demonstrating their moves.  What a fun event!!  Also a fashion show of hot looking clothes and the highest of heels this writer would never ever be able to wear. Beautiful clothing from Etc. down on 2nd Street. Dancers came from as far as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and a judge hailed from the Bronx!!  And he could DANCE!  The event was so well organized by Mely and Romeo Navarro (and others) and her husband gave her so much credit throughout.  I loved noting the competing dancing women wore sneakers!! Dancers on the floor were beautiful to watch and you could see the amount of practice spent learning their moves.  Gorgeous!!  People were friendly and loved to talk about their love of dance.  One young man, Minh, has been practicing bachata (a dance from the Dominican Republic) seriously and we could not stop watching him  with numerous partners.  He loved telling us about his journey into the world of dance.  What passion!  The highlight of my evening was Abe asking the Bronx born judge to dance with me, a Bronx born Austinite.   Bless his heart, he did!  So if your husband isn't a dancer make sure he has a heart of gold! 

TEXAS EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKERS/AFS

Last night we headed on up to Austin Studios to catch Caroline Koebel, New Yorker transplant, who organized a group of experimental filmmakers for this event.  And we were thoroughly engaged and captivated by their visions, their creativity and passion for making film out of the box.  While every film did not speak to me some moved me to no end.  The best part of the evening was being with artists who view the world through their own unique lens.  Think about this:  one of the filmmakers worked temporarily in a hotel and looks at the carpets on each floor and is drawn to their image, their patterns.  Can you imagine?  I would have just walked on them and not noticed!  We are made so much better by creative people who interpret the world through their own unique vision.  When I told this to Abe,  and mentioned  how fortunate we are to have Beethoven, Mozart, Cezanne......, he said "and Liz Moskowitz."  Yes, and "Liz Moskowitz."

THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK

I've been in rehearsal the last few weeks for an original play that will be presented at the 'Cohen New Works Festival' on campus the week of March 25-29th.  This festival honors the memory of David Mark Cohen, a theater professor and playwright and occurs every two years.  It presents new works from the numerous artistic departments at UT and is well received by students, faculty and the Austin community.  This original play The Only Living Boy in New York by Haley Elizabeth Anderson really spoke to me.  The setting is Brooklyn, a cluttered apartment, the home of a father and a traumatized son whose mother has abruptly departed.  The son is painfully struggling and communicates through a typewriter.  My role is a zany, all over the place family friend/psychotherapist.  I was invited by Haley to play Kara.  I've only worked in film, never  live theater before and have been assisted by the director, Stephen Gerald (also a native New Yorker) and my acting teacher Laurel Vouvray (another native New Yorker) to embrace this role with heart and soul. (And of course my big personality). So think about it:  a Brooklyn social worker retires to Austin, begins to study acting and finds herself in a play set in Brooklyn, cast as a therapist, written by an extraordinarily talented playwright from Texas who has always loved "everything New York."  How sweet is life.

BALLET AUSTIN/The Rite of Spring

Each time we go to a performance of Austin's Ballet company accompanied by the Austin Symphony Orchestra we are delighted.  And that was our Valentine's gift to each other.  Yesterday's performance made for a wonderful mutual gift.  Choreography by Stephen Mills, conducting by Peter Bay and the company of dancers always always delivers!  And then there's a Q&A where Mr. Mills and the dancers enlighten you with their wealth of knowledge about music, the world and dance.  Coming from New York we have high expectations about the world of dance and music.  And Austin never ever disappoints.  Mr. Mills you are a gift to the world of culture in Austin.

Valentine's Day #3 in Austin

It's our 3rd Valentine's Day in Austin for me and Abe.  We've shared 30 as a married couple and two more than that.  If anyone would have ever told us that we'd be in Texas (yikes) when we met on a blind date in Brooklyn we would have laughed our heads off.  I couldn't think of a more unquintessential Texas couple than me and Abe.  But here we are, with both of our kids no less.  Just proof of the pudding that when someone loves you as much as Abe has shown me, just about anything can happen.  And you might even end up in Austin!  Feeling more grateful than ever!  Happy Valentine's Day!

SIDE EFFECTS

Rooney Mara and Jude Law are wonderful in this suspenseful thriller about medical management of mental illness.  Scary, truthful  performances.  Steven Soderbergh delivers here.  I highly recommend.

STAND UP GUYS

America's classic actors: Pacino, Walken, and Arkin come together in this character driven film to deliver performances that made me weep. I wept because they are in their twilight years and so many actors won't be able to know them and observe their talent.  This is an extraordinary film.  Like a foreign film.  No great story line here:  only characters/actors listening and responding.  It is exquisite.  I heard an NPR interview with the director, Fisher Stevens.  He said they were impossible to direct because they knew what wouldn't work and told him.  So he listened to what they had to say about what would work.  Smart director...it worked.  Better than he could ever imagine.

OPEN HEART by Elie Wiesel

Just finished this tiny book which one can read in a half hour.  It's lovely.  It's about Elie Wiesel's open heart surgery at the age of 82.  How he copes: physically, spiritually, intellectually, psychologically.  There is no doubt that this humanitarian's faith has provided him with an extraordinary capacity to love and empathize. He describes feelings for his family (current and lost) that zoom right into your heart.  His is so very different from what my own relationship to Judaism is, yet he exemplifies the goodness that comes from our faith.  Read this book, it's an extraordinary lesson in how to live a life when you're growing old.

WHAT WOULD NEVER EVER HAPPEN IN BROOKLYN

So I'm walking on Western Trails heading home and turn my head to see the bus coming.  I have no idea where the bus stop is but start to run hoping it will come soon.  I'd already been to the gym and walked to WESTGATE so a bus ride felt deserved.  The bus driver pulls up and says "get in, you'll never make it."  Bless this guy.  Nobody in Brooklyn would notice me running on city streets.  They're too crowded and you can't run.  Too many strollers in Park Slope and too many rushing workers and messengers on bicycles in Manhattan.  Don't want to get this guy in trouble for stopping so I won't mention the #.

ALMOST,MAINE/Trinity Street Playhouse

A delightful beautifully acted theater piece.  Nine vignettes of love all set in cold Maine. Cathy Jones brings together comedic actors to play multiple roles and the experience is just wonderful.  A black box theater, whimsical stage sets, terrific performances, and a well spent afternoon.  In time for Valentine's Day.  A truthful, realistic view of love.  This is a wonderful piece of theater (not frivolous at all)  that should not be missed.  Support your local artists.  And this is FREE!