Blogs

Of Paramount Importance: The Show Must Go On

BRUCE THE BLOG
BY BRUCE APAR
MAYOR, TOWNLINK

On the stage of the slightly renamed and emphatically rejuvenated Paramount Hudson Valley (dotcom), John Platania was getting in his frontman licks as the band played on. Soon, Peekskill resident and performing-dervish violinist Daisy Jopling materialized to trade riffs with the man who for years kicked axe in Van Morrison's band.

Outside, several minutes earlier, on a warm and sunny May 15, 2013, Peekskill's Acting City Manager Brian Havranek and Kurt Heitmann, CEO of Red House Holdings, transacted the lease, signifying the ceremonial encore of an historic entertainment landmark seven months after it unceremoniously got the hook due to insufficient funds, about 300,000 simoleons' worth.

Now "Under New Management," one of the encouraging signs, oddly enough, is that Mr. Heitmann and Co., at the outset, seem suitably realistic about the challenges of transforming the venue into a healthy moneymaker. For the first six months, under the deal between operator and the city, which owns the building, Peekskill will absorb certain operating costs so new management can find its – pardon the pun -- "see" legs. Part of the deal also calls for the City to collect 5% of box office receipts.

There already are events scheduled, from rock-and-rollin' violin virtuoso Daisy Jopling's June 9 concert with the Westchester Putnam Youth Symphony to a physique competition June 29. (Jopling tix are available through brownpapertickets.com; 800.838.3006.) See my interview with Daisy Jopling here http://youtu.be/s56t9Mp6ZZU. Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster, joined by officials of Red House Entertainment and City of Peekskill, cuts ribbon to officially open Paramount Hudson Valley. Photo by Bruce Apar

One well-placed source, familiar with the backstage drama behind Paramount's recent checkered history, told me that among positive changes is that Red House, unlike the prior arrangement, is neither a not-for-profit nor a public company, both of which imply a board of directors (BoD), where everyone has a vote plus at least one opinion, but not necessarily expertise or experience administrating the specific category of business at hand, in this case live entertainment. (In Corporate America right now, high-profile boards of directors are under fire, viewed with a jaundiced eye as well-compensated hangouts for cronies rather than chambers of objective, prudent governance.)

The One & Only 'Kunstler'

Bruce the Blog
By Bruce Apar
Mayor, TownLink

He may have passed away 18 years ago, but legendary defense attorney William Kunstler (in the person of actor Jeff McCarthy) can be glimpsed once again as Mr. McCarthy puckishly bounds down the aisle of Hudson Stage to the accompaniment of The Animals' 60s tune "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Before a word is uttered in "Kunstler," the one-act by Jeffrey Sweet playing through May 11 on the Pace University Briarcliff campus, that kinetic opening instantly implants a nostalgic sense of time and persona in the mind of any audience member who lived through the turbulent, tied-dyed era that defined Mr. Kunstler's legacy, the singular focus of this fine work. (For ticket info: 877 2238-5596; hudsonstage.com).

For generations too young to have been there, here is as entertaining (and rollicking) a history lesson as they're likely to audit in any college lecture hall. That venue, in fact, is the setting for this smartly authored, directed and produced paean to a man who not only fiercely kept his own counsel, but administered it in the courtroom on behalf of some of the most notorious, mediagenic figures of his day.Actress Annette O'Toole (c) directed "Kunstler," written by Jeffrey Sweet (r), and enjoyed by audience members like Elyse Apar. Photo by Bruce Apar

‘Relay’ Gives Voice to Local Talent

BRUCE THE BLOG
BY BRUCE APAR
MAYOR, TOWNLINK

"We knew Yorktown could dance, but we wanted to find out if Yorktown could sing!"

What on earth is Lynne Rothman, a resident of Yorktown in Westchester County, N.Y., talking about? Doesn't she know municipalities can't dance and sing. Their workload is taxing enough as it is.

It's all about birthdays. Celebrating more of them each year. In the name of fighting the most dreaded of diseases. Ms. Rothman belongs to one of the top fundraising teams for the local Relay for Life, an annual rally of the human spirit that occurs across the country under the aegis of American Cancer Society, whose poignant and perfect tagline is "Sponsor of Birthdays."

Citizens affected directly or otherwise by cancer form themed teams that invent new and clever ways to collect donations for cancer research. Led by creative, energetic types like Ms. Rothman and attorney/musician Gary Cusano, the Bunco Babes/Class Action team in Yorktown in the past few years has been the king of ka-ching!

Why 42 Is Number 1

BRUCE THE BLOG
BY BRUCE APAR
MAYOR, TOWNLINK

This past weekend, armchair golf fans had the rare pleasure of watching a tournament without hearing the usual overzealous gallery yahoos yelling, “Get in the hole!”... after a player teed off on a Par 5, where the chances of a ball struck from the tee box finding the green are hardly better than its landing on the moon. Hyperbole’s fine, except when it’s banal ad absurdum.

The endlessly elegant Masters is the Mount Olympus of golf competitions. Not only must respect be paid to the game and its regimented etiquette: it must be worshipped with utmost reverence. As reported by Bill Pennington of The New York Times on April 13, the litany of rules that rule the behavior of visitors to Augusta National in Georgia, its hallowed home, is long enough to stretch tee to pin on a Par 5.

Let’s put it this way: as Mr. Pennington relates, there is no allowance even for running or lying down anywhere on the course, plus there is no sitting in standing-only areas, and no standing in sitting-only areas. No joke.

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Wednesday, 22 May 2013