B2
Arts & Culture
The Epoch Times
May 22 – 28, 2008
Theater Review
‘John Lithgow:
Stories By Heart’
Wonderfully touching
and entertaining
By JUDD HOLLANDER
Special to The Epoch Times
NEW YORK—At its heart, the purpose of theater
has always been to tell stories, which actor John Lithgow does with great charm, humor, and poignancy in
his lovely one-man show, “Stories By Heart.”
“You’re asking yourselves, why must we watch another one-man show,” Lithgow says at the beginning of
the piece. “Why is this man plunging himself into this
tired, old dramatic form, as tedious as it is narcissistic?”
Well, besides using this intro as an excuse for him to
personally remind theatergoers to turn off their pagers,
cell phones, beepers, and watch alarms (a nice touch),
this particular one-man show is not only about telling
stories, but also about the stories behind the stories (or
stories about stories as Lithgow puts it), adding an extra, personal dimension to what the audience is about
to hear.
Many of these tales are ones Lithgow first heard
from his grandmother when he was about seven years
old. Lithgow uses the stories as a catalyst to tell about
this woman, who was born in 1882 and grew up on the
island of Nantucket, and about the special legacy she
passed on to two succeeding generations. Among the
stories and poems Lithgow relates is “The Deacon’s
Masterpiece; or The Wonderful One-hoss Shay,” by
Oliver Wendell Holmes, and from whom Lithgow later
learned he was descended.
Lithgow tells these stories with a joyous, jaunty jocularity, combining emotion, humor, wit, and a perfect
sense of timing, making them come alive for the audience. More than simply being enjoyable to hear, they
open a window on a bygone era—one can feel the nostalgia each story brings with it.
Matters take on an added poignancy in the latter half of the evening as Lithgow recalls his return
home in 2002 to take care of his aging parents, particularly his then 86-year-old father, who had recently
undergone major abdominal surgery. In an effort to
cheer him up, Lithgow started telling some of the
same stories both he and his father had heard as children, and in a sense bringing his grandmother’s tales
full circle.
The final third of the play has Lithgow telling one of
these stories he told to his parents, “Uncle Fred Flits
By,” by P.G. Wodehouse. Not only does Lithgow expertly relate this rather funny tale, but he also acts out
the action, literally becoming the various characters
as he turns a straightforward story reading into a performance extraordinaire of the work.
It’s during “Uncle Fred Flits By” that the purpose
of the evening comes through full force. In addition
to relating the various tales and personal anecdotes,
LITHGOW MESMERIZES: Actor and comedian John Lithgow shares stories that move directly from his heart
to yours. Joan Marcus
Lithgow is also imparting the wonder, joy, and enthusiasm he felt as a child when he first heard these stories
(and how he kept them fresh in his mind no matter how
many times he heard them).
Credit must also to go director Jack O’Brien, who
allows Lithgow enough room to fully act out when the
situation calls for it, yet also keeps him tightly focused
to allow the smallest and quietest moments as much
power as the over the top ones.
It’s obvious that Lithgow took great care and joy in
putting this show together and the results are wondrous
to behold, and, of course, hear. “Stories By Heart” is
a funny and touching evening and a very special trip
down memory lane. Even if the stories are completely
new to the listener, everyone can relate to the feelings
behind them.
John Lithgow: Stories By Heart
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Mizi E. Newhouse Theater
150 West 65th Street
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com or
www.lct.org
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes
Closes June 2, 2008
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the
London newspaper The Stage.
Charles Libove and David Nadien
Reflections on two spectacular violinists
By ERIC SHUMSKY
Special to The Epoch Times
Two violin giants, Charles Libove
and David Nadien, both living in
Manhattan and both approaching
80 years old, are violinists who rival
anyone on the scene today—they’re
even better.
Unfortunately, since music cannot be hung on the wall with million-dollar price tags, it is often
taken for granted and valued in accord with the power of its marketing hype. Those rare, elegant musicians, then, who create auditory
masterpieces are often rewarded
with empty concert halls and a
yawning public. But if the playing
of the two aforementioned artists
could be featured in a painting, the
painting would be reserved for a
most select wall at the Metropolitan Museum and entitled, “Great
American Heroes Unsung.”
In the 1970s I first heard David
Nadien, legendary among violinists, play a recital at a Manhattan
mansion. I was immediately captivated with his incredible sound. He
is a violinist of elegance and taste,
influenced by those same greats
who influenced my late father Oscar Shumsky a decade earlier—that
influence spanned from 1862-1987
and included Kreisler, Heifetz, Elman, and the towering influence
of Franco-Belgian Eugene Ysaye
(1862-1931).
For many years David Nadien
served as concertmaster with the
New York Philharmonic. I remember vividly his Tschaikovsky Violin
Concerto performance—a superb
account, beautifully paced. His
playing highlighted for me what a
violin is capable of. He never abused
the violin and yet seduced from its
strings a sound so rich that I can
recognize his playing anywhere—
moreover, his playing inspires.
Charles Libove, a friend of Nadien, is an incredibly versatile musician. He played in his own string
quartet and the Paganini Quartet
as well. He served as concertmaster for the Columbia Broadcasting
Orchestra featuring Glen Gould in
a recording of the Bach Concerti.
Mr. Libove and his extremely gifted
wife, the wonderful pianist Nina
Lugovoy, performed as a duo, playing the entire violin/piano repertoire in many major cities throughout the world. Most recently I heard
a staggering account of a Dohnanyi
sonata performed by Libove and
his wife.
Charlie
(as
his
friends
affectionately know him) is one of
the most wonderful violinists I have
ever had the pleasure to hear and
observe. His playing is so effortless.
His bow arm is perfect and a model
of economy. He is very humble, yet
A MUSICAL PARTNERSHIP: Violinst Charles Libove and his wife, pianist
Nina Lugovoy. Courtesy of www.msrcd.com
ALBUM COVER: David Nadien Courtesy of www.shumskymusic.com
certainly he knows his worth.
Both Libove and Nadien worked
with the Greek violin pedagogue,
Demetrios Constantine Dounis,
who had an uncanny ability to spot
problems (though likely neither had
any) and solve them in a most efficient manner. Dounis loathed blind
repetition, which contrary to what
many think, can be so dangerous in
art.
Nadien and Libove are cult figures to those who know them, but
millions don’t—that’s a shame. As
Americans stand in the supermarket lines, scanning headlines about
rock stars and basketball moguls
and all of their nonsensical and
shameful antics, are they inspired?
They judge by sexy pictures on
record jackets, by green coloredhair, and by thrusting pelvises. Yet
these players (Nadien and Libove)
hardly even move a muscle and
say more with one bow stroke than
hundreds of pelvic thrusts and vio-
lent intentions.
When will we learn to look beyond the sensation to find the substance?
Contact www.shumskymusic.com
for further information on these and
other artists.