Critic at Leisure

A surfeit of entertainment: The Oscars, SNL turns 40, ‘The Snow Orchid’

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Every year before the Oscars, this critic heads to the venerable Malverne Cinema in an attempt to catch up with the films that make choosing the Oscar winners as difficult as deciding, whether the Tony for outstanding Actor in a Play will go to young Alexander Sharp for his indelible, magnificent performance in a sensory-boggling production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time,” or Bradley Cooper for his haunting, gripping portrayal of “The Elephant Man” that will likely make the fine actor own this role forever.
I had suffered with Cooper in his obsessively patriotic turn based on the true tragic story of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle — a man whose fourth tour of duty in Iraq led to a turnabout in his perspective on patriotism with shattering consequences — in my son’s living room the night of the recent “blizzard.” At the Malverne on a full screen this past weekend the wisdom of sharing the full impact of Eddie Redmayne’s exquisite turn as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking — whose diagnosis of motor neuron disease in his late youth was a challenge magnificently, memorably overcome — proved as inspirational as filmmaking gets; with equal kudos for Felicity Jones as his patient, loving wife — then ex-wife — caught up in a life of hard choices — and more than equal to devotedly managing them all.
My mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease at 60, so I was drawn to see how “Still Alice,” starring Julianne Moore as a linguistic professor dealing with the same problem at an even earlier age. I found the film haunting in the memories it stirred — but not — despite a most sensitive performance by a challenged Moore — barely blunt enough in portraying the ravages of this frightening, frightful assault on ones humanity.
Before the Sunday Oscars I hope to find a theater playing the much ballyhooed new film version of “Into The Woods;” though the current bare bones off-Broadway production at the Laura Pels Theatre is a magical treasure you’ll surely want to visit more than once for its wondrous ingenuity and wisdom! (111West 46th St., tickets at 212-719-1300) I’ll be returning to the Malverne for “The Imitation Game” and “Birdman”— but “Boyhood” and, especially “The Grand Budapest Hotel” may be harder to track down on a large screen by Sunday.

‘Saturday Night Live’ turns 40!
I made sure to tape the recent 40th anniversary special of “Saturday Night Live” last Sunday, but decided to erase it at the evening’s end. Despite the celebrity crunch — and the truism that time catches up with us all — what I had hope to see were longer stays with Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna, the “chefs’ who opened the program with “Pepsi, Pepsi —No Coke,” the Coneheads, Weekend Update, the wit of Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers and less of Miley Cyrus and the abundance of celebrity pop-ups whose all too brief appearances only sometimes caught the essence of what made “Saturday Night Live” so unique over the decades.
While the content of the current SNL has its hilarious moments, I’ve also found (on the rare occasions I visit the show) its become unnecessarily raunchy, sometime even crossing the brink of bad taste (but obviously in tune with today’s faithful followers). Visits always seem to make one long for those hilarious good old days (fortunately I discovered past episodes are available online at nbc.com/Saturday-night-live/video classics! (And plan to check them out)

‘The Snow Orchid’
The return of venerable playwright Joe Pintauro’s “The Snow Orchid” is heating up winter’s wind chill at the Lion Theatre on Theater Row, currently through Feb. 28. Most tautly directed by Vallentina Fratti, founder of the presenter, Miranda Theatre Company, this haunting drama is set in 1964 in Brooklyn — at a time when many who migrated to America brought their customs with them — and left their hearts in their homeland.
In Pintauro’s play “Filumena” (wonderful Angelina Fiordellisi), a middle-aged mother longs for her Sicilian home — refusing to even leave her family’s cramped apartment. In this fraught tale her volatile, hot-tempered mate Rocco Lazarra (memorable Robert Cuccioli) materializes in the hallway — home from an enforced detention brought on by a nervous breakdown. In cramped quarters, Filumena’s caring sons — both emotionally exhausted by the long battle between their reclusive mom and her sparring partner are ready to pursue their own lives — but mama is just as determined to keep them locked in her shut-in existence.
In this tense, taut family drama truths come out slowly and with great emotional pain for each family member (you will definitely come to understand the reason Rocco came undone!) With Filumena’s favorite elder son treated more like a lover and his younger brother turned into a gentle serf only wanting mama’s love (both David McElwee and Stephen Plunkett are plu-perfectly cast) “The Snow Orchid” is sure to resonate with anyone whose family situations have ever been challenged. Go see for yourself at the Lion Theatre with tickets now at telecharge.com or 212-239-6200. (42nd St. on Theater Row)