This blog post is all about seeing, and in Manhattan, there is so much to see–scenes of nature and water, famous art works, fabulous live theater, and even the occasional television program. We had it all this week!
LIVE THEATER
Three Tall Women by Edward Albee (on Broadway)
Having the opportunity to see Glenda Jackson live on stage would have been reason enough to see this play. I loved her performances in Sunday, Bloody Sunday, and as Elizabeth I in that early Masterpiece Theatre offering. She then left the theater world for more than 20 years to serve in Parliament, only recently returning first to play King Lear (she always was an audacious actor) and then this role.
Jackson here is a crotchety, difficult, physically frail 91-year-old woman with a fulltime caregiver and a young lawyer. These three women spar and verbally joust as A, the old woman, relives memories of her past. Later we see that the three are the same woman at 26, 52, and 90+ years of age and, we hear how their experiences and their take on life shape what they become at each stage. 
It’s a powerful play about the ideals of youth, the disappointments along the way, marriage and infidelity, anger and bitterness, and the ravages of time and old age. And it’s a superb production with a fabulous cast—Laurie Metcalf, of recent fame for her role as the mother in the film Lady Bird, and Alison Pill, a talented newcomer (to me)—join the inimitable and indomitable Glenda Jackson. On a side note, I loved their purple and mauve dresses in the final scenes!
RETURN MUSEUM VISIT
It’s been some years since we last visited the Frick Collection and I’d forgotten how lovely an experience it is! We began this visit by watching two videos, one on the museum’s collection of enamels (mildly interesting unless this is “your thing”), and the other, an introductory video about Henry Clay Frick, the man, and how he came to build this grand and glorious mansion. It’s excellent and sets the stage nicely for viewing the art.
One room was built as a gallery and at 96 feet long and thirty-some feet wide, it’s an impressive space filled with oversize paintings and highly decorated furnishings. In his collecting, Frick favored portraits and landscapes and there are several Turners and a number of Gainsboroughs, as well as works by Holbein, Van Dyke and Rembrandt. He liked to pair paintings, individual portraits of a husband and wife either side by side or flanking another work or a fireplace. One example is the pairing by a fireplace of arch enemies Sir Thomas More and Oliver Cromwell, both painted by Holbein.
The soft green dining room where Frick regularly hosted dinners for 26 (all men) is also pleasing, as is the room created solely for the purpose of displaying the 18thcentury Fragonard murals.
Except for in the Garden Court, no photography is allowed. This enclosed space is serene and beautiful with marble benches and a fountain. Perfect for when you need a break from all the marvelous art.
SMALL SCREEN
Unforgotten (Masterpiece Mystery).
This British detective series is thoughtful and not flashy. Detective Chief Inspector Cassie Stuart and her team are tasked with determining the circumstances of death surrounding individuals whose bodies have been found unidentified and often forgotten. Frequently, the death has occurred decades ago. Cassie and Sunny (Sanjeev Bhaskar), her detective partner, must unearth family history, trace the individual’s travels and follow up in person with anyone and everyone with whom he might have been associated. If the death is suspicious, and indeed, they always are, then charges may be brought. 
Nicola Walker, the star, will be familiar to viewers of Last Tango in Halifax while co-star Bhaskar was in Indian Summers. Here Walker is the guv and the one with the responsibility for bringing a case to closure. This is a series full of patient and methodical tracking and questioning as it delves into the psyches of both the deceased and his family. I found it fascinating with the last episode extremely sensitive in its portrayal of the life-changing and lasting damage from sexual abuse.
Note: Header photo view from Central Park and Garden Court photo ©JWFarrington. Women photo from playbill.com and Unforgotten image from pbs.org.
