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‘Mission to Mir’ a space trip not quite out of this world
by
Gary Kramer
The new IMAX film Mission to Mir is not quite out of this world-even if its images are. Featuring some truly spectacular footage of earth as seen from space, and vice versa, this documentary is interesting but not always compelling.
An informative film that depicts the life of the Russian space station, there is an emphasis not only on the cooperation between the American astronauts and the Soviet cosmonauts in space, but also on the cultural differences the international team faced on the ground. One of the more intriguing segments shows the Americans learning about life in Moscow's Star City followed by the Soviets attending a backyard barbecue in Texas.
Yet the most inspiring story of Mission to Mir belongs to Shannon Lucid, an astronaut who spent six months on Mir. A woman who defiantly joined the male-dominated field, Lucid explains that she remembers the space race between the Americans and the Russians when she was a little girl growing up in Oklahoma in the 1960s. Describing the actuality of discussing the fears she had as a child with her Russian counterparts while aboard Mir was an incredible experience for Lucid and, thankfully, the film shares some of this with the audience.
Mission to Mir also gives a very good idea of what life on the space station is like, and even on the giant IMAX screen-which can barely capture the launch of a rocket-the area looks cramped. Looking for one of Shannon's lost shoes becomes a contest (with Jello as the prize), while the astronauts amuse themselves by playing the guitar when not working or sleeping.
However, despite the absorbing first half, the latter portion of this 40 minute film is slow going. There are pretty pictures, especially a shot of Tibet and its snow-covered mountains as seen from outer space, but little action to engage audiences. An effort to collect Lucid from Mir is not particularly dramatic, although there is a great scene in which two linking space stations (Atlantis and Mir) discover the other is upside down when they meet.
Mission to Mir will certainly encourage armchair astronauts to consider following in Lucid's footsteps. Everyone else will simply appreciate this respectful tribute to the space program.
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‘Wizard of Oz’ comes to life by Ruth R. Russell
Storybook Musical Theatre will stage Wizard of Oz, its own adaptation of the beloved classic tale, April 17-29 at the JCC Klein Branch Theater, Red Lion Road and Jamison Road, in Northeast Philadelphia. Dorothy, Tinman, Scarecrow and Lion will travel the yellow brick road starting at 10:15 a.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is charged and school and group discount rates are available from this nonprofit, professional children's theater company. Call 215-659-8550 for information.
Whirling Whirligigs
Parents and children are invited to learn about whirligigs at a family workshop at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, on Saturday, April 14, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants will have an opportunity to view a display of contemporary public art in the New°Land°Marks exhibit, then create their own whirligigs-wind toys that whirl and twirl in the wind and are an early American form of public art. This program is free with museum admission and group rates are available. Call 215-972-2061 for complete details.
'Momix in Orbit'
The latest full-length work by choreographer Moses Pendleton, Momix in Orbit, will receive four public performances, April 19-21, at Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St., Philadelphia. Dance Celebration, presented by Dance Affiliates and PENN Presents, is offering the shows-featuring giant puppets, trapezes, hula hoops and special lights-at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 19; 8 p.m. on Friday, April 20; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. A school matinee is set for 11 a.m. on Friday, April 20, as part of the Discovery Series. Ticket prices range from $33 to $26 except for the kids' matinee which is $6. For tickets, call 215 898-3900; for group discounts, call 215-898-6789.
Kids' art exhibit
Pupils from the Anne Frank Elementary School, in Northeast Philadelphia, will display their work in a new exhibit opening at Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave., on Tuesday, April 17. Color in every dimension is promised by the school's art department for the show, which continues until Tuesday, May 13, in the Helen Millard Children's Gallery. Museum admission is by donation. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For information, call 215-247-0476.
To have a program considered for this column, contact the Public Record or e-mail Ruth Russell at
ruth@phillyrecord.com
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Curtis to present Barber’s revised opera ‘Vanessa’ by
Michael Caruso The Curtis Institute of Music Opera Theater will present a concert performance of alumnus Samuel Barber's Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Vanessa, at the Prince Music Theater (1412 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia) on Thursday, April 26, Friday, April 27, and Saturday, April 28, at 8 p.m.; there will also be one matinee at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 29. The opera, given in the revised three-act version, will be performed in English but with projected supertitles. Ian Robertson will conduct the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Vanessa, which has been performed only once before in Philadelphia, received its world premiere production by the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 15, 1958. It was inspired by lsak Dinesen's Seven Gothic Tales and its libretto was written by Barber's longtime companion, Gian Carlo Menotti, another alumnus of the Curtis Institute of Music and, himself, a composer of many acclaimed operas such as Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Saint of Bleecker Street. The opera tells the story of two women, Vanessa and Erika, the former an aging beauty and the latter her lovely young niece. Set amidst the ruins of Vanessa’s decaying estate, Vanessa is still waiting after 20 years for the return of her beloved Anatol, with her own mother condemning her withdrawal from life. Into this potent mix arrives another Anatol, the opportunistic son of Vanessa's beloved, who takes advantage of Vanessa's mistaking him for his father and seduces both Vanessa and Erika. When the latter becomes pregnant by Anatol, he jilts her and marries Vanessa. When the couple leaves the estate to live in Paris, Erika assumes the role of Vanessa, withdrawing from the world, living alone on the decaying estate, and waiting for the return of Anatol, just as Vanessa had done for 20 years. In Vanessa, Barber used conventional forms without following them slavishly. There are the traditional set pieces of arias, love duets, and ball scene, but all are employed freely. As is common is almost all of Barber's music, Vanessa is written in a neo-romantic harmonic idiom of great lyricism. In the original Metropolitan Opera production, soprano Eleanor Steber sang the title role, with Rosalind Elias as Erika and Giorgio Tozzi as the doctor. Vanessa was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1958 and was produced during that same season at the Salzburg, Austria, Festival, the first American opera ever performed there as well as the first time an opera was sung in English. Barber revised Vanessa in 1964, consolidating the first and second acts into one, thereby reducing the opera from tour to three acts. Barber was born in West Chester on March 9, 1910, and died in New York City on January 23, 1981. He remains one of the most honored of all American composers and among those whose music is the most frequently performed. Stylistically, his music is characterized by a vocally inspired lyricism in both instrumental and vocal/opera repertoires. He makes use of modern traits but only within the context of tonality and expressivity. He entered the Curtis Institute of Music when he was 14 and he studied piano with Isabella Vengerova, voice with Emilio Edoardo de Gogorza, and composition with Rosario Scalero. As a composer, he won a Rome Prize, which enabled him to spend two years at the American Academy (1935-7). Tickets for Vanessa are $25, from the Prince Music Theater box office, or call UpStages at 215-569-9700.
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Prime Rib is clearly ready for Prime time by Len Lear
Twenty years ago Arthur's Steak House closed its doors at 1512 Walnut St. (to be soon replaced by Susanna Foo), leaving center city without an upscale steakhouse. One reason for the demise of this meaty institution (I can also remember Hirsh's and Liebowitz' steak restaurants from many years ago) was the animal rights movement; more significant, though, was the fact that every time you picked up a newspaper or magazine 20 years ago, you saw an article about the deleterious effects of cholesterol and animal fat on the human heart.
But what goes around comes around, and today there are more steakhouses in the area than ever before. However, I cannot believe that any of them are more impressive than Prime Rib. Walking into the two-year-old steak emporium at 1701 Locust St., is like walking into a time capsule. During our recent mid-week visit, almost all of the customers were middle-aged men wearing suits and ties; in fact, men must wear jackets, which is a welcome sight in this age of casualization.
The retro decor is clearly designed to bespeak luxury; the black leather seats are commodious; the floral-printed banquettes are lush, the leopard print carpets are thick, and the gargantuan urns filled with silk flowers make even those in the Four Seasons Hotel look lackluster. The walls are even clothed in leather, and the waiters wear tuxedos. Tables are well spaced, so you don't have to listen to other diners' conversations.
The Prime Rib was opened by three partners in Baltimore 36 years ago; a second one was opened in Washington several years later, and the one in Philly was opened early in 1999. When Garth Weldon, the partner who runs the local Prime Rib, was asked about the viability of a restaurant with such ethereal prices in today's economy, he replied, "In every economy there is a market for this type of restaurant. There will always be a group of people who are willing to spend good money for a special, memorable dining experience."
The least expensive appetizer, hollowed out potato skins ($6), was crisp, salty and seductive, especially with sour cream and horseradish. The loosely bound crabcake appetizer, moist with mayonnaise, was broiled to perfection. (It had better be for $14.) A salad with velvety hearts of palm dressed up with criss-crossed red pepper spears was the only normal-sized dish I saw ($6.50).
The roast prime rib ($29), obviously the restaurant's signature dish, may have come from a dinosaur. The sinewy, muscular, dry-aged mass was at least three inches thick and was longer than some dogs and cats I've known. It is easily enough food for two or three diners, but there is an $8.50 sharing charge to discourage such camaraderie.
Other meat entrees, all in the $24 to $30 range, are filet mignon, New York strip, steak au poivre, roquefort cheese steak, center-cut veal chop, rack of lamb for one, double lamb chops and center-cut pork chops. Executive chef Patrick Dwyer will get no prizes for innovation, but when it comes to the skillful rendering of an old warhorse like the prime rib, he wins the pennant. There are also seafood entrees like Chilean sea bass, grilled jumbo shrimp and jumbo Maine lobster tail ($22 to $39), but getting a seafood entree here would be like going to an ice cream parlor with 50 flavors and ordering vanilla.
To learn more, call 215-772-1701.
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