Broadway in the Burbs
BY ROBERTA GRAFF
Just imagine live Broadway-caliber
theatre set in a charming suburban
village filled with lovely shops and
restaurants, on-street parking and
reasonable prices. The Argyle Theatre
in Babylon has made this image a
reality. Now in its second year, this
two-tier, 500-seat, state-of-the-art
venue is wooing patrons with a roster
of productions that would delight the
most critical theatergoer.
A recent performance
of the musical version of
“Legally Blonde,” starring
the sensational Becca
Andrews as Harvard’s
beloved blonde who followed
her boyfriend to
law school, was outstanding. Our
heroine, Elle, who was hoping to
turn her boyfriend Warner into a
husband, found that she loved the
law and developed a deep passion
for it. In addition, she learned how
to handle herself and succeed
in a male dominated
world. The play is extremely
timely and could have been
written yesterday.
The Argyle Theatre was
able to capture the contagious
spirit and freewheeling excitement of
“Legally Blonde.” The supporting cast
was superb and the choreographer,
Antoinette Dipietropolo, who also
directed the play, was brilliant. I haven’t
enjoyed a play so much in ages and
can’t wait to go back to the Argyle for
their next production.
Because the Argyle is committed
to yearlong entertainment, you can
expect to see productions of “The
Full Monty,” “The Little Mermaid,”
“Miracle on 34th Street,” and
“Cabaret” during the 2019/2020 season.
If they are as professional and
as entertaining as “Legally Blonde,”
they will be Broadway at its best.
Make plans to visit the lovely town
of Babylon, dine in one of the many
charming eateries, and go to the
Argyle. You will love it. Visit argyletheatre.
com or call 844-631-5483
for more information.
The Famous and Controversial
Monuments of New York City
BY LORRAINE BERTAN,
CULTURAL COMMITTEE
After the Charlottesville
Confederate Monuments protest
of August 2017, American cities
became more sensitized to the
history of their iconic monuments,
and locally, Mayor Bill de Blasio
became concerned about some
of the New York City’s monuments
which had been subject to
criticism.
The Mayoral Advisory
Commission on City Art,
Monuments and Markers was
organized to evaluate the history
of some of the city’s monuments
and make a determination about
their future, whether to be relocated
or remain in place. The public was
invited to participate via meetings
and online surveys. As the Mayor’s
Advisory commission states: “to
celebrate some histories and erase
others.”
Four monuments under review
are the:
Columbus Monument at
Columbus Circle
On September 12, 2017, following
the Charlottesville protest, the
hands of the Columbus Monument
were sprayed with red paint and the
following words were spray painted
on the pedestal, “Hate will not be
tolerated,” referring to the effects of
the introduction of Europeans on
the Native American and Caribbean
populations.
Rather than remove the 100 year
old statue, which has
great significance for
Italian Americans, the
Mayor’s Commission
has suggested the statue
remain in place and
be fitted with plaques
describing the issues.
Theodore Roosevelt
Equestrian Statue -
Central Park Entrance
of the American
Museum of Natural
History
The equestrian status
of Theodore Roosevelt is a
bronze sculpture by James Earle
Fraser. It appears at the Central
Park entrance of the American
Museum of Natural History and
was installed in 1940. It depicts
Roosevelt on horseback with a
Native American to his right and
an African to his left. The statue
is close to 15 feet high, making
it one of the tallest
monumental statues
in the U.S.
It was defaced
with red paint on the
granite base during
the early hours of
October 26, 2017.
To respond to the
Major’s Advisory
Commission on City
Art, Monuments
and Markers, the
American Museum
of Natural History has
opened a new exhibit, Addressing
the Statue, describing the history
of the statue and sharing the
comments of previous visitors,
educators and museum personnel.
Following is the museum’s
statement at the beginning of the
exhibit:
“The Equestrian Statue of
Theodore Roosevelt was commissioned
in 1925 to stand on
the steps of the Museum on cityowned
property. The state was
meant to celebrate U.S. President
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
as a devoted naturalist and
author of works on natural history.
Roosevelt’s father was one of
the Museum’s founders, and the
Museum is proud of its historical
association with the Roosevelt
family. At the same time, the
statue itself communicates a
racial hierarchy that the Museum
and members of the public have
long found disturbing. What is
the meaning of this statue? And
how should we view with historic
sculpture today?”
Statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims
was located at 103 Street and Fifth
Avenue, opposite the New York
Academy of Medicine
Dr. Sims (1818-1883) was known
as the “Father of Gynecological
Surgery.” It became known that
Dr. Sims performed experimental
surgery on enslaved black women
in Alabama. The statue was
not defaced, but was removed on
April 17, 2018. It was installed in
the Greenwood Cemetery where
Dr. Sims is buried.
Plaque for Marshall Henri
Philippe Petain installed at the
Canyon of Heroes, Broadway
Marshall Petain was a hero of the
French Army during World War I
and became Marshall of France and
enjoyed great popularity. During
World War II, he was head of the
Vichy government and cooperated
with the German forces, which led
to his disgrace among the French
and Allies. The commemorative
plaque has been covered. 40 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ September 2019