You may have heard of conductor Zubin Mehta (and his brother Zarin) or soprano Monica Yunus (daughter of Mohammed Yunus). But there are MORE desis involved in the world of opera/classical music, as I recently learned. They are countering stereotypes about the South Asian community in the U.S. We can be artists AND make a living!
Sean Panikkar
Sean was born to Sri Lankan parents in small-town Pennsylvania. As a kid, no one knew he could sing well! As a teen, he took voice lessons with a Julliard-trained singer who moved to his area. After undergrad (UMich), Sean began pursuing opera as a full-time career instead of engineering.
Aside from being a rising opera star, Sean (not yet 30) is also a husband and father to a young son.
Forget American Idol– this young singer has a MUST-HEAR voice! Zeshan recently graduated from Northwestern, and will continue there for his master’s. He had major roles in several operas at school, and plans to make it his career. However, opera is NOT his only interest- Zeshan (a tenor) also sings ghazals and works with a non-profit.
Priti is a native of California (San Dieg0); her natural talent was noticed by a voice teacher when she was in college. Priti didn’t become involved with opera until she was a sophomore in college. Now in her late 30s, she is a nationally reknown mezzo soprano.
Can a beer and basketball fan also love opera? You bet! This 33 y.o. Texas native is the founder/artistic director of Opera Vista in Houston. Currently, Viswa (who holds degrees in music/biology and an MBA) is one of 3 finalists for the musical director position in Yakima, Washington.
Viswa is very active online. One of his goals is to make classical music accessible to diverse/young audiences. Growing up in a small town, Viswa didn’t learn much about classical music until college (Duke).
If I was still in NYC, I’d stand in line to get free tix to see this play (going on until July 12th). Twelfth Night is of my faves by the Bard, and has gotten GREAT reviews! Since I’m living MANY hrs from Central Park these days, I’ll have to settle for reviews and pics. Oh well, there’s always NEXT summer…
Though pining for Olivia, Orsino is curiously drawn to his new servant Cesario (actually Viola in drag)!This production is set in the Regency Era (Jane Austen’s time).
Olivia won’t take “no” for an answer!When it’s revealed his loyal/loving manservant is a TRULY a gentlewoman, Orsino is overjoyed! LOL!
I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. -On acting
Theaters on Broadway and London’s West End dimmed their lights Thursday night in honor of 45 year-old British stage/film actress Natasha Richardson. Not only was she strikingly beautiful- with a great laugh- she had an interesting body of work and a lovely family. Natasha has two sons w/ her husband of nearly 15 yrs, Irish actor Liam Neeson.
We talk all the time. We are very close.-On her relationship w/ her mother
Natasha at 17 (1978)
I thought this photo was interesting b/c she looks just like a typical teenager. Natasha is from a respected acting family; she was the daughter of the renowned Vanessa Redgrave, niece of Corin and Lynn, cousin of Jemma, and sister of Joely Richardson (currently seen on the TV series Nip/Tuck). AmFAR was one of the charities Natasha supported; her father Tony Richardson (a director) died of AIDS in 1991.
I think I first saw Natasha in The Comfort of Strangers; it’s a indie thriller-type film where a young married Brit couple get involved with another older, manipulative pair while vacationing in France.
Another unusual, yet though-provoking, film she starred in was The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s based on a sci-fi novel, and co-stars Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway, and Aidan Quinn.
In Asylum, Natasha plays the impeccably-dressed/upper-crust/bored wife of an asylum supervisor who gets entangled with one of the patients (played by Aussie actor, Marton Csokas). Though she knows he’s in the asylum for killing his wife, she begins a torrid affair with him.
The main reason to watch Asylum, aside from Natasha’s risk-taking/emotional performance, is Sir Ian McKellan. He plays a smart/cunning psychiatrist who relishes in manipulating people around him.
I cannot imagine a world without her wit, her love, her mischief, her great, great talent and her gift for living. I loved her very much. She was a supreme friend. I shall miss her deeply.
–Ralph Fiennes at Natasha’s funeral
Natasha worked with good friend Ralph Fiennes on Maid in Manhattan (Oh, that was just for fun!) and The White Countess, a period romance filmed in China. (Vanessa and Lynn co-star as well.) As with other Merchant Ivory productions, The White Countess has gorgeous cinematography, exquisite costumes (esp. for Natsha), and intelligent dialogue (it’s based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s book).
…the enormous depth and emotional force of a great actor on the one hand, and the intelligence and objectivity of a great director on the other. She was a one-of-a-kind, a magnificent actress.
-Sam Mendes (film/theater director)
Sofia, a former Russian countess, her young daughter, and her extended family live in a seedy part of Shanghai in the 1930s. Sofia works as a taxi dancer in a bar where she meets a wealthy/blind American named Todd (Fiennes) who’s recently opened a posh nightclub. The lonely Todd offers her the job of main hostess in his club, and begins to confide in her.
Natasha and Liam met while working on Broadway. They both became naturalized US citizens, and lived in both Millbrook NY(where they held big dinner parties) and on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (where a grad school friend of mine spotted Liam and his sons one Saturday ordering breakfast.)
This pic below is from a holiday ep of Top Chef on Bravo. Natasha served as a guest judge; she was said to be an accomplished chef.
Though they came from very different backgrounds- she attended private schools in France and England- he grew up working-class/Catholic in a Protestant area of Northern Ireland, Natasha and Liam seemed to have a solid marriage.
They have two sons, Micheal and Daniel. I admire how this classy pair kept their most of their private life out of the public eye (no small feat in Hollywood.)…incredibly luminous quality that you seldom see, and a great sense of humor. I thought she was a really great actress and seemed to simply shine in both film and theater.-Judi Dench
Natasha was best known for her stage work; she was a Tony award winner. The above pic is from summer of 2005 when Natasha played Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway. This revival received many accolades.
The term ‘life force’ seems trite but that is what she was: a woman who powered through life and fascinated everyone she encountered. I have been thinking about the times I spent with her since I heard the news of her tragic accident, and the strongest memory I have is of her laughter, her unmistakable throaty laugh. I think that’s a great way to remember someone. – Alan Cumming (on his personal blog)
Ruthless people can be fascinating to watch, as we learn from two wonderful classic (black and white) films, All About Eve and Hud. Both films are character-driven (my fave kind!), thought-provoking, and intelligent. The ruthless person in All About Eve (nominted for 14 Oscars!!!) is Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter; you can see her each Thanksgiving as the gorgeous Queen Nefretiri in The Ten Commandmants).
Anne w/ Yul Brynner- WOW!!!
Eve is petite, with intense eyes, and (unusually) humble and ingratiating at the start of the film. She adores Broadway star Margot Channing (Bette Davis) and wants to be a part of her world. The kind-hearted wife of a great playwright, Karen Richards (Celeste Holm; she co-starred as the grandmother in the TV show Promised Land) introduces Eve to Margot and their circle of theater insiders. They are touched by her sad life story and her sweet demeanor. Soon, she becomes Margot’s personal assistant and lives in her apartment. Margot’s long-time friend/housekeeper, Birdie, thinks that Eve is too good to be true! What are Eve’s true feelings and intentions? We wonder this because people are rarely so helpful, humble, and grateful like her.
Don’t get up. And please stop acting as if I were the queen mother. -Margot
The ruthless person in Hud (winner of 3 Oscars) is Hud Bannon (Paul Newman- taking on an anti-hero role), the 34 y.o. son of an old, honest cattle rancher, Homer (Melvin Douglas). Hud is handsome, charming, reckless, and insensitive to the feelings/needs of others.
Movie tagline: The man with the barbed wire soul!
When he’s not (begrudgingly) working for his dad, Hud is living a protracted adolescence- driving too fast, drinking too much, sleeping with married women, and generally being a bad example to the real adolescent in the family, 17 y.o. nephew Lonnie (Brandon de Wilde). Lonnie is cute, sweet, and thoughtful; he’s an orphan who also works/lives on the Bannon ranch.
The only question I ever ask any woman is “What time is your husband coming home?”
Hud flirts shamelessly with the ranch’s wise and earthy housekeeper, Alma (Patricia Neal). But she is one woman in town that won’t be had easy! When hoof and mouth disease threatens the cattle (and the family fortune), Hud suggests an underhanded plan. Homer is surprised and disappointed by his son’s lack of principles. But that’s not the only reason there is a distance/coldness between father and son!
If nothing else, there’s applause… like waves of love pouring over the footlights.
–Eve
Though Eve wins the trust and friendship of Margot, Karen, Bill (Margot’s director bf), and Lloyd (Karen’s hubby; a great playwright), she is not afraid to step on/use them on her way to stardom. There is something disconcerting (notice the eyes) about her intensity and single-mindedness. She is truly “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”- the ambition behind her smile knows no bounds!
…you don’t value anything. You don’t respect nothing. You keep no check on your appetites at all. You live just for yourself. And that makes you not fit to live with.
-Homer
Hud, on the other hand, does nothing to disguise his “bad boy” side from his family and small Texas community. He doesn’t apologize for his behavior because he sees nothing wrong with it! Hud lives for pleasure (Jack Daniels whiskey, beautiful women, etc.) because he can’t live up to his father’s high moral standards (honesty, plain-speaking, moderation). In one intense scene, Hud blames Homer for how he turned out, like an immature teen. Lonnie, who observes his uncle carefully, is actually the bigger man in the film. He grows to realize that Hud is no role model.
Eve is not the type of character that many viewers will sympathize with, though she is fun to watch. Hud is self-destructive; only a dedicated actor like Newman can bring (a bit of) humanity to such a guy! To discover those special moments, pay attention to his eyes, facial expressions, and body language during silent moments. Sometimes the silence reveals more re: a character than his/her speech.
Infants behave the way I do, you know. They carry on and misbehave – they’d get drunk if they knew how – when they can’t have what they want, when they feel unwanted or insecure or unloved.
Funny business, a woman’s career – the things you drop on your way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you’ll need them again when you get back to being a woman. That’s one career all females have in common, whether we like it or not: being a woman.
Margot Channing is a more well-developed character than nemesis Eve. Though she is smart, talented, successful, etc., the actress is insecure about her love life. She worries about getting old, even though her writer calls her “age-less.” Margot creates drama where there is no need, trying the patience of her old pals. Unlike Hud and Eve, Margot knows her faults and craves acceptance despite them. She can laugh at herself- a great quality!
Claudia: Oh, waiter! Addison: That is not a waiter, my dear, that is a butler. Claudia: Well, I can’t yell “Oh butler!” can I? Maybe somebody’s name is Butler.
Addison: You have a point. An idiotic one, but a point.
Marilyn Monroe has a small (but funny) part in All About Eve; she looks great (of course)! The theater critic, Addison De Witt (George Sanders- standing by Marilyn in pic above) has some very witty/biting lines in this film. He’s the bright, charming villain who takes an interest in Eve’s career. I liked his character because he’s the one person who can go toe-to-toe with the real, ruthless Eve. The best things about this film is the fast-paced, clever dialogue.
Hud has great cinematography; the B&W made the film look crisp and modern to me. Paul Newman just becomes the character- one very different from himself. His accent is flawless, too. Check out these two films ASAP!
Knightleyemma 
