A 'Home' Run

Saturday night I was captivated and clapping while watching the premiere of Home Sweet Home, a new production by the Scandinavian American Theater Company (SATC).

Now I confess, I don’t really know that much about theater, and I went to the show primarily to high-five and support my friend Lisa Pettersson. Okay, and truth be told, being a flirtatious New Yorker and a
Swedish-American myself, I was curious to check out not only the performances of my friend and fellow countryfolk, but also to scope out the talent in the audience and perhaps to see if there were any good-looking Nordic types to wink at during intermission.

That said, all thoughts of frivolous flirtations quickly went out the window as I immediately became engaged by the riveting performance before me.

Home Sweet Home is an incredibly well-acted psychological drama by Danish playwright Andreas Garfield.  The script deals with the cultural upset created by current conflicts and war in the Middle East. The characters are complex and interesting and the drama that unfolds immediately demands the viewer's interest and attention.

This play reveals the traumatic experience of war and the unsympathetic indifference of home as refracted through a Nordic country.  Actor Albert Bendix, who plays the part of returning soldier Cartsten, gives a riveting performance.

Apart from the excellent acting and great script, this play is a must-see from a production standpoint. The set design was so innovative and interesting... I need to applaud set designer Marte Ekhougen, whose innovative use of the space and integration of film into the show was impressive.

The stage, which is filled with boxes, immediately suggests the baggage each character carries in, and the abstracted distortions created by projecting the film onto an uneven cardboard arrangement alludes to the cracks in the spirit carried in the souls and seen in the desperation of all three characters.

I loved the way the space reflected the disillusionment the characters felt and I really enjoyed the conceptual depth in the way the space was constructed.

One of my favorite aspects of living in New York City is how I am constantly being inspired and impressed by the brilliance of my friends and acquaintances. There are those moments here in town when the talent of those I know surpasses even my biggest expectations for them. Lisa Pettersson, whom I had already come to support, caused me to be awed and applauding with genuine stars in my eyes.  Needless to say, I highly recommend checking out this show while you still can. —Review by New York Insider Annika Connor, an artist whose paintings can be seen here.

ESSENTIAL INFO
Home Sweet Home will run through November 28th at the 9th Space at PS 122 (150 First Ave. at E. 9th Street). Tickets are $25.

Get the Point?

With less than 30 days and counting till the Point Suite Ball, taking place on September 24, artist, ingenue and New York Insider Annika Connor threw a pre-party to raise the excitement level for the ball from very high to even higher. Held at Chelsea nightclub The Gates, the party brought out patrons of the arts and patrons of the bar alike.

If the pre-party is any indication, the Point Suite Art Ball, which will take place at Studio 450, is going to be one amazing night. Be sure to purchase your ticket sooner rather than later. Contributions are tax deductible and also entitle  donors to receive a special access card for VIP entry into The Gates, good for several months worth of visits. Get the Point? Good. Now get your ticket!

For more photos, click here.

Open the Gates!

The young art lovers who turned out to support GenArt at last night's big benefit decamped to Chelsea nightclub The Gates for an after-party that lasted well into the early morning hours.

GenArt, the organization that supports emerging fashion designers, musicians and visual artists, celebrated its fifteenth anniversary with a night whose mission was to raise money for the struggling organization. (A cruel irony, given that GenArt itself was founded to help struggling artists.) But times are tough and GenArt decided to hold its first benefit in more than ten years to help bring in some much-needed funds. Among the supporters in attendance were Miss USA Kristen Dalton, Real Housewife Alex McCord, Gossip Girl Laura Breckenridge and Project Runway victor Christian Siriano.

To help fill the coffers, seventy artists donated pieces that were put up for sale, at prices from $300 to $5,000. One of the earliest sellers of the evening was a large portrait of Robert DeNiro, by photographer Paul Gerben.

For more photos, click here.

Recital on a Rainy Night

Bring together an aspiring Miss New York, three sopranos and three pianists and what's the result? A party that few in attendance are likely to forget. Hostess Corinne Tatiana Nordmann threw open the doors of her Upper West Side home last evening to help chase away the gray misery that has gotten some New Yorkers pondering whether they might soon need an ark to get around Manhattan. But all thoughts of the persistent rain were chased away (that is, after Nordmann's own obeisance to the weather, Chopin's Rain Drop Prelude, in D-Flat Major), when the heavenly voices of her performers stepped up to the Steinway, transporting the lucky souls in attendance to places far, far from gray NYC.

For more photos, click here.

Summer Lovin'

Can we resist saying it? OK, perhaps not. It happened so fast. With apologies to John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, this weekend's exhibition of the paintings of artist Annika Connor (left)—a show dubbed Summer Lovin'—was a fine romance indeed. Hosted at the private residence of Hamptons bon vivant Peter Felfe, the show married Connor's ethereal works with the equally mesmerizing sounds of pianist Marina Boldyreva, soprano Katharina Hagopian and pianist Dina Pruzhansky.

Beftting the regal quality of the combined talents of the ladies of honor, even the titled gentry turned out to show their support, namely Real Housewives of New York's Countess Luann de Lesseps and wine guru Baroness Sheri de Borchgrave. It was a grand Hamptons occasion, but one lacking pretense, which made it all the more enjoyable—and rare. Here's to many more like it this season.

For more photos, click here.

Erotic, Hypnotic

The National Arts Club showed off its lusty side last night (who knew?) during a night devoted to the study of eroticism. Hosted by artist Annika Connor and designer Danielle Schachter, the evening featured theatercraft, music, visual art and even an exploration of chocolate as an aphrodisiac. Engaging just about every sense (with the excpetion of touch) the salon was designed to titllate, and did not disappoint. Capping off the evening with Champagne and "Love Potion" bon bons by chocolatier Jacques Torres, the night's guests could not help but exit the Gramercy Park landmark feeling a little frisky. Anyone who didn't clearly wasn't paying attention.

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(Image at left is a portrait by photographer Sol Lang.)

Dangerous Liaisons at the Frick

The invitation suggested that guests at the Frick's Young Fellows Ball "dress to intrigue." And that they did. (The women, anyway. For a man, there's not an awful lot intriguing he can do with a tuxedo.) Themed Les Liaisons Dangereuses after the 18th century tale of love gone wrong by French author Choderlos de Laclos, this year's ball attracted a coterie of stylish New Yorkers who sashayed and trailed long trains through the hallowed halls of the Frick mansion amid artworks such as the priceless painting at left,The Progress of Love: The Pursuit, by Jean-Honoré Froganard. But partygoers could be forgiven for not noticing the artwork. The pulchritude on the dance floor far surpassed that on the walls. For more photos,

For more photos, click here. Images courtesy of Yina Luo and Jeannette Varzandeh

Getting the Point

Artist Annika Connor (far left) threw a concept launch party for her Point Suite art book at Mr. West last night and anyone expecting a sedate gathering of intellectuals rambling on about brustrokes and dimensional perspective would have been sorely disappointed. The bright young crowd (many of them artists who will be featured in the book) mixed and mingled, looking every bit as colorful and fun as this book (publication date still unset) promises to be.

For more photos, click here.