It was a weekend of musical contrasts. On a Saturday night, I enjoyed Bayonne’s born-and-bred Steve Pizzella fronting an exuberant six-piece rock and roll group. Steve, looking as if he was born to be onstage, sang, played keyboard and charmed a filled dance floor with his talent.The very next day was my kind of music, the big band sound, played by a tuxedo-clad 20-piece orchestra, the Silver Starlite Orchestra, with a great plus – and I do mean plus. Added to the large group was a 1929 musical instrument, a theater pipe organ, looking all shiny and new. It was played by a fine organist, Ralph Rinqstad Jr. Although only one person played it, it sounded like a full orchestra by itself – and with the Silver Starlite, oh my, the result was awesome (a word I dislike but it applies). And here’s the best news: all of this thrilling music was available in our backyard. Just a 30-minute bus ride to Journal Square and voila, you’re at the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theater. In 1929, the grandest movie palace ever built in New Jersey opened its brass doors on Journal Square in Jersey City. But, alas, years later the building was slated for demolition. In a crusade which took six years, a group of local preservationists, bless them, saved the theatre. And thanks to the Garden State Theatre Organ Society, it features a “wonder motion” theatre pipe organ, almost exactly like the one originally there. Aren’t we fortunate to have this newly developed not-for-profit arts and entertainment center so close by? The Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre has an amazing events schedule, including more Garden State Theatre Organ Society concerts, film festivals and even a visit from Santa on Dec. 18. You can get more specific info by visiting online: www.gstos.org or checking www.loewsjersey.org. And you don’t even have to take your car out of the garage. The number 10 bus will whisk you right there in Journal Square – and it rhymes.
Who would have thought it? Babar, the elephant, hero of a successful children’s series, rubbing shoulders, so to speak, with Rembrandt, Picasso, Mozart and Hemingway! Where? In one of the most beautiful New York City museums. The Morgan Library and Museum, located at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. The exhibition is titled “Drawing Babar: Early Drafts and Watercolors.” I have such happy memories having read the successful children’s series to my little ones, Jim, Andy and Jolie, at bedtime. The Babar adventures captivated me along with the kids. What did we see in him? There was something very appealing, charming and naïve with the stories precise narrative and laconic illustrations. It was easy to enjoy the tales of a young elephant who leaves the jungle, visits the big city and returns to bring the benefits of civilization(?) to his fellow elephants. The very popular French children’s fictional character had two authors, father and son, Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff. The show at the Morgan includes more than 170 drafts and sketches for the first Babar books by both. Thanks to the architect Renzo Piano (love that name!), New York has a modern jewel box. In rethinking the Morgan, he has managed to keep the institution’s tranquil dignity by unifying its old historical buildings with three new steel-and-glass pavilions. A soaring central court connects the buildings and serves as a gathering place for visitors in the spirit of an Italian piazza. The result is an open, cheerful museum suffused with natural light. The Morgan Shop provides one of the most unique shopping experiences (Remember, it is just one month away from the holidays. Ouch!) And the Morgan Café offers a casual dining atmosphere. Then there’s the elegant and yummy Morgan Dining Room, located in the restored mid-19th century brownstone. The Babar exhibition remains through Jan. 4. Go see Mr. Elephant in his green suit. You can check to find out the Morgan’s free admission hours if you visit www.themorgan.org.
Have you ever been to a book signing? I had the good fortune to attend one at Barnes and Noble and found it very rewarding. The author was a charming, attractive, well-spoken woman in her late 60s, Anne Roiphe. It was a treat to see the lady and listen to her talk about her latest book. I found its title, “Epilogue,” a difficult one to remember and a difficult one to understand until I looked it up in Websters: “a speech addressed to the spectators by an actor at the end of the play.” Put the accent on the word “end.” Anne Roiphe’s “Epilogue” deals with love, loss and a life remade. The book is not a fat book, but it’s large in its content. It looks at life, death, and aging squarely in the face. All of the above are based on the author’s personal experiences of widowhood. You might expect it to be maudlin, but here’s the pleasant surprise. Unexpectedly it is life affirming. She writes that grief is in two parts. The first is loss. The second is the remaking of life. “Epilogue” is a gripping memoir. Ms. Roiphe opines that time is the widow’s friend. Appetite for living comes back even when the underlying sorrow remains. She advises a search for renewal – even romance. (I’ll subscribe to that!). At the book-signing, Ms. Roiphe, herself, spoke about how she has emerged as a different, stronger person. She has learned to live differently, enduring her new situation by turning her energy toward other people. One does go on, she writes. The task is to manage, each person in her own way. No one can really prepare a woman for this passage in life. I found “Epilogue” helpful. You can reserve it at the Bayonne Library or purchase it at any bookstore. You will be rewarded.