Masha Leon
By Masha Leon
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The Schmooze ‘The Passenger’: Holocaust On And Below Deck
Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s 1968 opera “The Passenger,” which Lincoln Center Festival and Park Avenue Armory co-presented at the Armory, offered a soupcon of “Titanic” vibes with its 1960’s Brazil-bound ocean liner’s huge white funnel and its first class carefree passengers — elegant in all-white suits and gowns — waltzing to an orchestra’s calming beat. Among the dancers, Walter…
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The Schmooze Bel Kaufman, Author and Tango Dancer, In Her Own Words
Bel Kaufman, who died on July 25 at 103, gave the impression she might live forever. During lunch on August 31, 2012 at her favorite eatery Demarchelier, she told me: “I have just stepped into the future.” Her two novels, “Up the Down Staircase” (which was made into an award-winning film) and “Love, Etc.” were…
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The Schmooze Jill Abramson Champions Freedom of The Press
“She was reading the New York Times before she could transfer to a bottle,”Gail Sheehy said of Jill Abramson, at the July 15 reception she hosted at her Manhattan duplex for the former executive editor of The New York Times. Author of 16 books — including megahit “Passages,” Sheehy touted Abramson as “among the first…
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The Schmooze When Elaine Stritch Dated Marlon Brando
Elaine Stritch, who died on July 17 at 89, was as feisty off-stage as on— whether belting out the the ode to imbibing: “The Ladies Who Lunch” or the survival anthem “I’m Still Here!.” A presence at many a New York City bash, she was a participant in the November 17, 2003 “Stella By Starlight”…
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The Schmooze Lorin Maazel Remembered as Conductor, Friend of Israel
Lorin Maazel, cerebral conductor — who died aged 84 on July 13 from complications of pneumonia — was a presence in my columns not only because of his international renown and as conductor of the N.Y. Philharmonic, but also because of his support of Israel’s cultural and humanitarian institutions. At the January 23, 2003 joint…
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The Schmooze Toni Collette Honored as Ambassador Against Worldwide Hunger
Delighted to be invited to the 12th Annual Concern World Wide Women of Concern Luncheon at The Pierre, I got to meet one of my favorite film stars — Toni Collette — who was honored as its First Global Ambassador for Concern. Among Collette’s many films are two favorites I like to revisit: The 2003…
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The Schmooze British NYPhil Conductor Apologizes for 1776
Explaining his British accent, Bramwell Tovey, conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, welcomed the Avery Fisher Hall audience at its July 4th Summertime Classic Star-Spangled Celebration with: “I am here to apologize for 1776…bad decision by the King. Happy Birthday America!” As he raised his baton, someone sneezed! Without missing a beat, Tovey brushed…
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The Schmooze Jean Shafiroff Honored at Hampton Summer Soltice Gala
Of the unique cadre of philanthropic women who are “hands on” at the entities they support is Jean Shafiroff, an honoree at the June 21 Ellen Hermanson Foundation Summer Solstice Gala, hosted by Ellen and Chuck Scarborough at their stunning Southampton home. Shafiroff — whom I have dubbed “the lady who never repeats a gown,”—…
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