Walter R. Yetnikoff, 87; A “Force” of the Music Industry
Obituary
NYTimes/Bobby Bank/WireImage photoWalter R. Yetnikoff died on Saturday, August 7, 2021, four days short of his 88th birthday.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, graduated from Columbia University Law School, and rose to become an influential force in the entertainment world as president of Columbia Records. He guided the careers of Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, and Mick Jagger among others.
He leaves to mourn his wife Lynda of Westport, Ct, his sons Michael and Daniel, four grandchildren, and his sister and brother-in-law Carol and Sid Goldstein of Glastonbury. There will be a memorial service in the future and a Shiva service was held on Wednesday, August 11 at 7:30 PM at the home of Carol and Sid Goldstein. Full COVID-19 vaccinations and masks will be required.
Metro North Announces Bikes Ride Free on Trains, “The number of cyclists has risen considerably during the pandemic”
MTA Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi and Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng are joined by Bike New York President Ken Podziba and Alzheimer’s Association Vice President of Development Joanne Luciano in Grand Central Terminal. Contributed photo by Marc A. Hermann, MTAMTA Reinforcing its longstanding commitment to sustainable transportation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced plans to lift bike permit requirements on both the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad. Starting Sept. 7, cyclists riding the rails will no longer be required to obtain a permit to travel with a full-size bike.
LIRR and Metro-North customers will also not be required to present a bike permit on Sunday, August 22, the day of Bike New York’s Five Boro Bike Tour. The event, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, draws tens of thousands of cyclists to the city.
“Metro-North believes deeply in the value of sustainable transportation and looks forward to helping our customers ride the system more seamlessly with their bikes in tow,” said Metro-North President Cathy Rinaldi. “As more and more riders continue to return to the railways, it’s essential that we’re doing everything we can to accommodate them and making it easier to travel with bikes is one way of doing that. The number of cyclists has risen considerably during the pandemic, and it’s vital that mass transit plays a role in promoting that growth.”
“The LIRR provides New Yorkers with access to a range of world class bike rides throughout Long Island,” said LIRR President Phil Eng. “We continually strive to make it easier for everyone to access those adventures. We’ve always supported all modes of sustainable travel and this news ensures our commitment to enhancing the bicycling experience and quality of life throughout our geographic footprint. I’m excited to see more and more bike riders take the train to their cycling destinations of choice.”
“Every day at Bike New York we’re fighting for safer and more equitable streets and providing free bike education to more than 30,000 New Yorkers each year,” said Bike New York President and CEO Kenneth J. Podziba. “And we couldn’t do the work we do on behalf of New Yorkers if it weren’t for our incredible partners, like the MTA, TD Bank and Manhattan Portage.”
Other rules for bringing bikes on board the LIRR and Metro-North continue to apply. Non-folding bikes are not allowed on rush hour trains or on holidays. On weekdays, up to four bikes per train are allowed. On weekends, up to eight bikes per train are allowed. The MTA encourages cyclists to look for bicycle trains on weekends. These accommodate more than eight bikes. These trains are indicated on published timetables with a bicycle symbol and a plus sign.
For current information on taking your bike on MTA subways, buses and commuter rail, visit new.mta.info/guide/bikes.
About the TD Five Boro Bike Tour
Now in its 43rd edition, the TD Five Boro Bike Tour remains America’s most popular charitable ride. Proceeds from the event benefit Bike New York, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to provide bike education opportunities to both kids and adults all over New York City. The 40-mile, car-free Tour traverses all five boroughs, starting in Manhattan and ending in Staten Island with spectacular crossings along the Queensboro and Verrazano Bridges. While previous Tours saw up to 32,000 riders, this year’s Tour, capped at 20,000 registrants, promises cyclists a unique experience and a fantastic way to reconnect with the people and places that make New York City special.
For more information about the Five Boro Bike Tour, visit www.bike.nyc.
About Bike New York’s Bike Education Programs
The TD Five Boro Bike Tour funds public bike classes that reach over 30,000 kids and adults each year. Classes not only provide New Yorkers with a new way to get around; they also offer new ways for people to connect with their communities.
Last year’s in-person events and classes were suspended due to the pandemic, but Bike New York continued to support New York’s bike boom with virtual instruction that reached more than 30,000 viewers worldwide. The tour will support the return of live classes and grow the organization’s virtual offerings so that both new and seasoned riders can stay in touch with the city and the larger New York cycling community.
Bike New York has implemented bike safety education programs with the Department of Education at local middle schools, co-developed with Brooklyn’s One Community a job training and placement program for formerly incarcerated Brooklynites to become bike mechanics, and helped pilot a free bike rental system at Shirley Chisholm State Park.
Playhouse Announces Video Streaming of “Man of La Mancha” and “Of Mice and Men” from Archives
“Man of La Mancha” (2018) with, L-R, Tony Manna, Philip Hernandez, Gisela Adisa. Photo by Carol RoseggWestport Country Playhouse has selected two HD videos from its archives of performances captured live on stage for streaming on demand. The Playhouse’s 2018 production of “Man of La Mancha,” the Tony Award-winning musical following Don Quixote’s quest for “The Impossible Dream,” will stream on-demand from Monday, August 23 through Sunday, September 5. “Of Mice and Men,” the classic drama by Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck, produced at the Playhouse in 2008, will stream on demand from Monday, September 13 through Sunday, September 26. Both productions are directed by Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. Tickets for streaming individual productions start at $25. The Playhouse box office staff will provide instructions on how to watch virtual content by logging in at westportplayhouse.org.
“Man of La Mancha,” inspired by Cervantes’ masterpiece “Don Quixote,” won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Playhouse production won two Connecticut Critics Circle Awards: Mark Lamos for Outstanding Director, and Philip Hernandez, as Don Quixote, for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. The story of Quixote’s battle for good and the love of his fair maiden is written by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion.
Area critics reviewing the Playhouse’s “Man of La Mancha” said, “Truly a musical for our times; well-conceived in every way.” - Hartford Courant; and, “Don’t miss this exceptional revival of one of the all-time great musicals.” - WICC.
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“Of Mice and Men” is based on Steinbeck's 1937 tale of two migrant ranch workers, George and Lennie, who wander from one California town to another during the Depression in search of the American dream. One of the few plays to be adapted by the novelist himself, this version is true to the book and filled with the drama that shot the story to instant acclaim.
Reviews for the Playhouse’s production of “Of Mice and Men” included, “Westport’s potent production has a vitality and sensuality.” – The New York Times; and, “A handsome revival; tastefully spare, sensitive, and unsentimental staging.” – Variety.
Cast members for “Man of La Mancha” are Philip Hernandez as Cervantes/Don Quixote (only actor in Broadway history to play both Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert in “Les Misérables”; original Broadway casts of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and Paul Simon’s “The Capeman”); Gisela Adisa as Aldonza/Dulcinea (Broadway’s “Beautiful,” First National Tour of “Sister Act”); and Tony Manna as Sancho Panza (Amazon Prime’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”).
Others in the “Man of La Mancha” cast are Ceasar F. Barajas as Pedro, Carlos Encinias as Padre, Michael Scott Gomez as Paco/Guard/Horse, Paola Hernandez as Antonia, Michael Mendez as Innkeeper/Tenorio, Ian Paget as Captain/Anselmo, Lulu Picart as Maria/Housekeeper, Jermaine Rowe as Juan/Guard/Horse, David Sattler as Governor, Clay Singer as Duke/Carrasco, and Esteban Suero as Barber/José.
The creators of “Man of La Mancha” are Dale Wasserman, playwright, who also wrote “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”; Mitch Leigh, composer, who received the Contemporary Classics Award from the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame for "The Impossible Dream”; and Joe Darion, lyricist, who wrote book and lyrics for “Illya Darling,” based on the film “Never On Sunday.”
The cast for “Of Mice and Men” is headed by Brian Hutchison as George (Broadway’s “The Boys in the Band” in 2018, “The Invention of Love,” “Proof”; film version of “The Boys in the Band” in 2020), and Mark Mineart as Lennie (Broadway’s “Julius Caesar” with Denzel Washington and “Macbeth” with Kelsey Grammer). Others in the cast are Mateo Gómez as The Boss, Kene Holliday as Crooks, Matthew Montelongo as Slim, Betsy Morgan as Curley’s Wife, Tommy Nohilly as Carlson, Sean Patrick Reilly as Whit, Rafael Sardina as Curley, and Edward Seamon as Candy.
“Of Mice and Men” was written by John Steinbeck (1902-1968), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 and the Pulitzer Prize for his 1939 novel “The Grapes of Wrath.” Born in Salinas, California, he worked as a hired hand on ranches, nourishing his impression of the California countryside and its people. Steinbeck’s works include “Tortilla Flat” (1935), “The Pearl” (1947), and “East of Eden” (1952).
Director of both productions is Mark Lamos, who has helmed many plays at Westport Country Playhouse since 2008, winning five Connecticut Critics Circle Awards for his direction. A former artistic director at Hartford Stage, he earned the 1989 Tony Award for the theater's body of work.
Westport Country Playhouse’s 2021 Season Sponsor is the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation. 2021 Season Media Sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio.
The Playhouse’s 2021 Season will continue with an in-person staging, as well as a filmed version, of “Doubt: A Parable,” the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, November 2 through November 20. Script in Hand playreadings will be on October 4 - 10, and December 14 – 19, titles TBA. All virtual content in the Playhouse’s 2021 season will be available on demand for patrons’ convenience, with captions in both English and Spanish translation. The complete schedule is available at westportplayhouse.org.
All play titles, artists, dates, times, and formats are subject to change.
For tickets and information, visit westportplayhouse.org, call (203) 227-4177, or email at boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 8, No Deaths; State Positivity Rate 3.52%, Hospitalizations Up
The Westport-Weston Health District reports that Westport’s COVID-19 cases were up 8 today, with no deaths reported. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 3.52%, and State hospitalizations were up 17 since yesterday.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 1,886 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 31 deaths.
State Daily Test Positivity: 3.52% [up from 3.15% yesterday]
State Hospitalizations: 247 patients [+17]