It is a collective nickname, and it has been part of the Rose for 27 years. My managers and I affectionately refer to the staff as Rosies. And I have been thoroughly spoiled by the hundreds of smart, conscientious, caring young people who have worked for me. This is why graduation each Spring is always tinged with a bit of sadness. I am happy for their achievement and excited that they get to move on to the next chapter in their lives, yet sad to see them leave the Rose. To the parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers and countless role models who have helped to nurture and inspire these remarkable people, thank you.
No, I'm not crazy, I just happen to like WOMAN AT WAR, and when someone told me last week that four members of her book group had managed to miss film, that was all the incentive I needed to bring it back this Friday for a fifth week. Sharing the screen with it in the Rosebud will be NEITHER WOLF NOR DOG. Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Kent Nerburn, it follows a writer into the heart contemporary Native American life, with a 95-year-old Lakota elder as his guide.
I was swayed by the headline, not the movie. I have yet to see LONG SHOT, but the headline and review in The New Yorker about the new comedy was enough for me: "The Silly Satisfactions of LONG SHOT - Thanks to the sparring between Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen, you surrender to the film's blend of chemistry and calculation." The last time Charlize Theron was on screen at the Rose she was seriously terminating bad men in ATOMIC BLONDE, so the option of killing us with comedy was too much to resist. Be warned though, LONG SHOT is an R-rated flick with a healthy dose of adolescent humor.
Next Wednesday night (5/22) The Boss will be in town, so to speak. ASBURY PARK: RIOT, REDEMPTION, ROCK 'N' ROLL is a one-night gig on theatre screens across the country. Southside Johnny, David Sancious, Bruce Sprinsteen, and Steven Van Zandt return to the legendary Upstage - the psychedelic after-hours club where they all got their start. Shuttered for four and a half decades, the Upstage remains the perfect time capsule of the club which united both sides of the tracks in Asbury and acted as a crucible for young talent. Now, as Asbury Park enjoys its long-awaited renaissance, it is music which has brought it back from the dead.
Tickets are still available for ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS, our classics film in the Starlight next Wednesday (5/22), but as always, it will sell out before then. And tickets go on sale this Friday for the 2019 / 2020 season of ballets from the Bolshoi.
--Rocky