Author Archives: dannyashkenasi

About dannyashkenasi

I'm a composer with over 40 years experience creating music theater. I'm also an actor, writer, director, producer, teacher and general enthusiast for the arts.

Exit the Hotel

Posted on April 3, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin' | Tagged carpet, corridor, dark glass, exit sign, hallway, Hampton, Hilton, Hotel, mirror, photography, reflection, silhouette | Leave a comment

Screenplay Awards for “Prelude to a Death”

Posted on March 31, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

This lovely glass trophy came in the mail last week. I almost didn’t expect it even though I’d been notified of the win. But the Vienna Script Awards operated differently from most awards bodies and film festivals I know by … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Literary Lyricism, Notes in the News | Tagged Austria, Award, Bridge Fest, Cinema Carnival, feature length, Film Festival, ghost, Gothamite, gothic, L.A., Neo Noir, Prelude to a Death, Robinson Film Awards, screenplay, Silver Wings, story, trophy, Vienna Script Awards, Writers Award | Leave a comment

Genesis of my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on March 23, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

I lost this hand in a whirlpool, so this seemed appropriate. And we are back for another installment of my own personal (non-contest-winning) New Yorker Cartoon captions. Number 14 in the seemingly indefatigable series. Find all others via the literary … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Literary Lyricism | Tagged aliens, Angels, Bernadette Peters, captions, cartoon, Clue, Contest, crisis of faith, flying saucer, Gouda, Lion, mouse trap, New Yorker, realtor, sailor, Sunday in the Park with George, whisk, zebra | 1 Comment

CROCUS & CARCASS

Posted on March 17, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

CSI: Brooklyn That feeling when you go out to take photos of the first buds of Spring but then stumble upon the scene of a murder. The Remains of the Bird. Pigeon most likely. Most likely devoured by a hawk … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged Bird, brooklyn, carcass, Cooper's Hawk, Crocus, crocuses, CSI, Falcon, flowers, hawk, murder, photography, prey, purple, raptor, Spring | Leave a comment

Tell-Tale in Beloit

Posted on March 15, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

“The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” at the Beloit Film Festival The official festival run of my first Edgar Allan Poe musical short film adaptation “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” ended years ago, but lately there have been invitations … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged adaptation, Beloit, Chicago, Edgar Allan Poe, festival, film, horror, Independent, John Vamvas, musicabre, musical, North Film Festival, Olga Montes, Q&A, Scarpedicemente, short film, The Tell-Tale Heart, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

Is FIDELIO the Original HONEYPOT?

Posted on March 9, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center Friday night Ed and I attended the Met Opera performance of Beethoven’s one and only opera “Fidelio”, and it was glorious. I generally don’t cry at operas, but I did so twice this time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Live! On Stage, Melodies Linger On | Tagged Beethoven, Bond Girl, Ezio Pinza, Fidelio, Honeypot, Jacquino, James Bond, Leonore, Lincoln Center, Lise Davidson, Marzelline, Met, movies, Ode to Joy, Opera, pants role, photography, political prisoner, prison, Prufomo, René Pape, Rocco, secret agent, Spy, television, The Americans, Willy Brandt, Ying Fang | Leave a comment

EXCERPTS from AFTERMATH

Posted on March 4, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Clips from the live performance of “In the Aftermath of Mercy” March 1st the Virtual Arts production of the new play “In the Aftermath of Mercy” was broadcast live over the internet. I played the lead role of Nathan Leopold, … Continue reading →

Posted in Live! On Stage | Tagged Darrow, Elena Sapov, In the Aftermath of Mercy, Joe Leone, Kevin Shivcharran, Leopold, Loeb, Matt Phoenix, Parole, Paul Fraccalvieri, Puerto Rico, Scott David Johnson, therapy, Therese McGinn, Virtual Arts | Leave a comment

Excerpt from Jane Fonda’s Speech You Must Read

Posted on February 23, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Jane Fonda received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAG Awards tonight. She concluded her speech with a rousing message that speaks to the perilous times we find ourselves today. I will quote this conclusion in full here: “Make no … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Live! On Stage, Notes in the News | Tagged Achievement, Awards, Billy Wilder, Civil Rights, community, empathy, Hannah Weinstein, Jane Fonda, John Huston, Karen Silkwood, lifetime, McCarthyism, message, Myrna loy, Norma Rae, Pearl Cleage, politics, resistance, SAG, speech, Tom Joad, woke | Leave a comment

HYACINTHS!

Posted on February 21, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin' | Tagged buds, Edward Elder, flower, green, hyacinth, leaves, light, odor, photography, purple, scent | Leave a comment

Return to NOSFERATU with the NOSFERATU Gang

Posted on February 13, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

The other day I was happy to “succumb to the darkness” yet again for a revisit to Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu”, this time with members of the “Nosferatu” gang, fellow actors in a stage production of “Nosferatu” in which I played … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, Live! On Stage, Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged Bram Stoker, Dracula, Eggers, Emily Hartford, Grand Army Plaza, Herzog, horror, Jarin Blashke, Matt Cody, movie, movies, Murnau, Ned Massey, Nosferatu, Paul Daily, Renfield, robert-eggers, Robin Carolan, Stanton Wood, Tatiana Grey, theater, vampire, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater | Leave a comment

Playing the Notorious Nathan Leopold

Posted on February 6, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Nathan Leopold 1924 March 1 Live On-line Performance of “In the Aftermath of Mercy” I’ve been cast as Nathan Leopold, the lead character in the new play “In the Aftermath of Mercy”, which Virtual Arts will be broadcasting as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Live! On Stage, Notes in the News | Tagged Bobby Franks, Clarance Darrow, Confidential, Crime of the Century, folie a deux, history, Hitchcock, In the Aftermath of Mercy, Joe Leone, Leopold, Leopold and Loeb, live, Loeb, mugshot, Nathan Leopold, on-line, play, Playhouse 90, Puerto Rico, Rope, Scott Johnson, Swoon, theater, Virtual Arts | Leave a comment

Excursion to the Corpse Flower

Posted on January 31, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Last weekend we heard on the radio that an amorphophallus gigas, a “corpse flower”, was blooming in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The BBG acquired the plant in 2018 and this was the first time it was blooming, a flowering that … Continue reading →

Posted in Notes in the News, Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged amorphophallus gigas, BBG, botanic, brooklyn, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, carrion, Corpse Flower, flowers, Garden, Japanese Garden, landscape, nature, odor, photography, Snow, titan arum, winter | Leave a comment

Battle for my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on January 25, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

You’re now in the very contemporary art section of the museum… And we’re back with another installment of my un-winning entries for the New Yorker cartoon caption entries. Well, un-winning according to the contest, but my husband chuckles at them. … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Literary Lyricism | Tagged art, caption, cartoon, clocks, contemporary, Contest, couples therapy, dating, fruit, Hump Day, IRL, museum, New Yorker, Planet of the Apes, Rogaine, stand up, vegetables, vultures, Whale | Leave a comment

Peek-A-Boo!

Posted on January 19, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

When we moved to Brooklyn in 1997, the Williamsburg Bank Tower (now officially One Hanson Place, but no one calls it that) was the one tall building, the skyscraper of Brooklyn, a landmark to orient oneself by. It had been … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Live! On Stage, Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged architecture, Atlantic Avenue, brooklyn, Downtown, George Seurat, musical, Nevins, One Hanson Place, skyscrapers, Sunday in the Park with George, Views, Williamsburg Bank Building, Williamsburg Bank Tower, Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower | Leave a comment

Return of the Tell-Tale Heart

Posted on January 11, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

NYC Repeat Screening of “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” 2/25 My first short film Edgar Allan Poe musical adaptation “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre“, recipient of over 60 IMDb.com recognized awards, has long concluded its official festival run, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged adaptation, Edgar Allan Poe, February, festival, film, horror, musicabre, musical, New York City, North, Producer's Club, Q&A, short film, The Tell-Tale Heart | Leave a comment

Hotel Room Views

Posted on January 7, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged beige, Capitol, corners, curtain, Hotel, lamp, light, Madison, mirror, Room, shade, TV screen, wallpaper, Walls, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

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