I’ve probably said this before, but this weekend’s list of Best Bets at Home: September 18th – September 20th is truly eclectic. Where else will you find a Russian musical, a celebration of dance from India, a centenary tribute to Noël Coward, an examination of string quartets, a re-invention of a classic opera, a Latino play, some cool jazz and a Broadway star in concert? Only at Cultural Attaché.
Let’s get to it. Here are your Best Bets at Home: September 18th – September 20th.
Carmen – Royal Opera House – September 18th – October 17th
Georges Bizet’s most popular opera gets presented with a new perspective in this 2018 Royal Opera House production directed by Barrie Kosky. He is perhaps best-known for his innovative production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute which has been performed all over the world. LA Opera in Los Angeles has performed his production three times…so far.
Georges Bizet collaborated with librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy on this immensely popular opera. It was based on Propser Mérimée’s novella of the same name.
When Carmen was first performed in Paris in 1875 it was considered both shocking and scandalous.
Set in Seville, Spain, Carmen is a gypsy who has caught everyone’s eye. A soldier, Don José, plays coy and gives her no attention. Her flirtation causes troubles for both when Don José’s girlfriend, Micaëla arrives. Tensions escalate between the two women and after a knight fight, José must arrest Carmen. When she seduces him it sets off a series of events that will not end well for the gypsy woman.
In Kosky’s production, Carmen (sung by Anna Goryachova) is front and center. The opera is told from her point-of-view. There is a narrator and the production uses music Bizet eliminated from the opera’s earliest performances.
In an interview with the New York Times Kosky said, “Everyone assumes Carmen is what people are used to. A big Spanish spectacle: loud, huge orchestra, huge chorus. Lots of Spain…The piece is not a Spanish opera. It’s a French opera, from the first note. Actually it’s not even a French opera, it’s an operetta that turns into an opera in the fourth act.
“This is the mistake that people make. They assume that it’s a doom-laden story of a Gypsy with black curly hair and gold earrings, and a story of love and sex and whatever. Well, it turns into that, but for the first two thirds of the evening, it’s sunlight, it’s joy, it’s naughtiness, it’s irony. I keep saying to the cast, ‘You’re in an operetta. You are not in ‘le grand opéra.’”
This production of Carmen will be available for one month and does have a fee of £3 (which is equivalent to approximately $4).
Sleep with Angels – Latino Theater Company – September 18th – September 27th
In their continuing series of archived plays and readings of new works, Latino Theater Company is offering a sneak peek of Sleep with Angels. Written by Evelina Fernández, the play is scheduled to have its world premiere with the company next year.
A mysterious woman named Juana shows up on Molly’s doorstep. She arrives just as Molly is in need of someone to watch her children now that she’s separated from her husband.
The kids are charmed by Juana, but who is she?
Sleep with Angels is directed by José Luis Valenzuela. The cast features Aileen Alfaro, Esperanza America, Sandino Gonzalez-Flores, Sal Lopez, Xavi Moreno, Robert Revell, Lucy Rodriguez and Elia Saldana.
The first opportunity to watch Sleep with Angels is at 10:00 PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT on Friday, September 18th. The reading will be available through September 27th.
While at Latino Theater Company’s website you’ll also notice that a film of their 2010 production of La Victima is also available. This was the company’s first show and it starred the late Lupe Ontiveras. La Victima will be available for viewing through September 24th.
Now Hear This “Haydn: King of Strings” – PBS Great Performances – September 18th (check local listings)
The work of composer Franz Joseph Haydn is explored in this one-hour show on PBS’s Great Performances. In particular, host Scott Yoo will explore the role folk music from Austria, Hungary and Scotland played in informing the composer’s composition of his Emperor Quartet. Haydn is considered the father of the string quartet having written 68 of them.
Amongst his guests are violinist Geoff Nuttall and the St. Lawrence String Quartet.
Jack DeJohnette/Don Byron/Matt Garrison – Shapeshifter Lab – September 19th – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT
Simply put, Jack DeJohnette is one of the most important drummers in the history of jazz. His collaborations have included recordings and performances with John Abercrombie, Alice Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Keith Jarrett, Charles Lloyd and John Scofield. And that’s just a few of a very extensive list of credits.
On Saturday he will be performing live from home with bassist Matthew Garrison and clarinetist Don Byron.
Garrison, the son of John Coltrane bassist Jimmy Garrison, has recorded and performed with a broad range of artists that spans from Betty Carter to Whitney Houston; The Gil Evans Orchestra to Paul Simon and Tito Puente to Joni Mitchell.
Byron is a musician, teacher and composer. His range of musical styles vacillates from jazz to klezmer and includes composing for films and for such ensembles as the Kronos Quartet.
Tickets to watch this performance require a minimum donation of $20. The performance will remain available for three days after the live stream on Saturday.
Anna Karenina – Broadway on Demand – September 19th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT
Not all musicals are happy. Case in point is this Russian musical by Roman Ignatyev and librettist Yully Kim. Based on Leo Tolstoy’s tragic love story between Anna Karenina and military officer Alexey Vronsky. The musical is set in the late 19th century amongst Russian nobility.
Ekaterina Guseva plays Anna and Sergey Lee plays Alexey. Alina Chevik directs and choreography is by Irina Korneeva.
The musical is sung in Russian with English subtitles.
This production was filmed in front of a live audience in 2018. The pay-per-view price is $5.99. Anna Karenina will also be available for two days afterwards to rent for the same amount.
Miss Saigon (another not-happy musical) had a helicopter land on stage. I’m sure the train required for Anna Karenina will make that accomplishment seem terribly outdated.
A Marvellous Party – Broadway on Demand – September 20th – 2:30 PM EDT/11:30 AM PDT
I’ll Leave It To You marked the first time playwright/actor Noël Coward had a play of his performed in London’s West End. He also appeared in the show. I’ll Leave It To You opened at the New Theatre on July 21, 1920 and ran for 37 performances. The rest, as they say, is history.
Coward went on to write such plays as Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit.
In 2006 the New Theatre was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre.
To celebrate this centenary, The Noël Coward Foundation is presenting an all-star event called A Marvellous Party. His words and music will be performed (in either self-recorded performances at home or performances filmed following Covid-19 guidelines) by Kate Burton, Judi Dench, Stephen Fry, Montego Glover, Derek Jacobi, Josh James, Cush Jumbo, Robert Lindsay, Kristine Nielsen, Bebe Neuwirth, Julian Ovenden, Patricia Routledge, Kate Royal, Emma Thompson, Giles Terera, Indira Varma and Lia Williams.
A Marvellous Party will remain available on demand for two weeks (or a fortnight as Coward might say.)
There is no charge to watch the show, but you will need to register to do so. Donations to Acting for Others and The Actors Fund are encouraged.
Judy Kuhn with Seth Rudetsky – September 20th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT
In this week’s Seth Rudetsky concert series, four-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn joins for conversation and song. Kuhn originated the role of Helen Bechdel in Fun Home (one of her Tony nominations). Her other nominations came for her performances in Les Misérables (as Cosette); Chess (as Florence) and the 1993 revival of She Loves Me (as Amalia Balash).
She also memorably played Fosca in the Classic Stage Company’s 2013 production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Passion.
There will be an encore presentation of this show on Monday, September 21st at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. The show will also be available for pay-per-view viewing next week. Tickets for all viewings are $25.
Erasing Borders Dance Festival – Indo-American Arts Council – September 20th – September 27th
The multitude of dances found in India are celebrated in the Erasing Borders Dance Festival. This is the 12th year of the festival and, for obvious reasons, this year the festival is online. Each program can be found on the Indo-American Arts Council’s Facebook page (link in the title).
Each program becomes available at 8:30 PM EDT/5:30 PM PDT. The line-up is as follows:
Sunday, September 20th: Shambhu Nath Karmakar/Ashpara Care Club (Purulia Chhau)
Monday, September 2st: Neha Mondal Chakravarty (Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam) and Krishnakshi Kashyap (Sattriya)
Tuesday, September 22nd: Ganesh Vasudeva (Bharatanatyam)
Wednesday, September 23rd: Divyaa Unni (Bharatanatyam) and Arun Mathai (Bharatanatyam)
Thursday, September 24th: Sandhya Raju (Kuchipudi)
Friday, September 25th: Damir Tasmagambetov (Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam) and Barkha Patel (Contemporary Kathak)
Saturday, September 26th: Mesma Belsaré (Shilpa Natana)
Sunday, September 27th: Vishwakiran Nambi (Contemporary) and workshops by Nahid Siddiqui (Sufi Kathak)
Those are my selections for your Best Bets at Home: September 18th – September 20th. Before we go, a few reminders:
Los Angeles area audiences can watch In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on PBS SoCal on September 18th at 8:00 PM. This week’s show is Musica Sin Fronteras and features performances from Café Tacvba, Columbian singer/songwriter Carlos Vives, Florida’s Siudy Garrido Flamenco Dance Theatre all in performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
New to our listings is Table Top Shakespeare: At Home. These unique presentations of Shakespeare’s plays got launched on Thursday. This weekend’s performances (which are all free to watch) are Perciles on Friday; The Merchant of Venice on Saturday and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Sunday. All performances are live at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT.
Some reminders from this week’s Jazz Stream:
Fridays at Five from SFJAZZ offers a 2017 concert by jazz legend Wayne Shorter.
The Bill Frisell Trio performs Friday from New York’s Blue Note.
Pianist Bill Charlap and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis perform from the Village Vanguard on Friday and Saturday.
The Ehud Asherie Trio performs from Smalls on Saturday.
Trumpeter Keyon Harrold performs from Blue Note on Saturday.
For opera fans, here are reminders of this week’s programming from the Metropolitan Opera:
This week’s Bel Canto series concludes with Bellini’s I Puritani on Friday; Donizetti’s L’Elisir de Amore on Saturday and Bellini’s Norma on Sunday.
Eclectic right? Those are your Best Bets at Home: September 18th – September 20th. Let me know what you watched and what you thought in our comments section. Enjoy your weekend!
Main photo: Anna Goryachova and ensemble in “Carmen” (©2017 ROH/Photo by Bill Cooper)