The four-day weekend is upon us. As a result I’m publishing the Thanksgiving Weekend Best Bets at Home early. I have fourteen truly terrific options for you.
The shows range from topical dramas exploring current events to the first of December holiday events to a salute to Broadway and some outstanding jazz. Of course, there’s more than that, too.
Our weekend’s top pick is Jason Moran and The Bandwagon performing at the Village Vanguard in New York as they do every Thanksgiving weekend.
So here are your Thanksgiving Weekend Best Bets:
Until the Flood – Center Theatre Group Digital Stage – Now
The Kirk Douglas Theatre began this year with Dael Orlandersmith’s one-person show Until the Flood. The Center Theatre Group has teamed up with theaters around the country to make a film of Until the Flood available for viewing.
In her show, Orlandersmith looks at how the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson impacts the Black and white members of the community and how they processed this tragedy.
The film is from the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre in New York. They, along with Center Theatre Group and the following theaters, are making Until the Flood available: A Contemporary Theatre—Seattle, Washington; DCPA Theater—Denver, Colorado; The Goodman Theatre—Chicago, Illinois; Milwaukee Repertory Theater—Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Portland Center Stage—Portland, Oregon and Repertory Theater of St. Louis—St. Louis, Missouri (who commissioned and produced the play).
There is no charge to watch Until the Flood.
Holiday on Strings! – Playhouse Live – Now – January 3rd
Playhouse Live now has their third Bob Baker Marionette Theatre show. Like the previous Halloween-themed show in October, this classic show is timed for holidays – the winter ones!
A wizard takes Demetrius Nova Twinklestar III on a whirlwind tour of the holiday galaxies. Amongst the locations on their itinerary are Santa’s workshop, the world of Charles Dickens (author of A Christmas Carol), a Hannukah celebration, a visit from a certain reindeer with a red nose and some charming and endearing North Pole animals.
Holiday on Strings! was filmed in front of a live audience (no doubt pre-pandemic). The rental fee is $14.99.
On a separate note, the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre is facing possible closure. The theatre was established in 1963 and has provided millions of children and adults countless hours of pleasure (myself included in grade school and later again as an adult). They recently moved out of their long-time location into a new space in Highland Park. If you are interested in reading more about BBMT and/or making donation, please go here.
The Last Five Years – Broadway on Demand – November 26th – November 29th
The Jason Robert Brown musical that follows the life of a relationship between a writer and his wife going, literally, in opposite directions, is being presented in a performance filmed live at Southwark Playhouse this weekend.
If you don’t know this wonderful musical, Cathy (Molly Lynch) tells the story of their relationship in reverse starting at the end and moving towards when they first met. Jamie (Oli Higginson) tells the story chronologically from the moment when they first locked eyes through to its end. As a result, the two only meet in the middle of the story.
In Jonathan O’Boyle’s production, each performer plays accompaniment on the piano when the other is singing. The cast is supported by a four-piece band.
Ava Wong Davies, in her review for The Independent, said of this conceit, “It’s an ostensibly simple trick, but one which pays dividends. O’Boyle extracts a seam of melancholy from the piece which undercuts even the most ebullient numbers – there’s a pearly beauty to the golden days of their early courtship. After all, relationships are filled with ghostliness, even when you’re in them – that creeping, niggling sense that you will never fully understand the other person, the feeling of a partner morphing out of a familiar shape into something unrecognisable.
Tickets are $17.90 (which includes the service charge).
Nutcracker Online – SF Ballet – November 27th – December 31st
It’s that time of year and our first Nutcracker is available starting on Friday. San Francisco Ballet’s 2008 production will be available for streaming throughout the holidays.
Though a staple of ballet companies around the world, The Nutcracker was not considered a success when it debuted in St. Petersburg in 1892. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1960s that it became embraced.
In the ballet, Clara is enamored with a nutcracker that her godfather has brought to a Christmas eve celebration. Others aren’t so interested and Fritz actually breaks the nutcracker. After all the guests have left for the evening – and just as midnight strikes – Clara checks in on the broken nutcracker. That’s when the world of toys, mice, fairies, Christmas trees and her beloved nutcracker come to magical life.
The music was written by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky.
This production was choreographed by Helgi Tomasson. The company features Elizabeth Powell as Clara, Yuan Yuan Tan as the Snow Queen, Pierre-François Vilanoba as the Snow King, Vanessa Zahorian as the Sugar Plum Fairy with the grand pas de deux danced by Maria Kochetkova and Davit Karapetyan.
Tickets are $49 and allow viewing for 48 hours. There are also interactive components included. Tickets are available here.
Jeremy Pelt & Jeb Patton – Mezzrow – November 27th
Jazz trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and pianist Jeb Patton will perform two sets from Mezzrow in New York on Friday, November 27th. The first set is at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM EST with the second set at 8:30 PM EST/5:30 PM PST.
Pelt’s album The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 1 is one of my favorite albums of the year. Hopefully the title implies a second volume will be forthcoming.
Patton cut his professional teeth playing with saxophonist Jimmy Heath. His most recent album is 2019’s Songs of the Saxophone.
There’s no charge to watch the performances. Mezzrow does make reserved Sponsor Seats available for each set priced at $40.
Jason Moran and The Bandwagon – Village Vanguard – November 27th – November 28th
If you’ve read any of my coverage of jazz musicians, you are well aware of how much I respect and enjoy pianist/composer Jason Moran. One of my favorite ways of enjoying his music is with his ensemble The Bandwagon.
Moran has been performing with bassist Taurus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits for over twenty years.
Their first recording together was 2000’s Facing Left. Three years later he officially titled an album The Bandwagon and it found the trio performing live at the Village Vanguard.
They return to New York’s legendary jazz club this weekend for two performances – as they usually do each Thanksgiving weekend.
If you are wondering why you can’t find new releases on streaming services, it is because Moran has been releasing his new material independently. 2018’s Looks of a Lot is his most recent release with The Bandwagon.
Tickets are only $10 for each of these performances.
Gregory Porter – SFJAZZ – November 27th – 8:00 PM PST/5:00 PM PST
This week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ finds singer Gregory Porter performing in a concert from August 2019.
At the time of this concert Porter was supporting his album, Nat “King” Cole & Me and was working on his 2020 album, All Rise.
Porter’s silky smooth baritone voice works magic on classic material and he has the ability to skillfully blend jazz and soul. He has two Grammy awards – both for jazz albums – and received his seventh nomination earlier this week for All Rise in the category of Best R&B Album.
SFJAZZ’s Fridays at Five concerts only stream once at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST. (Or happy hour as we call it on the West Coast.) You must have either a one-month membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60) to view the shows.
The Prestidigitalist – November 27th – 10:00 PM EST/7:00 PM PST
International magician David Goldrake has developed a streaming magic show that takes many of the illusions that have made him an international star and Las Vegas headliner and combined them with newly created illusions to form the basis for his show The Prestidigitalist.
Your first question might be, what’s a prestidigitalist?
Honestly, it’s not a real word. It’s something Goldrake made up combining prestidigitation (nimble fingers) and digital (reflecting the way the world is enjoying entertainment these days).
I’ve seen Goldrake perform many times. Most of the performances I saw were at the Magic Castle. I also saw his Las Vegas show, Imaginarium. Earlier this year I was invited to see a workshop production of the show that became The Prestidigitalist.
While I haven’t seen the show as it currently stands, I know he’s quite talented and a truly engaging performer.
Tickets are $25 and the show is presented via Zoom. If you are unable to see The Prestidigitalist this weekend, there is another performance on December 11th.
Lea Salonga in Concert – Great Performances on PBS – check local listings
Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga performs a ninety-minute concert from the Sydney Opera House on PBS’ Great Performances.
Salonga made her Broadway debut as the ill-fated Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. It was for that performance that she earned her Tony Award.
Additional Broadway credits include Les Misérables, Flower Drum Song, Allegiance and the recent revival of Once on This Island.
The concert will include songs from several of these shows, if not necessarily exclusively songs she performed in them. Salonga will also perform songs from Mulan and Aladdin.
Concurrent with this concert on Great Performances, Salonga is releasing a recording of the full concert on November 27th on Broadway Records.
L’Elisir d’Amore – San Francisco Opera – November 28th – November 29th
Conducted by Bruno Campanella; starring Ramón Vargas, Inva Mula, Giorgio Caoduro, Alessandro Corbelli and Ji Young Yang. This James Robinson production is from the 2008-2009 season.
Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (“The Elixir of Love”) had its world premiere in Milan in 1832. The libretto by Felice Romani. L’Elisir d’Amore was inspired by Eugène Scribe’s libretto for Daniel Auber’s Le philtre.
In this opera, Adina and Nemorino are the couple at the center of the story. Nemorino is madly in love with Adina, but she toys with his love. In an act of desperation he purchases an “elixir” that he believes will make her fall in love with him. He pretends not to love her anymore which leads, of course, to the planning of their wedding. But will it take place? It’s a comic opera, of course it will!
Joshua Kosman, in his San Francisco Chronicle review, said one performance stood out. “…tenor Ramón Vargas gave a ravishing performance as Nemorino – his tone bright and fluid, his technique effortlessly precise and his comic presence winning but unobtrusive.
“Practiced hands know to look forward to ‘Una furtiva lagrima,’ the lyrical showpiece that Nemorino sings shortly before the final curtain, and Vargas’ rendition didn’t disappoint – it was marked by lustrous sound and generous, arching phrases, as well as a dazzlingly long-held approach to the final cadence.”
A Toast to Broadway – The Ridgefield Playhouse – November 28th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST
Connecticut’s The Ridgefield Playhouse is throwing a party that fans of musicals will want to see. A Toast to Broadway finds nearly 20 performers coming together to celebrate the Great White Way.
Tony Award winners Stephen Schwartz (Isabel Stevenson Award), Debbie Gravitte (Jerome Robbins’ Broadway) and Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray, Torch Song Trilogy) will be joined by Kelli Barrett (Rock of Ages), Ann Hampton Callaway (Tony nominee for Swing!), Sam Gravitte (Wicked), Morgan James (Postmodern Jukebox), LaKisha Jones (The Color Purple), Mark Kopitzke (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Jesse Leprotto (Newsies), Alli Mauzey (Wicked), Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) Seth Rudetsky, Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Scarlett Strallen (Mary Poppins) and Julius Thomas III (Hamilton).
Tickets are $35 with a portion of the proceeds going to The Actors Fund.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – On the Stage – November 28th – January 3rd
One of the best and most thrilling evenings of theatre I had in 2018 was seeing Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) in a one-man version of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story, A Christmas Carol.
This was riveting theatre that found Mays giving one of his finest performances ever.
He was cloaked in a production that was exciting and creative from director Michael Arden (Once on This Island). Mays, Arden and Susan Lyons adapted the story.
On the Stage will stream the show throughout the holidays. This is a newly filmed performance of A Christmas Carol. The runtime is 91 minutes. Tickets are $50 with an additional $7.50 in service charges. Your ticket allows you to watch the show for 24 hours.
Multiple theaters around the country are participating in A Christmas Carol. As the show was originally developed and produced at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, the link in the title goes to their website.
For One Knight Only – Acting for Others – November 29th – 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST
You have to be either a Knight or a Dame to be part of For One Knight Only. Thankfully the line-up of talent for this one-night only show (it is originating from England) includes two dames and three knights.
Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellan and Maggie Smith will come together for 90 minutes of storytelling, conversation and conviviality.
For One Knight Only is a fundraiser for Acting for Others which is providing support to out of work professionals involved with the performing arts in the United Kingdom.
The good thing is you don’t need to be a knight or dame to watch the show. Everyone is invited. Tickets are £45 which equates to approximately $60.
Patti Murin and Colin Donnell – Seth Rudetsky Concert Series – November 29th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST
We’ve selected shows by Andy Karl and Orfeh and just last week Kelli Barrett and Jarrod Spector. Welcome to another Broadway couple: Patti Murin and Colin Donnell.
Murin is best known for originating the role of Anna in the Broadway version of Frozen.
She made her Broadway debut in another film-turned-Broadway musical, Xanadu. She also originated the title role in 2011’s Lysistrata Jones.
Donnell made his Broadway debut in Jersey Boys. He was Billy Crocker in the Tony Award-winning 2011 revival of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes. His chemistry with Sutton Foster was so good in that show that he also appeared with her in the 2014 production of the musical Violet.
But his best chemistry is with Murin. They were married in 2015.
They are the headliners in this weekend’s Seth Concert Series from Seth Rudetsky (who joins as accompanist and host).
Tickets are $28.50 (which includes service charges). The concert is expected to run 90 minutes. If you cannot see the concert live on Sunday, there will be an encore streaming on Monday, November 30th at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST. The show will then be available on demand for a couple weeks.
Are you stuffed with all the Thanksgiving Weekend Best Bets you can handle? I hope not, because I have a few reminders of what else is available for your viewing pleasure.
There is another opportunity to see Ute Lemper’s Rendezvous with Marlene on Wednesday, November 25th at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST.
All three plays that make up The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro are available for streaming from Center Theatre Group. The plays are Oedipus El Rey, Mojada and Electricidad.
All episodes of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series remain available for viewing. Their shows include classical music, jazz, R&B and rock. Amongst the performers are J’nai Bridges, Andra Day, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Kamasi Washington. Gustavo Dudamel hosts all episodes and conducts most of the shows.
The theme at the Metropolitan Opera this week is family drama. So if you aren’t having enough drama at home, be sure to check out the operas available through Sunday.
That’s our complete list of Thanksgiving Weekend Best Bets.
I wish you, your friends and families the best possible weekend. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Enjoy the culture!
Photo: Jason Moran and The Bandwagon (Courtesy jasonmoran.com)