BEST BETS: September 29th – October 5th

In this week’s Best Bets: September 29th – October 5th, I have for you a powerful play, a hip-hop musical having its world premiere, two different music festivals and a new work by composer John Adams.

PUNCH – Samuel J. Friedman Theatre – New York, NY – September 29^th – November 2^nd OPENING NIGHT: September 29^th

Jacob Dunne got into a fight in Nottingham in the summer of 2011. He was 19 years old. The fight was brief. One punch. With that, the fight was over and so was the life of James Hodgkinson. 

Dunne ultimately wrote a memoir which serves as the inspiration for this play by James Graham (Ink, Dear England). It isn’t just this one act of violence that sets this story apart. It is Hodgkinson’s parents (Joan & David) who, wanting to understand how Dunne could have done this to a total stranger, ultimately develop a relationship with Dunne that leads to a catharsis for them all.

In her review for The Guardian in London, Arifa Akbar wrote, “What is extraordinary is that tucked inside this grave account of crime, punishment, forgiveness and rehabilitation is warmth and humour. You leave the auditorium feeling hope.”

Will Harrison plays Jacob, Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark plays Joan and Sam Robards plays David. Also in the cast are Camila Canó-Flaviá, Cody Kostro, Piter Marek and Lucy Taylor.

Adam Penford, who directed the production in England, directs.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

ROME SWEET ROME – Chicago Shakespeare Theater –  Chicago, IL – Now – October 19^th

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar gets paired up with ‘90s hip hop songs (most of which you’ll know) in this 80-minute show having its world premiere.

This comes from the minds of the Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, JAX and POS). They are no strangers to Shakespeare having given their own take on Romeo and Juliet (called I Heart Juliet); The Comedy of Errors (called The Bomb-itty of Errors); Two Gentlemen of Verona (called Dress the Part) and Othello (called Othello: The Remix). They love their hip-hop and they love the Bard. And they have no problem blending the two.

JQ, JAX and POS appear in the show along with Janyce Caraballo, Danielle Davis, Victor Musoni, Cage Sebastian Pierre, Maya Vince Prentiss, Jonathan Shaboo and Bri Sudia. The Q Brothers Collective directed.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is offering a 50% discount to any Tuesday or Wednesday performance using the promo code “SPOOKY.”

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

EAR TAXI FESTIVAL – Various Venues – Chicago, IL – October 3^rd – November 2^nd

The Ear Taxi Festival is a festival celebrating contemporary classical music. It takes place every four years. This is the third festival. Each festival has its own theme and directors. 

This year’s theme is The Composer’s Voice. There are over 700 performers this year and 60 hours of events. This is the largest such festival in the Midwest.

The directors are Executive Director Tim Corpus, Artistic Director LaRob K. Rafael and Curatorial Director Amy Wurtz.

The festival opens on Friday, October 3^rd with a performance of Lost Objects written by Bang on a Can collective members Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe. It will be performed by vocal ensemble Bella Voce & the Bella Voce Sinfonia conducted by Andrew Lewis.

For those who want to explore what’s going on with new music, this is the festival for you. There are small ensemble performances, large ensembles, vocal, instrumental and everything else you can imagine.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

Check back on Wednesday for my interview with Tim Corpus.

MARIN ALSOP AND YUNCHAN LIM – Philadelphia Orchestra – Philadelphia, PA –  October 3^rd – October 5^th

Pianist Yunchan Lim will be performing Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet selections is also on the program.

But it’s the first ten minutes that stands out for this concert as the Philadelphia Orchestra gives the world premiere of The Rock You Stand On by John Adams. This was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Adams wrote it for Alsop.

In the program Adams says that the title “is not meant to suggest anything other than perhaps hinting at the qualities – loyalty, determination, devotion – that make Marin Alsop so very special to me.”

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

M³ FESTIVAL 2025 – Roulette – Brooklyn, NY – October 4^th

This annual festival explores, over the course of one 3-hour concert, what’s going on in jazz. All aspects of jazz. 

This year’s lineup includes Victoria Awkward, Kenny Barron, Melanie Dyer, Devon Gates, Matt Greenwood, Kyoko Kitamura, Gili Lopes, Maia, Mnisibass, Shoko Nagai, Mara Rosenbloom, Kess Southpaw, Becca Stevens, Ghost Stories, Satoshi Takeishi, Vertical Sounds Trio, Vortex, Immanuel Wilkins and Siren Xypher.

M³ is an organization called Mutual Mentorship for Musicians. They bring a wide range of musicians together to create opportunities for collaboration, mentorship and community building within the music industry.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE. You don’t have to be in Brooklyn to enjoy the M³ Festival 2025. There are also digital tickets available on the website!

That’s all for Best Bets: September 29th – October 5th.

Enjoy your week and go see a show!

Main Photo: Bri Sudia, Postell Pringle (POS) and Cage Sebastian Pierre in Rome Sweet Rome (Photo by Kyle Flubacker/Courtesy Chicago Shakespeare Theater)