Best Bets: October 13th – October 19th

How I wish I could travel all over the country to catch this week’s Best Bets: October 13th – October 19th.

Here they are:

RAGTIME  – Vivian Beaumont Theatre – New York, NY – Now – June 14th EXTENDED!

This is the second revival of this powerful and moving musical by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Terrence McNally. It is based on E. L Doctorow’s novel. The original production ran 834 performances. The 2009 revival was less successful and ran only 65 performances.

But could there be a better time for this musical about, amongst other things, immigrants coming to America because it was a beacon of hope and opportunity? Ragtime also tells the story of a Black musician and his wife and a white family who all want to share in the American Dream.

Joshua Henry plays Coalhouse Walker, Jr. Caissie Levy plays Mother. Brandon Uranowitz plays Tateh. Colin Donnell plays Father. Nichelle Lewis is Sarah. Ben Levi Ross is Mother’s Younger Brother. Shaina Taub is Emma Goldman. Anna Grace Barlow is Evelyn Nesbit. Jon Clay III is Booker T. Washington. Rodd Cyrus is Harry Houdini. Nick Barrington is The Little Boy and Tabitha Lawing is The Little Girl.

Lear deBessonet (Into the Woods revival) directs. Ellenore Scott is the choreographer.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

GUAC – Kirk Douglas Theatre – Culver City, CA – October 14^th – November 2^nd  Opening Night: October 17th

On Valentine’s Day in 2018 one of America’s many high school shootings took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Amongst the victims was Joaquín “Guac” Oliver.

His father, Manuel, has put the pain, anger, love, activism and more into this one-man show about the seven years of his life since his son’s murder. This is the story of one man who refused to stay quiet. Who refused to be just move on. Who refused to do anything other than speak his mind.

The Washington Post said, “The vivid channeling of the Oliver’s home life and personalities…make the piece more than an issue drama. When the show is over, you miss this brave and lovable family – all of them.”

Oliver co-wrote this show with James Clement. Michael Cotey directs.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

GERSHWIN’S RHAPSODY IN BLUE – Dallas Sympony Orchestra – Dallas, TX – October 16^th – October 18^th

As much of a fan of Rhapsody in Blue as I am, this isn’t the main attraction of this concert. Though with Inon Barnatan at the piano, I’m sure this performance will be quite good. Nor is it a rare performance of Morton Gould’s Latin-American Symphonette.

This concert opens with the world premiere of for everything you keep losing by composer Angélica Negrón. She considers this work a requiem and the text (both Latin and contemporary poetry) reflects that. Note: Later this week we will be posting our interview with Negrón.

It’s a work that features four soloists and chorus in addition to the orchestra. The soloists for these performances are tenor Paul Appleby, mezzo-soprano Kimberly James, countertenor Key’mon Murrah and soprano Lauren Snouffer.

Fabio Luisi conducts. The concert includes the Dallas Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Anthony Blake Clark.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

PECK: MIAMI IN MOTION – Miami City Ballet – Adrienne Arsht Center – Miami, FL October 17^th – October 19th  // Broward Center – Fort Lauderdale, FL – November 1^st – 2^nd

Miami City Ballet starts their 40^th season with a program of works by three-time Tony Award winning choreographer Justin Peck (Carousel, Illinoise and Buena Vista Social Club).

Three works will be performed. They are Year of the Rabbit with features music by Sufjan Stevens (the same composer of the music for Illinoise). Chutes and Ladders is a work for two dancers set to solo cello music by Benjamin Britten. Heatscape is set in the Wynwood District of Miami and uses the music of Bohuslav Martinů and features designs by Shepard Fairey.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA 80^th ANNIVERSARY US TOUR – Multiple Venues – October 17^th – October 29^th

Santtu-Matias Rouvali leads London-based Philharmonia on a US tour celebrating their 80^th anniversary and simultaneously looking back at the orchestra’s Carnegie Hall concert 70 years ago conducted by Herbert von Karajan to celebrate their 10^th anniversary.

There are ten concerts on the tour and for eight of them pianist Víkingur Ólafsson will be performing. The other tour will feature pianist Alexandre Kantorow. Conductor Marin Alsop conducts two of the ten performances.

The tour begins at Jackson Hall in Davis, CA on October 17th.  The program opens with Gabriela Ortiz’s Si el oxígeno fuera verde. That is followed by Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 and concludes with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5.

October 18^th finds them at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA.  The program is the same as in Davis, except that the Beethoven opens the concert. They also perform a second concert there on October 19^th featuring Finlandia by Sibelius, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. 

October 20^th is at the Granada Theater in Santa Barbara, CA. This program includes both works by Sibelius mentioned above and the Shostakovich 5^th. 

Note: Ólafsson is not performing at the Santa Barbara concert as he has a solo recital at UCSB on October 22^nd.

October 21^st they perform at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, CA. This concert opens with Si el oxígeno fuera verde and is followed by the Ravel piano concerto and Shostakovich’s 5^thSymphony.

October 24^th the performance is at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, MI. This concert opens with Ortiz’s work followed by Beethoven’s Piano Concerto. No 5 and the Shostakovich 5^th.

October 26^th at Zoellner Arts Center in Bethlehem, PA is the first concert conducted by Marin Alsop with Kantorow and features a completely new program. Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture followed by Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The concert closes with Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.

October 27^th at The Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. Rouvali and Ólafsson are back with the Ortiz/Ravel/Sibelius program.

October 28^th is at Carnegie Hall and is the second concert with Alsop and Kantorow. This is the same program from October 26^th at Zoellner Arts Center.

The final concert on October 29^th is also at Carnegie Hall with Rouvali and Ólaffson. This is the Ortiz/Beethoven/Sibelius program.

For tickets and more information, please click on the venue names above.

That’s all for Best Bets: October 13th – October 19th.

Enjoy your week! Go see a show!

Main Photo: Manuel Oliver in Guac (Photo by Cameron Whitman/Courtesy Center Theatre Group)