Events are slowing down and Best Bets: December 15th – January 4th is the last Best Bets for 2025 and the first for 2026.
THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE – Red Bull Theater at Symphony Space – New York, NY – December 15th
Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors served as the inspiration for this musical by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart & George Abbott.
The musical opened on Broadway in November of 1938. It includes the songs Falling in Love With Love, This Can’t Be Love and You Took Advantage of Me.
The plot involves identical twins who are separated at a young age in a shipwreck. Another set of twins, also separated, are their servants. Upon arrival in Syracuse a wild story of mistaken identity ensues and leads to the inevitable happy ending.
Jesse Berger directs this one-night only performance that features an adaptation by David ives. The cast includes Robert Cuccioli, Nikki Renée Daniels, Damon Daunno, Stephen Derose, Santino Fontana, Julie Halston, T.R. Knight, Mark Linn-Baker and a special appearance by Michael Urie.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE. Note there are limited tickets available.
LIGHT UP THE SKY – Symphony Space – New York, NY – December 16th
Another major event at Symphony Space. Moss Hart’s satire about a show about a play about to open, gets a one-night-only staged reading with another all-star cast.
This is a passion project for Santino Fontana (who is also in The Boys From Syracuse) who also appears in the reading with Jelani Alladin, Daniel Breaker, Deborah S. Craig, Andy Grotelueschen, Harriet Harris, Tony Shalhoub, Sarah Stiles and Julie White.
Though comedies don’t run 3 hours these days, Moss Hart was a one-of-a-kind writer. Those three hours will fly by.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE. There are limited tickets available.
AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS – Mitzie E. Newhouse Theatre – New York, NY – December 16th – January 4th
Lincoln Center Theater and The Metropolitan Opera team up for this new production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors.
Kenny Leon directs this 45-minute opera that tells the story of a young boy, Amahl, who sees a brightly shining star. Later he encounters three kings who give Amahl a thoughtful opportunity to do something bigger than himself.
Albert Rhodes Jr. sings the role of Amahl. Phillip Boykin, Bernard Holcomb and Todd Thomas sing the roles of the three kings. Joyce DiDonato sings the role of Amahl’s mother.
Note that DiDonato will not be performing on December 22nd, December 23rd and December 30th. Olivia Vote will sing at those performances.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
PIANO SPHERES PRESENTS: ARON KALLAY – MIDCENTURY/MODERN – Colburn School Thayer Hall – Los Angeles – December 16th
Los Angeles-based Piano Spheres continues celebrating its 30th anniversary with their 30 for 30 commissioning initiative.
This concert finds pianist Aron Kallay will give world premiere performances of new works by Michael Frazier (garrapatero aní), Zanaida Robles (LA River Scenes) and Brandon Rolle (Hypnagogia). I’m a big fan of Robles’ choral music. Hearing her work for piano should prove quite interesting.
They will be performed alongside Graźyna Bacewicz’s Piano Sonata No. 2 and Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
HIGH NOON – Harold Pinter Theatre – London, England – December 17th – March 6th
Fred Zinnemann’s 1952 film about a marshal who is about to retire, but finds himself lulled into one more case when a gang of four outlaws plans to arrive in town the day before a new marshal is installed.
Gary Cooper starred as Marshal Will Kane. The gang was played by Ian MacDonald, Lee Van Cleef, Robert J. Wilkie and Sheb Wolley. Grace Kelly played Amy Fowler Kane, Will Kane’s new bride.
Eric Roth, the screenwriter of Forrest Gump, has adapted Carl Foreman’s screenplay for this world premiere.
Billy Crudup (so good in The Pillowman on Broadway in 2005) takes on the role of Will Kane and Denise Gough (Angels in America) plays Amy Folwer. The cast also includes Billy Howle, Rosa Salazar along with ten other actors.
Thea Sharrock (Equus) directs. Chris Egan composed the music and there is no indication if the movie’s memorable Oscar-winning theme song is included.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
ELLINGTON’S NUTCRACKER & TCHAIKOVKSY’S WINTER DAYDREAMS – Los Angeles Philharmonic – Los Angeles, CA – December 18th – December 21st
This is a twist on the traditional holiday season concerts. The program opens with Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances. The work has composed in 2022 and this is the first LA Phil performance. The four dances in Simon’s piece are Ring Shout, Waltz, Tap! And Holy Dance.
That is followed by Duke Ellington’s The Nutcracker Suite. It’s my favorite interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s music that pays homage to the original and parts ways as needed. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable work. Billy Strayhorn, Ellington’s longtime collaborator, should have shared composer credits on this work.
The concert closes with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1 in G minor. Thomas Wilkins conducts.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
BIRTH + CARNAGE – La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club– New York, NY – December 19th – December 21st
This is a world premiere of choreographer/director Marla Phelan’s new work. The website calls this a dance work “fusing choreography, astrophysics and video installation.” It goes on to say “the piece is inspired by the astrophysical phenomenon of stellar birth as both a visceral metaphor and choreographic framework.”
Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?
The dancers are Damontae Hack, Sydney Hirai, Mizuho Kappa, Eleni Loving, Sayer Mansfield, Meenah Neemeh, Wyeth Walker and Paul Zivkovich.
Her collaborators on this are astrophysicist Dr. Blakesley Burkhart, director Tim Richardson and video artists Klsr and reinfected.me.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
I PURITANI – Metropolitan Opera – December 31st – January 18th
Every year ends at the Met in New York with a new production. This year it is Bellini’s I Puritani. The production is by Charles Edwards who is making his company directorial debut.
Vincenzo Bellini’s I Puritani had its world premiere in Paris in 1835. The libretto was written by Carlo Pepoli. This was the composer’s final work. He died eight months after the premiere of this opera.
I Puritani is set in 1650 England. Elvira and Arturo are going to be married. He is a Royalist and she is a Puritan. (Puritanism was a religious reform movement that originated in the late 16th Century and believed that The Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church had too much in common and weren’t rooted in the text of the Bible.) Riccardo, a Puritan, is also in love with Elvira and believes himself to have already been promised her. The three must navigate not just their romantic entanglement, but also the political issues and intrigue surrounding the English Civil War.
Lisette Oropesa stars as Elvira. Lawrence Brownlee sings the role of Arturo and Artur Riciński sings the role of Riccardo.
Marco Armiliato conducts. Note that the January 10th performance will be shown worldwide as part of the Met Opera Live in HD series.
For in person tickets and more information, please go HERE. For LIVE in HD details, please go HERE.
THE EXPONENTIAL FESTIVAL – Multiple Venues – Brooklyn, NY – January 3rd – February 7th
This annual festival, launched in 2016, allows experimental artists to have their first shows in New York City. It’s a play for audiences to explore, experience and engage in a dialogue with up ‘n’ coming artists.
This year’s festival opens with Ann Marie Dorr’s I’m going to take my pants off now which will have seven performances. Amongst the intriguing works on this year’s schedule are Kyoko Takenaka’s I’m here & I love you, Noah Latty’s play Time Signatures, Aeon Andreas’s Faggotica, Professional Development with Little Lord, Maleek Rae and Amani Meliyah’s Bodycount and Hillary Gao’s I want to hold onto something beautiful and not empty.
For the full schedule, tickets and more information, please go HERE.
That’s all for Best Bets: December 15th – January 4th
Enjoy your holidays. Go see a show. Whether you are in Paris or Peoria, New York or Nathalia, Los Angeles or Lamarão, support your local theaters and explore the joys and wonders to be found in the performing arts.
Main Photo: Denise Gough, Billy Crudup and the company of High Noon in rehearsals (Photo by Johan Persson)