Welcome to Best Bets: July 14th – July 20th. Our first pick can be enjoyed anywhere in the world. Also this week are some profane puppets, a rare opera, a play about Queen Elizabeth collaborating with Halston and a celebration of Tennessee Williams.
JAZZ IN JULY – 92nd Street Y – New York, NY – July 15th – July 26th All Shows Available for Live Streaming
The year’s Jazz in July series offers great concerts for fans of jazz:
July 15th: The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with John Pizzarelli
July 16th: Carlos Henriquez Nonet Njyorican Groove!
July 19th: Tenors of Our Time featuring Melissa Aldana, Chris Lewis, Walter Smith III, Lew Tabackin with pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Kush Abadey
July 22nd: Celebrating Geri Allen and Mary Lou Williams with singer Vanisha Gould, saxophonist Nicole Glover, pianist Diehl, bassist Nakamura and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington
July 23rd: Marta Sánchez Quintet Sanchez is a Spanish pianist who performs with drummer Savannah Harris, bassist Rick Rosato, tenor sax player Jeremy Viner and alto sax player Greg Ward. They will be joined by special guests vocalist Emma Frank, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and vocalist Vuyo Sotashe
July 26th: Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society with Aaron Diehl and the Aaron Diehl Trio. This is the most exciting of all the concerts as it Argue presents the world premiere of A Banquet for the Birds. Drummer Aaron Kimmel and bassist Nakamura are the other two members of Diehl’s trio.
Each performance will be live streamed and available for 72 hours after the performance.
For more information on in-person and streaming tickets, click on the name of each headliner above.
PUPPET UP! – UNCENSORED – Kirk Douglas Theatre – Culver City, CA – July 16th – July 27th
For those who remember when Avenue Q came out, the Tony Award-winning musical that marketed itself with Full Puppet Nudity, here comes a show that is far less family friendly and likely to tickle the funny bone of adults who don’t mind their humor on the raunchy and crude side.
The puppets here come from The Jim Henson Company. Brian Henson and Patrick Bristow created this show for adults and Bristow directs. The show is partially improvised based on ideas pitched to the cast by the audience. There are also recreations of legendary skits that Jim and Jane Henson did decades ago.
If you’ve ever seen outtakes from the Muppets, you know that the artists who bring them to life have a great (and sometimes wicked) sense of humor. Allowing them to do Puppet Up! without restrictions should make this a thoroughly enjoyable show.
There is also available a VIP cocktail party which involves a meet and greet, a cocktail (of course), photo ops and more.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL – Multiple Venues – Williamstown, MA – July 17th – August 3rd
This season marks the 71st Williamstown Theater Festival. This year Jeremy O. Harris (Slave Play) leads a Creative Collective that also includes Kaia Gerber, Alyssa Reeder, Alex Stoclet and Christopher Rudd. This year they are focusing on the works of Tennessee Williams.
Camino Real runs on the MainStage from Julyu 19th – August 3rd. The cast includes Pamela Anderson, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Vin Knight, April Matthis, Bruce McKenzie and Whitney Peak. Dustin Willis directs.
The Gig: After Moise and the World of Reason runs July 18th – August 2nd. This is taking place on an ice rink and is adapted from a 1975 novel by Williams entitled Moishe and the World of Reason.
Many Happy Returns run July 18th – August 3 and is a dance piece from Monica Bill Barnes and Robbie Sanez de Viteri.
Not About the Nightingales runs July 17th – August 3rd. Robert O’Hara (Slave Play) directs a cast that includes Brian Geraghty, William Jackson Harper, Elizabeth Lail and Chris Messina.
Spirit of the People runs July 17th – August 1st and is the world premiere of a new play by Harris. What else do you need to know to want to get tickets for this one?
The Things Around Us runs July 17th – August 1st and is a solo musical by and starring Ahamefule J. Oluo.
Vanessa, the opera by Samuel Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti, runs July 17th – August 3rd. This is a new adaptation/production from innovative New York-based Heartbeat Opera. The cast includes Inna Dukach, Roy Hage, Joshua Jeremiah, Ori Marcu and Mary Phillips. R.B. Schlather directs with music direction by Jacob Asworth (who adapted the opera) and Dan Schlosberg (who arranged the music.)
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
QUEEN FOR A DAY – Bramble Arts Loft – The Berry – Chicago, IL – Now – August 3rd
This world premiere play by Tyler Anthony Smith is going to be compared to Oh Mary! But that’s way too easy.
Fashion designer Halston (Will Lidke) is not at the height of his career. He’s occupying an office in New York that he doesn’t really have a right to, his planned line of clothes with J.C. Penny’s didn’t happen and he’s fighting both his anger and his reliance on cocaine.
Enter Queen Elizabeth I (Smith) who reaches out to Halston to design a dress for her death. Halston doesn’t really believe what’s happening. The conversations between the two range from the deeply serious to the wildly absurd.
Speaking of absurd, enter Halston’s good friend Liza Minnelli (Dakota Hughes) pondering her new big show.
What Smith does with this play is to create a story about mistakes, relationships, regrets that features outrageously fun absurdity and deeply felt emotions. (One of the key differences from the outstanding Oh Mary!)
Stephanie Shaw directs. I expect word of mouth to be good on this one. Look for an extension for this Hell in a Handbag production.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
GENERACIÓN PERDIDA / L’AMICO FRITZ – Teatro Grattacielo – La MaMa – New York, NY – July 18th – July 20th
One new opera and a rarely performed opera are being performed by Teatro Grattacielo this week.
On Friday, July 18th, they will present the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s Generación Perdida. Featuring a single mezzo soprano, Victoria Vargas, the opera examines the violence in Mexico and Latin America. Acts that take the form of kidnapping, disappearances and murders. Acts that have more complex reasons for happening.
The opera is based on Javier Moro Hernandez’s book of the same name.
The production is directed by Elena Araoz and Tianhui Ng conducts.
On Saturday and Sunday they will offer two performances of Mascagni’s L’Amico Fritz. The composer is best known for his own-act opera Cavalleria rusticana. This opera has a libretto by Nicola Daspuro (a pseudonym for P. Suardon).
L’Amico Fritz had its world premiere in Rome in 1891. It is centered on Fritz Kobus (Jeremy Brauner) who bets his friend David (Suchan Kim) that he will never marry. Enter Suzel (Kathleen Echols on July 19th/Claire Tendl on July 20th) who challenges his resolve.
Anna Laura Miszerak directs the production and Andy Anderson conducts.
For tickets and more information for Generación Perdida, please go HERE. For tickets and more information for L’Amico Fritz, please go HERE.
Enjoy your week!
Go see a show!
Main Photo: Carlos Henriquez (Courtesy 92nd Street Y)