Two very different productions of Shakespeare’s plays are joined by a rock ballet based on a classic album by The Who, the world premiere of a major work by cellist Gautier Capuçon and a final work by legendary composer/lyricist William Finn are all to be found in Best Bets: November 10th – November 16th. And two of them you can watch at home!
RICHARD II – Astor Place Theater – New York, NY – Now – December 14th – OPENING NIGHT November 10th
Craig Baldwin has adapted William Shakespeare’s Richard II also known as The Life and Death of King Richard the Second. This production takes place in New York City in the 1980s.
Starring as Richard II is Michael Urie. The cast includes Ron Canada, Grantham Coleman, Kathryn Meisle, David Mattar Merten, Lux Pascal, James Seol, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Ryan Spahn, Emily Swallow and Sarin Monae West.
Beyond the casting of Urie, what intrigues me most about this production is Australian director Baldwin who has directed highly acclaimed productions of plays by Annie Baker, Samuel D. Hunter and Jonathan Spector in Australia.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
QUADROPHENIA – New York City Center – New York, NY – November 14th – November 16th
My favorite rock opera by The Who is not Tommy, it’s Quadrophenia. The album was released in 1973 and turned into a film by Franc Roddam in 1979. The music is utterly compelling and the lyrics tell an incredible about a young Mod (short for modernist) named Jimmy.
He is floundering. His relationship with his parents is rubbish, he has no direction in his life and he’s abandoned by his girlfriend. Drugs and memories of a better time in Brighton seem to be his only option. But a last-ditch effort to find peace there doesn’t pan out as expected leading to my favorite song on the album (and the last track) Love, Reign O’er Me.
Earlier this year director Rob Ashford and choreographer Paul Roberts collaborated on this “rock ballet” adaptation of Quadrophenia. Rock ballet is code for not a traditional ballet. But who would want that with this music?
Rachel Fuller, who is married to The Who’s Pete Townsend, adapted and co-orchestrated the music which is performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (recorded, not live.)
The 22-person company is led by Paris Fitzpatrick as Jimmy, Adam Garcia as Father, Kate Tydman as Mother and Ansel Elgort as Godfather.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
TWELFTH NIGHT – PBS Great Performances – November 14th (Check local listings)
This summer the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park reopened with a star-filled production of Shakespeare’s comedy centered on twins who survive a shipwreck. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The New York Times made it a Critic’s Pick.
Starring as the twins were actual twins, Lupita Nyong’o and Junior Nyong’o. They are joined by Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sandra Oh and Daphne Rubin-Vega.
Director Saheem Ali made some structural changes to Twelfth Night. Given the reviews, it seems as though those choices were solid. After all, If music be the food of love, play on.
In addition to airing on PBS stations, you can stream the play on the PBS website and PBS app.
GAUTIER CAPUÇON “GAÏA – San Francisco Symphony – San Francisco, CA – November 16th
In last week’s New In Music I wrote about how impressive cellist Gautier Capuçon’s Gaïa is. It’s a work exploring our relationship to Mother Earth through 17 new compositions by 16 contemporary composers.
Amongst the best known of those composers are Bryce Dessner, Joe Hisaishi, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Max Richter and Abel Selaocoe.
For this one-night only concert, Capuçon will perform Gaïa. It is the only concert where he will be doing so currently on his calendar. This is the world premiere performance of these works.
Joining Capuçon are Jérome Ducros on piano and the following cellists who are part of San Francisco Symphony’s Youth Orchestra: Timothy Huang, Anthony Jung, Melissa Lam, Ethan Lee, Claire Topper and Cara Wang. Composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Quenton Blanche will also join for their compositions.
Interestingly, only one of Dessner’s pieces is on the program, even though two are on the record. Perhaps that will be the encore?
For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
ONCE EVERY HUNDRED YEARS – 54 Below – November 16th – November 17th – STREAMING OPTION November 17th
Tony Award winning composer and lyricist William Finn gave us such musicals as In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, Falsettoland (the latter two combined to make Falsettos), A New Brain, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Little Miss Sunshine.
When he passed away in April of this year, it turns out he had one more project yet to be heard. Once Every Hundred Years is a song cycle that uses the Covid-19 pandemic as its backdrop to explore how we humans operate, what we think and, most importantly, how we feel. Danny Ursetti wrote the music.
For two nights, 54 Below will present the New York premiere of Once Every Hundred Years with Jeff Blumenkrantz, Demond Green and Zachary Noah Piser. Joe Calarco directs with Benji Goldsmith as Music Director.
The performance on Monday, November 17th can be livestreamed. Both performances are at 7:00 PM ET.
For tickets and more information, please go HERE. For streaming tickets, please go HERE.
A New York revival of Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is currently in previews at New World Stages with opening scheduled for November 17th. For tickets and more information, please go HERE.
That’s Best Bets: November 10th – November 16th.
Enjoy your week! Go see a show!
Main Photo: Michael Urie in Richard II (Photo by Carol Rosegg/Courtesy Red Bull Theater)