Best Bets: August 3rd – August 9th

Cultural Attaché’s Best Bets: August 3rd – August 9th are:

ANTHONY ROTH COSTANZO: MINIMALISM – Little Island – New York, NY – August 5^th – August 9^th

Countertenor Costanzo stars in and curated this series of concerts. The event page says it is “a week of concerts maximalizing Minimalist music.” Program specifics haven’t been released. He’ll be joined by a series of guests:

August 5^th and 6^th: Sandbox Percussion and pianist Bryan Wagorn.

August 7^th: PUBLIQuartet and pianists Vicky Chow and Bryan Wagorn

August 8^th and 9^th: Mezzo Soprano Rachael Wilson and pianists Vicky Chow and Bryan Wagorn

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

DEAD GIRL’S QUINCEAÑERA – Barrington Stage Company – Pittsfield, MA – August 5^th – August 29^th

OPENING NIGHT: AUGUST 9th

Phanésia Pharel’s play is having its world premiere in this production. She’s the playwright who wrote The Waterfall which played Off-Broadway.

The play revolves around the sudden disappearance of Maria from her quinceañera.

Her three best friends take it upon themselves to find out what happened. It is described as a “darkly hilarious take on true-crime obsession” and “teenage bravado.”

The cast is Carmen Berkeley, Ariana Burks, Andrea Ferro and Jacqueline Guillén.

Melia Benussen directs.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

Dead Girl’s Quinceañera will be performed at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre from September 26^th – November 1^st. It will also be performed at Hartford Stage in Hartford, CT from March 5^th – March 28^th of next year.

LAURA BENANTI: NOBODY CARES TOUR – Multiple Venues – August 6^th – October 11^th

Tony Award-winning actress and Melania Trump impersonator extraordinaire Laura Benanti is taking her comedy show on the road.

Benanti stars and created the show. Todd Almond co-wrote the songs with Benanti. Annie Tippe directs.

Benanti talks about the challenges of being a mother, getting older and trying to please others in this 65-minute show.

I’ve always been impressed with Benanti and this opportunity to see her as herself (albeit the on-stage version) is one I wouldn’t miss.

She begins at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater from August 6^th – 9^th. She’s then at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ from August 26^th – August 30^th. She’ll be at Baltimore Center Stage in Baltimore, MD from September 17^th – 26^th.

She heads West to appear at The Wallis in Beverly Hills from October 1^st – October 4^th and South Coast Repertory from October 8^th – 11^th.

She finishes for 2026 at The Huntington in Boston, MA from October 22^nd – October 25^th.

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

AN AMERICAN JOURNEY WITH YO-YO MA AND FRIENDS – Tanglewood – Lenox/Stockbridge, MA – August 8^th

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma has assembled a great line-up of talent and selection of music for this one-night only concert.

Joining him is the Boston Symphony Orchestra with conductors Teddy Abrams and Ken-David Masur.

Special guests are Jon Batiste, Jennifer Kreisberg, Aoife O’Donovan, Heather Cox Richardson, Bryan Stevenson and James Taylor.

The program includes music and songs by Batiste, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Brent Michael Davids, Antonin Dvořák, Stephen Foster, Charles Ives, Carole King, Kreisberg, John Knowles Paine and Julia Wolfe.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

TELLURIDE JAZZ FESTIVAL – Multiple Venues – Telluride, CO – August 7th – August 8th

This jazz festival is approaching its 50th anniversary next year, this is a great time to check out what they are doing. This year’s line-up has some major talent involved so why not now?

August 7th: The Disco Biscuits, Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, Endea Owens & The Cookout, DTF: Deitch, Teitel, Fribush, Voodoo Orchestra and the University of Colorado Jazz Thompson Combo.

August 8th: Lettuce Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Miles Davis, Robert Randolph, Theo Coker, Adrian Quesada’s Trio Asesino, Julian “J3Po” Pollack Trio; Telluride Students All-Stars Jazz Ensemble and Hooligans Brass Band.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

That’s all for Best Bets: August 3rd – August 9th.

Enjoy your week!

Go see a show!

Main Photo: Laura Benanti in Nobody Cares (Photo by Avery Brunkus/Courtesy The Production)