Did you know the original name for The Festival, the upstate New York three-day celebration of Broadway musicals and its stars that begins on Friday, was A Weekend in the Country?
That former name comes from, of course, the song that concludes Act 1 of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s A Little Night Music.
Oh, the choices we all must make! On Friday, I will be going to Hutton Brickyards in Kingston, NY to experience all three days of The Festival. I’m already trying to figure out how to get the most of my three days.
While they didn’t keep A Weekend in the Country as the event’s name, producers Josh Saltman and David B. Schwartz did think it was a great name for the opening night’s The Big Show. Each night has its headliners and this Friday it will be Cara Rose DiPietro, Christopher Jackson, Mandy Gonzalez, Javier Muñoz, Alex Newell, Adam Pascal, the newly added Jasmine Amy Rogers and Tess Soltau.
Rogers, a Tony nominee for Boop! The Musical, is going to be starring in a new revival of The Sound of Music at Lincoln Center in March of next year.
She’ll also be doing her own concert at The Festival on Friday from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.
But I’ll only be able to hear part of that show as former co-stars in Hadestown (and husband-and-wife) Reeve Carney and Eva Nobelzada perform from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Saturday has even more choices to make.
I’ll probably start at the 80’s Jukebox to hear Amber Ardolino, Norbert Leo Butz, Jenn Colella, Cara Rose DiPietro, Tyler Joseph Ellis, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lena Hall, Christopher Jackson, Kelli O’Hara and Solea Pfeiffer sing hits from the 80s.
But I’ll have to leave that early for….
A must-see is the Previews of New Musicals which offers excerpts from seven different musicals.
The seven musicals are Autopilot (an autobiographical musical by Lexi Weakley with Jeremy Jacobs), Bludline: A Hip-Hop Odyssey (A Richard Rodgers Award winner which tells the story of The Odyssey); Huzzah! (from the duo that gave us Bat Boy, a personal favorite); Love Somebody (featuring Betty Who – also the composer/lyricist); Regency Girls (from a team that consists of writers for Seinfeld and Veep, lyrics by a writer of Mr. Saturday Night and music by the composer for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel); Someday Soon (an indie-rock musical from Pearl and the Beard) and Star Machine (from the family Temple including mom, dad and their two sons).
But I’ll have to leave that early for…
Lena Hall. The Tony Award-winner for her performance in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and easily the best Audrey I’ve ever seen in Little Shop of Horrors. Her show is at 3:00 PM. She can belt a Broadway tune like it’s nobody’s business. Then the next song will find her rocking out ferociously.
But I’ll have to scurry once she’s done to get to…
Jason Robert Brown & Friends. I’ve been following Brown’s career for quite some time – both as a composer and as a performer. For this show he’s joined by Nobert Leo Butz, Kelli O’Hara and Nasia Thomas.
Finally! I have a 15-minute break before the 30th Anniversary Rent Celebration. Jennifer Ashley Tepper will talk to 13 members of the original cast (sadly, Idina Menzel isn’t amongst them) and there will also be some performances.
Then it’s The Big Show: Saturday Night! (Another nod to Stephen Sondheim. IFYKYK) The line-up includes Ardolino, Colella, Tommy Bracco, Butz, Goldsberry, Hall, O’Hara, Pfeiffer, Matt Rodin, Seth Rudetsky and Betty Who.
Do I stick around for Campfire with Matt Rdoin (featuring many of the people already appearing that day)? Do I go to Club Cumming’s piano bar? Or do I rest up for the final day?
Sunday closes The Festival and the choices are a little easier for me.
I’ll start at noon with Broadway’s Next Generation which features 13 possible future stars on Broadway. Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen) hosts that show. He also has his own show at 3:00 PM.
Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp will celebrate their shared lives in the spotlight (they of Rent, of course) in a show at 1:15 PM.
Duet To Me One More Time features Broadway stars singing duets, presumably from musicals. The cast includes DB Bonds, Colella, Ellis, Feldman, Pascal, Lauren Patten, Soltau, Talia Suskauer, Who and Mitch Wood.
Once again, I’ll have to leave early to catch Tom Kitt & Friends. Those friends are Patten, Pfeiffer, Rapp and Suskauer. He’s the composer of If/Then and Next to Normal.
As that finishes, Rudetsky hosts an auction for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. I won’t be doing any shopping, but I’ll take a look!
The final Big Show is a truly big one and is entitled Sunday in the Park.
Appearing in the last show of the weekend are Denée Benton, Feldman, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patten, Rodin and Suskauer.
I’ve been so excited about The Festival since it was first announced. I’m looking forward to seeing many of the artists I’ve been following for years (and seeing for years). It is my hope that The Festival exceeds my expectations and those of every person who attends.
After all, who wouldn’t want there to be another Weekend in the Country next year?
If you see me and would like to say hello, please do so. You might have to catch me while I’m running from venue-to-venue!
Main Photo: The Festival North Lawn (Courtesy The Festival)