We have fifteen different options for you this week. Attention Margaret Cho fans, we will tell you how to start and end your weekend with her.

Here are your Best Bets at Home: November 6th – November 8th:

Solitude – LA Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage – November 6th

This week’s filmed performance from the Hollywood Bowl finds Gustavo Dudamel leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program entitled Solitude. There are two works being performed and they both look at the idea of being alone in very different ways.

First up is the American premiere of Dawn by Thomas Adés. The work had its world premiere earlier this year in a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra conduced by Simon Rattle. It’s designed for our socially distant times and for an orchestra of indeterminate size.

Dawn will be followed by Duke Ellington’s Solitude as arranged by Morton Gould. It’s one of Ellington’s finest.

Both of these works are less than ten minutes. This will be a shorter Sound/Stage, but who wants to spend more time than that alone?

As a reminder, previous episodes of Sound/Stage are also available for viewing.

Virtual Halston – November 6th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST

After a couple weeks off to shoot a film, Julie Halston returns with Virtual Halston. Her guest this week is Margaret Cho.

For the uninitiated, Halston holds an on-line salon where pithy conversation and witty repartee are the main ingredients. (Of course, I’d suggest having a martini in hand, too.)

Whether you know Cho for her music, her stand-up comedy, her film and television appearances or her activism, you know she’s smart, funny and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

There’s no charge to watch Virtual Halston. However, donations are encouraged and proceeds will go to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

Midori and Ieva Jokubaviciute – 92 Street Y – November 6th – 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST

Violinist Midori and pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute perform works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, César Franck and Edvard Grieg in this recital.

Midori and Jokubaviciute have been collaborating since 2016. What began as a handful of recitals in Canada, Columbia, Germany and Austria has turned into worldwide performances together.

Grieg is first with his Sonata No. 2 in G Major, Op. 13. This three-movement sonata was written in what is now called Oslo in 1867.

Mozart follows with Sonata in E-flat Major, K. 302. This two-movement sonata was composed in 1778.

Franck closes the program with his Sonata in A Major. This four-movement sonata was written in 1886 as a wedding gift from the composer. It’s first public performance was in December of the same year.

Tickets are $15.

Alan Broadbent and Don Falzone – Mezzrow – November 6th – November 7th

Pianist Alan Broadbent and bassist Don Falzone will be performing four sets between Friday and Saturday night live from Mezzrow in New York City. There are sets each night at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST and 9:00 PM EST/6:00 PM PST.

If your first introduction to Broadbent was his Grammy Award-winning arrangement for Natalie Cole’s When I Fall In Love, you might be surprised to learn he’s been closely involved with some of the most celebrated music of all-time. Sometimes as a pianist, other times as an arranger.

A diverse list of his collaborators would include David Byrne, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Diana Kroll, Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart and Barbra Streisand. He’s also recorded 26 records as a leader.

In addition to working with Broadbent, Falzone has worked with David Lindley, Eric Person and Rufus Wainwright.

There is no cost to watch the performance, though donations are encouraged. Sponsorship tickets are also available at $40.

The link in the heading is for Friday night’s shows. To access Saturday night’s shows, please go here.

José James Celebrates Bill Withers – SFJAZZ – November 6th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

When this 2019 concert took place at SFJAZZ, James was supporting his 2018 album Lean on Me which celebrated Bill Withers. This concert, part of SFJAZZ’s Fridays at Five series, will be a bit more melancholy than it was originally as we lost Withers earlier this year.

The album found James performing classic Withers songs like Ain’t No Sunshine, Lovely Day, Just the Two of Us and the title track.

I enjoy James and his music, whether he’s performing jazz or soul or hip-hop influenced material. I’m looking forward to this concert.

SFJAZZ asks that you become a member to enjoy their Fridays at Five concerts. Membership is $5 for one month of shows or $60 for a full year. It’s a bargain in my book.

Fred Hersch – Village Vanguard – November 6th – November 7th

Jazz pianist Fred Hersch is offering two different performances this weekend from New York’s Village Vanguard. On Friday night he’ll be performing solo on the piano.

His latest album, Songs from Home, was released on Friday. The project finds him recording in quarantine from his home. Songs by Jimmy Webb, Joni Mitchell, Cole Porter, The Beatles and Duke Ellington’s Solitude are included on the record.

On Saturday night he’ll be performing with saxophonist Miguel Zenón.

Zenón has released twelve albums as a leader – the most recent being 2019’s Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera. He’s toured and recorded with numerous artists including David Gilmore, Charlie Haden, Danilo Pérez, Antonio Sánchez, Kenny Werner and Fred Hersch. He was named Jazz Artist of the Year on the 2014 Jazz Times Critics Poll.

Tickets for each concert are $10 and include the ability to stream the performance for 24 hours.

One Man, Two Guvnors – PBS Great Performances – November 6th – check local listings

I’ve written about this hilarious play starring James Corden before. I’m including it again because if you just want to laugh yourself silly for a couple hours, you should watch One Man, Two Guvnors.

The filmed performance is airing on Great Performances on PBS. As with all PBS programming, best to check your local listings for start time and exact airdate.

Border Crossings Part 1 – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – November 6th – 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is launching an ambitious new program entitled Close Quarters. The series, which will have multiple episodes between now and June 4, 2021, will combine performances by select LACO members paired with images and art created by James Darrah.

This first concert features Baroque works and Baroque-inspired composers originating from Bolivia, Mexico and Spain. On the program is Diferencias sobre la gayta by Anónimo and Martín Y Coll; Sonata Chiquitana IV by anonymous, Concierto barroco by José Enrique González Medina and Gallardas by Santiago de Murcia.

Patricia Mabee, who curated the program, leads from the harpsichord. She will be joined by Josefina Vergara and Susan Rishik on violin, Armen Ksajikian on cello, Ben Smolen on flute, Jason Yoshida on theorbo/baroque guitar and Petri Korpela on percussion.

There is no charge to watch the performance which will be available on the LACO website, their YouTube channel and Facebook Live.

Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera – San Francisco Opera – November 7th – November 8th

Nicola Luisotti conducts; starring Julianna Di Giacomo, Thomas Hampson, Ramón Vargas, Heidi Stober, Dolor Zajick, Efraín Solís, Christian Van Horn and Scott Conner. This Jose Maria Condemi production is from the 2014-2015 season.

Verdi’s opera, translated A Masked Ball, had its premiere in Rome in 1859. Librettist Antonio Somma used the libretto written by Eugène Scribe for the opera, Gustave III, ou Le Ballo masqué, written by Daniel Auber in 1833. 

The opera is based on the real life assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden who was killed while attending a masquerade ball in Stockholm. 

Verdi takes some dramatic liberties which certainly enhances the drama. Riccardo is in love with Amelia. She, however, is the wife of his good friend and confidante, Renato. Riccardo is warned by his friend that there is a plot to kill him at the ball. Paying no attention to the warning, Riccardo instead seeks out Ulrica, a woman accused of being a witch. In disguise he visits Ulrica to have his fortune read. She tells him he will be killed by the next man who shakes his hand. That next man turns out to be Renato. What follows is a story of intrigue, deception, questions of fidelity and, of course, the assassination.

Di Giacomo made both her company debut and role debut as Amelia in this production. Lisa Hirsch, in her review for the San Francisco Gate, said of her performance, “Di Giacomo has the ideal voice for this role, beautiful, fresh and easily produced, from glowing top to bottom. She lacks for nothing technically, singing with a gorgeous legato and noble, long-breathed phrasing, not to mention exquisite dynamic control, whether pleading for a last view of her child in Morrò, ma prima in grazia or contemplating the gallows at midnight in Ma dall’arido stelo divulsa.”

Marcus Strickland Trio – Smalls – November 7th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST

This is the same trio about which I wrote when they played in September at Blue Note. The difference here is you don’t have to pay to see the performance, though donations are encouraged for both the artist and the venue.

Strickland was named “Best New Artist” in the 2006 JazzTimes Reader’s Poll.

In Critic’s Polls for DownBeat he was named the 2008 “Rising Star on Soprano Saxophone” and the 2010 “Rising Star on Tenor Saxophone.”

He’s been releasing albums since 2001’s At Last. His most recent recording was 2018’s People of the Sun. 

Joining Strickland again will be Ben Williams on bass and E.J. Strickland (his twin brother) on drums.

There is a second set at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST. Sponsorship seats are available for $40 per set.

Amor y Odio – Verdi Chorus – November 8th – November 22nd

Los Angeles-based Verdi Chorus has put together their first pandemic-era concert. It is called Amor y Odio and the concert will celebrate Songs of Spain and the New World.

A subset of the Verdi Chorus known as The Fox Singers make up the singers for the first of several virtual concerts they are producing. The singers for Amor y Odio are sopranos Tiffany Ho and Sarah Salazar; mezzo-soprano Judy Tran; tenors Joseph Gárate and Elias Berezin; and bass Esteban Rivas.

Anne Marie Ketchum, Artistic Director, leads the performance. Laraine Ann Madden is the accompanist.

The premiere of the concert will take place at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST on Sunday, November 8th. The concert will remain available through November 22nd.

Be sure to read our interview with Sarah Salazar who has quite a story of determination against the odds.

Johnny O’Neal and Mark Lewandowski – Mezzrow – November 8th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST

Jazz pianist and vocalist Johnny O’Neal will be joined by bassist Mark Lewandowski for these performances from Mezzrow in New York.

Perhaps you caught the October 14th performance by Johnny O’Neal I wrote about. If not, you are in for a treat. That preview tells you a bit about O’Neal and his incredible story.

Lewandowski is a bassist and composer who, like most jazz musicians, works as a sideman in addition to his own work. He’s toured and recorded with such artists as Sheila Jordan, Wynton Marsalis, Zoe Rahman, Jean Toussaint, Bobby Wellins and with these shows, O’Neal.

There is a second set at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST. Sponsorship seats are available for $40 per set. Regular viewing is free, but donations are encouraged.

Modern Beauty Part 2 – Pittance Chamber Orchestra – November 8th – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

In last week’s Best Bets, I included Pittance Chamber Orchestra’s three-part performance series entitled Modern Beauty. The series, featuring pianist Gloria Cheng, continues this week with clarinetist Donald Foster joining her.

The program features Garlands for Steven Stucky. Four works for solo piano will pay tribute to the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who passed away in 2016. Cheng will perform Iscrizione by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Green Trees Are Bending by Stephen Andrew Taylor, Waltz by John Harbison and Interlude by Kay Rhie.

Foster will join her for a performance of Stucky’s Meditation and Dance.

There is no charge to watch the performance, but donations are encouraged. By the way, if you missed last week’s performance, you can still watch it on Pittance Chamber Orchestra’s website.

Jessie Mueller with Seth Rudetsky – November 8th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM EST

Tony Award-winner Jessie Mueller (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) is Seth Rudetsky’s guest for his concert series this weekend.

In addition to her role as King, Mueller has appeared on Broadway in the 2011 revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, the 2012 revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, she originated the role of “Jenna” in Waitress and appeared as “Julie Jordan” in the 20128 revival of Carousel.

Mueller was in previews in The Minutes, a play by Tracy Letts, when the pandemic hit.

If this live performance does not work for your schedule, there will be a re-streaming of the concert on November 9th at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST. Tickets for either date are $25. Uber fans who purchase a ticket for the live performance can also purchase (for an additional $25) a VIP Upgrade allowing access to the sound check taking place at 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST.

Beth Lapides’ Uncabaret – November 8th – 10:30 PM EST/7:30 PM PST

If any week in recent memory has called for a thought-provoking but gentle way to end the weekend, this might just be that weekend. So I offer you Uncabaret. Joining for Zoom #16 of the long-running comedy show are Jamie Bridgers, Margaret Cho, Alex Edelman, Judy Gold, Alec Mapa, Apart Nancherla and Julia Sweeney. As usual, Mitch Kaplan is the music director.

If you are unfamiliar with Uncabaret, check out my interview with Beth Lapides as she started the second quarter century of the show in 2019.

Tickets range from free to $100 with perks along the way the more you are able to pay to see the show.

Those are my fifteen Best Bets at Home: November 6th – November 8th. However, you know that I’ll always give you some reminders just in case you want more. And what’s wrong with wanting a little more?

This weekend’s offerings from the Metropolitan Opera are La Forza del Destino by Verdi on Friday; Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette on Saturday and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg on Sunday.

This is the penultimate weekend for Table Top Shakespeare: At Home. This weekend’s shows are Troilus and Cressida on Friday; As You Like It on Saturday and Othello on Sunday.

Atlantic Theater Company’s Fall Reunion Reading Series has performances remaining on Friday and Saturday of Rajiv Joseph’s Guards at the Taj.

That officially ends all my selections for you this weekend. I hope you will relax and enjoy these Best Bets at Home: November 6th – November 8th.

Photo: James Corden in One Man, Two Guvnors (Photo by Johan Persson/Courtesy PBS)

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For those of you who will be missing the annual Tony Awards, we have a clip of James Corden celebrating the pleasure to be found in live performance.

First amongst your Best Bets at Home: June 5th – June 7th stars a man who stood a very good chance of walking away with the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Coriolanus – National Theatre Live – Now – June 11th

Tom Hiddleston (most recently seen on Broadway in Betrayal/”Loki” in Marvel’s Avengers movies) stars in this 2013 Donmar Warehouse production of Shakespeare’s play.

The title character is one of Rome’s greatest heroes and fiercest defenders. He answers the call as the city faces an old enemy. But Rome is not the only one with enemies, Coriolanus has them, too. As circumstances get worse for the citizens of Rome, Coriolanus must find a way to keep the people on his side and address their issues.

In Paul Taylor’s review for The Independent he wrote, “Hiddleston’s magnificent performance compels you to feel what an awful fate it is to be Coriolanus. There’s an extraordinary sequence here in which, blood-soaked after battle, he stands under a shower of water gasping with pain. We are suddenly privy to the lonely willpower of the man behind the myth.Hiddleston’s magnificent performance compels you to feel what an awful fate it is to be Coriolanus. There’s an extraordinary sequence here in which, blood-soaked after battle, he stands under a shower of water gasping with pain. We are suddenly privy to the lonely willpower of the man behind the myth.”

Joining Hiddleston in the cast are Mark Gatiss, Hadley Fraser, Alfred Enoch and Deborah Findlay. Coriolanus is directed by Josie Rourke.

Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela – Medici.tv – June 5th – June 7th

Carnegie Hall opened their 2016-2017 season with this concert celebrating dance. Dudamel, best known to audiences as the Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is also Music Director and Conductor of the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.

The program for this concert included Ravel’s La valse, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor; Copland’s Hoe-Down from Rodeo; Strauss Jr.’s Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Op. 214; Ginastera’s Malambo from Estancia and Leonard Bernstein’s Mambo from West Side Story. The event closed with Gutierrez’s Alma Llanera from Aires de Venezuela as arranged by José Terencio.

Director’s Choice – San Francisco Ballet – June 5th – June 12th

San Francisco Ballet’s Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson selected the three ballets to be included in this performance from February of 2020. Excerpts from the following ballets are included: Tomasson’s own Soirées Musicales and Concerto Grosso and the pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain.

Tomasson, a former dancer, became the Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet in 1985. Wheeldon is also a former dancer having been a member of the Royal Ballet in London and New York City Ballet. He won a Tony Award for his choreography for An American in Paris.

Il trittico – Royal Opera – June 5th – June 19th

Il trittico is a trilogy of one-act operas by Giacomo Puccini. The three operas are Il tabarro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. The latter is the best-known of the three as it is the most commonly performed.

Jealousy and murder are on tap in Il tabarro involving the love triangle of Michele (Lucio Gallo), his wife Giorgetta (Eva-Maria Westbroek) and her lover Luigi.

Suor Angelica is the dramatic story of a nun (Ermonela Jaho) dealing with loss.

Gianni Schicchi (Gallo) depicts what happens when someone dies and the will goes missing. And you think your relatives were difficult?

Richard Jones directed this 2016 production (a revival of his 2011 production) and Antonio Pappano conducted.

Agrippina – Great Performances at the Met (PBS) – June 7th (check local listings)

If you aren’t getting enough opera from the daily streaming operas made available by the Metropolitan Opera, PBS is adding another production for your viewing pleasure: Handel’s Agrippina. Joyce DiDonato stars in this David McVicar production from 2020. Henry Bicket conducts.

Agrippina (DiDonato) is the Roman empress who is fixated on the idea of having her highly unqualified son, Nerone (Kate Lindsey), take over the throne. To do that, she will stop at nothing to get her husband, Claudio (Matthew Rose), to cede it to him.

Zachary Woolfe, in his review for the New York Times said, “Three centuries on, Agrippina remains bracing in its bitterness, with few glimmers of hope or virtue in the cynical darkness. But it’s irresistible in its intelligence — and in the shamelessness it depicts with such clear yet understanding eyes.”

As with all PBS broadcasts, it is best to check your local listings. In Los Angeles this production will not air until June 9th at 11:00 PM with additional broadcasts on June 19th at 9:30 PM and June 20th at 4:00 AM. In New York it will air on June 14th at 12 PM.

Cosi fan tutte – Glyndebourne – June 7th – June 14th

Mozart’s opera (written with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte) debuted in Vienna in 1790. It was not warmly embraced and only became popular long after the composer’s death.

The opera hinges on a bet that Ferrando (Topi Lehtipuu) and Guglielmo (Luca Pisaroni) make with Don Alfonso (Nicolas Rivenq) about the fidelity of their fiancées, Dorabella (Anke Vondung) and Fiordiligi (Miah Persson).

This is a film of the 2006 production directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George, The History Boys). The orchestra was lead by Iván Fischer.

Uncabaret – June 7th – 10:30 PM EDT/7:30 PM PDT

With everything going on in our world right now, the need for laughter is probably greater than ever. As she has done for more than a quarter century, Beth Lapides is assembling some of the brightest and funniest comedians she knows. They are coming together for an online version of Uncabaret.

For the uninitiated, Lapides describes the “un” part of her cabaret as “Unhomophobic, unxenophobic, unmysogynistic. Unhacky.”

Joining her for this week’s show are Sandra Bernhard, Julia Sweeney, Alec Mapa, Jen Kirkman, Alex Edelman, Tim Bagley and Jamie Bridgers. Music is provided by Mitch Kaplan and his band.

Registration on Eventbrite is required, but there is no fee to watch the performance. Donations, of course, are accepted.

Those are our selections for the Best Bets at Home June 5th – June 7th.

A couple reminders:

SFJazz has Fridays at Five with Marcus Shelby Quartet w/ Angela Davis in a program entitled Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. The concert features Terri Lyne Carrington, Tia Fuller, Tammy Hall, Paula West, Kim Nalley, & Tiffany Austin. This concert takes place June 5th at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT.

The Met Opera productions available this weekend are Thomas Adés’ The Exterminating Angel on Friday; Verdi’s Otello on Saturday and Massenet’s Thaïs on Sunday.

As I mentioned, Sunday would have been the Tony Awards. You can always find plenty of Tony Awards clips of performances to entertain yourself in the absence of the annual broadcast. One example: James Corden’s opening from the 2019 show which celebrates the joy of live performance.

There you have it. Enough Culture Best Bets at Home June 5th – June 7th to keep you entertained all weekend long.

Main photo: Tom Hiddleston in Coriolanus (Photo by Johan Persson/Courtesy of National Theatre Live)

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