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)

The post Best Bets at Home: November 6th – November 8th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

It is 1648 in India. Two Imperial Guards, Humayun (Metwally) and Babur (Moayed), are tasked with guarding one area of the newly built Taj Mahal, but are not permitted to looked at it. Their responsibility is to be quiet at all times and keep their backs to the building. As the walls that surrounded the building come down and workers who helped complete the mausoleum are afforded a chance to go inside, Humayun and Babur are tasked with an assignment that will shake them to their core and shock the audience.

Charles Isherwood, in his New York Times review, said, “Guards at the Taj, which has been directed with a rich sense of atmosphere by Ms. Morton (star of August: Osage County and the recent Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), raises potent questions about the human price paid throughout history for the caprices of the mighty, even when they result in architectural wonders that ultimately give pleasure to the masses.”

I saw the West Coast premiere of Guards at the Taj in late 2015 at the Geffen Playhouse with a different cast and director. Joseph’s play is powerful, funny and truly unforgettable.

Guards at the Taj reading will be available November 5th – November 7th with four different viewing options. There is no charge to watch the readings, but reservations are recommended as is a $25 donation. The reading runs 80 minutes.

On Sunday, November 8th, Joseph and Morton will hold a live conversation at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST

Photo from the original production of Guards at the Taj. (Photo courtesy Lucille Lortel Archives)

The post Guards at the Taj – Fall Reunion Reading Series appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

So let’s get to it. Here are your Best Bets at Home: October 23rd – October 25th:

Zoot Suit – Center Theatre Group – Now – December 20th

Amongst one of the most memorable shows ever to appear at the Mark Taper Forum was Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit. Upon its premiere in1978, it was immediately hailed as a masterwork. Zoot Suit returned to the Taper in 2017 for their 50th anniversary season.

Zoot Suit tells the story of Henry Reyna, the leader of the 38th Street Gang, who gets accused of the murder of José Williams at Sleepy Lagoon. Reyna and his gang were about to fight their rivals, the Downey Gang, when the mythical El Pachuco stops it. Police nonetheless arrive and arrest Williams and his gang. This sets in motion a very magical show that uses dance, Latin music and surreal moments to reveal what happens to Reyna and how El Pachuco guides the actions and reveals certain truths.

In collaboration with Los Angeles Theatre Works, Center Theatre Group is making their radio play version of Zoot Suit available for free listening.

Marco Rodriguez plays El Pachuco, Kinan Valdez is Henry Reyna, Daniel Valdez is Enrique Reyna and Alma Martinez is Dolores Reyna.

This is a wildly imaginative and entertaining play. Well worth your time to give it a listen.

Skeleton Crew – Atlantic Theater Company – Now – October 23rd

Playwright Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew had its world premiere at New York’s Atlantic Theater in 2016. It is the third play in her Detroit Cycle and depicts one auto plant department’s work family. Everyone has challenges in their own lives that will have to be navigated if the plant closes. In the middle of this is Reggie, the manager who was once one of the workers. He has to determine whether to be loyal to his work family or maintain the discretion required of his job.

As part of their Fall Reunion Reading series, Atlantic Theater is bringing most of the original cast back: Jason Dirden as Dez, Wendell B. Franklin as Reggie, Nikiya Mathis as Shanita and Adesola Osakulumi (choreographer and performer.) New to the company is Caroline Clay who takes on the role of Fay which was originated by Lynda Gravatt. Ruben Santiago-Hudson returns to direct.

Ben Brantley, in his New York Times review of that production said, “It is, in other words, a deeply moral and deeply American play, with a loving compassion for those trapped in a system that makes sins, spiritual or societal, and self-betrayal almost inevitable.”

I saw the Geffen Playhouse production of Skeleton Crew. It’s quite a good play. This should be an excellent reading.

There is no charge to watch Skeleton Crew, but reservations are required. A donation of $25 is suggested.

Beethoven Symphony No. 7 – LA Philharmonic Sound/Stage – Starts October 23rd

In this fifth episode of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series, Gustavo Dudamel leads the orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

Composed in 1811-1812, the symphony’s debut took place in 1813 in Vienna. There are four movements: Poco sostenuto – Vivace, Allegretto, Presto – Assai meno presto and Allegro con brio.

Dudamel and the LA Phil performed a full cycle of Beethoven’s symphonies in 2015 that earned rave reviews. Given that this work is orchestrated for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings it is perfect for a socially-distanced performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

Of course, it’s also great music.

dwb (driving while black) – Baruch College – October 23rd – October 29th

The New York premiere of Susan Kander and Roberta Gumbel’s dwb (driving while black) was meant to take place in March at Baruch Performing Arts Center. As a result of that postponement, they have created a directed-for-video performance of the work which will have its world premiere on October 23rd.

The 44-minute dwb portrays the dilemma every Black parent faces when his/her son is of age to drive. How do you both encourage him to enjoy the freedom that comes with the ability to drive while also making sure he’s fully aware of the challenges and anxiety that come with driving while Black.

Gumbel sings dwb. She is accompanied by Hannah Collins on cello and Michael Compitello on percussion. Chip Miller directed.

The work had its debut in Kansas City in 2019. The Pitch, the alternative newspaper, said of dwb, “In pinpointing and relating the terror racial biases and injustices cause, Kander and Gumbel created one of the most singularly devastating theatrical moments of the last year.”

You must register to watch the video of dwb. Baruch Students can watch for free. General admission is available and you can pay what you can to watch it.

Ravi Coltrane Quartet – Village Vanguard – October 23rd – October 24th

New York’s Village Vanguard has straightened out their streaming issues and returns with two performances by saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.

Coltrane had not even turned 2 when his father, John Coltrane, passed away. But he inherited true musical talent from both his father and his mother, Alice.

He became a bandleader and released his first album, Moving Pictures, in 1998. At this point in his career he had already worked with Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Stanley Clarke, Steve Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, Pharoah Sanders, Carlos Santana and McCoy Tyner.

For these performances he will be joined by David Virelles on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass and Jonathan Blake on drums.

Tickets are $10.

Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Is Now – American Masters on PBS – Check Local Listings

Earlier this year, and perhaps not quite as ceremoniously as planned, Michael Tilson Thomas concluded a 25-year run as the Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. It was just one accomplishment in a truly amazing career. He has 11 Grammy Awards, has received a National Medal of Arts and was a Kennedy Center Honoree. Not too bad for a guy who grew up in Los Angeles and accompanied musicals while a student at USC.

American Masters on PBS will presents Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Now Is on October 23rd. The 90-minute documentary by Susan Froemke and Kirk Simon follows his young life in Southern California to his time as a protégé of Leonard Bernstein through to his becoming one of the world’s most acclaimed conductors.

Amongst those appearing in the documentary are composer Steve Reich, architect Frank Gehry, LA Philharmonic’s CEO Chad Smith, Carnegie Hall’s Clive Gillinson and Thomas’s husband, Joshua Robison.

For me personally, Thomas was one of the most influential people discussing, creating and performing classical music as I was growing up. Watching him talk about this music instilled in me a great appreciation for it. I would turn to his many recordings on a regular basis from the classics to a live concert with Sarah Vaughan and the LA Phil – which if you haven’t heard, you must.

While scheduled for October 23rd, you should check your local listings.

Taj Mahal Quartet – SFJAZZ – October 23rd – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

This week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ is one of the last concerts to take place this year before venues were required to shut down. Taj Mahal Quartet performed on February 28th, 2020 in the concert being shown.

Taj Mahal began his career in an ill-fated band called Rising Sons with Ry Cooder in 1964. When that failed to come together successfully, he recorded with a few artists before going on his own with his first album in 1968. 31 studio albums, 7 live albums and three Grammy Awards later, he is considered one of the best ambassadors for the blues. Of course, he does more than the blues. His influences range from soul music, international rhythms and so much more and all find their way into his music.

Fridays at Five requires you have either a one-month membership ($5) or a year-long membership ($60) to watch the performances.

Charles Lloyd Ocean Trio – Lobero Theatre – October 23rd – 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT

Jazz legend Charles Lloyd just keeps performing. Aren’t we lucky? For this live performance from Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre he will be joined by pianist/composer Gerald Clayton and guitarist/composer Anthony Wilson. As Lloyd says in this video, he’s trying to keep live music alive.

Tickets are $15.

State of Darkness – The Joyce Theater – October 24th – November 1st

In 1988 choreographer Molissa Fenley debuted a solo project called State of Darkness. The 35-minute seriously intense work is set to the music of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

Anna Kisselgoff, writing in the New York Times in 1988, said of State of Darkness , “Molissa Fenley’s use of Stravinsky’s ‘Sacre du Printemps’ as music for a new dance solo succeeds beyond expectation. A dancer who has been unmatched on the experimental scene for her explosive, even primal, energy, Miss Fenley has found her true center here.”

For these performances, Fenley has restaged the work and will have seven different dancers performing State of Darkness. This weekend’s schedule is as follows:

Saturday, October 24th: Michael Trusnovec of Paul Taylor American Dance Company performs at 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT; 2020 Juilliard graduate Jared Brown performs at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

Sunday, October 25th: Annique Roberts of Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE performs at 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT; Shamel Pitts (formerly of Batsheva Dance Company) performs at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

There are three additional performances next week by Lloyd Knight of Martha Graham Dance Company, Sara Mearns of the New York City Ballet and Cassandra Trenary of American Ballet Theatre.

Tickets are $13 to watch each individual performance.

Le Nozze di Figaro – San Francisco Opera – October 24th – October 25th

Conducted by Patrick Summers; starring Phillippe Sly, Lisette Oropesa, Nadine Sierra, Luca Pisaroni, Catherine Cook  Greg Fedderly and John Easterlin. This Robin Guarino production is from the 2014-2015 season and is a revival of their 1982 production. Guarino was new to the production.

Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro is based on the 1784 play La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro (translated: “The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro”) by Pierre Beaumarchais. Lorenzo da Ponte wrote the libretto. La Nozze di Figaro had its world premiere in Vienna in 1786.

Figaro and Susanna are getting married. They are in a room made available to them by the Count who plans to seduce the bride-to-be based on an old law that gave permission to lords to have sex with servant girls on their wedding night. When Figaro gets wind of this plan he enlists several people to outwit the Count using disguises, altered identities and more.

Critics mostly lauded this production. Many were intrigued by a younger-than-usual cast that brought a freshness to Mozart’s oft-performed opera. Of particular interest to me is Oropesa as Susanna. She should be delightful in this performance.

Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja – Met Stars Live in Concert – October 24th – 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT

After some schedule changes, Met Stars Live in Concert returns this weekend with a performance by soprano Diana Damrau and tenor Joseph Calleja. Accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera, they will be performing from Caserta, Italy.

The program will include three arias from Puccini’s Tosca, one from Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, one from Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, one from Rossini’s Semiramide, two from Bizet’s Carmen, Bach/Gounod’s Ave Maria and more.

Damrau made her Met Opera debut in 2005 in Ariadne auf Naxos. Since then she’s performed nearly 150 times at the Met. Calleja made his debut at the Met one year later in Rigoletto and has given almost 100 performances there.

Tickets are $20

Patti LuPone Live from the West Side – Segerstrom Center – October 24th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT – $30

Two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone is the first of three performers in Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway series. The series features intimate live-streamed performances from New York’s Shubert Virtual Studios. Songs, stories and apparently questions responded in real time are all part of the show.

LuPone, as you certainly must know, is the two-time Tony Award winner for her performances in Evita and the 2008 revival of Gypsy. She has received five other Tony nominations. She was in rehearsals to open in a new revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company when the pandemic forced the closure of Broadway.

If you watched Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood, you would have seen her as the strong-willed and risky Avis Amber.

This series will include two additional concerts: Laura Benanti (LuPone’s co-star in Gypsy and also a winner of the Tony Award) will perform on November 14th; Vanessa Williams (who appeared in the 2002 revival of Into the Woods with Benanti) performs on December 5th.

The three concerts are being held to help support 22 theaters around the country. In Southern California that venue is the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Tickets are $30 for each individual concert. A three-show package might be available depending on the venue. You will be able to stream the concert for an additional 72 hours after its completion.

Gateway to Cabaret: A Star Studded Virtual Event – The Cabaret Project of St. Louis – October 24th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Fans of musical theatre will want to catch Gateway to Cabaret from The Cabaret Project of St. Louis. Their line-up is impressive: Norm Lewis (The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess), Faith Prince (Tony winner for the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls), Brandon Victor Dixon (Shuffle Along or The Making of a Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed), Alexandra Billings (Wicked), Sidney Myer (Don’t Tell Mama), Christine Andreas (On Your Toes, Oklahoma), Tony DeSare (jazz singer), Capathia Jenkins (Caroline, Or Change), Billy Stritch (pianist/singer) and Steven Brinberg (Simply Barbra).

Tickets are $25/household.

Jeremy Denk Recital – Caramoor – October 25th – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

I’ve written about Jeremy Denk before. I think he’s one of our most talent and interesting classical pianists. This program on Sunday from Caramoor in New York only proves how interesting he is. The program is scheduled to include: Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C Minor, K 457; Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins’s The Battle of Manassas; Joplin/Chauvin’s Heliotrope Bouquet; Tania León’s Ritual; Frederic Rzewski’s Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No 32 in C Minor, Op. 111.

You’ll get two classical period compositions, ragtime, the work of a young Black man during The Civil War and the work of two contemporary composers. How’s that for diverse?

Tickets are $10 for non-Caramoor members. No charge for members.

LaChanze with Seth Rudetsky – October 25th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

In 1990, LaChanze originated the role of Ti Moune in the Broadway production of Once on This Island. She was nominated for a Tony Award. In 2005 she originated the role of Celie in the original Broadway production of The Color Purple. She won the Tony Award. In 2018 she originated the role of Diva Donna in Summer. She received another Tony Award nomination. Throw in some Sondheim, Dreamgirls and being one of sixteen performers to play Fanny Brice in a concert presentation of Funny Girl and you’ve got someone with serious talent and certainly some great stories.

All of that is a good thing as she is Seth Rudetsky’s guest for this week’s concert and conversation. One more thing she can discuss: her daughter, Celia Rose Gooding, just received a Tony nomination for her performance in the musical Jagged Little Pill.

As usual, there will be an encore presentation of the show on Monday, October 26th – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT.

Tickets for either date are $25.

That’s our official list of the Best Bets at Home: October 23rd – October 25th. We do have a few reminders:

Last week we wrote about Shakespeare Trilogy on Film from Donmar Warehouse and St. Ann’s Warehouse. The series continues this week with an all-female version of The Tempest.

Charity, the final play in The Mexican Trilogy by Evelina Fernández, is now available from Latino Theater Company. For our preview of the trilogy, please go here.

This weekend’s Table Top Shakespeare: At Home includes Coriolanus, The Merry Wives of Windsor and King Lear. To read our preview, please go here.

The Public Theater’s Forward. Together. virtual fundraiser remains available through Saturday, October 24th. This was a terrific show. You can read our preview here.

The reading of Kenneth Lonergan’s This Is Our Youth remains available through Saturday, October 24th. Details can be found here.

SFJAZZ members can watch Terence Blanchard’s opera in jazz, Champion, through Sunday, October 25th. Our preview has all the details. You can read it here.

Metropolitan Opera’s week of Operatic Comedies concludes with Verdi’s Falstaff on Friday, Rossini’s Le Comte Ory on Saturday and Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier on Sunday. You can find our preview here.

The 1999 Broadway production of Death of a Salesman that originated at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre will be available through the weekend on Playbill. For more details, you can read our preview here.

That officially ends our Best Bets at Home: October 23rd – October 25th.

There are only 72 hours in a weekend. How can you possibly watch it all? You can’t, but wouldn’t it be great if you could?

Photo: Patti LuPone (Photo by Rahav/Courtesy Segerstrom Center)

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The post Best Bets at Home: October 23rd – October 25th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Let’s get started with Best Bets at Home: October 9th – October 11th with a new show from the Geffen Playhouse:

Inside the Box – Geffen Stayhouse – October 8th – January 3rd

Part of the announced scheduled for this year’s season at the Geffen Playhouse included a show called The Enigmatist. It’s a show the New York Times called “An evening of tricks and brainteasers, it’s like a spin class for the frontal lobe, with drinks available.” That show’s creator is David Kwong. If the name sounds familiar it is because he has created crossword puzzles for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

So what can a puzzle master and theater do when a pandemic sweeps in and makes putting on a live show with an audience an impossibility? They think Inside the Box.

Rather, that’s the end result of Kwong figuring his way out of this conundrum. Fresh on the heels of the Geffen’s massively successful show The Present by Helder Guimarães, he and the Geffen Playhouse came up with another live streaming show.

Only twenty-four tickets are available for each performance. After receiving via e-mail a 9-page packet with instructions and some advance work required on your part, Kwong will challenge audiences with a series of games and wordplay, all while offering insight into some of the greatest puzzle-makers of all time.

Tickets, which are a hot commodity, are $75 per household. Or rather I should say, were $75. The initial run sold out immediately as did the extension into January that just went on sale Thursday, October 8.

A Mexican Trilogy: Faith, Part 1 – Latino Theater Company – Now – October 15th

In 2012, Latino Theatre Company produced an epic three-part play by Evelina Fernández that would go on to win the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s Ted Schmitt Award for the outstanding world premiere of a new play.

The company has begun streaming the first in that trilogy with the remaining plays to be streamed later this month.

The plays document several decades in the life of the Mexican-American Morales family.

Part 1 of A Mexican Trilogy is called Faith and begins in Arizona while World War II is raging. Esperanza and Silvestre are raising three daughters. Though the matriarch tries to keep the girls on a short leash, the attention they draw from neighborhood boys, nor the dreams of having a career as singers, can’t be so easily controlled.

By the time A Mexican Trilogy is concluded, this story has traveled from the 1940s to 2005.

José Luis Valenzuela directed A Mexican Trilogy. The cast includes Esperanza America, Olivia Delgado, Alexis de la Rocha, Sal Lopez, Xavi Moreno, Matias Ponce, Geoffrey Rivas and Lucy Rodriguez.

Home, Part 2 becomes available from October 13th – October 22nd. Charity, Part 3 will be available from October 20th – October 30th.

She Kills Monsters – Laguna Playhouse – October 9th – October 11th

Acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen (Vietgone, Revenge Songs) created this version of She Kills Monsters specifically to be seen online. In fact, it is called She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realm.

The play, which is described by the playwright on his website as a Dungeons and Dragons comedy, has not only updated its many references, but has made adjustments so the play can be seen and performed using Zoom and other teleconferencing apps.

She Kills Monsters tells the story of a young girl, Average Agnes, leaving her home after the death of her sister, Tilly. When going through Tilly’s possessions she finds her Dungeons and Dragons notebook. That leads Agnes on an adventure where she learns more about her sister than she ever imagined.

Tickets are per household. General tickets are $20. There is an option for tickets for 16-24 year olds. Whatever the discount price is requires filling out a survey related to mental health issues and awareness of them.

If you are unable to watch She Kills Monsters this weekend, it will also be available October 16th – October 18th. Performances begin at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT on each Friday and continue through 1:00 AM EDT Monday/10:00 PM PDT Sunday.

Los Angeles Dance Festival – October 9th – October 11th

This is the second weekend of this year’s Los Angeles Dance Festival. The programming begins at 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT on Friday and continues through 3:00 AM EDT Monday/12:00 AM PDT. Each show is two hours in length.

The companies participating in this weekend’s programming are  CyberYOGA (fitness and movement), 2DANCECOLLECTIVE, Jana Taylor and Dancers, Ironstone Dance (focused on queer narratives), cyan cian (performance art/dance), Luminario Ballet (Contemporary Ballet), Versastyle (Hip-Hop), Mixed eMotion Theatrix (modern dance), BrockusRED (multi-disciplinary), Danza Floricanto/USA (Mexican folk dance), Lula Washington (contemporary), Ken Morris Project, Kim Hyunsun, Kim Ok, Yoo Gawon. 

The Los Angeles Dance Festival continues for two more weeks. We will include each week’s line-up in the next two upcoming Best Bets at Home.

Tosca – San Francisco Opera – October 10th – October 11th

San Francisco Opera resumes their streaming opera productions with this 2014 production of Giacomo Puccini’s opera.

It is quite likely that Tosca was the first opera to premiere in 1900. Its first performance was on January 14 in Rome. Based on Victorien Sardou’s 1887 play of the same name, Tosca‘s libretto was written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

The setting for Tosca is Rome in 1800. The Napoleonic wars were raging and political unrest was omnipresent. The opera takes place over the course of slightly less than 24 hours. Floria Tosca is the object of Chief of Police Baron Scarpia’s lust. He uses suspicions that her lover, Mario Cavaradossi, aided a political prisoner who has escaped as an opportunity to get him out of his way which will leave Tosca for himself. After capturing Cavaradossi, Scarpia says that if Tosca doesn’t become his lover, he will have Cavaradossi killed.

Jose Maria Condemi directed this production with Riccardo Frizza conducting. Singing the role of Cavaradossi is Brian Jagde. Singing Scarpia is Mark Delavan. But the person making this greatest impact, as it should be in Tosca, is soprano Lianna Haroutounian singing the title role.

Haroutounian made her San Francisco Opera debut with this production. Critics hailed her performance. Joshua Kosman, writing in the San Francisco Gate, said of her performance, “Her rhythmic control is fluent, her low notes robust and full of life, and her stage presence at once charismatic and vulnerable. And yes, the big Act 2 aria, “Vissi d’arte,” was delivered with sympathetic ardor — but Haroutounian’s entire performance surrounding it was so gripping, from moment to moment and scene to scene, that that number was merely one splendor among many.”

Tosca becomes available on Saturday at 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT and remains available through 2:59 AM EDT Monday/11:59 PM PDT Sunday. The production runs 2 hours and 2 minutes.

Jessica Vosk: Coco Catch up – Birdland – October 10th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Jessica Vosk has appeared on Broadway in Wicked, The Bridges of Madison County, Finding Neverland and the 2015 revival of Fiddler on the Roof. She’s a stunning singer (listen to her contributions to Georgia Stitt‘s A Quiet Revolution) and she has eclectic taste in music, too.

Her album, Wild and Free, is, in a word, delightful.

It finds her singing songs by Sara Bareilles, The Beatles, Jason Robert Brown, Billy Joel, Elton John, Melanie, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Sia, Stephen Sondheim and Jule Styne.

For her concert from Birdland she will mix songs from the album with songs by Eva Cassidy, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. Joining Vosk are Marissa Rosen and Michael DiLiberto.

Tickets for this show are $23.50.

Hold On to Me Darling – The Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theater in Los Angeles – October 11th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Mark Ruffalo, Michael Cera and Gretchen Mol will perform a staged reading of Hold On to Me Darling by Kenneth Longergan on Sunday as a fundraiser for The Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theater in Los Angeles.

New York’s Atlantic Theater Company gave the premiere of Hold On to Me Darling in 2016. The play tells the story of a successful country/western star, Strings McCrane, who moves back to his hometown in Tennessee after his mother has died. Given the playwright, you know there are going to be complications.

Neil Pepe, who directed the original production, directs this staged reading.

Ben Brantley, writing in the New York Times, said of the play and Lonergan’s writing, “In other words, you might expect Mr. Lonergan to have a natural affinity for obsessive, self-sabotaging people. And so it proves with ‘Darling,’ a poignant comic study of the bad faith and bad behavior of a narcissistic celebrity and those around him.”

Ruffalo appeared in Longeran’s films You Can Count on Me and Margaret. Cera has appeared on Broadway in two Lonergan plays, The Waverly Gathering and This Is Our Youth. Mol appeared in his film Manchester By the Sea.

There are two different tickets available to watch Hold On to Me Darling.

For $10 you will be able to watch the reading and the Q&A that will follow. A $100 ticket will add a signed poster by Ruffalo, entry to the Q&A with private chat and the ability to submit, in advance, a question for the cast, Longergan and Pepe.

Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland – Laguna Playhouse – October 11th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Angela Ingersoll has performed in multiple productions of End of the Rainbow as the famed star of A Star Is Born (1954), The Harvey Girls and, of course, The Wizard of Oz.

This two-hour concert will be performed live from Chicago. Ingersoll will sing many of Garland’s classic songs including “Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “Get Happy,” and “The Man That Got Away.” Immediately following the concert will be a talkback for online viewers.

Tickets are $35 per household.

Beth Leavel with Seth Rudetsky – October 11th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Tony Award-winner Beth Leavel joins Seth Rudetsky for this weekend’s show of conversation and music. Leavel won her Tony Award for her performance as the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone. (A truly wonderful performance!)

She’s also received Tony nominations for Baby It’s You and The Prom. (You know that role is good when the upcoming film version by Ryan Murphy has Meryl Streep in that role. In another role reversal, Leavel will be taking on Streep’s role of Miranda Priestly in the Elton John musical of The Devil Wears Prada.)

All this adds up to what should be a terrific show on Sunday. If that showtime doesn’t work for you, there is an encore presentation of the show on Monday, October 12th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. Tickets for either time are $25.

Before we conclude Best Bets at Home: October 9th – October 11th, a few reminders:

This week’s new episode of Sound/Stage from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is called Power to the People! from their series that was forced to end early due to the pandemic. The program includes performances of Jessie Montgomery’s Banner; William Grant Still’s Sorrow from his Symphony No. 1, “Afro-American” and Andra Day performing Rise Up from her 2015 album Cheers to the Fall. Gustavo Dudamel conducts.

Here are reminder’s from this week’s Jazz Stream:

October 9th: Abraham Burton Quartet performs from Smalls; SFJazz’s Fridays at Five this week is a Thelonious Monk Celebration; Theo Croker performs from Blue Note in New York; the Cyrus Chestnut Trio performs from Smoke Jazz and Supper Club

October 10th: Cyrus Chestnut Trio (second concert from Smoke); Chick Corea in a solo performance from his studio

October 11th: Melissa Aldana from Smalls

This weekend’s Table Top Shakespeare: At Home offerings are Henry IV, Part 1 on Friday, Henry IV, Part 2 on Saturday and Henry V on Sunday.

Here are the last three operas by Richard Wagner as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Wagner Week: Siegfried on Friday; Götterdämmerung on Saturday and Parsifal on Sunday.

Wagner fans probably already know that Siegfried and Götterdämmerung are the final two operas in the four-opera Ring Cycle. So your interest in watching these two productions this weekend may be predicated on whether or not you’ve been watching this cycle earlier this week or whether or not you want to revisit the last two operas themselves.

There you have multiple options to keep yourself entertained with Best Bets at Home: October 9th – October 11th. Enjoy yourselves. Enjoy the shows!

Photo: Julio Macias, Elia Saldana, Olivia Delgado Young, Xavi Moreno and Esperanza America in A Mexican Trilogy (Photo by Grettel Cortes Photography-Courtesy Latino Theater Company)

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