My top pick this week celebrates International Jazz Day. Another significant jazz event this weekend is a concert by Christian Sands. SFJAZZ offers a 2019 concert by Orquesta Akokán on Friday with a re-stream on Saturday.

If jazz isn’t your thing, we’ve got plenty of other options. There are several play readings, a very ambitious new film from the Colburn School in Los Angeles, a couple cabaret performances and a very unique fundraiser that realizes the first three letters in that word are FUN.

Here are my Best Bets: April 30th – May 3rd:

*TOP PICK* JAZZ: 2021 Global All-Star Concert for International Jazz Day – April 30th – 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT

Yesterday we started revealing our Top Pick for the weekend in a sneak peek of the weekend’s Best Bets. So I won’t rehash everything from that column. You can read the full preview here.

Simply put, there aren’t many places where you’ll find performances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cyrus Chestnut, Gerald Clayton, Herbie Hancock, Stefon Harris, Angélique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves, Antonio Sánchez, Ben Williams and many more from around the world.

The concert is free and can be found on the event’s website, their YouTube channel, Facebook page and more. International Jazz Day’s concert will remain available for viewing for 30 days.

CLASSICAL/JAZZ/DANCE: The Way Forward – Colburn School – Now – May 13th

Few projects would offer the opportunity to see and hear music and performances by Kris Bowers, Johannes Brahms, Aaron Copland, Gabriel Fauré, George Frideric Handel, Thelonious Monk, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Christoph Waltz, Eric Whitacre and thousands of singers, dancers and musicians.

The pandemic-era project was filmed in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Spain and at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.

This one-of-a-kind film and it will be available for free streaming. You do have to register on the Colburn School website. The Way Forward will only be available for two weeks.

For those in Los Angeles, there will be one in-person screening of the one-hour film. That screening will take place on Saturday, May 1st at 8:00 PM PT at Thayer Hall at Colburn. Capacity will be limited to 25%. Tickets for this screening are $25 and can be purchased here.

PLAY READING: The Baltimore Waltz – Spotlight on Plays on Broadway’s Best Shows – Now – May 3rd

When playwright Paula Vogel’s The Baltimore Waltz opened off-Broadway in 1992, it was immediately acclaimed as a unique way of addressing the AIDS crisis. The play went on to win three Obie Awards for Best New American Play, Best Director and Best Performance (Cherry Jones).

Vogel’s play depicts a real-life situation between a school teacher and her brother.

How the sister chooses to address that he is dying of a terminal disease is at the heart of The Baltimore Waltz. Vogel uses fantasy to take her characters on a journey that is both fanciful and heartbreaking in its inevitable return to reality.

For this reading the cast features Mary-Louise Parker, Eric McCormack and Brandon Burton. Lileana Blain-Cruz directs.

Tickets are $15 with proceeds going to The Actors Fund.

VIRTUAL MUSICAL: Working: A Musical – CATCO – Now – May 9th

When I was a much younger man I remember seeing Working on the PBS series American Playhouse. I was immediately taken in by this collage of interviews and songs. Based on Studs Terkel’s 1974 book  Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, the musical features songs by Stephen Schwartz, Mary Rodgers, James Taylor and more.

The musical received six Tony Award nominations when it opened on Broadway in 1978. It’s run, however, was short. There were only 12 previews and 24 performances.

CATCO in Columbus, OH is presenting a streaming version of the updated 2012 version of the musical that includes contributions from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

This is a perfect musical for the virtual format. I will be interested to see how the show holds up and how Miranda’s revisions help the show.

Working streams only Thursday – Sunday through May 9th. Tickets are $20.

PLAY READING: The Line – Public Theater – Now – June 21st

Great timing for this encore presentation of the Public Theater’s Zoom reading of Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s The Line. Their play was constructed by doing interviews with frontline medical workers in New York at the outset of the pandemic.

As restrictions start to loosen around the country, this is a great reminder of the heroism that was required (and still is) to get us through this crisis.

The Line also reflects the personal toll their actions took on their lives. This should be a wake-up call that there is still work to be done by all of us.

Thankfully The Line is thoroughly engrossing. Assisting the storytelling is music by Aimee Mann and Jonathan Coulter (which was produced by Michael Penn).

If you’ve ever experienced The Exonerated by Blank and Jensen you know what powerful storytellers they are.

There is no charge to stream The Line, but registration is required.

PLAY READING: Home – The Refocus Project at Roundabout Theatre Company – April 30th – May 3rd

New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company debuts the first of five readings of little-known plays from the twentieth century by Black playwrights. The first to be streamed is Samm-Art Williams’ Home.

The Negro Ensemble Company first performed the work in 1979. It was critically-acclaimed and it transferred to Broadway in 1980 and earned two Tony Award nominations including Best Play.

The central character, Cephus, tells two women stories from his life. He loves the idea of just staying…home. But circumstances require he travel from his country home to the big city.

The play is a fable that dabbles in elements of realism – like war and racism. Though there are only three actors (Rob Demery, Brittany Inge and Tony nominee Joaquina Kalukango), Williams has his cast perform dozens of characters.

Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon directs.

Mel Gussow, writing for the New York Times, raved about Williams’ writing:

“The play itself is a freshet of good will, a celebration of the indomitability of man, a call to return to the earth. In all respects — writing, direction and performance — this is one of the happiest theatrical events of the, season.”

He went on to say, “More often, with his gift for local language, Mr. Williams seems closer to the spirit of Mark Twain. If Twain were black and from North Carolina, he might have written like Samm‐Art Williams.”

There is no charge to stream Home, but RSVP/registration is required.

CUBAN JAZZ: Orquesta Akokán – SFJAZZ – April 30th – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

Orquesta Akokán began as a one-time-only recording band to become a touring and live celebration of mambo. So for those who do not want to go gentle into their weekends, this show is for you.

Their performance at SFJAZZ is from June 2019. This big band will have you shaking your groove thing and burning down the house.

Pianist and arranger Michael Ekroth, vocalist José “Pepito” Gómez are joined by members of legendary Cuban bands Irakere and Los Van Van and more as they take to the stage for this show.

Tickets are $5 which allows for a one-month digital membership. If you’re unable to see the show on Friday, there will be an encore streaming on Saturday, May 1st at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. The show will then be available on demand from May 1st – June 30th.

JAZZ: The Christian Sands Trio – Just Jazz – April 30th – 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT

LeRoy Downs, host of Just Jazz on KCRW in Los Angeles, is celebrating International Jazz Day with an intimate concert by pianist Christian Sands, drummer Jonathan Pinson and bassist Ben Williams. The concert will be streaming live from Mr. MusicHead Gallery in Los Angeles.

The trio will be joined by special guest trumpeter Theo Croker.

Sands is one of the most exciting young musicians on the jazz scene. This is a concert you won’t want to miss.

If you’d like more information on Downs and his take on jazz in 2021, check out my interview with him here.

Tickets are $20.

CABARET: Chester Gregory: Celebrating the Motown Era – The Wallis Sorting Room Sessions – April 30th – May 2nd

Chester Gregory has been seen on Broadway in the musicals Hairspray!, Tarzan, Cry-Baby, Sister Act and Motown: The Musical where he portrayed Berry Gordy.

That last credit no doubt awakened Gregory’s appreciation for all things that Gordoy accomplished.

He’ll be Celebrating the Motown Era in this weekend’s first of The Wallis Sorting Room Sessions.

The show becomes available at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT and will remain available through Sunday, May 2nd. Tickets are $20 and allow for 48 hours of streaming.

PLAY: The Importance of Being Earnest – L.A. Theatre Works – May 1st – May 31st

Residents of Los Angeles know that in addition to their fine radio play performances, LATW coordinates with HD Live to offer in person viewings of filmed productions from theater companies from around the world.

For the month of May they are making the 2011 Broadway revival of Oscar Wilde’s throughly delightful play available for streaming.

Certainly you know this very funny play about identity and marriage. And why a man would play a woman in it – as is done here.

This production was directed by and starred Brian Bedford as Lady Bracknell. Dana Ivey, Paxton Whitehead and Santino Fontana are also in this production which was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Tickets are $15 and allow for viewing anytime within two weeks of purchase.

PLAY READING: We Have to Hurry – Broadway on Demand – May 1st – May 2nd

Elliot Gould and Kathleen Chalfant will perform this new play by Dorothy Lyman. We Have to Hurry is set in a retirement complex in Florida. Gil and Margaret cannot see each other because they and all the residents at the complex are forced to quarantine. They only communicate with each other from their respective balconies.

Gil has fallen in love with Margaret and realizes time is not on their side. Will they have a chance to get together and take a walk on the beach? Unsure of what the future holds for them, time is of the essence.

There are two ways to watch this show. The first is with a general ticket priced at $15. For $25 they have created a virtual stage door where ticket holders can submit questions in advance for Chalfant, Gould and Lyman. Those who purchase that ticket will get a separate Zoom link.

There is one performance on May 1st 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. A second performance takes place on May 2nd at 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT. The link above in the title takes you to purchase tickets for the May 1st performance. For tickets to the May 2nd performance, please go here.

PLAY: Shoot Me When… – San Francisco Playhouse – May 1st – May 22nd

I love the premise of Ruben Grijalva’s play. As the two daughters of a woman suffering from dementia, what do you do when you want to honor your mother’s wishes for end of life plans, but she forgets what she agreed to because of her condition?

Susi Damilano directs cast members Blythe de Oliviera Foster, Dan Hiatt, Lorri Holt and Melissa Ortiz.

Tickets are $15 – $100 based on your ability to pay and contribute to the San Francisco Playhouse.

OPERA: Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie – Nationaltheater Mannheim on OperaVision – May 1st – July 31st

Conducted by Bernhard Force; starring Amelia Scicolone, Sophie Rennert, Marie-Belle Sandis, Estelle Kruger and Charles Sy. This Lorenzo Fioroni production was filmed on April 21st and 24th of this year.

Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera had its world premiere in Paris in 1733. The libretto is by Simon-Joseph Pellegrin and is based on Jean Racine’s Phèdre.

Gods and humans are involved in this story of Hippolyte, son of Thésée, the King of Athens and Hippolyte (not Thésée’s wife, that’s Phèdre). Hippolyte falls in love with the wrong woman, Aricie, who is the daughter of his father’s enemy, Pallas. You just know this isn’t going to end well.

I’ve included this production because I do not believe it has previously been available in other productions so far. Frankly it also looks quite interesting!

CABARET: Julian Ovenden: Can’t Help Singing – May 2nd – May 9th

Fans of Bridgerton will want to check out Sir Henry Granville singing. Okay, well it won’t actually be Granville, but it will be actor Julian Ovenden who plays him on the smash series. (Of course if you’re more of a Downton Abbey fan he played Charles Blake. And if you like The Crown, he played Bobby Kennedy in one episode.)

This concert will find Ovenden singing songs by composers and artists he loves including George Gershwin, Michel Legrand and Tom Waits.

Tickets are £12 which at press time equals approximately $17.

CABARET: Andrea McArdle – Seth Concert Series – May 2nd – 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT

Seth Rudetsky’s guest on this weekend’s Concert Series is the actress who originated the roles of Ashley in the US production of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Starlight Express and Margy Frake in the 1993 musical State Fair. She’s also appeared in Les Misérables and Beauty and the Beast.

Of course, she’s best known for introducing the song Tomorrow to us through her Tony-nominated performance as the title character in the musical Annie. Her nomination made her the youngest nominee for Lead Actress in a Musical. (She lost to co-star Dorothy Loudon.)

Tickets are $25 for either this live stream or the replay at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC: Caroline Shaw and Attacca Quartet – The Phillips Collection – May 2nd – 4:00 PM ET/1:00 PM PT

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw teams up with the Attacca Quartet for this performance from The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.

Their collaboration on the album Orange led to a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Recording.

This concert will feature the world premiere of Imago by composer inti figgis-vizueta. The work was commissioned by The Phillips Collection.

A selection of Shaw’s own compositions (both songs and works for quartet) will also be performed.

There’s no charge for this concert, but you do have to register to be able to see it. The event will remain available for seven days.

CHAMBER MUSIC: Calidore Quartet – Shriver Hall Concert Series – May 2nd – May 9th

Violist Jeremy Berry, cellist Estelle Choi and violinists Ryan Meehan and Jeffrey Myers make up Calidore Quartet. They were founded in 2010 at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.

For this concert from Baltimore’s Shriver Hall, they will be performing the world premiere performance of Hannah Lash’s new quartet.

Also on the program is Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 15 in G Major and Antonin Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, nicknamed the American Quartet.

Tickets are $15. There is a Q&A after the performance.

BROADWAY FUNDRAISER: Broadway Acts for Women – A Is For – May 2nd – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

This fundraiser puts the fun front and center. This is the realization of a karaoke fantasy for all fans of Broadway.

Ticket holders get to bid on the songs the performers will sing. Martha Plimpton serves as the host.

Who are the performers in this year’s event?

Sara Bareilles, Elizabeth Banks, Annette Bening, Reed Birney, Ashley Nicole Black, Kathryn Brody, Danny Burstein, Ever Carradine, Ariana DeBose, Garret Dillahunt, Eden Espinosa, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Montego Glover, Kelli O’Hara, Josh Hamilton, Michelle Hurd, Jason Isaacs, Amy Landecker, Jenn Lyon, Lesli Margherita, Howard McGillin, Patton Oswalt, Mandy Patinkin, Harold Perrineau, Carrie Preston, Judy Reyes, Annabella Sciorra, Cecily Strong, Jessica Vosk, Steven Weber, Shannon Woodward, BD Wong and Karen Ziemba.

And if you’ve got deep pockets you can also bid on unique auction items that include a voice lesson with O’Hara, cooking class with Ferguson and a private zoom concert with Bareilles.

Broadway Acts for Women will be live streamed from 54 Below in New York. Tickets start at $75 and go up to $300 with different perks along the way.

A is For is a non-profit working to eliminate the stigma of abortion.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Taiwan Philharmonic – Los Angeles County Museum of Art – May 2nd – 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT

Works of four Taiwanese composers will be performed in this free streaming concert on Sunday. They are Tyson Hsiao, Yu-Shian Deng, Ching-Mei Lin and I-Uen Wang Hwang.

The concert will be performed by the Taiwan Philharmonic.

Within Taiwan they are as the National Symphony Orchestra. Music Director Shao-Chia Lü will lead the orchestra in this performance.

How often do you get to hear this music? There’s no charge to watch the concert, but you do need to RSVP on the website.

CABARET: Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party – Cast Party Network – May 3rd – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

This week’s Pajama Cast Party guest list features Anjali Bhimani (Bombay Dreams); James Gish (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical); Alyssa May Gold (the upcoming revival of How I Learned to Drive); singer/bandleader John Malino (with family) and cabaret singer Sue Matsuki.

There is no charge to watch this always delightful show.

However, should you be so inclined, Jim Caruso and Pajama Cast Party accepts donations and makes weekly donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Actors Fund.

That’s the official list of Best Bets: April 30th – May 3rd, but there are a few reminders:

Covenant by York Walker concludes its run this weekend as part of South Coast Repertory’s Pacific Playwrights Festival. For details on the show and the full schedule of plays, please go here.

Two-time Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster’s Bring Me to Light continues from New York City Center. Amongst her guests are Raúl Esparza and Kelli O’Hara. For full details, please go here.

Carnegie Hall’s Voices of Hope Festival officially ends on Friday, April 30th, but many of the programs will be available for viewing through May 31st. Take a look at my recommendations to see if something might appeal to you.

Sound/Stage from the Los Angeles Philharmonic debuts a new episode on April 30th. The orchestra will perform Franz Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony with Gustavo Dudamel conducting.

This weekend’s offerings from the Metropolitan Opera are the 1980-1981 season production of Verdi’s La Traviata on Friday; the 2018-2019 season production of Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur on Saturday and the 2008-2009 season production of Puccini’s La Rondine on Sunday.

Next week’s theme at the Met is Happy Mother’s Day and will start with the 2015-2016 production of Strauss’ Elektra. Not my idea of a happy mother, but this production is staggering. Do not miss it!

Do you have enough options for your weekend? Hopefully you have more choices than you have time to watch everything on this week’s Best Bets: April 30th – May 3rd.

Enjoy your weekend!

Photo: Gerald Clayton, who is performing at the 2021 Global All-Star Concert for International Jazz Day (courtesy GeraldClayton.com)

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Amongst this weekend’s options are a pithy hostess talking to Broadway stars; the reading of a play with a star-studded cast; the world premiere of a new work from one of classical music’s fastest-rising composers; two opera performances and so much more.

So let’s get started. Here are your Culture Best Bets at Home: August 21st – August 23rd:

The Black Clown – Harlem Week – August 21st – 4:00 PM EDT/1:00 PM PDT

Every summer the city of New York celebrates everything Harlem. This year’s Harlem Week is taking place mostly online. A real highlight of this year’s festival is the audio streaming of excerpts from The Black Clown.

Davóne Tines, who originated the role of adult Charles in Terence Blanchard‘s opera Fire Shut Up In My Bones, created this work with Michael Schachter and Zack Winokur. It is based on Langston Hughes’ poem of the same name.

The Black Clown had its world premiere at the 2019 Mostly Mozart Festival. The poem, and this adaptation of it, depicts how one man handles oppression in America. It’s a work that utilizes multiple forms including jazz, opera vaudeville, gospel and spirituals.

The cast of The Black Clown includes Davóne Tines, Sumayya Ali, Darius Barnes, Dawn Bless, Jonathan Christopher, LaVon Fisher-Wilson, Lindsey Hailes, Evan Tyrone Martin, Jhardon DiShon Martin, Brandon Michael Nase, Amber Pickens, Jamar Williams and Hailee Kaleem Wright.

In an interview with Ryan Ebright of the New York Times, Tines said, “With The Black Clown, Hughes was tapping into and providing a blueprint for how social justice has happened in the past, how it needed to happen in his time, and how it needs to happen today.”

Virtual Halston – Cast Party Network YouTube Page – August 21st – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

If you think of actress Julie Halston (and you should), you probably think of her as both playwright Charles Busch’s muse and one of his most frequent actors. What you may not know is that she’s also one of the pithiest people hosting a theatre-centric online talk show. It’s called Virtual Halston.

Halston’s show is part of Jim Caruso’s Cast Party Network and it involves the same level of of fun. Halston talks directly to the audience, with Caruso and also with special guests.

This week’s guest are actors Mercedes Ruehl and Michael Urie who played mother and son in the 2017 revival of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy (which for this production was renamed Torch Song). The show transferred to Broadway in 2018 for a sadly much shorter run than this amazing production deserved.

Each week’s Virtual Halston is archived. So feel free to peruse the previous episodes with guests Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon); Colman Domingo (The Scottsboro Boys); Jessica Vosk (Fiddler on the Roof), Mary Testa (Oklahoma); Marilu Henner and so many more.

One word of warning: if you watch one episode you’ll find yourself hours later having watched several. Oh…and bring a cocktail. This is truly a happy hour.

Broadway for Racial Justice Amplified Concert – August 21st – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

As Black Lives Matters protests became more prevalent across the country, it was inevitable that Broadway would get involved. It was also inevitable that racism in theatre was going to get addressed as well.

One new organization launching on September 1st is the Broadway for Racial Justice Emergency Assistance Fund. To raise money for the organization they are putting on an online concert with both Broadway veterans and new performers who are starting to make a name for themselves.

Tony Award winner Patina Miller (Pippin) and Brandon Michael Nase (Cats) serve as hosts. Scheduled to perform are Hailey Kilgore (Once on This Island), Solea Pfeiffer (Hamilton), Shoshana Bean (Wicked), Tony Award-winner Jessie Mueller (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening and television’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – which if you haven’t watched, you should).

Joining will be Kalen Allen, Brittany Campbell (Hamilton), Kayla Davion (Tina), Deon’te Goodman (Hamilton), singer/songwriter Sapphire Hart, Morgan James (Motown: The Musical), Andre Malcolm, Arianne Meneses, Joey Rosario, and the band Empty Royalty

Broadway for Racial Justice Amplified streams at 8 PM ET on YouTube. There is no charge to watch the concert, but donations are encouraged.

Andrew Owens Living Room Recital – LA Opera – August 21st – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Tenor Andrew Owens has performed numerous roles in opera all over the world. Amongst the operas in which he’s appeared are Lucia di Lammermoor, Il barbiere di Siviglia, L’incoronazione di Poppea, Fidelio, I due Foscari and Die Zauberflöte.

There was a time when every tenor wanted to have a career like Mario Lanza’s. He was a tenor who rose to fame both as a singer and as an actor. He was, at the time of his death in 1959, considered the world’s most famous tenor.

Owens will celebrate Lanza in this Living Room Recital on LA Opera’s website (and their Facebook page). Joining him for the recital will be pianist Chris Reynolds and flautist Jessica Warren.

LA Opera archives these recitals, so if you can’t watch Andrew Owens as it happens, or want to see other recitals, they are available for viewing.

Judgment Day – Barrington Stage Company – August 22nd – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Berkshire County’s Barrington Stage Company has sent multiple productions from their stage to Broadway. Most famously they held the world premiere of the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. A 2013 revival of On the Town also made its way to Manhattan.

This weekend they will have a reading of Rob Ulin’s comedy Judgment Day. Ulin is the co-executive producer of Ramy and has written one episode of the show. He’s also produced and written for The Kids Are Alright, Young Sheldon and The Carmichael Show.

Judgment Day depicts the story of a sleazy lawyer who, after a near-death experience with an angel who threatens to condemn him to hell for all eternity, attempts to redeem himself and his soul.

The reading features an all-star cast: Jason Alexander plays Sammy Campo, the lawyer. Patti LuPone plays the Angel. Santino Fontana plays a priest struggling with his faith. Michael McKean plays the monsignor who oversees Fontana’s character.

Loretta Devine (Dreamgirls), Josh Johnston, Bianca Laverne Jones, Julian Emile Lerner, Justina Machado (One Day at a Time), Carol Mansell, Michael Mastro and Elizabeth Stanley (Jagged Little Pill) are also part of the cast. Matthew Penn directs.

You can watch the performance live on Saturday or you can watch it through August 25th. There is a donation of $35 required to view Judgment Day. Once you have made the donation you will receive a link to the reading.

The Fairy Queen – Glyndebourne – August 23rd – August 30th

Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen had its world premiere in London in 1692. Rather curiously it has an anonymous libretto which was inspired by William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream.

Historians consider The Fairy Queen to have followed in the 16th century tradition of “masques.” A masque was a piece of entertainment meant to serve as both an allegory and to cater to the ego of their patrons. Music, dancing, acting, singing, costumes and stage design were of heightened importance.

This 2009 production at Glyndebourne features a new edition of the score by Bruce Wood and Andrew Pinnock and was directed by Jonathan Kent.

Starring are Lucy Crowe, Carolyn Sampson and Ed Lyon. William Christie leads the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Kate Kellaway, writing for The Guardian, said of this production:

“The first thing to say about Jonathan Kent’s magnificently inventive, entertaining and saucy production is that it is, emphatically, not for purists or for nervous baroque enthusiasts. Anyone hoping for a Fairy Queen of gilded fountains and peaceful forests should steer clear. But for everyone else, this production is a gas, and although more London Palladium than East Sussex pastoral, it is hard to imagine a more brilliantly creative approach to the work.”

Spiva & Hollywood’s Golden Age – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – August 22nd – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

LA Chamber Orchestra continues their Summerfest series of safely performed chamber music concerts from the stage of Zipper Hall at the Colburn School. There are two things that make this concert the most interesting one so far from LACO.

The first is the instrumentation. For this concert there are two bassoons (Kenneth Munday and Damian Montano) and two celli (Armen Kasjikian and Giovanna Moraga Clayton).

Most exciting is the concert will serve as the world premiere of Derrick Spiva Jr.‘s Hum. Spiva, who was recently named Artistic Advisor to LACO, is one of our most interesting young composers. He is a prolific composer with commissions from multiple orchestra and performance ensembles.

In addition to Hum, the programs scheduled to include Franz Christoph Neubauer’s Cello Duet No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 10, I. Allegro; Michel Corrette’s Le Phénix; Johann Sebastian’s Bach’s Komm, süsser Tod, BWV 478; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Three Canons; George Gershwin’s Summertime from Porgy and Bess; David Raksin’s Theme from Laura; Charles Gounod’s Marche funèbre d’une marionnette and the Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher song The Rainbow Connection.

The concert is scheduled to run 40 minutes. It will be archived on LACO’s website for later viewing.

Rachel Bay Jones and Seth Rudetsky – August 23rd – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Rachel Bay Jones may not be the best-known Broadway star, but for anyone who saw her originate the role of Heidi Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen, you know exactly why she received a Tony Award for her performance.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest this week in his series of conversations and performance with Broadway luminaries.

Amongst her other Broadway shows are Pippin, Hair, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Off-Broadway she appeared in First Daughter Suite at the Public Theatre and, of course, the sold-out pre-Broadway run of Dear Evan Hansen.

As with all Seth Rudetsky concerts, there will be an encore streaming on Monday, August 24th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. Tickets for either time are $25.

That’s this week’s Best Bets: August 21st – August 23rd. You know I have some reminders for you, too:

For those in the Los Angeles area, PBS SoCal will air In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday, August 21st at 8:00 PM PDT. This first episode is Hecho en Mexico.

Fridays at Five from SFJazz features a concert by Grammy Award-winning singer Dianne Reeves.

The operas available from the Metropolitan Opera this weekend are Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra on Friday, Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia on Saturday and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel on Sunday.

Legendary drummer Andrew Cyrille performs from the stage at the Village Vanguard on Friday and Saturday.

That’s it for Best Bets: August 21st – August 23rd. Enjoy your weekend.

Photo: Jotham Annan in The Fairy Queen (©Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Photo by Richard Hubert Smith)

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Der Ring des Polykrates is a one-act comedic opera that tells the story of a young man, Wilhelm Arndt, who seemingly has everything: he has money and a happy marriage. When a long-absent friend, Peter Vogel, returns into his life Arndt finds himself challenged by Vogel to find something he can – and should – sacrifice so that his good fortune continues.

Tenor Scott Ramsay sings the role of Arndt. Soprano Shana Blake Hill sings the role of Laura (Arndt’s wife.) Roberto Perlas Gomez, a baritone, sings the role of Vogel. Also in the cast are Alex Boyer and Emily Rosenberg. Francesco Milioto conducts.

Directing Der Ring des Polykrates is Numi Opera founder Gail Gordon. To learn more about Numi Opera go here to read our interview with her when Numi Opera launched it first season in May. (This is their second production.)

Korngold’s work in both film and classical music is wildly entertaining and deserving of far greater attention that it receives today. That Numi Opera has selected this lesser-known work represents a step forward for opera in Los Angeles.

For tickets go here.

Photo of Erich Korngold by Cosmo-Sileo Associates (New York, N.Y.)/Courtesy of the New York Public Library Archives

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Thibaudet has become a regular in Los Angeles, both with his many appearances with the LA Philharmonic (including an appearance this October where he will perform Gershwin’s Concerto in F ) an also in his role as Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School (his role there continues through the 2019-2020 season.)

This piano concerto by Ravel, while having noticeable jazz influences, still hews to a traditional classical form. The three-movement structure follows a fast-slow-fast structure. The last movement, which maintains a particularly fast pace, requires the soloist to play with unending energy and precision.

The world first heard Ravel’s Concerto in G when the composer conducted the world premiere in 1932 with Marguerite Long on the piano.

Also on this program Tuesday night is Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances op. 45. If you do not know these pieces by name, I assure you they are instantly recognizable.

Eun Sun Kim will conduct this concert. For classical music fans it should be noted that this is the final classical music concert of the season at the Hollywood Bowl

For tickets go here.

Photo of Jean-Yves Thibaudet courtesy of the LA Philharmonic Association.

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On the program are works by Debussy, Brahms and Rachmaninoff. As an added bonus, there will be a CD signing in the LA Phil store after the performance.

What makes this pairing so compelling is that each musician is a master of his instrument. Capuçon, who plays concerts around the world, has said of the cello, “It’s simply the most beautiful instrument! The closest to the human voice, the most sensual by its sound, its shape and the way you play it. It’s just a fact!”

Thibaudet, who has been a regular presence in Los Angeles (including a stint as Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School), is one of the most passionate pianists of his generation as this clip from a performance of Ravel’s Piano Concert proves.

The combination of these two clearly talented musicians and this material should make for a very memorable evening of music. Capuçon & Thibaudet performed this program at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco over the weekend.

Capuçon will be joining the LA Philharmonic for performances on Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme starting Friday.

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Laurie Anderson: All Things I Lost in the Flood – The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

April 20

Performance artist Laurie Anderson brings his one-woman show to the Wallis Annenberg Center as part of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles’ ALOUD Present Program. During the course of the evening Anderson will take the audience through the trials, tribulations and successes and failures behind many of her creative endeavors through the years.

In addition to this appearance, Anderson has just released a new CD entitled Landfall. On the recording she collaborates with the Kronos Quartet.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet – Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

April 20-22

This two part program begins with a brand new work called Bach 25. It not only features the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, but in these performances in Los Angeles, the company will be joined by Complexions co-founder Desmond Richardson.  The second part of the program is Stardust a 43-minute “Ballet Tribute to David Bowie.” Both works were choreographed by Dwight Rhoden. We spoke to Rhoden about Bowie, Richardson and the work of Complexions. You can read that interview here.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre – Segerstrom Hall

April 20-22

Nine different works will be performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre during their shows at the Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa. Amongst them are Stack-Up, Mass, Ella and In/Side. The choreographers represented include Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, Talley Beatty, Twyla Tharp and Billy Wilson. The music includes works by David Byrne, Ella Fitzgerald, Earth Wind and Fire and Nina Simone.  We spoke with dancer Yannick Lebrun about his work with the company. You can read the interview here.

Belleville – Pasadena Playhouse

April 22 (official opening) – May 13

In Amy Herzog’s taut 90-minute play, an American couple living in Paris, newly married, finds their relationship is already starting to crack. Can the newlyweds withstand the pressures they are facing? Do they really know each other well? And what do they make of their neighbors who are also their landlords? Thomas Sadoski (Life in Pictures and the Broadway production of Other Desert Cities ) and Anna Camp (the Pitch Perfect movies ) star as the couple. Moe Jeudy-Lamour and  Sharon Pierre-Louis are the neighbors. Jenna Worsham directs.

Our Name Is Barbra – Catalina Bar & Grill

April 22nd

This annual fundraiser for Project Angel Food is celebrating its 20th year of singing the songs of Barbra Streisand. With 35 studio albums, 9 compilations, 7 live records and 15 soundtracks, it’s no wonder an event like this can last 20 years. Amongst the performers this year are Andrea Marcovicci, Ilene Graff & Ben Lanzarone, Artie Butler, Melanie Taylor & Terry Wollman and Kiki Ebsen. And if you think maintaining a fundraiser for 20 years is a big deal, just check out this little note they received last year:

Colburn Gala Concert – Walt Disney Concert Hall

April 22nd

When conductor Michael Tilson Thomas recently performed with the San Francisco Symphony at Walt Disney Concert Hall, it was his last performance with the orchestra in Los Angeles before the end of his time with that organization. What wasn’t mentioned is that it wouldn’t be his last performance this year. Though he isn’t conducting his own orchestra, he will be leading the Colburn Orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony Number 1 in D Major, “Titan” at their Gala Concert on Sunday night.

In addition to stepping on the podium for this concert, Tilson Thomas will be receiving the 2018 Richard D. Colburn Award. Also being honored this year is architect Frank Gehry.

Colburn Orchestra Photo by Matthew Imaging

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