The show, which official opens on Sunday, April 24th at the August Wilson Theatre in New York, tells the story of Fanny Brice, her time as a member of the Ziegfeld Follies and her passionate and troubled romance with Nick Arnstein. Beanie Feldstein plays Brice with Ramon Karimloo as Arnstein. Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Spring Awakening) directs. Harvey Fierstein has revised Isobel Lennart’s book. The show features the songs People, Don’t Rain on My Parade and Who Taught Her Everything – all written by Jule Style and Bob Merrill.

For trivia buffs, Funny Girl is opening on Barbra Streisand’s 80th birthday. She, of course, originated the role of Brice on stage and won an Academy Award for her performance in the film version.

In January I spoke with Lynch who was planning a small tour with Kate Flannery that was postponed due to the pandemic. During part of our time we talked about Funny Girl and what follows are excerpts from that conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.

Obviously, Beanie Feldstein has big shoes to fill, but I don’t think we should forget that Kay Medford played your part both onstage and in the film. What are you looking forward to most about this revival and what challenges are you going to face as an actor in bringing your own take on Mrs. Brice?

I’m never going to be Kay Medford, so I never think about things like that. When we were talking about doing this I watched the movie again. One of the first movies I ever saw in my life was Funny Girl and I loved it. I’ve been singing that score since I was a little girl. So I watched the movie again and she was brilliant. I mean, first of all, Barbra Streisand was like a revelation. And Kay Medford was just wonderful and grounded and funny and kind of put upon. And I think that’s definitely something that’s going to affect my performance.

I totally get that point of view. She’s a tough broad who created this business all on her own without a man. In those days that was a hard thing to do. So she’s independent and she loves her kid and she’d do anything to protect her. I just love that. I think it’s great and I think Kay Medford played it with such aplomb. And she’s Irish too, by the way. She’s a hundred percent Irish playing a Jewish mother. 

When I see a show has a revised book I wonder what’s going to be revised. I felt that way before I saw the new version of West Side Story and then I saw it and actually thought it was better than the original film. Do you feel that people who are fans of Funny Girl are still going to find the same material they loved?

Absolutely. In fact, as I was watching the movie, and this is before I had read the new book, I thought it was just going on a little too long. And if I were doing this book I’d condense this part and jump from that part to this part and forget this part. And I think Harvey Fierstein was reading my mind. 

Or you were a silent collaborator, who knew? 

Yes. Yeah, yeah. (she laughs)

Have you heard the Supremes album Sing and Perform the Songs of Funny Girl?

No. Really?

You have to. It is endlessly fascinating. But what it made me think about is how universal the songs and the story of Funny Girl really are. What do you think there is about Fanny Brice’s story and the way it’s told in this musical that it can be performed by the biggest all-female group of all time and still work? 

I think it’s about wanting something so bad and knowing that you’ve got something in you, but the world doesn’t know yet. And damn it, you’re not going to stop until the world knows it.

That was that was one of the things that impressed me so much about that movie. Seeing it after so many years was, boy, she was not to be discouraged. She was not to be denied. I mean, even with Florence Ziegfeld, she’s “Excuse me, Mr. Ziegfeld, Mr. Ziegfeld. Hello!” Nobody talks to him like that. “I can’t do that song because I’m not beautiful.” And he says, “You will do that song.” Then she defied him and did it as a pregnant woman and made a joke out of it. I mean the way Barbra Streisand played that.

I think that’s probably the truth about Barbra Streisand, too. She was not going to be denied. To look at her you might go she’s not a standard size that fits the standard dress*. She’s got a nose with deviation*, as my character says. The Supremes and Diana Ross being African-American women in that very patriarchal society that Motown was, I can understand why they would relate to those songs.

What does returning to the stage after everything we’ve gone through in the past two years mean to you?

I’m most alive on stage. I’m my happiest. You don’t realize how much you miss something until you’re back. Then you get back on stage with these people doing these songs and you go, Oh my God. We say it after every show. This is the best gig in the world. And I think if we’re having such a great time, I know that the audience is there with us and it would be nothing without them, either. They’re a big part of what makes it so joyful.

*A reference to one of the lyrics in If a Girl Isn’t Pretty from Funny Girl

Photo: Jared Grimes and Jane Lynch in Funny Girl (Photo by Matthew Murphy)

The post Jane Lynch Has Sung Funny Girl Since She Was Young appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Gravitte will be joined by friends of hers who will join for conversation and song. Monday’s guest is composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin). On May 9th she’ll be joined by composer Marc Shaiman (Hairspray; Catch Me If You Can) and on September 12th her guest will be Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy; Kinky Boots).

Gravitte finds that all three of her guests have something in common.

“These first three people I’ve asked happened to be all incredibly wealthy, famous Jewish men,” she said during our recent Zoom conversation. “I know them personally. I’ve experienced things with them as as friends and in business and I think that they feel comfortable with me.”

Though she’s never appeared on Broadway in a show created by any of these three men, she has had other working relationships with them.

“Stephen and I did concerts before Wicked opened. I was like the first person who sang Defying Gravity,” she revealed. “Of course I did Godspell because I think every human being who’s ever done a show in their life has done either Godspell or Pippin. And Marc Shaiman, when I met him I think he was 17 or 18. We were both really young and he was already playing for Bette Midler because his talent is undeniable. It’s just crazy. He did the orchestrations and arrangements for my first cabaret show. And then Harvey happens to live in my town in Connecticut. We’ve become buddies. I was doing a show at a local theater here and I asked Harvey to come and we sang Do You Love Me from Fiddler [On The Roof]. So we sort of performed together.”

When asked about opportunities she’d like to have with Schwartz, Shaiman and Fierstein, she doesn’t hesitate with her dream roles – one of which is surprising.

“I’d love to be Elphaba. Although when I first took my children they turned to me, I think they were like 10 years old, and said, ‘Mom, you are so perfect for this show. You’d be the perfect Glinda,’ because they think I’m funny. So I’d love to do Elphaba, scream my lungs out and fly. Wouldn’t it be glorious? And with Marc, I’d like to be the lead in Catch Me If You Can. I’d like to sing Live in Living Color. That’s not going to happen. And I think that I’m in the perfect role with Harvey because we’re friends.”

For all of her experiences on concert stages, Broadway (including Zorba and Chicago) and cabaret venues, it was a suggestion years ago from a former late-night talk show host/comedian that inspired Debbie Gravitte Plus One.

“I was opening for Jay Leno years ago in Atlantic City. This was right after I’d won the Tony Award. I had all my dialogue written out. It was so scripted. And he says to me, ‘You know you’re really funny. Why don’t you just talk? Which is why I’m doing this series. I’m very comfortable just talking.”

As Gravitte was when we she told a great story about being in London with lyricist Fred Ebb (Cabaret; Kiss of the Spider Woman) and composer Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!; Mame).

“I’m trying to breathe basically thinking about how rich these men are and how incredibly famous they are and their bodies of work. This was before Chicago had its second life on Broadway for Fred. Jerry walks away and Fred says to me, ‘God I wish I was as famous as Jerry Herman.’ What is he talking about? He’s Fred Ebb of Kander and Ebb, and I just realize that it’s very relative. It’s just part of life; the grass is always greener.”

For Gravitte, who grew up in West Los Angeles, being around people like her guests or Ebb or Herman wasn’t necessarily what she thought her life would be.

“I don’t think so, but I think I always hoped so. Who knows what you’re thinking as a girl growing up in L.A.? Literally my house overlooked 20th Century Fox. It was really up high on a hill. I could literally see 20th Century Fox; movies, movies, movies, movies. And all I ever wanted to do was Broadway – to be a Broadway star.”

She achieved her dream and is fully aware of how privileged she is to have done so.

“I was doing a concert one time and this woman came up to me. I guess she was of a certain age. She was older and she came up to me weeping. ‘I always wanted to do what you wanted to do.’ Then I’m saying, ‘Well, you can do it. You can still do it. You can sing in the shower.’

“When I am standing on a stage and am fully present and people are gazing back at me with that look of expectation, I absolutely feel like I am the luckiest human on the planet. I get to do what millions of people wish they could do. You know me, I wish I could build bookshelves. We all have things we want to do. I’ve never gone ‘I am an actor. I’m a dancer. I’m a singer.’ I’m an entertainer. I want to entertain people.”

To see and hear the entire delightful conversation with Debbie Gravitte, please go here.

Photo: Debbie Gravitte (photo by Bill Westmoreland/Courtesy of Birdland)

The post Tony Winner Debbie Gravitte Just Wants to Entertain You appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Tom Dugan, perhaps best-known for his one-man show Wiesenthal, has written a new play that takes its inspiration from some of the stories by Sholem Aleichem that did not find their way into the musical. The play, Tevye in New York, reveals what happens to the Jewish milkman and his wife after his three daughters have left Anatevka.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts has just opened the world premiere engagement of Tevye in New York. Just prior to starting previews, I spoke by phone with Dugan about taking on such a beloved character, why he remains so popular and what he’s learned from Tevye. What follows are excerpts from that conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.

When you tackle a character like Tevye, who has been brought to life by the likes of Zero Mostel, Topol and even Harvey Fierstein, what challenges do you face in giving the audience the character they have come to love, but still make it your own?

I’m very mindful of that. It’s a play about his growth and development and how he has to change with the changing times. I knew when I walked on stage I had to be recognizable as Tevye first. I can’t come out and say, “This is the new Tevye.” Little by little it takes us to a place where Tevye’s mind is open to new things.

I believe more than anything else in our popular culture, the film version is what is most indelibly marked in the mind. So I am going to try to emulate as much as I can of Topol in the beginning of the play so people recognize him. Then we’ll take that character into a brand new place. He’ll be doing things that the Tevye in the musical never did go through and could never conceive of.

In the wonderful documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles they showed a production in Japan of the musical where the cast was asking how the musical could be so Japanese. In other words, these stories are universal. Does Tevye in New York serve as a universal story as well?

I think I have a lot of help because I have Sholem Aleichem on my side. What Joe Stein [book writer of Fiddler on the Roof] did so brilliantly was to take a lot of what Aleichem had written, take the essence of it and then change it. Rewrite it. That’s what I’ve done. The majority of the Tevye stories are not included in Fiddler on the Roof. There are four stories people don’t know about that are more powerful than what’s in the musical. I’m taking from the original stories just as Stein did and I’m creating a one-man play with it.

Harry Stein, son of Joseph Stein, said that there were some in the Jewish community who felt that “Fiddler was a betrayal of much that gave that experience and weight and instead became a parable of assimilation in which the tragic core of the original Shalom Aleichem stories is replaced with an all-American optimism.” Do you agree with that perspective?

I’m not sure. Everybody has their opinions and Aleichem went from the darkest of dark stories to the lightest of light stories. When I spoke with the Sholem Aleichem family they invited me, just before the pandemic, to an island off of New York where they have the estate and the family has a reunion every year to celebrate his work. Aleichem asked on his deathbed please get together and celebrate my work. Please do not focus on the sad stuff. I don’t think that Fiddler on the Roof would have displeased him in any way shape or form. Especially the success of it.

This is not the first time a continuing story about Tevye has been created. Alexandra Silber, who played Hodel on stage, wrote a novel following that character’s story after the musical. Why do people want to create new stories for these characters and why do audiences want to read or see them?

I think it is because they see themselves on stage. These characters are so well written from the original stories. It’s not black and white. They have faults, they make mistakes, sometimes they say and do ugly things. Then they go on and try harder and they do something else and you grow a greater respect and connection with them beach that’s what we all do. We’re making it up as we go along.

Sometimes the hero knows what to do. Tevye ain’t that. Men, women, children all appreciate the fallibility of the character. The reason that he’s popular is because they either see themselves, their husbands or their father up on stage.

Whom do you see?

My connection is not a small one. I played Tevye in high school as a 17-year-old. That was the part that made me say I want to do this for the rest of my life. So Tevye looms large in my life. When I original did it, who did I see? I saw my father.

What has Tevye taught you?

From the first time in high school I saw the power of how the character and the play could bring people together. I don’t want to get too snobby, but I grew up poor. With poverty comes alienation in the family and depression and anger. I remember opening night and my parents came. I got home at three in the morning. I was tip-toeing. There was my uncle, aunt, father and mother laughing their heads off. I just marveled how that play, that character, had brought these people who were living a pretty sad existence together. That’s when I thought that’s the power of theater and the character and I want to play characters like this.

Tevye in New York runs at The Wallis through July 25th.

Photo: Tom Dugan in Tevye in New York (Photo by Lawrence K. Ho/Courtesy The Wallis)

The post Tom Dugan Talks Tevye Traditions appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

They include Jim Parsons in Harvey, jazz pianist Chano Domínguez (if you don’t know him, you should!), the pentulimate episode of Close Quarters from Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and For the Record Live’s Brat Pack.

Here is the full list of our Best Bets: May 21st – May 24th:

*TOP PICK* – A Tribute to John Williams – Boston Pops – Now – June 19th

We showcased this concert in yesterday’s preview of our Best Bets. Here is the the top line. Composer John Williams and his music are celebrated in this concert by his one-time home, The Boston Pops. Keith Lockhart will be on the podium for this program of Williams’ film scores ranging from the well-known (Star Wars) to lesser-known tracks.

A special part of this program is the inclusion of interviews with Williams about many of these scores and his memories of creating them with filmmakers such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

A 7-day pass is required to watch A Tribute to John Williams. Those passes are $9

PLAY: Harvey – Roundabout Theatre Company on Broadway on Demand – Now – June 13th

Mary Chase’s play about a man’s friendship with an invisible rabbit (who gives the play its name) first opened on Broadway in 1944 with Frank Fay in the role of Elwood P. Dowd. (Trivia note for theater buffs: Antoinette Perry, the woman for whom the Tony Award is named, was the director.)

A 1970 revival of the play starred James Stewart who starred as Elwood in the 1950 film classic.

It would be 42 years before Harvey would find its way back to Broadway. Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) starred as Elwood with Jessica Hecht and Charles Kimbrough co-starring. This Roundabout Theatre Company production from 2012 is streaming for free on Broadway on Demand.

Charles Isherwood, in his New York Times review, hailed Parsons’ performance:

“The breakout star of the popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” the soft-spoken Mr. Parsons makes an ideal Elwood, the drinker and dreamer who passes his days in the company of Harvey, doing little more than sitting around saloons making friendly conversation with whoever happens by. Mr. Parsons possesses in abundance the crucial ability to project an ageless innocence without any visible effort: no small achievement for an actor in these knowing times.

You will need to register to stream the play. After you do so you’ll receive streaming instructions.

BALLET: Swan Lake – San Francisco Ballet – Now – June 9th

When San Francisco Ballet debuted Helgi Tomasson’s new Swan Lake ballet, it was a runaway hit. Interest in this production was so intense that they sold out nearly every performance.

In the ballet, Odette is a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer. Prince Siegfried falls in love with Odette. At night she turns back into her human form and it was upon seeing this transformation that the romance begins. Other spells and deception awaits the leads in Swan Lake. While love triumphs, it isn’t necessarily the happiest of endings, but it is certainly romantic.

Tchaikovsky’s music is still present, but it is Tomasson’s vision that was different after he updated the choreography by Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa.

The cast for this streaming performance features Yuan Yuan Tan in the dual roles of Odette and Odile. Tiit Helimets dances the role of Prince Siegfried. Alexander Reneff-Olson dances the role of Von Rothbart and the Pas de Trois is performed by Dores André, Taras Domitro and Sasha De Sola. Martin West conducts.

Tickets are $29 which allows for 72 hours of access to Swan Lake.

PLAY READING: The Sisters Rosensweig – Spotlight on Plays on Broadway’s Best Shows – Now – May 24th

Jason Alexander, John Behlmann, Lisa Edelstein, Kathryn Hahn, Kathryn Newton, Tracee Chimo Pallero, Chris Perfetti and James Urbaniak star in a reading of Wendy Wasserstein’s play. The reading is directed by Anna D. Shapiro (Tony Award-winner for her direction of August: Osage County).

The Sisters Rosensweig opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1993. This was her first Broadway play since wining the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for The Heidi Chronicles.

The play depicts a reunion of three sisters who haven’t seen each other in years. Through the course of the play they come to understand that the bond of being sisters is more important than any of the reasons they’ve stayed apart.

Mel Gussow, in his review for the New York Times said of the play:

“Ms. Wasserstein’s generous group portrait is not only a comedy but also a play of character and shared reflection as the author confronts the question of why the sisters behave as they do. The immediate answer is that they are Rosensweigs and are only doing what is expected of them. The play offers sharp truths about what can divide relatives and what can draw them together.”

Wasserstein passed away in 2006 at the age of 55 due to complications of lymphoma.

Tickets are $18 which allows for repeated viewings through May 24th at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT. Proceeds benefit The Actors Funds, TDF Wendy Wasserstein Project and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

JAZZ: Chano Domínguez – SFJAZZ – May 21st – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

Spanish born pianist Chano Domínguez has long put postbop, flamenco and fusion influences together to create a wholly original approach to jazz music. In this concert from 2018, Domínguez celebrates the work of Miles Davis.

Joined by bassist Alexis Cuadrado, drummer Henry Cole, flamenco singer Blas Córdoba and dancer Daniel Navarro, Domínguez will offer his take on such classic Davis tracks such as So What, All Blues and Freddie the Freeloader from Davis’ 1959 classic album Kind of Blue.

The concert is streaming right around dinner time on the East Coast (8:00 PM) and happy hour on the West Coast (5:00 PM). As a wine pairing for this concert I suggest a crisp Albariño for those who prefer white wine and a dry Rioja for those who prefer red.

If you can’t make the Fridays at Five showing, there will be an encore presentation on Saturday, May 22nd at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT.

Tickets are $5 which includes a one month digital membership.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Elizabeth Stanley – Broadway Stories & Songs with Ted Sperling – May 21st – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

I first saw Elizabeth Stanley in the 2006 revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company. Since then she’s appeared on Broadway in Cry-Baby, Million Dollar Quartet, the 2014 revival of On the Town and she was starring in Jagged Little Pill when the pandemic hit. That show, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, will re-open on October 21st.

Stanley is an amazing singer and one who performs songs in the truest sense of the word. She doesn’t just sing, she imbues them with whatever the song calls for: comedy, drama, pathos, etc..

She joins Ted Sperling for this weekend’s Broadway Stories & Songs with Ted Sperling. The show will first air at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on Friday. It will also be rerun on Saturday at 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT. The $25 ticket price allows you to view both showings.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Shin, Reid + Britten – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – Debuts May 21st – 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT

In this penultimate episode of LA Chamber Orchestra’s Close Quarters series, the music of Benjamin Britten and Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Reid is performed along with the world premiere of Hyo by Peter S. Shin.

Shin was the recipient of the 2020/2021 Sound Investment Honor which finds donors investing in the creation of a new work and following its progress leading up to its premiere.

Les Illuminations by Britten is a 16-minute song cycle that had its world premiere in 1940. Joining LACO for this performance is soprano Nicole Cabell. She’s performed in opera houses around the world in Porgy and Bess, La Traviata, Don Giovanni and more.

Lumee’s Dream from Reid’s opera p r i s m is the last work on the program.

Dance is included in this episode with choreography by Rebecca Steinberg performed by Layne Paradis Willis and Joe Davis.

Visuals are by Jian Lee and the LACO is lead by Grant Gershon.

There is no charge to watch this show. If you haven’t look at the other 12 episodes in this ambitious and very satisfying series, I urge you to do so.

MUSICAL: Brat Pack – The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts – May 21st – May 23rd

Don’t you forget about films like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and more. You won’t be able to if you stream Brat Pack this weekend.

For the Record Live created a cottage industry of shows dedicated to the soundtracks from various films centered around individual directors. Amongst the most popular was their show celebrating John Hughes. That show serves as the inspiration for Brat Pack which tells the story of the high school experiences of the archetypal Basket Case, Geek, Jock, Mister and Rebel. Does that sound like a club with whom you might like to have breakfast?

Brat Pack was filmed live on stage at The Wallis with James Byous, Emily Lopez, Parissa Koh, Patrick Ortiz, Doug Kreeger and Kenton Chen. As with any For the Record Live production, they are accompanied by a killer band.

Tickets are $20 which allows for viewing all weekend long. One note of caution: the show does contain adult subject matter and language.

OPERA: Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen – Glyndebourne – May 23rd – June 6th

Vladimir Jurowski conducts; starring Emma Bell; Lucy Crowe, Sergei Leiferkus and Mischa Shelomainaksi. This Melly Still production is from the 2011-2012 season.

Leoš Janáček’s opera had its world premiere in Prague in 1924. The Cunning Little Vixen has a libretto by the composer based on a serialized novel by Rudolf Těsnohlídek called Liška Bystrouška.

In The Cunning Little Vixen a foster, while taking a nap, is taken by a young vixen to be her pet. Once she gets older she pursues a more independent life. The vixen gets mistaken for a gypsy girl and her life becomes a whirlwind she never expected.

We’ve covered literally hundreds of opera productions here at Cultural Attaché. I can say with absolute certainty that this is the first time we’ve offered up a production of Cunning Little Viven. This is not a commonly performed opera.

Fiona Maddocks, in her review for The Guardian, said of this production:

“Melly Still’s staging, designed with folkloric charm by Tom Pye and atmospherically lit by Paule Constable, wins enough plus points to balance out the minuses. The action is often chaotic and unfocused. There is no allowance made for the speed at which the text moves. Lacking the requisite fluency in Czech – feeble, I know – one had to cling on to the surtitles at the risk of missing the action. The shooting of the Vixen passed almost without notice, though this may be the point: another ordinary day in the genocidal war of man and beast.”

There is no charge to watch Cunning Little Vixen which will be available for streaming through June 6th.

BROADWAY FUNDRAISER: Broadway Barks – May 23rd – 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT

This annual event supports the adoption of shelter animals. Broadway Barks was started by good friends Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters in 1998. Every year they have had in-person events where Broadway stars and shelter pets combine to entertain and find homes for the four-legged friends.

This is the second virtual edition and they have an incredible line-up:

Sebastian Arcelus, Annaleigh Ashford, Alec Baldwin, Christine Baranski, Bill Berloni, Stephanie J. Block, Carol Burnett, David Burtka, Victoria Clark, Glenn Close, Lily Collins, Harry Connick Jr., Sheryl Crow, Jason Danieley, Ted Danson, Ariana DeBose, Daveed Diggs, Gloria Estefan, Harvey Fierstein, Calista Flockhart, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Groban, Kathryn Grody, Emmylou Harris, Neil Patrick Harris, Megan Hilty, James Monroe Iglehart, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Jackson, Allison Janney, Nathan Lane, Bob Mackie, Audra McDonald, Charlie McDowell, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Mandy Patinkin, David Hyde Pierce, Randy Rainbow, Kelly Ripa, Chita Rivera, Lea Salonga, Phillipa Soo, and Mary Steenburgen. 

Peters will serve as the host.

Broadway Barks will stream on Broadway.com and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ Facebook and YouTube pages. 

Those are our Best Bets: May 21st – May 24th. As usual, a few reminders before we conclude:

Tales from the Wings: Celebrating Lincoln Center Theater with Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald and others remains available through Sunday, May 23rd only. Don’t miss it.

LA Opera’s Signature Series adds a recital by Julia Bullock on Friday to still available performances by Russell Thomas, Susan Graham and Christine Goerke.

Next week the fourth and final episode of Myths and Hymns from MasterVoices debuts. If you haven’t seen the first three episodes, take a look.

The Romero Quartet launches their 60th anniversary celebration with a streaming concert from Belly Up in Solano Beach on Sunday. For details and our interview with Pepe Romero, please go here.

The Metropolitan Opera productions streaming this weekend are the 2016-2017 season production of Verdi’s Nabucco on Friday; Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor from the 1982-1983 season (with Joan Sutherland) on Saturday and the 1995 production of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades on Sunday. This will conclude the Unhinged Mad Scenes week.

Monday the Met begins Rare Gems week with a 2008-2009 season production of Massenet’s Thaïs. We’ll have the full line-up on Monday for you.

Lastly if you’ve read our interview with Isabel Leonard (and please do, she has a lot to say), you’ll remember that Saturday the Met streams Three Divas at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT featuring Leonard with Ailyn Pérez and Nadine Sierra.

That’s truly the end of our Best Bets: May 21st – May 24th.

I hope you have a great weekend. Enjoy the culture!

Photo: Keith Lockhart conducting the Boston Pops (Photo by Stu Rosner/Courtesy Boston Pops)

The post Best Bets: May 21st – May 24th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

The shows range from topical dramas exploring current events to the first of December holiday events to a salute to Broadway and some outstanding jazz. Of course, there’s more than that, too.

Our weekend’s top pick is Jason Moran and The Bandwagon performing at the Village Vanguard in New York as they do every Thanksgiving weekend.

So here are your Thanksgiving Weekend Best Bets:

Until the Flood – Center Theatre Group Digital Stage – Now

The Kirk Douglas Theatre began this year with Dael Orlandersmith’s one-person show Until the Flood. The Center Theatre Group has teamed up with theaters around the country to make a film of Until the Flood available for viewing.

In her show, Orlandersmith looks at how the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson impacts the Black and white members of the community and how they processed this tragedy.

The film is from the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre in New York. They, along with Center Theatre Group and the following theaters, are making Until the Flood available: A Contemporary Theatre—Seattle, Washington; DCPA Theater—Denver, Colorado; The Goodman Theatre—Chicago, Illinois; Milwaukee Repertory Theater—Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Portland Center Stage—Portland, Oregon and Repertory Theater of St. Louis—St. Louis, Missouri (who commissioned and produced the play).

There is no charge to watch Until the Flood.

Holiday on Strings! – Playhouse Live – Now – January 3rd

Playhouse Live now has their third Bob Baker Marionette Theatre show. Like the previous Halloween-themed show in October, this classic show is timed for holidays – the winter ones!

A wizard takes Demetrius Nova Twinklestar III on a whirlwind tour of the holiday galaxies. Amongst the locations on their itinerary are Santa’s workshop, the world of Charles Dickens (author of A Christmas Carol), a Hannukah celebration, a visit from a certain reindeer with a red nose and some charming and endearing North Pole animals.

Holiday on Strings! was filmed in front of a live audience (no doubt pre-pandemic). The rental fee is $14.99.

On a separate note, the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre is facing possible closure. The theatre was established in 1963 and has provided millions of children and adults countless hours of pleasure (myself included in grade school and later again as an adult). They recently moved out of their long-time location into a new space in Highland Park. If you are interested in reading more about BBMT and/or making donation, please go here.

The Last Five Years – Broadway on Demand – November 26th – November 29th

The Jason Robert Brown musical that follows the life of a relationship between a writer and his wife going, literally, in opposite directions, is being presented in a performance filmed live at Southwark Playhouse this weekend.

If you don’t know this wonderful musical, Cathy (Molly Lynch) tells the story of their relationship in reverse starting at the end and moving towards when they first met. Jamie (Oli Higginson) tells the story chronologically from the moment when they first locked eyes through to its end. As a result, the two only meet in the middle of the story.

In Jonathan O’Boyle’s production, each performer plays accompaniment on the piano when the other is singing. The cast is supported by a four-piece band.

Ava Wong Davies, in her review for The Independent, said of this conceit, “It’s an ostensibly simple trick, but one which pays dividends. O’Boyle extracts a seam of melancholy from the piece which undercuts even the most ebullient numbers – there’s a pearly beauty to the golden days of their early courtship. After all, relationships are filled with ghostliness, even when you’re in them – that creeping, niggling sense that you will never fully understand the other person, the feeling of a partner morphing out of a familiar shape into something unrecognisable. 

Tickets are $17.90 (which includes the service charge).

Nutcracker Online – SF Ballet – November 27th – December 31st

It’s that time of year and our first Nutcracker is available starting on Friday. San Francisco Ballet’s 2008 production will be available for streaming throughout the holidays.

Though a staple of ballet companies around the world, The Nutcracker was not considered a success when it debuted in St. Petersburg in 1892. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1960s that it became embraced.

In the ballet, Clara is enamored with a nutcracker that her godfather has brought to a Christmas eve celebration. Others aren’t so interested and Fritz actually breaks the nutcracker. After all the guests have left for the evening – and just as midnight strikes – Clara checks in on the broken nutcracker. That’s when the world of toys, mice, fairies, Christmas trees and her beloved nutcracker come to magical life.

The music was written by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky.

This production was choreographed by Helgi Tomasson. The company features Elizabeth Powell as Clara, Yuan Yuan Tan as the Snow Queen, Pierre-François Vilanoba as the Snow King, Vanessa Zahorian as the Sugar Plum Fairy with the grand pas de deux danced by Maria Kochetkova and Davit Karapetyan.

Tickets are $49 and allow viewing for 48 hours. There are also interactive components included. Tickets are available here.

Jeremy Pelt & Jeb Patton – Mezzrow – November 27th

Jazz trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and pianist Jeb Patton will perform two sets from Mezzrow in New York on Friday, November 27th. The first set is at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM EST with the second set at 8:30 PM EST/5:30 PM PST.

Pelt’s album The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 1 is one of my favorite albums of the year. Hopefully the title implies a second volume will be forthcoming.

Patton cut his professional teeth playing with saxophonist Jimmy Heath. His most recent album is 2019’s Songs of the Saxophone.

There’s no charge to watch the performances. Mezzrow does make reserved Sponsor Seats available for each set priced at $40.

Jason Moran and The Bandwagon – Village Vanguard – November 27th – November 28th

If you’ve read any of my coverage of jazz musicians, you are well aware of how much I respect and enjoy pianist/composer Jason Moran. One of my favorite ways of enjoying his music is with his ensemble The Bandwagon.

Moran has been performing with bassist Taurus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits for over twenty years.

Their first recording together was 2000’s Facing Left. Three years later he officially titled an album The Bandwagon and it found the trio performing live at the Village Vanguard.

They return to New York’s legendary jazz club this weekend for two performances – as they usually do each Thanksgiving weekend.

If you are wondering why you can’t find new releases on streaming services, it is because Moran has been releasing his new material independently. 2018’s Looks of a Lot is his most recent release with The Bandwagon.

Tickets are only $10 for each of these performances.

Gregory Porter – SFJAZZ – November 27th – 8:00 PM PST/5:00 PM PST

This week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ finds singer Gregory Porter performing in a concert from August 2019.

At the time of this concert Porter was supporting his album, Nat “King” Cole & Me and was working on his 2020 album, All Rise.

Porter’s silky smooth baritone voice works magic on classic material and he has the ability to skillfully blend jazz and soul. He has two Grammy awards – both for jazz albums – and received his seventh nomination earlier this week for All Rise in the category of Best R&B Album.

SFJAZZ’s Fridays at Five concerts only stream once at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST. (Or happy hour as we call it on the West Coast.) You must have either a one-month membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60) to view the shows.

The Prestidigitalist – November 27th – 10:00 PM EST/7:00 PM PST

International magician David Goldrake has developed a streaming magic show that takes many of the illusions that have made him an international star and Las Vegas headliner and combined them with newly created illusions to form the basis for his show The Prestidigitalist.

Your first question might be, what’s a prestidigitalist?

Honestly, it’s not a real word. It’s something Goldrake made up combining prestidigitation (nimble fingers) and digital (reflecting the way the world is enjoying entertainment these days).

I’ve seen Goldrake perform many times. Most of the performances I saw were at the Magic Castle. I also saw his Las Vegas show, Imaginarium. Earlier this year I was invited to see a workshop production of the show that became The Prestidigitalist.

While I haven’t seen the show as it currently stands, I know he’s quite talented and a truly engaging performer.

Tickets are $25 and the show is presented via Zoom. If you are unable to see The Prestidigitalist this weekend, there is another performance on December 11th.

Lea Salonga in Concert – Great Performances on PBS – check local listings

Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga performs a ninety-minute concert from the Sydney Opera House on PBS’ Great Performances.

Salonga made her Broadway debut as the ill-fated Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. It was for that performance that she earned her Tony Award.

Additional Broadway credits include Les Misérables, Flower Drum Song, Allegiance and the recent revival of Once on This Island.

The concert will include songs from several of these shows, if not necessarily exclusively songs she performed in them. Salonga will also perform songs from Mulan and Aladdin.

Concurrent with this concert on Great Performances, Salonga is releasing a recording of the full concert on November 27th on Broadway Records.

L’Elisir d’Amore – San Francisco Opera – November 28th – November 29th

Conducted by Bruno Campanella; starring Ramón Vargas, Inva Mula, Giorgio Caoduro, Alessandro Corbelli and Ji Young Yang. This James Robinson production is from the 2008-2009 season.

Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (“The Elixir of Love”) had its world premiere in Milan in 1832. The libretto by Felice Romani. L’Elisir d’Amore was inspired by Eugène Scribe’s libretto for Daniel Auber’s Le philtre.

In this opera, Adina and Nemorino are the couple at the center of the story. Nemorino is madly in love with Adina, but she toys with his love. In an act of desperation he purchases an “elixir” that he believes will make her fall in love with him. He pretends not to love her anymore which leads, of course, to the planning of their wedding. But will it take place? It’s a comic opera, of course it will!

Joshua Kosman, in his San Francisco Chronicle review, said one performance stood out. “…tenor Ramón Vargas gave a ravishing performance as Nemorino – his tone bright and fluid, his technique effortlessly precise and his comic presence winning but unobtrusive.

“Practiced hands know to look forward to ‘Una furtiva lagrima,’ the lyrical showpiece that Nemorino sings shortly before the final curtain, and Vargas’ rendition didn’t disappoint – it was marked by lustrous sound and generous, arching phrases, as well as a dazzlingly long-held approach to the final cadence.”

A Toast to Broadway – The Ridgefield Playhouse – November 28th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Connecticut’s The Ridgefield Playhouse is throwing a party that fans of musicals will want to see. A Toast to Broadway finds nearly 20 performers coming together to celebrate the Great White Way.

Tony Award winners Stephen Schwartz (Isabel Stevenson Award), Debbie Gravitte (Jerome Robbins’ Broadway) and Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray, Torch Song Trilogy) will be joined by Kelli Barrett (Rock of Ages), Ann Hampton Callaway (Tony nominee for Swing!), Sam Gravitte (Wicked), Morgan James (Postmodern Jukebox), LaKisha Jones (The Color Purple), Mark Kopitzke (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Jesse Leprotto (Newsies), Alli Mauzey (Wicked), Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) Seth Rudetsky, Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Scarlett Strallen (Mary Poppins) and Julius Thomas III (Hamilton).

Tickets are $35 with a portion of the proceeds going to The Actors Fund.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – On the Stage – November 28th – January 3rd

One of the best and most thrilling evenings of theatre I had in 2018 was seeing Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) in a one-man version of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story, A Christmas Carol.

This was riveting theatre that found Mays giving one of his finest performances ever.

He was cloaked in a production that was exciting and creative from director Michael Arden (Once on This Island). Mays, Arden and Susan Lyons adapted the story.

On the Stage will stream the show throughout the holidays. This is a newly filmed performance of A Christmas Carol. The runtime is 91 minutes. Tickets are $50 with an additional $7.50 in service charges. Your ticket allows you to watch the show for 24 hours.

Multiple theaters around the country are participating in A Christmas Carol. As the show was originally developed and produced at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, the link in the title goes to their website.

For One Knight Only – Acting for Others – November 29th – 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST

You have to be either a Knight or a Dame to be part of For One Knight Only. Thankfully the line-up of talent for this one-night only show (it is originating from England) includes two dames and three knights.

Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellan and Maggie Smith will come together for 90 minutes of storytelling, conversation and conviviality.

For One Knight Only is a fundraiser for Acting for Others which is providing support to out of work professionals involved with the performing arts in the United Kingdom.

The good thing is you don’t need to be a knight or dame to watch the show. Everyone is invited. Tickets are £45 which equates to approximately $60.

Patti Murin and Colin Donnell – Seth Rudetsky Concert Series – November 29th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

We’ve selected shows by Andy Karl and Orfeh and just last week Kelli Barrett and Jarrod Spector. Welcome to another Broadway couple: Patti Murin and Colin Donnell.

Murin is best known for originating the role of Anna in the Broadway version of Frozen.

She made her Broadway debut in another film-turned-Broadway musical, Xanadu. She also originated the title role in 2011’s Lysistrata Jones.

Donnell made his Broadway debut in Jersey Boys. He was Billy Crocker in the Tony Award-winning 2011 revival of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes. His chemistry with Sutton Foster was so good in that show that he also appeared with her in the 2014 production of the musical Violet.

But his best chemistry is with Murin. They were married in 2015.

They are the headliners in this weekend’s Seth Concert Series from Seth Rudetsky (who joins as accompanist and host).

Tickets are $28.50 (which includes service charges). The concert is expected to run 90 minutes. If you cannot see the concert live on Sunday, there will be an encore streaming on Monday, November 30th at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST. The show will then be available on demand for a couple weeks.

Are you stuffed with all the Thanksgiving Weekend Best Bets you can handle? I hope not, because I have a few reminders of what else is available for your viewing pleasure.

There is another opportunity to see Ute Lemper’s Rendezvous with Marlene on Wednesday, November 25th at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST.

All three plays that make up The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro are available for streaming from Center Theatre Group. The plays are Oedipus El Rey, Mojada and Electricidad.

All episodes of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series remain available for viewing. Their shows include classical music, jazz, R&B and rock. Amongst the performers are J’nai Bridges, Andra Day, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Kamasi Washington. Gustavo Dudamel hosts all episodes and conducts most of the shows.

The theme at the Metropolitan Opera this week is family drama. So if you aren’t having enough drama at home, be sure to check out the operas available through Sunday.

That’s our complete list of Thanksgiving Weekend Best Bets.

I wish you, your friends and families the best possible weekend. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Enjoy the culture!

Photo: Jason Moran and The Bandwagon (Courtesy jasonmoran.com)

The post Thanksgiving Weekend Best Bets at Home appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

We have links in the title for most of the events we have listed here. That will make it easy for you to find your way directly to these exciting performances.

So let’s get to it. Here are your Best Bets at Home: September 11th – September 13th:

This Is a Man’s World – Latino Theater Company – Now – September 17th

In Los Angeles-based Latino Theater Company’s ongoing series of streaming archived performances, this week they have added Sal Lopez’s one-person show This Is a Man’s World.

The play opened in 2015 and takes a look at masculinity. Lopez combines monologue and music to relay the important events in his life. These include the Watts Riots, falling in love and the birth of his son.

This Is a Man’s World was directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela

Table of Silence Project 9/11 – Buglisi Dance Theatre and Lincoln Center – September 11th – 7:55 AM EDT/4:55 AM PDT

For the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy in 2011, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Artistic Director of Buglisi Dance Theatre, created Table of Silence Project 9/11. The work found over 150 dancers gradually making their way to Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza. The plaintive call of a conch shell brings them together as music from a flute, bass drums, a trumpet, bells and the sounds of a chorus fill the space.

Three of her collaborators – Composer/Music Director Daniel Bernard Roumain, spoken-word poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and Buglisi Dance Theatre Co-Founder/Principal Dancer Terese Capucilli – have re-worked Table of Silence Project 9/11 for 2020.

There will be a new Prologue which will feature dancers from Buglisi Dance Theatre, Ailey II, Alison Cook Beatty Dance, Ballet Hispánico’s BHdos, The Juilliard School, Limón Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company. In addition to other dancers from the NYC community, violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain and poet Joseph will be joining this year’s performance.

The entire event will be streamed live with the following program:

A Prologue, performed live from Lincoln Center; welcome remarks from industry leaders; an excerpt from Buglisi’s Requiem, (choreographed in 2001 as an immediate response to the events of 9/11); the World Premiere of Études, a new three-minute film featuring more than 100 dancers from around the world who have been inspired by the Table of Silence Project 9/11 to create and submit small scale works recorded during the month of August and, finally, the full presentation of the 2019 Table of Silence Project 9/11.

If you cannot watch the event live, it will be available on-demand after its premiere.

Amanda Green AF in Q – Birdland – September 11th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

If you don’t know Amanda Green by name, you might be familiar with some of her work. She wrote the lyrics for the musical High Fidelity; lyrics with Lin-Manuel Miranda for Bring It On: The Musical; music with Trey Anastasio and lyrics for Hands on a Hardbody; additional material for the 2019 revival of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate and additional lyrics for the 2015 revival of On the Twentieth Century.

Green has a distinct connection to the last musical. Her father, the late Adolph Green, co-wrote the music and lyrics for On the Twentieth Century with his long-time writing partner Betty Comden. In the interest of being fair to both parents, her mother was the late Phyllis Newman, a Tony Award winner for her performance in the musical Subways Are For Sleeping.

In one of the Radio Free Birdland! concerts filmed at the venue without an audience, Green performs along with her guests singer Natalie Douglas, singer/songwriter Curtis Moore and drummer Sean McDaniel. The music director is James Sampliner.

She’s working on a couple new musicals – including one with Jason Robert Brown and Billy Crystal. Perhaps there will be previews of the new material.

Tickets are $23.50.

The Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet – Great Performances PBS – September 11th (Check local listings)

In 1965 legendary choreographer Kenneth MacMillan debuted his new ballet, Romeo and Juliet, with the Royal Ballet. It’s Shakespeare’s classic tale danced to the music of composer Sergei Prokofiev. It received phenomenal reviews and the company, which featured Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, gave 43 curtain calls during the 40-minute standing ovation at the ballet’s completion.

For this film airing on Great Performances, the ballet leaves the stage and takes place in and around multiple locations and sets in Budapest, Hungary.

Dancing the role of Juliet is Francesca Hayward, William Bracewell dances Romeo and Matthew Ball dances the role of Tybalt. BalletBoyz Michael Nunn and Wiliam Trevitt directed the film.

As with all PBS airings, best to check your local listings for exact dates and times.

SHE – Latino Theater Company – September 11th – September 20th

Latino Theater Company also continues new readings of plays and this week it is SHE written by Marlow Wyatt. This is a sneak peak at a production that has been rescheduled for next year.

In the play the title character is a 13-year-old. She’s growing up in a small town where poverty is all-too-present. SHE uses her imagination to escape the trappings of her world by creating poetry. When she gets the chance to go to Vanguard Academy, a prestigious school, she comes face-to-face with the harsh realities of the real world. Her dreams have a price. But support comes from the most unlikely of places.

This reading is directed by IMANI.

Joyce DiDonato in Bochum, Germany – Metropolitan Opera – September 12th – 1:30 PM EDT/10:30 AM PDT

If you are a regular reader of Cultural Attaché (particularly the weekly listings of Metropolitan Opera nightly streams), you’ll immediately recognize the name of mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. She has appeared in their streamed productions of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Le Comte Ory, La Donna del Lago and La Cenerentola; Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda; Massenet’s Cendrillon and Handel’s Agrippina.

This Saturday she joins the Met Opera Stars Live in Concert series with a recital of her own from Bochum, Germany. Joining DiDonato for the performance will be pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson and chamber ensemble Il Pomo D’Oro.

Her program is scheduled to include works by Claudio Monteverdi, Hector Berlioz, Gustav Mahler, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Cesti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Alberto Evaristo Ginastera, Louiguy and Rodgers and Hammerstein. There will also be the world premiere of a new work by Kenyatta Hughes with text by Langston Hughes.

Tickets are $20.

Moonlight Sonata Gala – Pasadena Symphony & Pops – September 12th – 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT

Like many a gala in 2020, the Pasadena Symphony and Pops have gone on-line. Their Moonlight Sonata Gala will be free to watch, but you’ll have to register to do so. The registration does require you add credit card details. Your card will only be charged if you choose to bid on and win items in their auction.

The event will feature performances by Michael Feinstein, singer Catherine Russell, Broadway’s Cheyenne Jackson and others. Patti Austin will appear as will Pops conductor Larry Blank. Music Director David Lockington serves as host. After the event is over there is an after-party with Michael Cavanaugh who appeared on Broadway in the musical Movin’ Out.

Love in Action: A Telethon To Support the LGBTQ Community – KTLA TV – September 12th – 10:00 PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT

So what makes a telethon something to consider at Cultural Attaché? Well, any telethon that has a line-up like this one is bound to appeal to fans of culture:

Tony Award winners Cynthia Erivo, Cyndi Lauper, Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Porter and Lily Tomlin

Tony Award nominee Andrew Rannells

Drama Desk Award-winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Drama Desk nominee Anthony Rapp

Singers Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang, Sia and the vocal ensemble Tonality

Actors Alexandra Billings, Wilson Cruz, Armie Hammer, Alec Mapa, Peter Paige, Pauley Perrette and Brian Michael Smith

Comedians Margaret Cho, Ilana Glazer, Jay Leno and Bruce Vilanch

Drag icons RuPaul, Miss Coco Peru and Shangela.

And a certain Oscar winner named Cher is also joining the fun.

Jane Lynch is hosting the two-hour event along with KTLA News anchor Cher Calvin. You know what they say, Cher and Cher alike.

For the Love of Lyric Concert – Lyric Opera of Chicago – September 13th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Established in 1954, the Lyric Opera of Chicago has been a prominent part of the performing arts in Chicago. Like many an institution struggling to navigate the pandemic, they have chosen to go on-line with their gala this year. For the Love of Lyric Concert is this year’s program.

Soprano Renée Fleming, who has served as Creative Consultant to the Lyric Opera since 2010, will headline the event.

Joining her will be Ryan Opera Center alumna mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, Heather Headley (Tony Award-winner for Aida); bass Soloman Howard and soprano Ailyn Pérez. Doug Peck is the music director.

The program is set to include music from opera, Broadway, popular songs and “some surprising sources.” I’m not quite sure what that means. I guess that is why it will be a surprise.

The event will stream for free on the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Facebook page a day after it virtually runs for sponsors.

Miscast20 – MCC YouTube Page – September 13th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

New York’s MCC Theater (Manhattan Class Company) annually holds an event that is one of the most popular and most-anticipated events every year. It is called Miscast. The concept is rather simple: actors perform songs from musicals that are performed by characters they would never get cast to play.

Take for example this video of Hamilton‘s Jonathan Groff performing Reno Sweeney’s title song from the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes:

I have no idea what songs are going to be performed and by whom during Sunday’s event. But, I can tell you who will be performing:

Tony Award winners Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Heather Headley (Aida) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton)

Tony Award nominees Robert Fairchild (An American In Paris), Joshua Henry (Carousel), Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire), Lauren Ridloff (Children of a Lesser God), Phillipa Soo (Hamilton) and Adrienne Warren (Tina)

Also joining are Beanie Feldstein (Hello, Dolly!), Ingrid Michaelson (Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812), Isaac Powell (Once on This Island) and Nicolette Robinson (Waitress).

There will also be a reunion of the original company of Hairspray including Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler, Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein, Jean Gambatese, Jackie Hoffman, Kamilah Marshall, Matthew Morrison, Tony Award nominee Corey Reynolds, Judine Somerville, Shayna Steele and Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur.

Presenters include Jocelyn Bioh, Raúl Esparza, Judith Light, Julianna Margulies, Piper Perabo and Thomas Sadoski.

If you enjoy Broadway musicals, this is truly a must-see event.

Jeremy Jordan with Seth Rudetsky – September 13th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

On June 14th, Jeremy Jordan was one of Seth Rudetsky’s first guests in his online concert series. He’s back with a new show as Rudetsky’s guest on Sunday.

In addition to his well-known roles in Broadway’s Bonnie & Clyde and Newsies, Jordan has also appeared in West Side Story, Rock of Ages and Waitress. He was a series regular on Smash and appeared with Anna Kendrick in the film adaptation of The Last Five Years.

Tickets for the show are $25. If you can’t see the show live on Sunday, there is an encore presentation on Monday, September 14th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT.

Kritzerland 10th Anniversary Show – September 13th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Fans of rare recordings of Broadway musicals and new recordings of lost musicals are well acquainted with Kritzerland Records. They have released recordings of the musicals Anya, Ilya Darling, The Grass Harp and restored recordings of the 1971 production of Follies, House of Flowers and more.

They will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of their live shows with an on-line concert. The show promises to include rarities, well-known material and a few songs that have never been heard before.

The cast includes Daniel Thomas Bellusci, Jason Graae (Wicked tour), Peyton Kirkner, Beth Malone (the 2018 revival of Angels in America), Pamela Myers (original cast of Company), Kerry O’Malley (Billy Elliot: The Musical), Hartley Powers, Sami Straitman, Adrienne Stiefel and Robert Yacko (Mark Taper Forum production of Parade).

They also have one very special guest: Petula Clark. In addition to having hit songs with Downtown and I Know a Place, she has appeared on stage in The Sound of Music, Sunset Boulevard and on Broadway in Blood Brothers.

This concert is free, but donations that will go to The Actors Fund are encouraged. Donations can be made here.

Those are my selections of your Best Bets at Home: September 11th – September 13th. I also have some reminders for you:

Los Angeles area residents can catch this week’s In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on PBS SoCal on Friday, September 11th at 8:00 PM. This week’s theme is Musicals and the Movies and includes performances by Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Here are reminders from this week’s Jazz Stream:

Red Baraat are featured in this week’s Fridays at Five from SFJazz on September 11th.

John Scofield Trio will perform from New York’s Blue Note on September 11th.

Bill Charlap Trio performs September 11th and 12th from the Village Vanguard in New York.

Pasquale Grasso Quartet performs September 13th from Smalls.

Here are reminders of this weekend’s schedule at the Metropolitan Opera:

Georges Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles on Friday; Hector Berlioz’s Les Troyens on Saturday and Jules Massenet’s Werther on Sunday.

Will that suffice? Do you have enough options to keep you entertained this weekend? I hope so and I hope you have enjoyed Best Bets at Home: September 11th – September 13th.

Montage of Miscast performers courtesy of MCC Theater

The post Best Bets at Home: September 11th – September 13th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Macbeth – Stratford Festival – Now – May 28th

In their continuing series of providing films of 12 Shakespeare plays, Canada’s Stratford Festival is adding Macbeth to the list of available films this week.

This drama tells the story of a Scottish general who is told by three witches that he will ascend to the throne and be King of Scotland. The combination of his singled-minded pursuit of power and the assistance of his wife, Lady Macbeth, allows him to stop at nothing to become King.

Ian Lake plays the title character, Michael Blake is Macduff, Krystin Pellerin is Lady Macbeth, Scott Wentworth is Banquo and Sarah Afful is Lady Macduff. Antonio Cimolino directed the production.

Remember that King Lear with Colm Feore will be available for one more week. Coriolanus also continues for two weeks.

Antony and Cleopatra – National Theatre Live at Home – Now – May 14th

If you love Shakespeare, but don’t want to spend time with Macbeth, you have another option. National Theatre Live begins live-streaming today their sold-out 2018 production of Antony and Cleopatra which starred Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo as the ill-fated couple.

In this historical love story, written by Shakespeare around 1606, Antony is smitten with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Mark Antony, Octavius Caesar and Lepidus share the power to rule Rome, but hints of scandal and libelous stories lead to death and destruction.

Daniel Barenboim Conducts the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – Carnegie Hall – Now – May 11th

In this Carnegie Hall concert from November 2018, Daniel Barenboim takes to the podium to conduct a program that includes Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. He and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra are joined by soloists soloists Miriam Manasherov (violin) and Kian Soltani (cello).

The concert includes three encores: Saint-Saëns’ The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals, Elgar’s Nimrod from Enigma Variations, Op. 36 and finally Wagner’s Prelude to Act I of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

These concerts become available at 3 AM EDT/12 AM PDT on May 8th for 72 hours.

Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things – YouTube – May 8th

On Friday at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT, Lena Hall, Tim Realbuto, Katie Rose Clarke and Jonah Platt will do a live reading of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things. After the reading, LaBute will join for a Q&A.

In the play, Evelyn (Hall) attempts to change Adam (Realbuto) which leaves his friends Jenny (Clarke) and Phillip (Platt) concerned about how influential Evelyn is being and how beneficial that ultimately is for Adam.

This reading is a benefit for The Actors Fund. There is no charge to view this event, but they are suggesting a $5 donation.

The King and I – Broadway HD – May 8th

Beginning at noon 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT, Broadway HD is making available a film of the 2015 Broadway Revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. This production starred Kelli O’Hara as Anna Leonowens, Ken Watanabe as The King of Siam and Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang. Not only did O’Hara and Miles win Tony Awards for their performances, the production was awarded the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

Bartlett Sher directed this production which features such beloved songs as “Hello Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You,” “Shall We Dance” and “Whistle a Happy Tune.”

Gruesome Playground Injuries – Red Line Productions YouTube Channel – May 8th

Saturday morning in Sydney, Australia, Red Line Productions will live-stream a reading of Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries with Rose Byrne and Ewen Leslie. With the time difference, this reading will be available at 8:30 PM EDT/5:30 PM PDT.

The play, which appeared in New York in 2011, tells the story of Kayleen and Doug, two friends who meet in school and are reunited over the course of three decades. That they turn out to be masochists is just one of the intriguing aspects of their personalities.

Joseph was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his play, Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo. Amongst his other plays are Guards at the Taj and Describe the Night.

Mefistofele – San Francisco Opera – May 9th

San Francisco Opera starts making filmed productions available this weekend with this 2013 production of Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele, based on Goethe’s Faust. Boito is best known and the librettist for Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Otello and Falstaff.

SF Opera’s production starred Russian bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov in his staged role debut as the devil Mephistopheles, Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas as Faust and American soprano Patricia Racette in the dual roles of Margherita and Elena. The production was directed by Robert Carsen and conducted by Nicola Luisotti.

The opera had its world premiere in Milan in 1868 were it was not well-received. Seven years later a new production with significant changes by Boito, was more warmly received.

Mefistofele becomes available on May 9th at 1 PM EDT/10 AM PDT and will remain available for streaming until midnight the following day. San Francisco Opera is making additional productions available for streaming over the next few weeks. We will be including them in our weekend Best Bets at Home.

Broadway Does Mother’s Day – May 10th

The Broadway community continues to rally for its own with this Sunday afternoon concert that celebrates Mother’s Day and serves as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares. Broadway Does Mother’s Day begins at 3 PM EDT/12 PM PDT.

A partial list of those participating in the concert includes Annaleigh Ashford, Kate Baldwin, Laura Benanti, Betty Buckley, Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, Victoria Clark, Lea DeLaria, Beanie Feldstein, Harvey Fierstein, Victor Garber, Mandy Gonzalez, Jennifer Holliday, James Monroe Iglehart, Judy Kaye, Celia Kennan-Bolger, LaChanze, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bernadette Peters and Vanessa Williams.

Cast members from the shows Ain’t Too Proud, Beetlejuice, Chicago, Come From Away, Company, Dear Evan Hansen, Diana, Girl from the North Country, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jagged Little Pill, Mean Girls, Moulin Rouge!, Mrs. Doubtfire, Sing Street, Six and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical will appear in sketches and make special appearances.

Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin – May 10th – 8 PM EDT/5 PM EDT

Unlike the other events listed on this page, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin is not a free event. Felder has teamed up with theatres around the world to perform the show as a fundraiser for those theatres. Tickets are $50 per household and will allow access to the live performance for 72 hours. There is also a live talk-back after the performance.

Felder, who will be giving the performance in Florence, Italy, is known for his one-man shows celebrating various composers including George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Debussy.

Berlin is the songwriter who gave us “Always,” “Blue Skies,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “White Christmas” and “God Bless America.” He also wrote the musical Annie Get Your Gun.

The link above is to raise money for The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Those are our choices for your Best Bets at Home: May 8th – 10th. But we also want to remind you of a couple additional selections that we wrote about earlier this week.

Reminder:

Great Performances on PBS is airing on Friday the Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Concert from October 2019. It features conductors Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel. Check your local listings.

The operas available this weekend from the Met Opera in New York are La Boheme from 1977 with Luciano Pavarotti and Renata Scotto on Friday; the documentary The Opera House on Saturday and Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliaci on Sunday. Each program becomes available at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT.

Main Photo: Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe in The King and I (Photo by Paul Kolnik/Courtesy of Lincoln Center Theatre)

The post Culture Best Bets at Home: May 8th – 10th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Lauper, who was named Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 1985, had massive hits with the songs “Time After Time,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “True Colors.”

She is also a Tony Award winner for her score and lyrics for Kinky Boots. Her collaboration there with book writer Harvey Fierstein and Tony Award-wining star Billy Porter should come as no surprise. She’s a staunch LGBTQ advocate and recently performed a few weeks ago at the Stonewall 50 – World Pride event in New York.

As talented as she is, my reason for going to this show is three-time Grammy Award winner Cécile McLorin Salvant. Her three most recently released albums:  “For One to Love,” “Dreams and Daggers” and “The Window” earned her those three Grammy Awards.

In 2015 Nate Chinen of the New York Times acknowledged that she was then just about to turn 26. And though he had a quibble here and there he also admitted that she “is still exploring….And she knows as well as anyone that she’s too good not to get better.”

I’ve had the privilege of seeing her perform several times. The first was when she opened for Bryan Ferry at the Hollywood Bowl. Since then I’ve tried to catch at least one show while she’s in Los Angeles.

She is joined by the Aaron Diehl Trio for this performance.

Salvant is an incredibly smart and talented singer. But it would be irresponsible not to mention that she’s dealing with tragedy as she embarks on these two performances. Her drummer, Lawrence Leathers, was murdered in New York in early June.

In a 2015 interview with the Lansing City Pulse, Leathers said of Salvant, “I´ve never met a person that age with so much depth of understanding of the history of her craft.” He went on to say, “The beautiful thing with her is that her talent and her personality does all the talking.”

Expect that she will do as he said and let her song choices and brilliant performance say everything.

For tickets for Friday night go here.

For tickets for Saturday night go here.

Photo of Cécile McLorin Salvant by RR Jones/All photos courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association

The post Cécile McLorin Salvant opens for Cyndi Lauper appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

“What I love about Madame Giry and Norma Desmond is that they are women who see what they want to see and they go after it.” So says Karen Mason who should know. She’s played both parts in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals. She is currently on stage in Love Never Dies, the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. The show continues at the Hollywood Pantages through this Sunday. Next week the musical begins a two-week engagement at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa.

I spoke to Ms. Mason after she completed a rehearsal for the show. In Love Never Dies Christine (Meghan Picerno) and Raoul (Sean Thompson) have a son, Gustave. One of the actors who plays the son is going off to high school and a new Gustave has to learn the blocking.

Mason made her Broadway debut in a show called Play Me a Country Song. The show closed on opening night in 1982. “It wasn’t a huge surprise when we closed,” she recalls of that experience. “I think the bigger surprise was how unorganized it was and how sad it was that so much money was put into something and it wasn’t as prepared as it should have been. During that time I auditioned for Torch Song Trilogy when it was moving from off-Broadway to Broadway and I had actually gotten the role of the torch singer. But Play Me a Country Song wouldn’t let me out of my contract. Luckily Harvey Fierstein [the author and star of Torch Song] used me for vacation “Lady Blues” when Susan Edwards couldn’t do it.”

Mason was in rehearsals for Jerome Robbins’ Broadway at the time The Phantom of the Opera was nearing the end of its first year. Of course she had to see that show. “Here’s the weird little caveat,” she says with a laugh. “I saw it when I got standing room. I never saw the chandelier coming down. I kind of missed a big portion of it. I’ve always been a song person. I love a three-and-a-half minute beautiful melody and song, so to have the continuity through the entire show was new and jarring for me and yet very satisfying. I thought it was magnificently beautiful.”

Like everyone else, it never occurred to her that the show would be running 30 years later. “When shows a long time ago stayed open a couple years they were considered wild successes. Now thirty years of consistent audiences, obviously there is something there that really speaks to a lot of different types of people. And not just one generation.”

Which lead, of course, to the sequel in which she appears, Love Never Dies. The show had a troubled start. It opened and closed rather quickly in England. It has never played Broadway. Only after an enterprising production in Australia was new life found and thus the tour was born.

“I’m happy that we have people who come to see the show who loved Phantom. The younger generation is the one that are the biggest fans of Love Never Dies. Every generation likes to discover something for themselves and I think Love Never Dies is going to be their discovery, their mythology and what they compare the next thing to.”

The character she plays is Madame Giry, the woman who in the first show suggested Christine for the lead in the opera once Carlotta walks out. In Love Never Dies, Giry is doing whatever she can to help her daughter, Meg, capture the Phantom’s attention and therefore the lead in his new work. She’s protective, stern, a bit harsh and the polar opposite of Karen Mason.

“Beneath the soul of every young girl who grew up in the 50s is a lot of sturm and rage,” Mason says. “Growing up as a young Catholic girl I had very strict and efficient nuns who taught me over the years. It’s easier than it should be for somebody as perky as I am to mimic that. Madame Giry is almost like a wounded animal. In her mind she is carving out this piece of the world for herself and for her daughter with the Phantom as her…well muse isn’t the right word, but maybe as the motivator. She’s taking advantage of his skill set. When that blows up in her face I don’t think she totally knows how to deal with that.”

Though she has played Mama Rose in Gypsy, Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard and now Madame Giry in Love Never Dies, she tweeted a suggestion to Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda asking for him to write her in the part of “the lost oldest daughter” in his juggernaut of a show.  It’s a great joke, but it does reflect a certain reality she is facing.

“The thing about it looking a little bleak on Broadway for a woman my age and skill set is it may force me to really push for this show I’m really proud of and want to get produced. It’s a show about my relationship with my music director Brian Lasser. It is called Unfinished Business. It’s a one-person musical for me and somebody at the piano. I was a young woman who didn’t know how to get where she wants to get and she meets this guy who turns her life around. When he dies, how do you keep moving? It’s a beautiful statement about artists and humanity and I get to showcase Brian’s music. Because let’s face it, I will probably not find my way into a Go-Go’s musical.” [She’s referring to Head Over Heels which is currently playing at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco with an eye to Broadway.]

Whether she gets cast in new shows on Broadway or does Unfinished Business or both, Mason remains hopeful for the future. “I do have great optimism about the arts. Because when I first moved to New York in 1979, cabaret and theatre were dying. But we’re still here and we’re still growing and changing. As long as we have the option of having a Lin-Manuel Miranda come along and have a big blockbuster hit, I think there will always be space for these beautiful new voices who have different ways to say things. It’s always going to change. This new generation has shown themselves to be fighters. I think we’re going to be okay.”

And you know that Karen Mason will, too.

Production Photos by Joan Marcus

The post Karen Mason’s “Love Never Dies” for Performing appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Based on the 2005 film of the same name, Kinky Boots tells the story of the failing British shoe factory Price and Son. Charlie, the son, doesn’t want to continue in his father’s footsteps, but he doesn’t want the workers to lose their jobs. Through his friend Harry he meets a drag artist named Lola. She and Charlie team up to create shoes for drag queens in hopes of turning the business around.

“I only write about being human,” the four-time Tony Award winner Fierstein says. “Kinky Boots is about wounds we have as adults that we carry from childhood. You have this boy; he grew up his entire life looking at this factory with his name on it and he has no choice but to be a shoemaker. His girlfriend asks what he wants to do and he says ‘not that.’ Then you have the other boy whose father is a champion boxer who knows his son is a big ol’ drag queen. The opening of the show is him putting on high heels [after] a boxing class. And his father, one assumes, teaches him to box to take care of himself. These two boys look like complete opposites but are actually in the same situation: disappointing [their] fathers.”

Fierstein credits Gloria Steinem with inspiring the themes in Kinky Boots. “She says I don’t care how great your parents are, as a child you have a limited vocabulary to say what you need, what frightens you,” he explains. “You still grow up with certain holes in you.”

Pop princess Cyndi Lauper, who wrote the music and lyrics for Kinky Boots, also won a Tony for her work on the show. She joins an ever expanding list of Fierstein collaborators. “Every collaboration is different even when you work with someone a second time,” he says. “Working with Jerry Herman, I wasn’t even 30 when I wrote La Cage Aux Folles and I’m working with someone who wrote Hello, Dolly! and Mame. Girlfriend was getting schooled. Working with Peter Allen (Legs Diamond), he was always willing, but his brain was somewhere else. If I asked him for a number for the girl character, I’d just get another song for him. Working with Cyndi has its own challenge, not just because she’s Cyndi and has a very strong personality, but her work schedule. It was tough getting her pinned down. That’s why she calls me Mommie Dearest.”

Fierstein’s breakthrough came with his 1982 play Torch Song Trilogy. I asked if he had any plans to revive the show. “It’s hard. It’s not an easy play. We just don’t have the right kid. We’ve done two readings now with actors I thought would work. We offered it to somebody I thought would do a bang-up job and he chickened out. But it has to be right. I let somebody produce it in London, Doug Hodge, who played in La Cage. I’ll allow you to experiment, but if you fuck it up, it will be your last experiment. And boy did he fuck it up.”

His most recent play, Casa Valentina, depicted heterosexual transvestites. He hopes to mount the show in Los Angeles and explains why he uses drag in much of his work: “It’s so dynamic. Quite frankly it’s safer for an audience to hear a story told that way, especially for a heterosexual audience because they can stand back from it. It doesn’t say ‘This is you.’ Gay men can say, ‘I’m no drag queen,’ so they can watch it from a safe distance and not feel like they are being questioned. It’s a lovely device.”

Fierstein might have been late for our phone call, but he doesn’t mince words.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

The post Harvey Fierstein Gets Back to Drag appeared first on Cultural Attaché.