A Strange Loop has opened at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles where it will play through June 30th. If you haven’t seen A Strange Loop, the musical is about a Black, gay usher (named Usher) working at The Lion King, who writes a musical about a Black, gay usher, working at The Lion King…of course, that’s the easy description.

Jackson did not rest on his laurels. His musical White Girl in Danger ran off-Broadway last spring. His new musical, Teeth, written with Anna K. Jacobs, opened at Playwrights Horizon earlier this year and is transferring to New World Stages this fall.

With A Strange Loop coming to Los Angeles, I knew it would be a challenge to be one of those people asking Jackson questions. I saw the show in New York and loved it, but there were things I wanted to know. Thankfully Jackson agreed to the interview you are about to read.

Of course, what follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. But you can watch the full conversation on the Cultural Attaché YouTube channel.

Q: What has this musical that you’ve given the world taught you over the course of your five year journey, which I know is a much longer journey because you had been working on it for 20 years?

It taught me that persistence is key and that we, as human beings, have a lot more in common than we have not in common. That’s been an interesting sort of lesson to learn each time I encounter the piece out in the world.

While in New York I strongly encouraged a straight couple and their teenage daughter to see A Strange Loop. I wasn’t fully sure how they would respond. They all came out of it loving it because they saw themselves in Usher. Is that the response you hoped for when writing the show?

The show is about a character who is exploring very explicitly his own internal makeup. I feel that when people watch it, they can’t help but do that for themselves. So it’s an exploration of the self. He is a fat, Black gay man. That’s the makeup that he has to work with. That’s not what everybody else’s makeup is necessarily, but they all have whatever their makeup is. 

Why do you think the show has resonated the way it has?

I think because the show is very open and very truthful and honest – sort of to its fault lines. It says things out loud that most people don’t really talk about openly, except maybe with an intimate friend or therapist. I think that it gives people permission to wade into certain territory that they wouldn’t ordinarily do in mixed company. 

And yet they all end up on their feet at the end of the show.

I think Usher’s journey is a really interesting one where he’s so miserable for so much of it and yet, by the end of it, there’s a brief but amazing moment of self-acceptance. I think that’s a cool change to watch. 

You’ve regularly been asked about how autobiographical this show is and I love your response that it’s emotionally autobiographical. Do you think people finally understand that you are not Usher and Usher is not you?

No, I don’t understand that at all. I’ll just keep telling them that until I’m dead in the grave and even beyond then. I’ll keep telling them it’s not autobiographical, but that there’s still many people who won’t believe me.

Why do you think that is? Nobody thinks that. Nobody thinks that Stephen Sondheim is Joanne in Company. 

Right? I mean, I think it’s because there is so much about it that is personal. Usher is, you know, a fat Black gay man with a famous name who’s writing a musical. I am a fat Black gay man with a famous name. I never said that it’s not a personal piece or that I didn’t draw from personal experience. I just said it’s not autobiographical because autobiography is a specific genre. It’s a specific form. That’s not what A Strange Loop is. It’s something stranger, frankly. As much as you want to make it be about me, there’s just too many ways in which it isn’t.

If anything, it’s a self portrait. It’s an attempt to capture a kind of experience from the inside. Something that I began when I was about 23 years old. I’m now 43 years old, so I’m literally not the same person. I have a very different life now than I did then.

For the original Broadway production the entire cast was queer-identifying. Is that something that is part of what you want all productions to embrace? 

I just saw a production in Boston which was the first regional production of it that wasn’t affiliated with the Broadway production. Everyone in the production identifies as Black. But there was one cast member who I believe was like a Puerto Rican or something. Everybody in that production was queer. Not everybody in this production is. Not everybody in the London production was queer either. But they all rose to the task of the character, of the spirit of the piece. I’m really excited, as it continues to be produced, for companies to decide for themselves what the spirit of the piece is, how they’re going to do that, and who are the people who they’re going to task with honoring the spirit of the piece.

I’m not going to say that I want there to be like an all-straight A Strange Loop or anything like that. But I will say that I believe in performance. I believe in acting. I believe in the material. I think there’s more flexibility in how and who can do that. I’m interested in how far people can push it before it becomes something else.

You went on as Usher for three performances in January of 2023. What your perspective being on stage watching a Broadway house see your show, particularly when it got to the point where you’re doing AIDS is God’s Punishment? 

It was a really profound and they were powerful performances for me. I went from having lived the life that I drew from in order to write this piece, to having to then perform the piece and direct that outward. I’m the only person in the history of A Strange Loop who looked at clouds from both sides now. I’d seen it from both vantage points. I felt the loop in both directions. I feel very blessed to have had that opportunity to do that.

Getting to AIDS is God’s Punishment, that song has so many meanings to me, in part because of things that have happened in my life that influenced the writing of it. It was an honor for me to step inside of that and get to literally embody it for those performances. 

I don’t know what your perspective was on stage, but I know sitting in the audience when Usher encourages to clap along, I just said, oh no, no, no, there is no way I’m clapping along to this. Did you see people with hesitation? Did you see a divide, people who clap and people who won’t at all?

My favorite part of A Strange Loop is the moment when everyone has to decide what their relationship to the gospel play is. I clap every single time. Every time I see the show, I clapped. It’s my honor to clap. I love it. Some people start and they stop. Some people never start. Some people look around and are angry that other people are clapping. Some people are confused.

But all of those responses are literally what Usher wants. That’s what it feels like to be him. It’s to have conflicted emotions in this sort of musical fantasia. In this hate-filled but beautifully underscored, beautifully sung gospel moment. That’s what it feels like inside of him. He is directing that outward so that people can experience it because he’s been showing you his impression of it the whole time. But until you’re in it, you’ll never know.

There’s a lyric in Tyler Perry Writes Real Life: “I’m into entertainment that is undercover art.” How much does that ideal guide you whether you were creating A Strange Loop or White Girl in Danger or Teeth?

I’m always pushing for entertainment that’s undercover art. That’s the work that I’ve always liked the best. That’s what inspired me. I looked to this as my guiding light and my guiding star as I was honing my craft and learning how to make the work I wanted to make. But that work is not always going to win the box office.

How much do you want to express yourself in a way that is organic and natural to you as opposed to trying to satisfy algorithms or any other formulas that either computers or executives think are the way to make art work? 

I’m often thinking about that, about how I don’t want to sell out. I want to honor my artistry. But it’s getting a lot harder. The economics of theater are so, so, so, so, so difficult. I’m often wondering, what do I do? Because it’s not really in me to sell out. I spent so many years perfecting the thing that I do that I don’t just have this other instinct in my back pocket. It doesn’t come naturally to me. I guess that means I have to continue to push my little Sisyphean boulder up the hill and see if I can get it to the top, or if it will press me on the way down.

I read the tweet that you posted on April 8th in relation to Jerrod Carmichael’s reality show. You wrote, “Every act of content creation is an act of content destruction. Stop wasting our time. We have less of it to spend than we think.” I love the idea that every act of content creation is an act of content destruction.

Joni Mitchell has this lyric on her 1972 song Electricity that goes, “I’m out of touch with the breakdown of this century.” That’s sort of how I feel in the content era. Everybody’s on their phone. There’s a meme for every emotion that you could possibly feel or not feel. There’s this constant pressure to broadcast every aspect of your life. I have been very guilty of this, so I’m not at all above it, but I do think that everything about our lives is so disposable. And I just hate that.

I never thought that everything was so disposable growing up when I was reading books or watching movies or TV. Maybe it is, but I’m resistant to that. I want the art that I try to make, I want it to last. I want it to mean something to people and to be something that you can go back to and that it can resonate with you beyond just the moment that you watch a two second clip of it online or a meme. I don’t want to be a meme. For good or for ill, that’s what I’ve been trying to do all these years.

Langston Hughes is quoted as saying, “Perhaps the mission of an artist is to interpret beauty to people, the beauty within themselves.” How has the totality of the experience of A Strange Loop allowed you to accept that you have interpreted your own beauty and how will that inspire you moving forward? 

It’s been a real loop roller coaster ride for me because sometimes I would feel like, wow, what a cool thing I’ve made that has shown, as you say, beauty to the world. But then other times I felt like, oh, God, I made something that’s just a vehicle for narcissism and navel gazing. But then I come back to I made something that is a real vehicle for a lot of Black actors to come together, to tell a story of a person trying to find themselves and somewhat succeeding. That feels like a win. So I can only hope that continues. That there’s a will to continue to tell that story and to find artists who want to tell that story as difficult as it is to tell.

To watch the full interview with Michael R. Jackson, please go here.

Main Photo: Michael R. Jackson (Photo by Zack DeZon/Courtesy Center Theatre Group)

The post Michael R. Jackson Is Not Usher in “A Strange Loop” appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

My top pick is:

JAZZ:  STAY – Julieta Eugenio – Self-Released

Argentinian saxophonist Julieta Eugenio is joined by drummer Jonathan Barber and bassist Matt Dwonszyk on this beautiful album that feels like it could have been recorded 60 years ago, yet feels of our time in equal measure. Leo Genovese plays piano on two tracks.

Nine of the ten tracks on this album are originals. The sole cover is of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Lady. (An amazing rendition of that song!) 

There are certain album that you listen to that help you tune out the world and allow you to enter the world of the musicians so thoroughly that their journey becomes your journey. Stay is that kind of album.

Not having heard her before, I also listened to her 2022 album, Jump, with the same musicians. It’s another album that is old school and new simultaneously. Eugenie is a major talent.

Here’s the rest of New In Music This Week: March 29th:

CLASSICAL: BACH: VIOLIN CONCERTOS – Leonidas Kavakos – Sony Classical

This is Kavakos’ second album of music by Bach (the first was Sei Solo which found him playing Bach’s partitas and sonatas for violin.) Here he performs the violin concerti in D Minor, A Minor, E Major, G Minor and the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major.

As one would expect from Kavakos, this playing is exquisite. He is joined by the Apollon Ensemble.

On the website for the album, Kavakos says of Bach’s slow movements that they, “carry us to the place where every human soul would love to be.” I wholeheartedly agree, particulary the way Kavakos plays this music.

CLASSICAL:  RACHMANINOFF FOR TWO – Daniil Trifonov/Sergei Babayan – Deutsche Grammophon

Readers of Cultural Attaché know how much I love Sergei Rachmaninoff’s music. So, it’s inevitable that this album of music arranged for two pianos and played by Trifonov and Babayan is going to register.

And it did. Strongly. The album opens with the third movement of the composer’s Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, a lushly romantic part of the symphony. That is followed by Suite No. 2 for 2 Pianos, Op. 17 and Suite No. 1 for 2 Pianos, Op. 5. Closing out this wonderful recording is the two-piano version of Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances.

85 minutes of music that speeds by in an instant. I guess I’ll just have to listen to it again.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL:  SYMPHONIES OF MOTHER AND CHILD – Nova Pon & Turning Point Ensemble – Redshift Records

This was my first introduction to Canadian composer Nova Pon’s work. The opening track, World Within, serves as a counterpoint to the five-movement title work. It’s filled with brass and a propulsive energy that is different than what follows.

Symphonies of Mother and Child is a 40-minute work for a 15-member chamber orchestra. It’s a fascinating work that seems to fully straddle the worlds of minimalism and romanticism at the same time. (It also has a clever reference to itsy Bitsy Spider built into the second movement.)

Owen Underhill leads the Turning Point Ensemble in this recording. After hearing this recording, I will be exploring more of Nova Pon’s work.

JAZZ:  MUSIC FOR YOUR SOUL – Giuseppe Cucchiara Quartet – Fresh Sound Records

Bassist/composer Cucchiara leads his quartet that includes Adam Arruda on drums, Chris McCarthy on piano and Ben Solomon on tenor sax. He’s also the composer of 7 of the  tracks on this album. (Drummer Arruda is the composer, as you would expect, on the track Drum Interlude).

This is an album that swings when it wants to. Gets melancholy when it needs to. Is joyful when you want it to. In other words, it covers all aspects of your soul.

This, his second album, means we have a very talented musician and composer carving out his place in the music scene. I, for one, am looking forward to what the future brings for Cucchiara.

JAZZ:  LÉ NO – Arnaud Dolmen & Léonardo Montana – Quai son Records & Samana Production

Though drummer Dolmen is an award-winning musician, this was the first time I’ve heard his work. He’s paired here with pianist Montana. Both men provide vocals to this surprising and wonderful album.

What they share, beyond an obvious passion for music, is the tiny island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. Montana was born in Bolivia, was adopted and as a teenager made his way 

to Guadeloupe.  He was immediately intrigued by a big drum called Gwoka.

The music these two men have created on this album sounds like it must involve more than just two musicians. The music is rich, layered, enjoyable, rhythmic and ultimately, magical. I fell immediately in love with Lé No.

JAZZ:  EVEN ODDS – Dan Weiss – Cygnus Recordings

Here’s an intriguing idea for an album. Half the songs are fully composed before recording. The other dozen tracks began their lives as “brief drum exercises or grooves” recorded by drummer Dan Weiss. Then his fellow musicians, pianist Matt Mitchell and saxophonist Miguel Zenón individually composed their own improvisations to accompany these grooves.

The end result is an album that surprises with each of the 18 tracks being really interesting. Amongst my favorites are the emotional The Children of Uvalde, Five to Nine and Peculiar Pathos of Self Importance.

MUSICALS:  WHITE GIRL IN DANGER: A NEW MUSICAL – Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording – Yellow Sound Label

Michael R. Jackson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner for A Strange Loop, followed up that show with White Girl in Danger last year.  The show takes place in the town of Allwhite. The “drama” of their lives is front and center. Whereas the Blackgrounds have their lives relegated to those of police brutality and slavery. 

Enter Keesha Gibbs who refused to remain in the Blackground and takes her place saying, “I will fight back.” But can she handle the heat (I don’t mean police, btw) that the spotlight inevitably comes with? 

The songs are catchy and well-performed. Though the show received mixed reviews, this recording makes a convincing argument for more exploration with White Girl in Danger. If the show is half as much fun as the recording, bring it on!

Just a side note, I listened to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter while writing New In Music This Week: March 29^th and thoroughly enjoyed it.

That’s it for New In Music This Week: March 29^th.

Enjoy the music!

Enjoy the weekend!

Main Photo: Part of the album cover for Julieta Eugenio’s Stay

The post New In Music This Week: March 29th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

13: THE MUSICAL – Netflix – Starts August 12^th

Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Bridges of Madison County) had the world premiere of his musical 13 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2006. The musical tells the story of a Evan Goldman who desperately wants the cool kids at his new school in Indiana to attend his Bar Mitzvah so he can avoid being forever labeled a geek.

Tamara Davis directed this film version that has a script by Robert Horn (Tootsie: The Musical). The cast includes Eli Golden, Gabriella Uhl, Debra Messing and Rhea Perlman.

I saw the musical in 2007 in Los Angeles and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

2:22 – A GHOST STORY – Ahmanson Theatre – Los Angeles – Now – December 4^th

We might as well start Halloween week with this supernatural thriller written by Danny Robins. It’s a simple premise: Jenny (Constance Wu) believes she hears footsteps coming from her baby’s room every morning at 2:22 AM. Her husband Sam (Finn Wittrock) doesn’t believe her. They invite Lauren (Anna Camp) and Ben (Adam Rothenberg) over for dinner and vow to wait up to see whether Jenny or Sam is correct.

Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a play if Sam is right, would it? 

2:22 – A Ghost Story earned rave reviews when it opened in London. This production is the first US production of the play. Matthew Dunster directs.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

DEATH OF A SALESMAN  – Hudson Theatre – New York City – Now – January 15^th STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Arthur Miller’s classic play features an all-Black Loman family in this production from the Young Vic in London. Wendell Pierce (The Wire; Clemency) stars as Willy with Tony Award nominee Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, or Change) as Linda. Khris Davis and McKinley Belcher III play sons Biff and Happy with Tony Award-winner André De Sheilds (Hadestown) as Willy’s brother Ben.

Miranda Cromwell, who co-directed the UK productions with Marianne Elliott, directs.

Ben Brantley, in his opening sentence of his New York Times review of the London production said, “The tired old man has had an unexpected transfusion. And he has seldom seemed more alive – or more doomed.” In other words, attention must be paid.

This is the most emotional production of Death of a Salesman we’ve ever seen.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

EVERYTHING FOR DAWN – All Arts – Now Available

Fifteen different composers and/or librettist have combined forces to create this 10-part opera mini-series. Dawn is a teenager dealing with the aftermath of her artist father’s suicide. Set in Detroit, the first three episodes take place in 1997 when Dawn her mother find a box of paintings. Episodes 4-7 go back two years prior and depict the father in a mental health facility. Episodes 8-10 take place in 2001 as Dawn’s father becomes widely acknowledge as a master of outsider art.

Clarice Assad, Jason Cady, Adrienne Danrich, Lauren D’Errico, Melissa Dunphy, Miguel Frasconi, Paul Kerekes, Pauline Kim Harris, Phil Kline, Krista Knight, Jerry Lieblich, Jerome A. Parker Kamala Sankaram, Aaron Siegel and Matthew Welch are the composers and lyricists.

Episodes 1-6 are already available. Episodes 7-8 get released on October 28^th and the final two episodes will be released on November 4^th.

There is no charge to watch Everything for Dawn which can be found on the ALL ARTS app or at AllArts.org. here.

INTO THE WOODS – St. James Theatre – New York City – Now – January 8^th STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

This often-produced musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine was such a hit at New York City Center’s Encores series that it was inevitable the show would transfer to Broadway…and it has and the reviews and ticket sales are proof that was a great idea.

If you don’t know the musical, multiple fairytales are all taking place in the same forest at the same time. We’re big fans of Act II where not everything is as happy as it first seems. Most people love the first act and don’t know what could happen in that second act. Ah…the surprise!

Lear deBessonet directs. The current cast includes Stephanie J. Block as the Baker’s Wife, Gavin Creel as Cinderella’s Price and the Wolf, Brian D’Arcy James as the Baker, Andy Karl as Rapunzel’s Prince (Joshua Henry returns to the role beginning November 24^th), Patina Miller as the Witch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with Montego Glover performing the role on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday and Krysta Rodriguez as Cinderella (Denée Benton takes over the role beginning on November 21^st.

Katy Geraghty practically steals the show as Little Red Riding Hood and Kennedy Kanagawa gives enormous life to the Milky White puppet.

Tony Award-winner Joaquina Kalukango (Paradise Square) will take over the role of The Witch beginning December 16th and remain with the show for the rest of the run.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

KIMBERLY AKIMBO – The Booth Theatre – New York City – Opening November 10^th

When this musical by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori opened at the Atlantic Theater in December of last year, critics and audiences recognized immediately this was something special. 

Based on the play of the same name by Lindsay-Abaire, it tells the story of Kimberly Levaco  (Victoria Clark – Tony Award winner for The Light in the Piazzai) who is aging far faster than she is growing old. She seems to be north of sixty, but still is in high school.

As Jesse Green said in his New York Times review, “Kimberly Akimbo is realdy the rare example of a good play that has become an even better musical.”

Kimberly Akimbo will definitely be a priority on our next trip to New York City.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS – Westside Theatre Upstairs – New York City – Now running STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Howard Ashman and Alan Mencken’s delightful musical about a man-eating plant gets the perfect revival in this production directed by Michael Mayer.

Currently starring as Seymour is Tony Award-winner Matt Doyle (Company). He just replaced Rob McClure who finished his run on November 13th. Lena Hall, Tony Award-winner for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, stars as Audrey. Andrew Call is her abusive boyfriend Oren Scrivello; Brad Oscar is Mushnik and Aaron Arnell Harrington is the voice of Audrey II.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable production. As Audrey, Hall has created a woman who isn’t as fragile as is traditionally depicted. She’s a tough-as-nails survivor with a vulnerable streak that is heartbreaking. We saw McClure in the show and thought he was perfect. Doyle will certainly put his own spin on the nebbish young man who provides sweet understanding. After all, Seymour IS Audrey’s man. But don’t feed the plants!

For tickets and more information, please go here.

A STRANGE LOOP – Lyceum Theatre, New York – Now – January 15^th  STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

The 2022 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for drama went to Michael R. Jackson’s musical A Strange Loop. It’s an aptly named meta-musical about a gay Black man who’s writing a musical about a gay Black man who is writing a musical about…You get the picture.  

Stephen Brackett directs A Strange Loop. The ensemble features Antwayn Hopper, L Morgan Lee, John-Michael Lyles, James Jackson, Jr., John-Andrew Morrison, Jaquel Spivey and Jason Veasey.

This is a wholly original musical that challenges everything we imagine a Broadway musical to be. Jackson does it in all the best possible ways.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

DANIIL TRIFONOV RECITAL – Multiple Venues – November 10^th – December 7^th

Pianist Trifonov performs a solo piano recital featuring works by Tchaikovsky (Children’s Album); Robert Schumann (Fantasy in C Major); Mozart (Fantasia in C Minor), Ravel (Gaspard de la nuit) and Scriabin (Piano Sonata No. 5).

He’ll be at The Royal Conservatory in Toronto on December 2^nd; Shriver Hall in Baltimore on December 4^th  and Carnegie Hall in New York on December 7^th.

For tickets and more details, please click on each venue’s name.

Main Photo: Joshua Henry and Gavin Creel in Into the Woods (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

The post BEST BETS STILL AVAILABLE – November 2022 appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

MUSICALS:

AMERICAN PROPHET – Arena Stage – Washington, D.C. – July 15^th – August 28^th

The writings and speeches of abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass serve as the inspiration for this new musical from composer/lyricist Marcus Hummon and director/creator Charles Randolph-Wright.

This show was a recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards prior to this world premiere.  Cornelius Smith Jr. stars as Frederick Douglass with Kristolyn Lloyd (original Broadway cast of Dear Evan Hansen) as his wife, Anna.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

BETWEEN THE LINES – 2ndStage – New York – June 14^th – October 2^nd

This musical is based on the young adult novel by  Jodi Picoult (Wish You Were Here) and her daughter, Samantha van Leer, from 2013. The story surrounds, Delilah, a young girl infatuated with Prince Oliver in a book she loves. Her world and his in the novel come together when he starts speaking to her.

Timothy Allen McDonald collaborated with Picoult and van Leer to write the book. Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel wrote the the music and lyrics. Jeff Calhoun (Newsies) directs with choreography by Paul McGill (Hedwig and the Angry Inch).

For tickets and more information, please go here.

FUNNY GIRL – August Wilson Theatre, New York – Open-ended run

When this musical opened this spring on Broadway it was the fact that it had been 58 years since the musical Funny Girl opened on Broadway and turned Barbra Streisand into one of the world’s greatest stars. Then came the whirlwind of controversy about whether Beanie Feldstein was miscast in the role.

She is no longer in the musical. Her understudy, Julie Benko, will be taking over the role until Lea Michele (Glee) assumes the role of Fanny Brice on September 6^th. 

Enter Beanie Feldstein who is tackling the role of Fanny Brice. Like Streisand, Feldstein has only played a supporting role in one musical before this one (Hello, Dolly!). Joining her are Ramin Karimloo as love-interest Nick Arnstein and Jane Lynch as Mrs. Brice (through September 4^th). Tovah Feldshuh will assume the role on September 6^th.  Jared Grimes, the sol recipient of a Tony nomination for this production, dazzles in the role of Eddie Ryan.Michael Mayer directs the show which has a revised script by Harvey Fierstein.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

INTO THE WOODS – St. James Theatre – New York – Now – October 16th

This often-produced musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine was such a hit at New York City Center’s Encores series that it was inevitable the show would transfer to Broadway…and it has and the reviews and ticket sales are proof that was a great idea.

If you don’t know the musical, multiple fairytales are all taking place in the same forest at the same time. We’re big fans of Act II where not everything is as happy as it first seems. (Our favorite act is the second act.)

Lear deBessonet directs an all-star cast including Sara Bareilles as the Baker’s Wife, Gavin Creel as Cinderella’s Price and the Wolf, Joshua Henry as Rapunzel’s Prince , Brian D’Arcy James as the Baker, Patina Miller as the Witch and Phillipa Soo as Cinderella.

The recent announcement of an extension means there will be some cast changes that have yet to be announced.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

MJ THE MUSICAL – Neil Simon Theatre, New York – Open-ended run

It was, of course, inevitable that there would be a jukebox musical showcasing the countless hit songs by Michael Jackson. What may set this musical apart from failed attempts to use songs by The Beach Boys, Cher John Lennon and more is that the book is by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage and the show is directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.

Myles Frost makes his Broadway debut as MJ and was the recipient of a Tony Award for his performance. The show also won Tony Awards for Lighting and Sound Design. The other Tony Award recipient was Wheeldon for his choreography. (Kudos to the outstanding company of dancers that perform this show.) 

We’ve seen the show and while it does gloss over much of the controversy that surrounded Jackson, it is wildly entertaining. Based on the audience response, this show is likely to run for a very long time.

For tickets and more details, please go here.

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL – Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York/Touring Company: Currently at The Pantages Theatre, Hollywood – STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Why turn Baz Luhrmann’s ground-breaking film into a musical? Because you can can can. It might seem impossible to out-Baz Baz, but director Alex Timbres has done exactly that. This is bigger, louder, more song-filled than Luhrmann’s film. Surprisingly it loses nothing in translation.

The musical won 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The Broadway production currently stars Ashley Loren as Satine and Derek Klena as Christian. The touring company stars Courtney Reed and Conor Ryan (with Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer as an alternate in the role of Satine).

For tickets and more information on Broadway, please go here. For touring dates, tickets and more information, please go here.

A STRANGE LOOP – Lyceum Theatre, New York – Open-ended run STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

The 2022 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for drama went to Michael R. Jackson’s musical A Strange Loop. It’s an aptly named meta-musical about a gay Black man who’s writing a musical about a gay Black man who is writing a musical about…You get the picture.  

Stephen Brackett directs A Strange Loop. The ensemble features Antwayn Hopper, L Morgan Lee, John-Mihael Lyles, James Jackson, Jr., John-Andrew Morrison, Jaquel Spivey and Jason Veasey.

This is a wholly original musical that challenges everything we imagine a Broadway musical to be. Jackson does it in all the best possible ways.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

OPERA:

SANTA FE OPERA – Now – August 27^th

Isabel Leonard as Carmen; Mitchell Harper choreographing The Barber of Seville; Quinn Kelsey as Falstaff; the first-ever Santa Fe Opera production of Tristan Und Isolde and the world premiere on Saturday of M. Butterfly by composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang are all good reasons to attend this year’s season at Santa Fe Opera.

If you’ve never been, you owe it to yourself to experience this amazing venue. And be prepared to tailgate!

For tickets and more information, please go here.

PLAYS:

HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES – La Jolla Playhouse – La Jolla, CA – July 26^th – August 21^st

Anytime Moisés Kaufmann and Tectonic Theater Project have a world premiere, it’s a reason to go to the theatre. They’re the team behind The Laramie Project Cycle, The Tallest Tree in The Forest, I Am My Own Wife and more.

This new play is an investigation into the Hoecker Album of photographs from Germany during World War II.  They are named after Karl-Friedrich Hoecker who was an SS officer for the Nazis. Most of the photographs were taken in the summer and fall of 1944.

As the webpage for this production asks, “What hidden secrets can a photograph reveal?” Kaufmann (who co-directs with Amanda Gronich) and Tectonic Theater Project will make it mesmerizing.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

ORESTEIA and HAMLET – Park Avenue Armory – New York – Now – August 13^th

Director Robert Icke received an Olivier Award as Best Director for Oresteia, an adaptation of the three Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus. The show was a critical and commercial success in London.

Equally acclaimed was his production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at The Almeida Theatre in London. Alex Lawther stars as the conflicted prince. 

Both shows appear in repertory. For tickets and more information for Orestia, please go here. For tickets and more information for Hamlet, please go here.

PRIMA FACIE – National Theatre Live – Beginning July 21^st (check local listings)

Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) stars in this play by Suzie Miller as a young lawyer whose main clients have been men accused of sexual assault. Her perspective on what she’s doing gets challenged when she gets assaulted herself.

It’s a powerful role for Comer and she is considered a front-runner for the Olivier Award next year. She’ll also potentially be up for a Tony nomination as the play is scheduled to open in New York in the 2022-2023 season. So, too, might director Justin Martin.

But you can watch the play in a theater near you as it is part of National Theatre Live’s programming. To locate a theater near you and to get tickets, please go here.

For our weekly Best Bets, please check every Monday for that week’s selections.

Main Photo: Conor Ryan and Courtney Reed in Moulin Rouge The Musical Touring Production (Photo by Matthew Murphy/Courtesy Broadway in Hollywood)

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That chance encounter inspired the first lyrics Kitsakos would write and send to composer Martin Hennessy. From there the two collaborators went about writing a song cycle that tells the story of a young man’s experiences in Manhattan during the late 1970s. The Pleasing Recollection is told from the perspective of his present-day self with baritone Michael Kelly singing the part.

A recording is forthcoming, but this week The Pleasing Recollection will be performed twice at Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York. Last week I spoke with Kitsakos and Hennessy. The full conversation is available on our YouTube channel, but here is the story of this work told by the two of them. A mini oral history, if you will.

Stephen Kitsakos: Martin said, “I’m sick of setting the poetry of trees, dancing in the German forest or something like that.” And I said, “Martin, I can’t help you, you know, because I’m not a songwriter. The only way I know how to write words is for a particular character, for a libretto.” I think he may have said, “Well then why don’t you write about yourself?” And so that was the really the genesis of the idea. 

Martin Hennessy: I said to Steve, “Let’s do something that’s fun and let’s do something that’s gay, you know?” He said, “I can only write from my own experiences.” I said, “Well, that’s fine.” And then he said, “Well, I did pee next to Leonard Bernstein during intermission at this Broadway show.” And I said, “That’s it. You write that song.” And then he sent it and and I wrote it. 

Stephen Kitsakos: It’s an older man looking back and reflecting on things that he just didn’t know or understand until you’re older and you can look back and say now I get it, now I understand. So it is a journey, but it’s a universal journey. It’s the universal journey of how do you keep making discoveries as you mature and as you age. And at what point do you realize that these were all formative? These were all part of what made you who you are today.

Martin Hennessy: The second piece we wrote called “Rock Hill” is about Steve’s experience being invited to lunch at Aaron Copland’s house. Steve had this idea of riffing on Sondheim’s “A Weekend in the Country.” [from A Little Night Music] I developed that kind of tarantella form and in six eight. And it was very patter-y. It was just a delightful way to work. 

Stephen Kitsakos: The reason it’s a cabaret opera is that it’s pastiche. Martin writes for the musical theater voice, but in very inventive and very ingenious ways. I wanted it to be set in an atmosphere where the audience would be seated at tables and be able to drink because I felt that the story begins essentially with my first job. I was still a student at NYU and I got a job playing the piano and singing at a gay bar on Grove Street called Marie’s Crisis.

Martin Hennessy: I moved to New York City in the 1970s and Steve’s stories felt as my own. And that’s one of the reasons that it was a joyful process, setting them to music and figuring out how to do it. I just understood every moment of everything that was going on. I feel that the character is almost an amalgamation of of both of us.

Stephen Kitsakos: The piece is more self-referential than autobiographical. I make this distinction only because I recently learned that from Michael R. Jackson [playwright, composer and lyricist of A Strange Loop which won the Pulitzer Prize and begins previews on Broadway this week]. Michael came to Key West and spent about 10 days here. Many of those days I spent with him and he just slayed me with his brilliance and his sense of humor and his riffing and his just like gossipy, hysterical things that about everybody. When we talked about this piece he said it’s self-referential, it’s not autobiographical. He said that gives you permission essentially to take episodes from your life, but reorder them in a way.

Martin Hennessy: We were doing it in the 70s in New York City. It’s the sexual revolution in full flower. Promiscuity was kind of de riguer. The hunt was on and it was open. And it just wasn’t gay cruising. 

Stephen Kitsakos: And the hunt didn’t necessarily need to be sexual, but it was the hunting for the meaning of existence, the meaning of life. We made this very deliberate choice that we wanted to write a piece that was about the journey of the gay man, but that did not deal with self-loathing or difficulty coming out. And we don’t deal with AIDS even though it’s part of the period. There really are so many theater pieces, film pieces, song cycles, settings that deal with these subjects. They’re legion and that’s fantastic. But there aren’t, I think, enough stories that are just joyful stories about experiences of gay men and lesbians.

Martin Hennessy: Let’s also talk about kind of the Greek legacy of mentoring the younger gay people by like the older teachers. That idea of being with a community and then interacting with, you know, older men as well as men your own age and and having a variety of relationships with them.

Stephen Kitsakos: I will say that some of the younger people that I’ve talked to have mentioned that they’re nostalgic for maybe like the late 70s, early 80s. I said why and they go, well, things just seemed like they were simpler then. I’m not sure any time was really simpler when you were living through it. You see people nostalgic for a period before the digitalization and the personalization where people can really connect with each other.

Martin Hennessy: I had come through the mentorship of some older men who really helped me understand who I was and and I liked the company of older men. I really did enjoy the intellectual discourse. Not only talking about piano, but talking about opera and art. I also was lucky to be a mentor.

Stephen Kitsakos: Our story is about this particular journey. It’s a different journey, but the same journey that I think other people have had as well. 

Martin Hennessy:  I guess this is a historical piece in a sense. And I think it’s all worthwhile going back to it and learning so much; the pleasing recollection.

The Pleasing Recollection is being performed at Feinstein’s/54 Below on April 5th (waiting list only) and April 6th. It will also be performed on by May 29th at Whyte Hall as part of the Fire Island Pines Art Project.

Photo of Martin Hennessy and Stephen Kitsakos by Aramis Ikatu

The post A Pleasing Recollection of New York in the 1970s appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Clearly not all the fireworks are going to be taking place in Tampa. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that these are some of the best offerings on any given weekend in recent memory. Though I will admit there aren’t a lot of new offerings on Sunday, but many of these listings are for more than just one day.

Our top pick this weekend is drummer/multi-instrumentalist/composer Tyshawn Sorey at the Village Vanguard on Friday and Saturday.

So let’s get to it. Here are the Best Bets: February 5th – February 7th.

PLAYS/READINGS: Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were Blue – Center Theatre Group – Now – April 4th

If you’ve seen the film One Night in Miami, you are familiar with the work of playwright Kemp Powers. He adapted his play for the Regina King-directed film now available on Amazon. (Earlier this week the film received two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor – Leslie Odom, Jr. and Best Director for King). Kemp is also the co-director and co-writer of Pixar’s newest film, Soul.

Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were Blue tells the story of twin brothers who find life treats them very differently. One brother has to battle with racism because of his dark skin and the other can pass as white. The play takes place in two different settings: New York City in the 1980s when they were just boys and a Minnesota courthouse in 2006, by which time their lives have taken very different paths.

This “produced reading” (meaning there are sets and costumes) stars Giovanni Adams, Jovan Adepo (Fences), Amaia Arana, Lorena Martinez (South Coast Rep’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Connor Paolo (Business Doing Pleasure), Adam J. Smith (Taken 3), Cory Michael Smith (1985), Larry Bates (Big Little Lies) and Justin Lawrence Barnes (InterVallum). It was directed by Jennifer Chang.

Center Theatre Group subscribers and donors can access Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were Blue for free. There is a $10 streaming fee for all others.

MUSIC/DANCE FESTIVAL: Whistleblower – Philip Glass’ Days and Nights Festival – Now Available

In a lead-up to their tenth annual Days and Nights Festival in Big Sur, they are holding a digital celebration beginning this week. Composer Philip Glass created the festival and many of his works will be available through at least May. Ten projects have been announced so far and the festival launches with a film of the 2017 performance of Whistleblower.

Inspired by Edward Snowden’s leak of classified information, Whistleblower has music by Glass with concept and text by performance poet Jerry Quickley. Glass appears in this film. Also performing are Miranda Cuckson, Matt Haimovitz, David Harding, Tara Hugo, Lavina Meijer, Alex Weil and Alex Weston.

Also debuting this weekend are The Pattern of the Surface from Molissa Fenley Dance Company in a performance also from 2017 and Heart Strings, a musical depiction of the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet created by Tenzin Choegyal and Glass.

Tickets to watch each performance are $5. You can buy each for $20. The Festival is also offering discounts or comps for those who don’t have the ability to pay. You can submit a request for that here.

PLAYS: All the Devils are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain – Shakespeare Theatre Company – Now – February 7th

Patrick Page may be best known for his menacing portrayals of some of the theatre’s great villains. He was Tony-nominated for his performance as Hades in Hadestown. He also appeared opposite Denzel Washington in a Broadway production of Julius Caesar, The Green Goblin in the ill-fated musical, Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark and as Scar in The Lion King.

In this 80-minute film, the first-ever online production produced by Washington, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, Page examines the many villains William Shakespeare created in his plays and how they progressed from simple stock characters in the playwright’s early works to fully-realized villains that set a new standard for the depiction of those characters we most love to hate.

Page has played his share of Shakespeare’s characters with STC including Claudius in Hamlet, the title character in Macbeth, Iago in Othello and Prospero in The Tempest.

Page wrote the script for All the Devils are Here. I’ve seen Page in multiple shows and can assure you that this is a perfect pairing of actor and material. And his voice…if you haven’t heard it (no doubt you have, even if you aren’t aware), you’re in for a real treat with his take on Shakespeare’s bad guys.

Tickets are $25

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Jupiter String Quartet – Kranner Center for the Performing Arts – February 5th – 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST

Violinists Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel and cellist Daniel McDonough make up the classical music ensemble known as Jupiter String Quartet. It’s a family affair. Liz is Meg’s older sister and Daniel is Meg’s husband. This family, however, makes beautiful music together.

On Friday, February 5th they are releasing a new album with Jasper String Quartet that features works by Felix Mendelssohn, the world premiere recording of a work by Dan Visconti and Last Round by Osvaldo Golijov on Marquis Classics.

That same day they launch the first of four digital concerts in collaboration with the Kranner Center for the Performing Arts under the title Reflection and Renewal.

Each performance becomes available at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST and is free to stream.

This week’s first concert features Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95, “Serioso” and Kati Agócs’ Imprimatur (her second string quartet). Imprimatur was commissioned by The Aspen Music Festival and School, Harvard Musical Association, and the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The link takes you to the full line-up which will include works by William Bolcom, Haydn, Mendelssohn and Schubert.

OPERA: Il trittico – Royal Opera House – Debuts February 5th – 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST

This weekend the Royal Opera House begins streaming (through March 7th) their 2011 production of Giacomo Puccini’s Il trittico.

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

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

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

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

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

Tickets are £3 which equates to roughly $4.10 (as of press time).

PLAYS/CONVERSATION: TCG Books’ First Friday with Michael R. Jackson – February 5th – 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST

This year’s Pulitzer Prize for Drama went to playwright Michael R. Jackson for his musical A Strange Loop. TCG Books, a publisher who releases plays and musicals in book form, is hosting a conversation with Jackson on the occasion of their publishing A Strange Loop.

The leader character in A Strange Loop, Usher, offers perhaps the most succinct description of the show. “It’s about a black, queer man writing a musical about a black, queer man who’s writing a musical about a black queer man who’s writing a musical about a black queer man, etc.”

Jackson told the New York Times in a 2019 interview about his experience seeing Brian Dennehy in a production of Death of a Salesman. As a black, gay, young man he felt innate sadness and that Arthur Miller’s play revealed that in “America you’re worth more dead than alive.” But he also asked himself the question that would lead to A Strange Loop.

“What if I can make an old white man empathize with what it might be like to be a young, black, gay man and suffer — and not because he’s being killed by the police or destroyed in some way like that, but it’s actually an emotional journey from the inside?”

This conversation will take place on TCG’s Facebook Page. Those interested in buying the book can purchase it here.

JAZZ: Christian McBride’s New Jawn – SFJAZZ – February 5th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

When jazz bassist Christian appeared at SFJAZZ in 2016 for this concert, he was certainly working out the material that ended up on his 2018 album Christian McBride’s New Jawn. The line-up on the album and this concert are the same: trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and drummer Nasheet Waits.

By the time the album was released, McBride and his ensemble coalesced their work into a Grammy-nominated work that garnered this praise from Hilary Brown in Downbeat Magazine, “The word ‘jawn’— a fresh new phenomenon—is familiar argot to Christian McBride, a Philadelphia native. And when it comes to trailblazing new, cool jazz concepts in eponymous trios or big bands, the venerable bassist always delivers. Enter his latest jawn—a pianoless quartet, born of a New York scene that sates East Coast soul-seekers and purists alike. Christian McBride’s New Jawn faithfully salutes its forebears—Gerry Mulligan, Ornette Coleman and the like—but leave it to this next-gen assimilation of bandleaders to take musical liberties.”

Hearing these four amazing musicians work on this material live well before putting it to vinyl is going to be a great way to launch your weekend.

Tickets are $5 which allows for one month of Fridays at Five performances or $60 for a complete year of them.

TOP PICK: JAZZ: Tyshawn Sorey – Village Vanguard – February 5th and 6th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

February is a busy month of drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey. Next week Opera Philadelphia will unveil the world premiere of his Save the Boys, a composition written for and performed by countertenor John Holiday. But before that happens, he’s taking to the stage at the Village Vanguard in New York.

Sorey was recently profiled in the New York Times Magazine where writer Adam Schatz wrote, “Sorey who turned 40 over the summer, would be worth writing about for his drumming alone. The power, precision and inventiveness of his playing often draw comparisons with masters like Max Roach, Elvin Jones and Tony Williams. But Sorey refuses to play conventionally virtuosic drum solos — he prefers to play delicately and sparely, if at all — and he avoids being photographed with his sticks in the athletic poses that have defined the image of most jazz drummers. He is also a brilliant trombonist and pianist, and in the last few years he has become as arresting a figure in contemporary classical and experimental new music as he is in jazz..”

Joining Sorey for these two performances are saxophonist Joe Lovano (who just released a new album, Garden of Expression, on ECM Records last week) and guitarist Bill Frisell.

Tickets are $10 for each performance.

OPERA: Lohengrin – San Francisco Opera – February 6th – February 7th

Conducted by Nicola Luisotti; starring Brandon Jovanovich, Camilla Nylund, Petra Lang and Gerd Grochowski. This Daniel Slater production is from the 2012-2013 season.

Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin had its world premiere in 1850 in Weimar. It is one of his few romantic operas.

The setting is Antwerp in the 10th century. Elsa is accused by Friedrich von Telramund of killing her brother in an effort to prevent Telramund from assuming the dukedom. The dispute is to be resolved by combat. In an answer to her prays a mysterious knight named Lohengrin appears. He agrees to help Elsa as long as she never asks who he is or where is from. When Lohengrin defeats Telramund in battle, but spares his life, revenge is foremost on Telramund’s mind.

Director Slater updated Wagner’s opera to take place in the mid-20th century in an unnamed Eastern European country.

Joshua Kosman, writing in the SF Chronicle, said of Jovanovich, “In his debut as the mysterious, nameless knight who shows up to defend Elsa of Brabant against the baseless charge of fratricide, Jovanovich combined sweet-toned lyricism and ardent heroism in just the proportions required by this tricky role. His singing was thrillingly pure and tireless, his stage presence simultaneously tender and aloof.”

OPERA RECITAL: Anna Netrebko – Met Stars Live in Concert – February 6th – 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST

Soprano Anna Netrebko is arguably one of the biggest opera stars in the world. She will be performing a recital from Vienna’s Spanish Riding School with pianist Pavel Nebolsin on Saturday as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Stars Live in Concert Series.

The program is slated to include four works by Sergei Rachmaninoff; two by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; three by Richard Strauss; five by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky an one each by Frank Bridge, Gustave Charpentier, Claude Debussy, Antonín Dvořák, Gabriel Fauré, Ruggero Leoncavallo and Jacques Offenbach.

During the recital Mezzo-soprano Elena Maximova will join Netrebko for two duets.

Tickets are $20 and the performance will remain on demand for 14 days.

PLAYS: While Yet I Live – Play-Per-View – February 6th – February 10th

Tony Award-winner Billy Porter’s semi-autobiographical play, While Yet I Live, had its world premiere in the fall of 2014. The cast was Lillias White (The Life, Fela!), Emmy Award winner S. Epatha Merkerson(Come Back, Little Sheba), Elain Graham (Smash), Sheria Irving (Romeo & Juliet, Ethel Sings), Kevyn Morrow (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Sharon Washington (The Scottsboro Boys) and Larry Powell (The Gaze…No Homo).

They are all reuniting with director Sheryl Kaller (Next Fall, Mothers and Sons) to do a reunion reading of the play. The live reading takes place on February 6th at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST. It will be available afterwards on demand through February 10th at 11:30 PM EST/8:30 PM PST.

At the time of the production, Porter said, “This play is a love letter to my mother, my sister, and the women who raised me. Reflecting on my own life experience as a gay, black, Christian man, and survivor of abuse, I wanted to write a play that was about family, faith and the healing power of forgiveness, three things very necessary to move forward and make change in your life. Change is possible, but it takes patience.”

Tickets for the live performance range from $5 – $50 based on your ability to pay. To watch the show afterwards, the price is $15. All proceeds will benefit the Actors Fund Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund​.

DANCE: Passage – Dance Theatre of Harlem YouTube Channel – February 6th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Dance Theatre of Harlem launches a one-month Winter Series of virtual events and performances with Passage which begins streaming on the company’s YouTube Channel on Saturday, February 6th.

Choreographer Claudia Schreier created Passage for a commission from the Virginia Arts Festival and the State of Virginia’s 2019 Commemoration. Their event recognized the 400th anniversary of the arrival of slaves from Africa to Virginia.

Schreier told the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State that Passage, “addresses themes of struggle and aspiration and reflects, in abstract, the fortitude of the human spirit and an enduring will to prevail. There are several images throughout the ballet that suggest descent or ascent, as well as the presence of water. The movement is borne out of this ebb and flow, much of which is drawn from Jessie’s sweeping score.”

The Jessie is composer Jessie Montgomery. If her name sounds familiar, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has recently included her works in their In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl series. Her music will also be performed by the orchestra in their Icons on Inspiration concert on Saturday (see immediately below for details).

On Friday, February 5th, Schreier and Montgomery will have a conversation on Dance Theatre of Harlem’s YouTube channel and Facebook page at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Icons on Inspiration – Los Angeles Philharmonic – February 6th – 9:00 PM EST/6:00 PM PST

The Los Angeles Philharmonic has certainly figured out how to go big with their events during the pandemic. Icons on Inspiration, their gala on Saturday night is no exception. They have a starry line-up of artists and music lined-up.

Lead by Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, their special guests are long-time Board member and Oscar-winner Julie Andrews, Oscar-winner Common, 13-time Grammy nominee Katy Perry, Oscar-winner Natalie Portman, soprano Liv Redpath, Colombian singer/songwriter and 2-time Grammy Award winner Carlos Vives and classical pianist and 4-time Grammy Award-nominee Yuja Wang.

The program will include Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst; Duke Ellington’s Martin Luther King from The Three Black Kings (arranged by Terence Blanchard); Tchaikovsky’s Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato; Stravinsky’s Berceuse from The Firebird; Arturo Márquez’s Danzon No. 2; Romero’s Fuga can Pajarillo and Mahler’s Das himmlische Leben (arranged by Erwin Stein).

This event is a fundraiser, but you don’t have to make a donation to watch it (though donations are strongly encouraged).

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Schoenberg & Bach – Bard College’s The Orchestra Now – February 7th – 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST

Works by Bach, Lutoslawski, Carreño and Schoenberg are featured in Bard College’s TŌN (The Orchestra Now) first concert of their 2021 season. Leon Botstein leads the orchestra through performances of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3; Lutoslawski’s Funeral Music; Carreño’s Serenade for Strings and closes with Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night).

There is no fee to watch the concert (scheduled to run approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes); however reservations are required. Donations, of course, are accepted with a suggested donation of $15-$35.

Those are my official Best Bets: February 5th – February 7th, but you know I’ll always offer a few reminders of shows that might be ending, or only have one upcoming airdate. Here they are:

MUSICALS: This is your last weekend to catch You I Like the loving tribute to Jerry Herman from the Pasadena Playhouse. Fans of musical theatre – do not miss it! For more information about this show, check out my interview with creator Andy Einhorn here.

CLASSICAL MUSIC/POP MUSIC: For the second week in a row, there are back-to-back episodes of In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on PBS stations nationwide. The two episodes are Fireworks and Gustavo and Friends. Check your local listings

OPERA: The first week of Black History Month at the Metropolitan Opera concludes this weekend with performances of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro from the 1985-1986 season on Friday; Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos from the 1987-1988 season on Saturday and the 1978-1979 production of Puccini’s Tosca on Sunday.

That should keep you busy this weekend. Whatever you choose to watch from amongst my Best Bets: February 5th – February 7th, I hope you enjoy yourselves!

Photo: Tyshawn Sorey (Courtesy TyshawnSorey.com)

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