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.

“I was working on The Prom and Moulin Rouge at the same time,” said producer Bill Damaschke. “They were very challenging for totally different reasons. They had different dynamics around them. One being totally original and one being something that everyone thought should be on stage.” Moulin Rouge was obviously based on the Baz Luhrmann film and The Prom only became a film after it had played on Broadway. Damaschke had the responsibility of getting two very musicals into shape where they could be viable on stage.

Ironically both The Prom and Moulin Rouge The Musical are touring America right now. Both happen to be in Los Angeles. The Prom opens tonight at the Ahmanson Theatre and Moulin Rouge continues at the Pantages.

Last week I spoke with Damaschke about both shows and his experiences on them. But first some details.

The Prom was nominated for seven Tony Awards. While it didn’t win any, it was the recipient of the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical. It was also a Critic’s Pick in the New York Times. The show closed after 309 performances.

Moulin Rouge was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won ten including Best Musical. It was also a Critic’s Pick in the New York Times. The show is still running in New York.

This is a conversation about some hard truths, the freedom of creating new shows, the beauty of success and Damaschke’s unbridled love of the material he choses. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To watch the full interview, please go to our YouTube channel.

You work in feature film animation (Shark Tale, Kung Fu Panda) and theater (The Lehman Trilogy, The Ferryman). What does theater offer you that working in film does not?

I guess the thrill in both of them is seeing the germ of something, the tiny little morsel that you start with. Let’s make a show about this girl who gets denied the ability to go to her prom. Or let’s make a show called Moulin Rouge inspired by Baz’s film, or let’s make this animated film. Seeing that little morsel from the beginning and nurturing it – the thrill of that is the same in both.

I think where like the thrill of live theater is you can talk about and think about and consider all the stuff in the world you want to do, but at 7:00 the actors are going to come in, they have to warm up and they’re going to go on stage. There is a real finality to it and an urgency to it.

What was the morsel that inspired you about The Prom?

Casey Nicholaw [director of The Prom and Book of Mormon] came to us and said, “I heard this amazing idea from Jack Viertel” [SVP at Jujamcyn Theaters.] Which was, wouldn’t it be funny if a bunch of somewhat self-serving grand Broadway stars think they’re going to use their celebrity to help this girl get her prom back on?

I love stories about outsiders. The great thing about The Prom is that there’s two sets of outsiders. There’s a girl at the end of the story and her girlfriend and they’re outsiders in their community. Then there’s the New York brash people who think they know everything; the liberal New Yorkers coming to this small town to teach them a lesson. Of course, they learn something when they get there. So I love that juxtaposition and I love stories where not everyone’s right and not everyone’s wrong.

As somebody who has your foot in both film and in theater, when you look at the reviews that The Prom got on stage versus the reviews that The Prom got on Netflix, they were very different responses. I don’t know why that is, but I do have a theory that I want to run by you. This negates the economics of filmmaking because I know that you have to have the talent you had in the movie to get the movie made in the first place. But is there something about seeing actors we aren’t as familiar with play superstars or play even run-of-the-mill characters on Broadway versus seeing big stars that come with their own baggage that then compound what our expectations or even how we define who a character might be?

I don’t know that I have the objectivity to analyze it because I love the show and I love the movie and I love them for very different reasons. So many more people watched The Prom and experienced that story because of Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. I think there’s just a different energy when you enter a theater to see a musical. I think when you’re watching a musical on a TV screen or in a movie theater you’re more passive. If you go to see a show in the theater and it is people that are great at what they do, whether you know them as a star or a Broadway star, you can just really go into the story in a different way.

We all know how powerful The New York Times is. If you get a bad review the paper has entirely too much power and it can completely sink a show. The Prom was a Critic’s Pick. Yet the rave from the New York Times wasn’t enough to keep it running on Broadway. Why do you think that dichotomy exists?

Obviously getting a great review from The Times is helpful. It’s a show that I would have loved to have seen just being an audience member. It has absolute, rabid fans who love it and there’s an audience for it. I think that expanding that to a much broader group of people who are going to get over what the entry line is – it’s about a lesbian. That in itself actually maybe limits your audience right there.

Some people think it’s not for them. What I have found over time is that people who come to it go, “Oh, I had no idea it was going to be this.” The economics of Broadway and keeping Broadway shows running and who comes and all that, it’s such a machine in a way. There is just a limited group of tourists and there are things that they know are going to be great and then they have x number of slots available to see things that they might take a chance on. We didn’t come in with the heat of an out-of-town [tryout.] We didn’t come in with a big title. We didn’t come in with a movie title behind our name. 

It seems as though Broadway is becoming more and more about pre-sold concepts and that original ideas get less attention. Ironically, we’re talking about this this just months after A Strange Loop wins the Tony Award. As a producer, how do you figure out what you think has the best chance of working and when do you roll the dice on something that isn’t a known entity?

I feel you’re right to say that in some ways what’s happened with Broadway – and there’s a million reasons for it – is similar to what happened in the movie business, especially the theatrical movie business. Now you have either big giant event-branded things or family [films] still work very, very well. Or you have tiny little things that come through Sundance or Toronto that are indie and then become Oscar contenders.

This year was a great example: it was MJ versus A Strange Loop. Both beautiful, amazing, well-crafted, completely artistic shows in totally different ways. It was the big giant Michael Jackson show and this thing that was off-Broadway and came in. We see that all the time. It’s Something Rotten versus Fun Home. Next year it will be Kimberly Akimbo versus whatever the new thing is.

If we put all of our love and heart and soul into it, maybe someone will want it when we’re done with it. But at least we’ll all have had this incredible time together working on it. I put the same kind of love and care into The Prom as we did in Moulin Rouge as I do into my animated movies. Nobody knows what works.

I want to conclude by asking you about something that Hal Prince said, probably the greatest Broadway producer in my lifetime. He said, “The idea is to work and to experiment. Some things will be creatively successful. Some things will succeed at the box office and some things will only, which is the biggest only, teach you things that see the future, and they’re probably as valuable as any of your successes.” What did The Prom and Moulin Rouge teach you? 

In very different ways both of them have taught me to follow my heart and my gut and and also to choose to work with amazing and incredible people that will challenge you, will be amazing partners, will be incredible collaborators, will push you in every single way. I very much live by the school of work with people who are way better than you are. On both The Prom and Moulin Rouge the collaborators were exceptional people. I really believed in both of those projects.

I believe in The Prom. I didn’t know if it was going to be commercial. I believed in Moulin Rouge, even though I think in retrospect it was like just a layup. It was as hard for us to raise the money for Moulin Rouge as it was to raise the money for The Prom. What it came down to was do I believe in this material and do I believe in these people? Can I see myself spending the next five or ten years of my life caring about this? If the answer to all three of that is yes, then go for it.

You can watch the full interview with Bill Damaschke here.

For more on Moulin Rouge, see our interview with actress Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer here.

For upcoming tour dates for The Prom, please go here. For upcoming tour dates for Moulin Rouge please go here.

Main Photo: The cast of the touring company of The Prom (Photo by Deen van Meer/Courtesy Center Theatre Group)

The post Producer Bill Damaschke: A Tale of Two Musicals appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

The list starts with programs with specific start dates. Following those listings are programs that are already available but have end dates.

Here are my Dance Best Bets for the Holidays:

Don Quixote – The Royal Ballet – YouTube – December 25th – January 6th

England’s The Royal Ballet is making their 2019 production of Don Quixote available for free on their YouTube channel.

This production was first introduced in 2013 and is based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes. It tells the story of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, his servant, who set out on an adventure. When they meet a young couple who want to get married but her father has other ideas, they decide to get involved to make a happy ending not just for the two lovers, but also her father.

This Carlos Acosta production was inspired by the classic 1869 ballet by Marius Petipa. In 2019 Acosta made some revisions to his original choreography. Also introduced in 2019 were on-stage musicians. The music is by Czech composer Ludwig Minkus who also wrote the score for La Bayadère.

Clara’s Nutcracker Tea Party – Los Angeles Ballet – Now – January 1st

Rather than offer a traditional performance of The Nutcracker, Los Angeles Ballet has created Clara’s Nutcracker Tea Party.

Clara is the young girl at the center of the ballet. Joining her tea party are Marie, Columbine, Nutcracker, and Snow. During the party there will be excerpts from The Nutcracker and there is an interactive component that involved a package sent to viewers when this first aired in 2019. Though those packages are not available, there are suggestions on the website how to simulate that part of the experience at home.

Children will be encouraged to dance, make crafts and learn about the ballet they are watching.

Tickets are $39.99 and allow for replaying through New Year’s Day.

Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker – Netflix – Now available

Famed choreographer Debbie Allen (did you catch that pun?) has created a new version of The Nutcracker for the Debbie Allen Dance Academy students to perform.

This documentary, airing on Netflix, follows Allen and her students through the creation of a production of her ballet, Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. Allen infuses the ballet with examinations of body image, diversity and inclusion. Hers is a ballet that speaks to the world we live in today.

When Hot Chocolate Nutcracker played in Southern California last year, Allen said in her notes on the website, “I have taken tradition and given it a new context, fresh lively characters, new music and spectacular dancing to bring a vibrant, unforgettable theater experience for all ages to enjoy.”

For the 2019 production the music used included Mariah Carey, Tena Clark, Shiamak Davar, James Ingram, Chau-Gian Thi Nguyen, Arturo Sandoval and Thump.

State of Darkness – The Joyce Theater – Now – January 10th

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

Fenley restaged her solo individually with seven dancers: 2020 Juilliard grad Jared Brown; Lloyd Knight of Martha Graham Dance Company; Sara Mearns of the New York City Ballet; Shamel Pitts, former Batsheva Dance Company member; Annique Roberts of Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE; Cassandra Trenary of American Ballet Theatre; and Michael Trusnovec of Paul Taylor American Dance Company. 

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

Tickets are $12.

And, of course, there is The Nutcracker itself.

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. If you’ve seen the Disney film Fantasia, you are well-acquainted with the music.

Not all Nutcracker ballets are the same. We’ve selected a few from which you can choose your own Nutcracker adventure.

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker – New York City Ballet on Marquee TV – Now – January 3rd

Choreographer George Balanchine danced the role of The Prince in The Nutcracker in 1919. Thirty-five years later he created his own ballet of this popular holiday classic. It became so iconic that it is now referred to as George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

New York City Ballet is making this ballet available via Marquee TV. You have to register (if you don’t already have an account) on Marquee’s website. New accounts get a 30-day free trial. You can also rent it for $25 which allows for viewing for 48 hours after first starting the film.

Great Russian Nutcracker – Moscow Ballet – Now – January 1st

For $24.99 you can see how they dance The Nutcracker in Russia where the ballet first came to life. Tickets are available through December 29th, but you can stream the ballet through New Year’s Day.

The Hip Hop Nutcracker – Center Theatre Group – Now – January 3rd

Not a traditional Nutcracker! This is Jennifer Weber’s fusion of hip hop and contemporary dance. You’ll hear Tchaikovsky’s music, but it isn’t going to be just a full symphonic performance. A DJ and a violinist also provide accompaniment for a dozen dancers who perform, not in 19th Century German, but in contemporary New York City.

The performance opens with a brief set by MC Kurtis Blow and the production employees digital graffiti as part of its visuals.

The Hip Hop Nutcracker was recorded live at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The performance runs 83 minutes.

There are 19 showings remaining. Tickets are $20 which allows for viewing starting at a set performance time (the schedule can be found in title link) and allows for continued viewing for a total of 24 hours. VIP tickets are $50 and include continued viewing for 72 hours; a signed poster and access to a pre-filmed Q&A.

Nutcracker Online – San Francisco Ballet – Available through December 31st

San Francisco Ballet’s 2008 production will be available for streaming throughout the holidays.

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.

Those are my Dance Best Bets for the Holidays. I hope visions of sugar plum fairies dancing fill you with joy.

I also have recommendations for Classical, Jazz and Musicals/Cabaret if you want even more choices.

Photo by Kacper Szczechia (@wyroq)

The post Dance Best Bets for the Holidays appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

So if you love musicals, Broadway vocalists and cabaret shows, this list is for you! First up are those with specific dates, followed by programming that is already available and has a specific end date.

Here are my Musicals/Cabaret Best Bets for the Holidays:

A Catalina Christmas – December 24th – 10:00 PM EST/7:00 PM PST

Los Angeles’ Catalina Jazz Club is holding a holiday concert to help raise money to keep the club alive. In addition to their many jazz concerts, the venue features many stars of stage and screen performing their cabaret acts.

This concert will feature Rogelio Douglas, Jr., Chad Doreck, Anthony Fedorov, Joely Fisher, Jason Graae, David Hernandez, Niki Haris, Aaron Lazar, Jennifer Paz, Alisan Porter, Joan Ryan, Jake Simpson, Tyrone Mr. SuperFantastic, plus Thelma Houston and many more! Bruce Vilanch serves as host.

There is no charge to watch the concert on Catalina Jazz Club’s Facebook Page. Donations to its Go Fund Me campaign are encouraged.

Two by Two: The 50th Anniversary Virtual Concert – December 25th – December 28th

While we’re all familiar with the story of Noah and his ark, fewer of us are familiar with this 1970 musical from Richard Rodgers (Pal Joey), Martin Charnin (Annie) and Peter Stone (1776). The musical was not only based on the biblical story, but on a play called The Flowering Peach by Clifford Odets.

Celebrating this Golden anniversary are Karen Ziemba (Contact); Nikita Burshteyn (Mark Saltzman’s Romeo & Bernadette); Frank Calamaro (Man of La Mancha); Marcy DeGonge Manfredi (Phantom of the Opera), N’Kenge (Motown the Musical); Michael Notardonato (Mark Saltzman’s Romeo & Bernadette), and Sophia Tzougros.

Walter Willison, who played Japeth in the original production, plays Noah and also directs the virtual reading.

There’s no charge to watch Two by Two, however donations to The Actors Fund are strongly encouraged.

Sondheim Unplugged – Feinstein’s/54 Below – December 26th – January 9th

A popular series at New York’s Feinstein’s/54 Below is Sondheim Unplugged. It’s a series that examines Stephen Sondheim’s work through stories, anecdotes and performance.

The series returns online beginning at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST on December 26th. The cast for this inaugural virtual version features Darius de Haas (Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All that Followed), cabaret singer Natalie Douglas, Telly Leung (Aladdin), T. Oliver Reid (Once on This Island), Nicholas Rodriguez (The Sound of Music) and Lucia Spina (South Pacific). Creator Phil Geoffrey Bond is the host and Joe Goodrich is the Music Director.

The show will remain on demand through January 9th. Tickets are $25.

A Very Weimar Christmas – Club Cumming Presents – December 30th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Alan Cumming and his New York City Club Cumming are presenting a different holiday show.

Australian Kim David Smith is the star and creator of A Very Weimar Christmas, a show he first performed at Club Cumming last December.

Imagine Cabaret meets Christmas meets Ute Lemper meets the Scissor Sisters. Or perhaps David Bowie’s German recording era as a filter for a 1930s Christmas show.

It should be quite entertaining and provocative.

Tickets are $10. There is one-time only showing. No additional re-streaming.

John Lloyd Young NYE Show – Feinstein’s at Vitello’s – December 31st – 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST

Tony Award-winner John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys) performs live from Los Angeles’ Feinstein’s at Vitello’s in this New Year’s Eve concert.

While he’s best known for his performance as Frankie Valli, I always think of him for his sublime performance of A Multitude of Amys, a song by Stephen Sondheim cut from the musical Company.

Tickets are $36.75 (which includes service charges). The show will be available on demand for 24 hours. Ticket buyers will have the ability to watch the show for seven days after purchase.

An Evening with Audra McDonald – New York City Center – Now – January 3rd

New York City Center’s Gala Concert earlier this month with Tony Award winner Audra McDonald has been extended through January 3rd. This 75-minute concert features McDonald with accompanist/music director Andy Einhorn.

Beautifully filmed and recorded you’ll hear songs that have been part of McDonald’s repertoire for quite some time and others that might surprise you.

Tickets are $35.

If you haven’t seen McDonald in her Tony Award-winning performance as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, that is available to stream on HBO.

Broadway Close-Up – Kaufman Music Center – Now – January 15th

For $40 you can stream three concert/lectures about significant figures in musical theatre: Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields and Stephen Schwartz.

Hammerstein is the book writer/lyricist best known for his collaborations with Richard Rodgers that yielded the musicals South Pacific, The King and I, Oklahoma! and The Sound of MUsic.

Fields is the book writer/lyricist who collaborated on the musicals Annie Get Your Gun, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Redhead and Sweet Charity.

Schwartz is the composer behind the juggernaut musical Wicked as well as the shows Pippin, Godspell and Rags.

Performing their songs in this three-part series are Broadway stars Clifton Duncan (The Play That Goes Wrong) and Nikki Renée Daniels (Company, Hamilton, Porgy and Bess) and jazz vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli.

Each show is one hour and is hosted by Sean Hartley. Videos will be available through January 15th.

Lyrics and Lyricists: Preludes – 92nd Street Y – Now – December 31st

All five episodes of the 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists: Preludes series are available for streaming. Each show is $15 or you can get all five for $60.

The five episodes celebrate the work of George Gershwin; Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt; Richard Rodgers, Mary Rodgers and Adam Guettel; Jule Styne and finally Music from Films.

The cast for this series includes Farah Alvin, Allison Blackwell, Nikki Renée Daniels, Katherine Henley, Jeff Kready, James T. Lane, Telly Leung, Kara Lindsay, Julia Murney, Zachary Noah Pisner, Zachary Prince, Pearl Sun and Mariand Torres. The narrator is Beth Malone.

Each show, written and music directed by Paul Masse, runs one hour. This series is available through December 31st.

Meet Me in St. Louis – Irish Rep – Now – January 2nd

I’ve previously written about this revised stage adaption of the classic 1944 film that starred Judy Garland. This version, from Irish Rep, stars Melissa Errico and Max von Essen. Not only do you get some classic songs like The Boy Next Door and The Trolley Song, you get the holiday season standard, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Tickets are Pay What You Can with a suggested donation of $25.

American Utopia – HBO

If you have HBO and have yet to experience David Byrne’s American Utopia, you should stop reading and start watching. This exciting, thought-provoking, energetic and unique concert/Broadway show.

Spike Lee directed the film and huge acknowledgement must go to Director of Photography Ellen Kuras. She makes American Utopia feel like both a Broadway show and an intimate experience.

Encores! Archives Project YouTube Channel

Have you ever gone digging through New York City Center’s YouTube channel? It’s a treasure trove of clips from dozens of their Encores! productions of musicals with some of Broadway’s finest talent. These aren’t full shows, but there’s so much to enjoy.

What can you find? Jerry Herman’s Mack & Mabel; Renée Elise Goldsberry in a 2013 production of I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road; 2015’s production of Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party; Laura Benanti in The Most Happy Fella from 2014; Kelli O’Hara in the 2010 production of Bells Are Ringing; Jake Gyllenhaal in Sunday in the Park with George; Lin Manuel-Miranda, Colin Donnell, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Betsy Wolfe in Merrily We Roll Along from 2012; Idina Menzel in Hair and so much more.

Once you get started you’ll be surprised how much time has passed. And it’s all free to view.

The Prom – Netflix

This musical didn’t last long on Broadway, but it had legions of passionate followers.

The Prom began life at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Written by Matthew Sklar with lyrics by Chad Beguelin and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, the musical tells the story of a group of Broadway stars facing the closure of their musical on opening night trying to find somewhere to direct their energy.

They zero in on a high school girl who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom, but the school won’t let her. Enter the Broadway stars to rescue the girl and their egos.

Ryan Murphy directed the film which stars James Corden, Ariana DeBose, Keegan-Michael Key, Nicole Kidman, Jo Ellen Pellman, Andrew Rannells, Meryl Streep and Kerry Washington.

Seth Rudetsky Concert Series – Now – January 3rd

Seth Rudetsky is making available for streaming many of this fall’s concerts with Braodway’s biggest stars. The line-up features Liz Callaway, La Chanze, Melissa Errico, Cheyenne Jackson, Rachel Bay Jones, Judy Kuhn, Beth Leavel, Beth Malone, Audra McDonald, Jessie Mueller, Karen Olivo, Orfeh and Andy Karl, Keala Settle and Lillias White.

These shows feature Rudetsky on keyboards at his home while the performers are in their own homes singing. There’s plenty of storytelling and conversation mixed in with the music.

Tickets are $20 for each concert or $15/each if you purchase all of them.

If you want to watch new live performances, Kerry Butler is joining Rudetsky live on December 27th at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST (with a re-run on December 28th at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST). On January 3rd, Alex Brightman performs live with a re-run on January 4th (same times). These tickets are $25.

Those are my Musicals/Cabaret Best Bets for the Holidays. I have additional recommendations for Classical, Dance and Jazz if you want even more choices.

Enjoy the holidays!

Photo: Music Center Holidays (Photo by Craig L. Byrd)

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You will notice that as the inability to hold in-person performances continues to be the reality for performing arts organizations that more original programming is becoming available. With that comes fees to view many of those new offerings. It’s just a fact that performing arts organizations are struggling like any other business during these troubled times. Not only does this new material keep the conversation going between venue and audience, it helps keep the theatres in business.

This weekend there are truly options for everyone in your family: from kid-friendly programming to cutting-edge explorations of topical events; from a new vision for two popular one-act operas to a Latinx Broadway extravaganza; from an exploration of parallels between present-day America and the Rome Republic to gender-bending farce. And more. Much more.

Without further ado, here are your Best Bets at Home: October 1st – October 4th.

Still. – PlayhouseLive – Now – November 1st

PlayhouseLive is a new digital platform introduced yesterday by the Pasadena Playhouse. The site will offer a combination of free material and paid material – all of which is completely new and/or newly discovered. To help launch the site they enlisted three-time national poetry slam champion Jovan Johnson. Still. is his show.

Still. finds Johnson performing his poetry.

Fans will recognize some of the material (Cuz He’s Black, Black and Happy) and there will also be new work that has never been filmed or recorded.

Johnson directly tackles several of the major issues of our time. But he does so in a way that both forces the viewer to confront his/her own thoughts while at the same time generating tremendous empathy. By the time Still. is over, you have gone through an incredible journey that will ultimately leave you somewhat hopeful.

I interviewed Johnson recently. You can read that interview here.

Update: This post has been updated to include a period – “.” at the end of the title of the show. Still. is the show’s complete title.

Kiki & Herb: Seeking Asylum! – Joe’s Pub/The Public Theater – Now – November 5th

Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman are well known, when performing together, as Kiki & Herb, a lounge-singing duo in their 70s who have failed in their pursuit of fame. In 2016 their show Seeking Asylum was both a critical and commercial hit. The show sold out at Joe’s Pub. In fact, the entire one-month run sold out within minutes.

Promo materials for the show describe their misadventures leading up to this show like this:

“After major successes at Carnegie Hall, on Broadway, and on the International Concert Circuit, cabaret legends Kiki and Herb took a break from the live performance grind to explore other opportunities. Kiki’s sabbatical included a stint as a Middle East correspondent for Al Jazeera, while Herb found himself in hot water—both literal and proverbial—in Southeast Asia.”

Joe’s Pub and The Public are making the show available on both Joe’s Pub’s YouTube page and The Public’s website for viewing through November 5th. There is no charge to watch this thoroughly entertaining show.

Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s The Circus – PlayhouseLive – Now – November 18th

Pasadena Playhouse’s new series, PlayhouseLive, launched on Wednesday. Amongst the shows available is a new film of a classic show by the Bob Baker Marionette Theater: the 1950 classic The Circus.

With over 100 hand-made marionettes, the lives and performances of a circus troupe come to vivid life. Everything you expect from the circus is performed with these amazing creations: animals acts, clowns, trapeze artists, acrobats and more.

For those who went to Bob Baker’s theater downtown before they moved to Highland Park, you know how magical their performances have always been. Puppeteers are not separated from the audience. That brings an immediacy to what they are doing and also makes the marionettes approachable for younger audiences.

This filmed version of The Circus is available for $14.99 and allows repeated viewings over the course of 48 hours. Trust me when I say that these shows appeal to the kid in all of us, regardless of age.

The Tribute Artist – Primary Stages/59E59 Theaters – October 1st – October 4th

Playwright/actor Charles Busch debuted The Tribute Artist in 2014. The play tells the story of a female impersonator who assumes the identity of his newly-deceased elderly landlady. Since he doesn’t have work, why not pretend to be her and live in her townhouse? Because this is the work of Charles Busch, you don’t really think things are going to go as planned do you?

The Tribute Artist was the last show presented by Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters.

The original company of that production has reunited for virtual readings of the show. Joining Busch are Mary Bacon, Julie Halston, Keira Keeley, Carole Monferdini and Jonathan Walker. Carl Andress, who directed the original production, returns to direct this reading.

Tickets are $36.50 which includes a $1.50 service charge.

The Boys in the Band – Netflix – Now Available

Does history repeat itself? Mart Crowley’s play The Boys in the Band opened in 1968 at Off-Broadway’s Theater Four where it ran for 1,001 performances. Before the show closed in September of 1970 it was already a feature film. William Friedkin (The French Connection; The Exorcist) directed the film adaptation. Friedkin’s film featured many of the play’s original cast members.

In 2018, the first Broadway production of the play opened at the Booth Theatre. The limited run of the play was directed by Joe Mantello.

The cast included Matt Bomer, Robin De Jesús, Jim Parsons, Andrew Rannells and Zachary Quinto. The show went on to win the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Mantello and the cast reunited and the film of The Boys in the Band just started running on Netflix.

What is The Boys in the Band? It depicts a group of gay friends who have assembled for one of their birthdays. During that party each man is challenged by the party’s host to place a phone call to someone he has loved and tell them about it.

Edward Albee had the “game about the baby” and Crowley (who passed away earlier this year) has “the game about love.”

New York’s 92 Street Y is streaming a conversation with Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and Joe Mantello discussing The Boys in the Band on Friday, October 2nd at 4:00 PM EDT/1:00 PM PDT.

WHAT THE HELL IS A REPUBLIC ANYWAY? – New York Theatre Workshop – Now – November 8th

If you had the opportunity to experience An Iliad by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson, you know how powerful their approach to history and theatre can be. What might first appear as merely an intellectual pursuit, in their hands, becomes palpably exciting.

New York Theatre Workshop was the home for An Iliad. So it is only appropriate that their latest project, WHAT THE HELL IS A REPUBLIC, ANYWAY?, finds itself streaming through the company’s website.

O’Hare and Peterson look at what is going on in American democracy through the prism of the Roman Republic. This is a four-part series. Part one launched live on September 22nd, but there are two remaining “re-runs” of that episode.

Here is the full line-up:

Episode 1: Rome & America: Joined at Birth (Special Guest: Roberta Stewart)

Encore showings: October 4th at 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT; October 5th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Episode 2: Citizenship (Special Guest: Sonia Sabnis)

Live presentation: October 6th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Encore showing: October 11th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Episode 3: How Republics Fall Apart

Live presentation: October 20th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Encore showing: October 25th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Episode 4: The Election

Live presentation: November 2nd at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Encore showing: November 8th at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Not only will audience members be watching what’s going on, they will be asked to participate in the democratic process (at least during the live presentations).

Tickets for each episode are $10.

Coming Together – 5 Boroughs Music Festival – October 1st – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

This is the world premiere of a film featuring the Quodlibet Ensemble and countertenor Reginald Mobley performing Frederic Rzewski’s Coming Together.

The text was written by Samuel Melville, a leader of the revolt at New York’s Attica Prison in 1971. Melville was killed during those riots. The text is from a letter he had written that was published after his death.

Rzewski composed Coming Together shortly after the riots took place.

The film, created with Pastor Isaac Scott, presents the journey we’re all probably on right now – navigating our way through difficult times and still finding a way to have hope. Footage of the musicians performing remotely and safely is included.

Bach’s Cantata No. 54 and songs and spirituals by Florence Price are also performed. Part of these performances were filmed this month at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

There is no charge to watch the film. However, donations are encouraged. The date listed is when the film becomes available. It will remain available for viewing after its premiere.

The Skivvies: Classic Undie Rock – Radio Free Birdland – October 1st – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Lauren Molina made her Broadway debut in the 2005 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd as Johanna. She also appeared on Broadway in Rock of Ages. Around the same time she was in Sweeney Todd, Nick Cearley was making his Broadway debut in All Shook Up.

No Broadway shows together, but they do appear together as The Skivvies.

They are the duo that performs unique arrangements of songs uniquely. Make that stripped down arrangements while stripped down. Yes, they perform in their underwear.

Perhaps you’ve seen their videos on YouTube?

They have filmed a concert at Birdland in New York. Their show is part of the programming of Radio Free Birdland. The performance was filmed without an audience, but they do have two special guests.

Matt Doyle, who appeared on Broadway in The Book of Mormon and was in previews for this season’s revival of Company, and Tamika Lawrence, who appeared in Come From Away and is in the revival of Caroline, Or Change that was forced to postpone its opening, will both be joining. They’ll be stripping down to their underwear, too.

The only fully-dressed people at a Skivvies show are usually in the audience. But you’ll be at home. Who will know if you’re wearing clothes or not?

Tickets are $23.50.

¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices – October 1st – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

In spite of the success of In the Heights and On Your Feet, Latinx talent isn’t frequently seen or heard on Broadway. Since October is Latinx Heritage Month, Playbill and The Broadway League have teamed up to present ¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices. The show will be available on Playbill’s website, their YouTube Channel and on The Broadway League’s website.

Andréa Burns, who originated the role of “Daniela” in In the Heights, serves as the host. The show is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo (Ain’t Too Proud).

The show will feature a reunion of In the Heights cast members (including Christopher Jackson and Karen Olivo) who will be joined by Anthony Ramos who stars as “Usnavi” in the upcoming film of the musical.

There will also be a presentation from the Spanish language production of A Chorus Line that starred Antonio Banderas and was co-directed by Banderas with original cast member Baayork Lee.

Lest this all be a trip down memory lane, three new shows will be given an opportunity to shine during ¡Viva Broadway! including John Leguizamo’s Kiss My Aztec!, Arrabal and Passing Through.

The list of artists making appearances and performing includes Lucie Arnaz, Gloria Estefan, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Moisés Kaufman, Leguizamo, Matthew López, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chita Rivera and Daphne Rubin-Vega.

This show will remain available for viewing through October 5th at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Sessions Episode One – Chicago Symphony – October 1st – October 30th

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is launching a new series of small ensemble performances filmed with social distancing guidelines as a way of keeping the music playing.

For their first episode of Sessions, the program features Three Preludes by George Gershwin; Fuga y misterio by Astor Piazzolla; Bachianas brasileiras No. 6 by Heitor Villa-Lobos; Rapide et brilliant from Sonatine for Flute and Bassoon by Pierre Gabaye and Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet.

The small ensemble includes Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson on flute, William Welter on oboe, Stephen Williamson on clarinet, Keith Buncke on bassoon, David Cooper on horn, Jennifer Gunn on flute and William Buchman on bassoon.

Tickets are $15 to watch the performance.

Salón Los Ángeles – Los Angeles Philharmonic Sound/Stage – Begins October 2nd

The second newly-filmed concert in Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series is called Salón Los Ángeles. The concert features performances of Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 1 and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Gustavo Dudamel is conducting and Jean-Yves Thibaudet is the soloist for Rhapsody in Blue. Given these performances were filmed with social distancing and minimal musicians, it is probably safe to assume the original jazz band version of Rhapsody in Blue will be performed.

Márquez appears in an interview during the show and there will be performances of Mexican danzón and boleros.

There is no charge to watch this program. However, donations are encouraged.

Sound/Stage is a multi-episode series. For a full preview of the entire series, please go here.

Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci – Royal Opera House – October 2nd – November 1st

Perhaps no pairing of one-act operas is more popular than the combination of Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

Cavalleria rusticana had its world premiere in Rome in 1890. The opera is based on a short story which later became a play by Giovanni Verga. Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci adapted them both for their libretto.

Mascagni’s opera centers on a love triangle. Turridu, who has returned from military service, goes to see his ex-lover, Lola, before seeing his current lover, Santuzza. Lola is married to Alfio. Santuzza decides to tell Alfio about the infidelity and the two men decide to duel. At the end of the opera, multiple hearts are left broken.

Pagliacci had its world premiere in Milan in 1892. Leoncavallo also wrote the libretto.

The opera tells the story of a married couple, Canio and Nedda, who are performers in a small theatre company on the road. Canio is insanely jealous and that jealousy drives Nedda to seek affection from another man, Silvio. Nedda and Silvio make plans to elope, but their plans are overheard by Tonio, another member of the company. He tells Canio about Nedda’s plans. Looking for revenge, Canio, during a performance of their touring play, makes his personal life mirror the drama in the play.

In 2015 Damiano Michieletto staged the two works for the Royal Opera in London. One of the conceits of his production is that both operas take place in the same village. So you might find characters from one opera appear in the other.

The end result was an Olivier Award for Best New Opera in 2016. Michieletto shared the award with the production’s conductor, Sir Antonio Pappano.

This production will remain available for one month. The cost is £3 which equates to just under $4.

Orfeh and Andy Karl with Seth Rudetsky – October 4th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

I’ve previously written about Broadway performers Orfeh and Andy Karl. They are married and met during the Broadway production of Saturday Night Fever. By the time they appeared together again in Legally Blonde sparks were flying. More recently they appeared together in Pretty Woman.

The two join Seth Rudetsky for conversation and performance this weekend. (Rudetsky took last week off.)

To get a sense of their chemistry (and their history), take a look at this clip from an appearance at Feinstein’s/54 Below:

The live performance takes place on Sunday, October 4th. There is an Encore showing on October 5th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT for those unable to watch the live stream on Sunday.

Tickets for either date are $25

While that might seem like a lot, there’s more to your Best Bets at Home: October 1st – October 4th by way of a few reminders:

This week’s Table Top Shakespeare: At Home features Hamlet on October 1st; Love’s Labour’s Lost on October 2nd; The Winter’s Tale on October 3rd and All’s Well That Ends Well on October 4th.

Most of our choices in this week’s Jazz Stream take place in the next four days. Artists like Catherine Russell, James Carter, Joey Alexander are performing. I won’t recap them all in this space. Go here to see our listings.

Metropolitan Opera’s Mozart Week continues with Julie Taymor’s production of The Magic Flute on October 1st; Don Giovanni on October 2nd; The Marriage of Figaro on October 3rd and Idomeneo on October 4th.

I hope you have a lot of devices in your home to watch all this great programming. If not, you’ll have to choose. And who wants to do that?

Enjoy the Best Bets at Home: October 1st – October 4th and Happy October!

Photo: The company of The Tribute Artist (Photo by James Leynse)

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We have a few thoughts (all start times are Pacific)

Broadway HD

This streaming service has literally dozens of options for those who are already missing the opportunity to see live performances. Broadway musicals, ballets, plays, Shakespeare and more are all available. They offer a 7-day free trial with both monthly subscriptions (at $8.99/month) and annual subscriptions ($99.99/year) available.

With Stephen Sondheim’s upcoming 90th birthday, Broadway HD is celebrating with Sweeney Todd (from the national tour with Angela Lansbury and George Hearn), the film version of Gypsy with Bette Midler and Putting It Together with Carol Burnett, Hearn and others.

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center:

Sunday, March 15th: Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion 2pm

Dohnányi Serenade in C major for Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 10 (1902)

Bartók Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (1937)

Tchaikovsky Sextet for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Two Cellos, Op. 70, “Souvenir de Florence” (1890; rev. 1891-92)

Performers: Alessio Bax, piano; Lucille Chung, piano; Erin Keefe, violin; Cho-Liang Lin, violin; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Paul Neubauer, viola; Dmitri Atapine, cello; Colin Carr, cello; Ayano Kataoka, percussion; David Rosenbaum, percussion

Link: https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/nyc/events/upcoming/bartoks-sonata-for-two-pianos-and-percussion-march-15-2020/

Criterion Channel

This streaming service focuses on foreign film and classic films. Subscription rates at $10.99/month or $99.99/year.

Amongst the titles available this month are:

Busby Berkeley’s Take Me Out to the Ball Game starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Esther Williams.

You’ll Never Get Rich (1941), the first of two musicals starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth.

You Were Never Lovelier (1942), the second musical pairing Fred Astaire with Rita Hayworth.

Neil Simon’s The Out-of-Towners, directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Jack Lemmon, Sandy Davis and Sandy Baron.

The film adaptation of the musical Pal Joey starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak and Rita Hayworth. George Sidney directed this 1957 film.

They also have a 15-film series of films scored by Quincy Jones including In Cold Blood, In the Heat of the Night and Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice.

Netflix

Broadway fans who have a Netflix membership can find Oh, Hello on Broadway, Shrek the Musical, Springsteen on Broadway along with film musicals Hairspray (the musical), Jersey Boys and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (the Tim Burton film).

Jazz fans can find the documentaries Chasin’ Trane (about John Coltrane), What Happened, Miss Simone? (about Nina Simone) and Quincy (about Quincy Jones).

There are also some ballet and dance offerings – most seemed aimed at younger audiences.

92nd Street Y

Saturday, March 14th: Garrick Ohlsson Solo Piano Recital 5:00 PM

Program:Beethoven: Sonata No. 11 in B-flat Major, Op. 22

Prokofiev: Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 82

Chopin: Impromptu No. 2 in F-sharp Major, Op. 36

Chopin: Étude Nos. 5-10, from Op. 25

Chopin: Berceuse in D-flat Major, Op. 57

Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 39

Link: https://www.92y.org/archives/garrick-ohlsson-piano

Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Saturday, March 14th 8:00 PM

Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 8:00 PM

Rebroadcast of a Live Concert
Thomas Dausgaard, conductor

Link: https://seattlesymphony.org/live

Turner Classic Movies

Friday, March 13th: The Diary of Anne Frank 5:00 PM

Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett’s play has appeared twice on Broadway. This 1959 film adaptation by George Stevens was based on that play. Shelley Winters won an Oscar for her performance as Mrs. Petronella Van Daan.

Saturday, March 14th: The Prisoner of Swing 8:30 AM

A short satirical musical film based on The Prisoner of Zenda that stars June Allyson.

Sunday, March 15th: Carmen Jones 8:45 AM

This film musical adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen was written by Oscar Hammerstein II (he of The Sound of Music and other musicals). Directed by Otto Preminger, the film stars Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge and Pearl Bailey.

Gypsy 12:30 PM

Rosalind Russell stars as the domineering Mama Rose in this film adaptation of the Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents musical. Natalie Wood stars as daughter, Louis and Karl Malden plays Herbie.

The post Hunkering Down and Chilling – updated appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

You’re probably thinking to yourself why pay to see the play when it has already been filmed and is readily available on Netflix? There are two reasons to see the show. First and foremost it is an opportunity to see Leguizamo do what he does best in person. He is a brilliant actor and few people come close to entertaining an audience the way he does while still offering them up a healthy dose of reality.

The second reason is the Netflix film excludes fifteen minutes of material you can only see when attending the play. The play runs one hour and fifty minutes with no intermission. Once  Leguizamo gets going, you don’t want to stop and I’m sure he doesn’t either.

Tony Taccone, who directed the world premiere of Latin History for Morons at Berkeley Repertory in 2016, and who directed the Broadway production, directs the tour. Most of the remaining stops on the tour are one day or very brief runs. This booking at the Ahmanson is the longest single stop for the show.

If you don’t know that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of victory over French troops in 1862, rather than justification for an excessive consumption of tequila at your local bar, Latin History for Morons will have you doubled over in laughter while realizing there’s a lot you just don’t know.

For tickets go here.

Photo by Matthew Murphy/Courtesy of Center Theatre Group.

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Long Beach Opera’s timing couldn’t have been better. Linda Fairstein, the attorney who prosecuted the five men, wrote an op-ed defending her actions in response to Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us on Netflix. The increased scrutiny she faced as a result of that documentary has lead to her resigning from the boards of several charities, being dropped by Dutton who published crime novels she wrote and her agency, ICM Partners, dropped her as well.

The Central Park attack on Trisha Meili occurred in 1989. Intense police interrogation by officers with the New York Police Department lead Antron McCray, 15; Kevin Richardson, 14; Yusef Salaam, 15; Raymond Santana, 14; and Korey Wise, 16 to admit to the crime. In 2002, after an admission of guilt by serial rapist Matias Reyes (plus the DNA evidence), the wrongful convictions were overturned.

Donald Trump, who is depicted in The Central Park Five, published full-page ads in several New York newspapers in 1989 calling for the death penalty for the five youths. When the City of New York settled with the five men, Trump railed against the payout as a sign of incompetence. As recently as this week he still made comments about the guilt of the five men.

Davis has written several operas and seems keenly interested in true stories. Amongst his operas are X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X, Tania (about Patty Hearst) and Amistad (about a slave uprising on board a ship.)

Derrell Acon plays Anton McCray, Bernard Holcomb plays Kevin Richardson, Cedric Berry plays Yusef Salaam, Orson Van Gay II plays Raymond Santana and Nathan Granner plays Korey Wise. The production is directed by Andreas Mitisek. The conductor is Leslie Dunner.

This is perfect story for an opera. There’s a crime, five young men are falsely accused and imprisoned, there’s the real perpetrator, a media circus and the man who would be President ignoring science and confessions to prop himself up in the public eye.

For tickets go here.

Main Image:  Nathan Granner as Khorey Wise, Cedric Berry as Yusef Salaam, Derrell Acon as Antron McCray, Orson Van Gay as Raymond Santana, and Bernard Holcomb as Kevin Richardson

All photos by Keith Ian Polakoff/Courtesy of Long Beach Opera

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