Before I offer up my setlist, a reminder of the participants at Everybody Rise!: Skylar Astin, Sierra Boggess, Sutton Foster, Norm Lewis, Patti LuPone and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Given the title of the show and Ms. LuPone being part of the concert, it’s safe to assume that The Ladies Who Lunch from Company will be performed. A very bold move would be to open the show with that song, but my guess is it will happen much later in the concert.

What roles might each of these actors be perfect for in Sondheim’s musicals? Astin could no doubt sing the role of George in Sunday in the Park with George as he could Bobby in Company, Addison Mizner in Road Show, Toby in Sweeney Todd and more.

Sierra Boggess would make a great Squeaky Fromme in Assassins, Petra in A Little Night Music (though she has played Charlotte in the show); Dot in Sunday in the Park and more.

Foster told Stephen Colbert her dream role is Mama Rose in Gypsy (which only has lyrics by Sondheim), but since LuPone won a Tony Award for that role, I’d be surprised to see Foster tackle anything from that show. Foster has played Nurse Fay Apple in Anyone Can Whistle and The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, so those two shows register as distinct possibilities.

Norm Lewis has played the demon barber in Sweeney Todd, Bobby in Company, Protean in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and appeared in Sondheim on Sondheim.

LuPone has appeared in the most Sondheim shows: Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, Anyone Can Whistle, Gypsy and Company. But I’d love to see her in Follies.

Brian Stokes Mitchell has a great voice for Sweeney Todd, which he performed at the Kennedy Center in 2002. He could also make a great Giorgio in Passion, Ben in Follies and Fredrik in A Little Night Music.

So here’s my setlist for Everybody Rise! I know this presupposes everyone will want to work as hard as it would take to learn all these songs and that re-arrangements would be required to fit voice types, but this is a show I’d like to see.

ACT ONE:

Opening would be an overture of themes from a multitude of Sondheim’s shows. (I know that’s been done before, as in the clip below, but it never ceases to impress.)

Skylar Astin would follow the overture with Take Me to the World from Evening Primrose.

Boggess would join Astin to perform I am Unworthy of Your Love from Assassins. She would stay on stage to sing Last Midnight from Into the Woods

Immediately afterwards Lewis and Mitchell would sing The Best Thing That Ever Happened from Road Show.

Lewis would perform Epiphany from Sweeney Todd. He would then be joined again by Mitchell and they would do Agony from Into the Woods.

Mitchell would stay on stage to perform Marry Me a Little from Company.

Foster would be next with On the Steps of the Palace from Into the Woods and Could I Leave You? from Follies.

Boggess would sing The Miller’s Son from A Little Night Music.

The first act finale would be Patti and Norm Lewis doing A Little Priest from Sweeney Todd.

ACT TWO of Everybody Rise!

Foster, Astin and Boggess to open Act 2 with Getting Married Today from Company. 

Boggess stays on stage to sing Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music.

LuPone sings Loving You from Passion and I Remember from Evening Primrose.

Lewis sings The Road You Didn’t Take from Follies and Pretty Little Picture from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Astin is next with Finishing the Hat from Sunday in the Park with George and is joined by Sutton Foster for Move On from the same show.

Foster stays on stage to perform Sooner or Later from Dick Tracy.

Mitchell takes to the stage to sing Fear No More from The Frogs followed by Being Alive from Company.

Boggess returns with Not a Day Goes By from Merrily We Roll Along.

The act would close with, what else, The Ladies Who Lunch from Company performed by LuPone.

The encore would find the ensemble doing two songs: Old Friends from Merrily We Roll Along and Sunday from Sunday in the Park with George.

What would you like to hear at Everybody Rise! this weekend?

Main Photo: Stephen Sondheim at opening night party at Sardi’s for the stage production West Side Story (Photo by Friedman-Abeles/Courtesy New York Public Library Archives)

The post My Setlist for EVERYBODY RISE! appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

When Broadway star Rebecca Luker passed away last December of complications from A.L.S. (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), colleagues and journalists struggled to find enough superlatives to describe her incredible talent.

The New York Times hailed her “crystal clear operatic soprano.” Playbill recalled her “innate warmth, infectious joy, and gorgeous voice.” Broadway’s Laura Benanti called her “humble, loving and kind. So much so that you would sometimes forget her otherworldly talent, until she would sing, and her golden voice would wrap you in peace.” And Kristin Chenoweth, who called Luker an inspiration described her voice as “soprano heaven. I love you, Rebecca.”

On Tuesday, May 4th, Becca, a streaming show of music and stories from her three-decade career will take place at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT. The event is a fundraiser for Target ALS with all proceeds going to ALS research.

Participating in the concert will be Benanti, Sierra Boggess, Michael Cerveris, Chenoweth, Victoria Clark , Santino Fontana (they appeared in Cinderella together), Judy Kuhn, Howard McGillin, Norm Lewis, Kelli O’Hara, Tam Mutu and Sally Wilfert.

Wilfert and Luker recorded All the Girls, an album of songs about women and their friends, that was released late last year.

Luker originated the role of “Lily” in the musical The Secret Garden.

The show’s composer, Lucy Simon, is acting as honorary producer for this event. Frank DiLella, who hosts On Stage for Spectrum News in New York, will serve as the host. Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Joseph Thalken serve as co-music directors.

Luker was nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Actress in a Musical for her roles as “Magnolia” in the 1994 revival of Show Boat and as “Marian Paroo” in the 2000 revival of The Music Man and for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins.

Her other Broadway credits included The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Nine and Fun Home.

She was married to Danny Burstein who is a Tony nominee this year for his role as Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge The Musical.

I was only lucky enough to see Luker in one show: The Music Man. She was glorious. She truly sang like an angel.

It’s tragic that she was taken from her family, friends and colleagues at such a young age (she was 59).

Becca will be filled with joy, beautiful music and certainly a few tears. But could anyone help you feel better are such a tragic loss than Rebecca Luker herself?

Tickets for Becca begin at $20 and go higher based on your ability to pay.

All photos courtesy Rebeccaluker.com

The post Becca – A Concert Celebrating Rebecca Luker appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if I had selected thirteen Best Bets? Relax…I didn’t. I fifteen options for you this weekend. Our top pick is Long Beach Opera’s 2020 Songbook. We have dance, classical, cabaret, jazz, ballet and two opera productions for your consideration.

Here are our Best Bets at Home: November 13th – November 15th:

Chicano Batman – Los Angeles Philharmonic – Starts November 13th

A performance by Los Angeles band Chicano Batman is featured on this penultimate episode of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series. Along with (still-available) performances by Andra Day and Kamasi Washington, their performance does not feature the LA Phil.

Chicano Batman released their self-titled first album in 2010. They followed that up with 2014’s Cycle of Existential Rhyme, 2017’s Freedom Is Free and this year’s Invisible People. The members of the band are Eduardo Arenas, Carlos Arévalo, Bardo Martinez and Gabriel Villa.

There is no charge to watch the performance. Donations are, of course, encouraged.

Sierra Boggess Streamed from Birdland! – November 13th – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Broadway star Sierra Boggess made her Broadway debut as “Ariel” in the Broadway musical version of the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. She appeared as “Christine” in the long-running musical, The Phantom of the Opera in 2013. She went on to originate the role of “Rosalie” in School of Rock – the Musical.

Boggess has filmed a concert at New York’s Birdland. She will be joined by her sister, Summer, on cello and by her music director Brian Hertz. This marks the first time Boggess has performed since the quarantine was put in place in New York.

Amongst the songs she’ll be singing are “Come to My Garden” from The Secret Garden, “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera, “Beyond My Wildest Dreams” from The Little Mermaid and the title track from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s sequel to Phantom, Love Never Dies. Boggess received an Olivier nomination for her performance in the latter show where she originated the role of “Christine.”

Tickets (including the service charge) are $23.50 and can be purchased here.

Chris Thile and Madison Cunningham – New Jersey Performing Arts Center – November 13th – 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s fall virtual programming includes this conversation and performance with Chris Thile and Madison Cunningham.

Cunningham recently received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Americana Album for her 2019 record “Who Are You Now.”

While it might seem strange to have her listed on Cultural Attaché, Rolling Stone hailed her “jazz-school chord changes” when it included her in a July 2018 story about “The 10 New Country and American Artists You Need to Know This Month.” Frankly, her music speaks for itself.

Cunningham’s new EP, “Wednesday,” was released one week ago and features a cover of Tom Waits’ song “Hold On.”

Which makes the pairing of her with 3-time Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Genius Grant winner Chris Thile a natural fit. His collaborations range from Yo-Yo Ma to Brad Mehldau.

Mehldau told me two of Thile’s qualities as a musician he admires: “First, I knew from hearing and seeing him that he is a true improviser – and that is what I like to do a lot. Second, his singing really affects me, and I was excited about the idea of making music with that kind of vocal expression.”

You will find this show on NJPAC’s Facebook page. There is no charge to watch the show.

Sons of Kemet – SFJZZ – November 13th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

You don’t immediately think of dancing when you think of jazz music. Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings forces you to reconsider that combination with his band Sons of Kemet. They will be performing on this week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ.

Formed in 2011 in London, they fuse jazz, afro-beat and world music influences into a mix that yielded a 2013 MOBO Award as the Best Jazz Act.

This concert is from the summer of 2019 and finds the band supporting their 2018 recording, “You’re Queen is a Reptile.” The album was nominated for the 2018 Mercury Prize.

As with all Fridays at Five concerts, you will need either a one-month membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60) to watch the concert.

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles – PBS Great Performances – November 13th – check local listings

You’ll be forgiven for not knowing all the nominees for Best Musical at the 1965 Tony Awards. After all, Golden Boy, Half a Sixpence and Oh, What A Lovely War! haven’t had remotely the same impact as the musical that won. Not only did Fiddler on the Roof win Best Musical, it won nine of the 10 awards for which it was nominated.

This musical about a milkman who finds his homeland of Russia changing just as his three daughters are leaving home to pursue their own lives ran for 3,242 performances. There have been five Broadway revivals. The lead role of Tevye has been played on stage by Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Alfred Molina, Harvey Fierstein, Danny Burstein and Topol, who played the part in the 1971 film.

Why has this musical resonated so profoundly for 55 years? That is has is celebrated in the documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles. Filmmaker Max Lewkowicz features interviews with composer and lyricist Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, librettist Joseph Stein, original producer Harold Prince, filmmaker Norman Jewison, multiple cast members from the various productions, Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Grey and many more.

Grey directed the most recent production of Fiddler on the Roof. The musical was performed completely in Yiddish and ran for over a year-and-a-half off-Broadway. There had been discussions about a possible transfer to Broadway prior to the pandemic.

As with all PBS programming, check your local listings.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – Center Theatre Group – November 13th – November 15th

Center Theatre Group’s Digital Stage program includes a selection of programming that falls under the category Digital Stage Plus. These are select events that are free for subscribers and $10 for non-subscribers.

The first program they are showing is a film of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. The show was performed most recently at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2019.

The film features the 2018 cast which appears to be some of the same performers including Will Bozier as The Swan/The Stranger. Liam Mower dances the role of The Prince.

If you are wondering if you read that correctly, perhaps you didn’t know that all the swans in this production are male. For more information about the production, read my interviews with Will Bozier and Max Westwell who alternated the roles of The Swan/The Stranger when the show was in Los Angeles.

The performances are on November 13th at 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST; November 14th at 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST and 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST and November 15th at 4:30 PM EST/1:30 PM PST and 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST.

Boris Godunov – San Francisco Opera – November 14th – November 15th

Conducted by Vassily Sinaisky; starring Samuel Ramey, John Uhlenhopp, Vladimir Ognovenko and Vitalij Kowaljow. This Stein Winge production is from the 2008-2009 season. This is the original 1869 version of the opera.

This opera by Modest Mussorgsky had its world premiere in St. Petersburg in 1874. The libretto, written by the composer, was based on Aleksandr Pushkin’s Boris Godunov. Mussorgky completed an earlier version of the opera in 1869, but it was rejected. He revised the opera and included elements from History of the Russian State by Nikolay Karamzin to gain approval and ultimately a production in 1874.

In the opera, a retired and very reluctant Boris Godunov assumes the throne as Tsar. He is bedeviled by a constant foreboding and hopes his prayers will help him navigate what lies ahead. An old monk named Pimen discusses the murder of Tsarevich Dimitri with Gregory, a novice. Had he lived, Dimitri might have ascended to the throne. Godunov was implicated in his murder years ago. What follows is one man’s pursuit of forgiveness, his being haunted by the Dimitri’s ghost and the Russian people who demand justice.

Joshua Kosman, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, explained the differences in his review of this production. “The lack of any romantic element – or even of women – seems to have been the reason that government bureaucrats denied the piece access to the stage. In revising “Boris” for its eventual 1874 premiere, Mussorgsky added a female love interest for Grigory, the ex-monk who claims to be the rightful heir to the throne, as well as two major sequences (the so-called “Polish” act and the final scene in Kromy Forest).

“But Mussorgsky went even further, making the new work more formally balanced, more conventional in tone, and more musically integrated. He sprinkled little songs and character pieces around, the better to contrast with the moments of greatest dramatic charge; he arranged his acts to move with assurance toward a surefire curtain.”

He later said in the review that, at least in this production, “the rewards are great.”

Blue 13 Dance – LA Soundscapes at The Ford – November 14th – 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST

With this free program you can watch Blue 13 Dance perform Bollywood, Bhangra, and Classical Indian Dance and also receive some instruction on how you can bust out some of the same moves.

Founded in 1999, Blue 13 Dance celebrates and preserves the cultural and classic forms of India. They are lead by Artistic Director Achinta S. McDaniel.

The 8 person company brings to joyous life the rich tradition of the Indian culture from the past and guides it fully into the future.

The program is free to watch on LA Soundscapes at The Ford’s Facebook page. Thirty minutes before this program starts there is a crafts program with Nasimeh B.E. If you RSVP at theford.com/crafts you can get a free Craft Box.

Dee Dee Bridgewater – JazzAid Live at the Banyan Bowl – November 14th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

South Florida’s Pinecrest Gardens launches a series of live streaming concerts on Saturday, November 14th with Tony Award and Grammy Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater. The shows fall under the umbrella of their new program, JazzAid Live.

Regular readers of Cultural Attaché know how much I love Bridgewater and the music she performs.

Her most recent studio album was 2017’s Memphis…Yes, I’m Ready! Earlier this year Dee Dee’s Diamonds was released which is a compilation of songs from some of her earliest recordings. The Tony Award came for her performance as “Glinda” in the musical The Wiz.

Other concerts in this series are Kurt Elling (December 12th); The Glenn Miller Orchestra (January 16th); Wycliffe Gordon (February 13th); Grace Kelly (February 27th); Joey Alexander Trio (March 13th) and The Manhattan Transfer (April 10th).

Each concert will stream live and only once at the announced start time.

Tickets for each individual concert are $15. You can buy all seven concerts in a bundle for $87. Part of the proceeds from the JazzAID Live concerts will go to Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen which, in addition to providing assistance to impoverished and hungry communities worldwide, is providing assistance to families impacted by the pandemic.

Save Tip’s: A Benefit for Tipitina’s – November 14th – 9:00 PM EST/6:00 PM PST

Like many a venue that has had to suspend operations due to the Pandemic, New Orleans institution Tipitina’s is struggling to stay alive. So they are holding an online fundraiser that will feature new and archived performances from many of the legends who have played on their stage since it opened in 1977.

Amongst the performers that will be shown are Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Willie Nelson, Dr. John, Widespread Panic, Wilco, Billy Strings, Jon Batiste & Stay Human feat. Trombone Shorty, Dinosaur Jr, Manu Chao, The Radiators feat. Gregg Allman, Michael Franti and Spearhead, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Funky Meters, Preservation Hall Jazz Band feat. Allen Toussaint, Galactic feat. Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade, The Revivalists, Big FreediaTank & The Bangas, Rebirth Brass Band, Zigaboo Modeliste, Juvenile, Samantha Fish, Dumpstaphunk, George Porter and Runnin’ Pardners, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux + Donald Harrison Jr., Anders Osborne, Ivan Neville, Cha Wa, James Andrews, Papa John Gros, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, Corey Henry, Roger Lewis, Leo Nocentelli, The Soul Rebels, Davel Crawford, John Cleary + Walter “Wolfman Washington”, The Naughty Professor Horns, Taj Mahal, North Mississippi Allstars + Big Sam and tributes to Art Neville, Dr John and Allen Toussaint.

The show is free to watch. But donations are encouraged by texting “SAVETIPS” to 24365.

Rachmaninoff and Chopin – Pasadena Symphony – November 14th

Pianist Inon Bartanan is featured in this Pasadena Symphony concert. He will start the program with his own transcriptions of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. He will then be joined by a string quartet of Pasadena Symphony members for a performance of Frederic Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11.

The musicians joining Bartanan are Amy Hershberger and Nancy Roth on violin; Suzanna Giordano Gignac on viola; Nadine Hall on cello and Peter Doubrovsky on bass. David Lockington conducts.

Tickets are $25.

2020 Songbook – Long Beach Opera – November 15th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Like many an organization, the Long Beach Opera had to be creative when it came to raising money for its work and finding a suitable replacement for an annual gala. The result, a fascinating idea, is 2020 Songbook.

Hosting the show is one of opera’s most exciting performers, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo.

He can be seen on November 14th in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019-2020 production of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten.

Here’s what makes this show exciting: Donors this year commissioned new art songs instead of purchasing gala tables. All the commissioned works had to follow a few rules:

They had to be 3-5 minutes long, feature voice plus accompaniment and thematically had to address or reflect events or experiences from the year we all know and love, 2020.

Composers Anthony Davis (2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music winner for The Central Park Five which premiered at Long Beach Opera); Annie Gosfield (The War of the Worlds with Yuval Sharon and the Los Angeles Philharmonic); David Lang (2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music winner for The Little Match Girl Passion); George Lewis (his opera based on the W.E.B. Du Bois short story “The Comet,” will be paired with Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea in a world-premiere production in collaboration with Anthony Roth Costanzo and Yuval Sharon in the 2021 Long Beach Opera season) and Du Yun (2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music Winner for Angel’s Bone).

Tickets are $25 and $75 and includes the ability to watch the show for 72 hours.

Modern Beauty Part 3 – Pittance Chamber Orchestra – November 15th – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

Part 3 of Modern Beauty from Pittance Chamber Orchestra features the world premiere of Austrian composer Gernot Wolfgang’s Decisions.

This eleven-minute work was composed in 2016 and was written for piano and oboe. There are three movements in the piece. Joining Gloria Cheng, who curated all three concerts that make up Modern Beauty, is Jennifer Cullinan.

There is no charge to watch the performance, but donations are encouraged.

The Anonymous Lover – Los Angeles Opera – November 15th – November 29th

Born nearly 11 years before Mozart was composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Not only was he a composer, he was a violinist and quite the fencer. More importantly he was, particularly for the time, one of just a few Black composers. (George Bridgetower and Francis Johnson were two other important Black composers from around this era.)

LA Opera is presenting a newly-filmed performance of his third opera, L’amant Anonyme (The Anonymous Lover). The work dates back to 1780, written when the composer was in his mid-30s and has a libretto inspired by a play by Caroline-Stéphanie-Félicité, Madame de Genlis. The opera had its premiere in Paris.

The Anonymous Lover tells the story of Léontine, a woman who has eschewed love. She is young and is a widow. Her good friend, Valcour, also has sworn off love – or so he claims. Secretly he’s been in love with Léontine. Unable to express his feelings, he chooses to anonymously send her letters and gifts. Can two friends become lovers when Valcour finds the nerve to reveal himself to Léontine?

James Conlon conducts the LA Opera Orchestra. The production stars Tiffany Townsend, Robert Stahley, Alaysha Fox, Michael J. Hawk, Gabriela Flores and Jacob Ingbar.

The film was directed by Bruce Lemon, Jr. and incorporated social-distance guidelines during production. Press notes indicate that the staged setting blends both modern film and traditional opera staging.

The Anonymous Lover is free to watch beginning at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT on November 15th.

Lillias White with Seth Rudetsky – November 15th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST $25

I personally find it hard to believe that Tony Award winner Lillias White made her Broadway debut in 1981 (replacing Terri White in the musical Barnum.) Roles in Dreamgirls, Cats, Once on This Island, the 1995 revival of How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and the never-ending revival of Chicago all lead to her role as Sonja in The Life.

Following her Tony Award win for The Life, she spent time doing concerts (both her own and fundraisers including an incredible turn singing “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl) before returning to Broadway for 2009’s Fela! She received a Tony nomination for her role as Fela’s mother.

White will join Seth Rudetsky for his concert series this weekend. If you can’t watch the live performance on Sunday, there is an encore performance on Monday, November 16th at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST. Tickets for either showing are $25.

That’s our list of your Best Bets at Home: November 13th – November 15th. But you know we won’t leave you without a few reminders:

Metropolitan Opera‘s streaming productions this weekend are the 2007-2008 production of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes on Friday, Philip Glass’ Akhnaten on Saturday and Thomas Adés’ The Exterminating Angel on Sunday.

Don’t forget Laura Benanti’s Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway concert on Saturday.

Table Top Shakespeare: At Home wraps up this week with The Comedy of Errors rather appropriately on Friday the 13th; Timon of Athens on Saturday and The Tempest on Sunday.

That does it. With so many wonderful opportunities to get lost inside these wonderful programs, who has time to be superstitious?

I hope you enjoy our Best Bets at Home: November 13th – November 15th.

Photo: Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Courtesy Opus 3 Artists)

The post Best Bets At Home: November 13th – November 15th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

For those who love great acting Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Carole Kane and Bill Pullman headline one reading. The original and lesser-known cast of an award-winning 2010 show in Los Angeles headlines another. Jeff Daniels, Linda Lavin and Sierra Boggess will all tell stories about their careers and perform music. Then there are concerts from multiple genres of music and a popular jazz festival goes virtual.

If that isn’t enough, we have an opera recital from Norway and a production from Glyndebourne.

So let’s get to it. Here are your Best Bets at Home: August 28th – August 30th:

The Jacksonian – The New Group – Now – August 30th

In 2012 the world premiere of Beth Henley’s play The Jacksonian took place at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Over a year later it had its New York premiere in The New Group production at the Acorn Theatre.

The cast for both productions was nearly the same: Ed Harris, Glenne Headley, Amy Madigan and Bill Pullman. Bess Rous appeared in Los Angeles; Juliet Brett in New York.

The New York cast has reunited for an online reading of The Jacksonian. Carole Kane assumes the role originally played by the late Glenne Headley.

The play is set in a seedy motel in Jackson, Mississippi in 1964. Bill Perch (Harris) has moved here after becoming estranged from his wife (Madigan). While there his encounters with his daughter (Brett), a bartender with dubious motives (Pullman) and a less-than-reliable motel worker (Kane) hasten his descent. In a town where racism is far too prevalent and a murder has just happened, these characters face what may be simply a dead end for them all.

The reading was live on Thursday, August 27th, but remains available through August 30th at 11:59 PM EDT for viewing. The cost is $25. 10% of all proceeds will benefit Race Forward, an organization dedicated to racial equality.

Virtual Halston – August 28th – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

Last week we introduced you to Julie Halston’s Virtual Halston. So you can go here to see what we said about this delightful woman and her thoroughly enjoyable show.

All we have to add this week is that her special guest is Tony Award, Obie Award, Drama Desk and Golden Globe winner Linda Lavin. You might know her best as Alice from the long-running sitcom of the same name.

The Ballad of Emmett Till 2020 – The Fountain Theatre – August 28th 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT – $20 live or to stream later

The Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles had a commercial and critical success with Ifa Bayeza’s play The Ballad of Emmett Till. With director Shirley Jo Finney on board, the original cast will reunite for an online reading of the play.

The play combines multiple disciplines (music, poetry, drama) to tell the story of the 14-year-old boy who was tortured and killed for whistling at a white woman in 1955 in Mississippi.

The cast includes Bernard K. Addison, Rico E. Anderson, Lorenz Arnell, Adenrele Ojo and Karen Malina White.

F. Kathleen Foley, in her review for the Los Angeles Times, said of the play and this production:

“Those familiar with Till’s history may be shocked to find that Ballad is, initially at least, warm and vibrant, with a surprising quotient of laughter. That’s part of Bayeza’s careful design to make Till’s ultimate fate all the more harrowing. 

“In that she succeeds, brilliantly. Make no mistake: You will be devastated.”

Tickets are $20 and will allow for later streaming as well.

Jeff Daniels Concert and Stories – Wharton Center – August 28th- 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT $15

Jeff Daniels has been nominated for three Tony Awards (God of Carnage, Blackbird and To Kill a Mockingbird). All three for his performance as an actor. Daniels is also a singer/songwriter. He’s also the founder of The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Michigan. (If you don’t know why the theatre has that name, I urge you to check out the movie The Purple Rose of Cairo which is truly one of the most wonderfully romantic movies ever made.)

Daniels is performing from Lansing’s Wharton Center on Friday. He’ll share stories from his many film, television and stage projects and also perform original songs. Tickets are $15.

After the concert he will do a Q&A with the audience for up to 30 minutes.

Godspell Online In Concert – Hope Mill Theatre – August 28th – August 29th

Stephen Schwartz, the composer of the musical Wicked, had an early hit with the musical Godspell that opened off-Broadway in 1971. It would take several years before the show made its way to Broadway. It has become one of the most popular shows Schwartz ever wrote.

Even though it seems as if they are a little early, Godspell Online in Concert celebrates the show’s 50th anniversary this weekend.

This concert is taking place in England. But don’t worry, you don’t have to get up to see it first thing in the morning. Once you purchase a ticket for £15 plus £1.50 in service charges (roughly $22), you can watch the performance for up to 24 hours from when it first became available (which is 10 AM London Time; 5:00 AM EDT/2:00 AM PDT each date).

Ruthie Henshall (Chicago) and Darren Day (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) reprise their roles from a 1993 cast recording. Sam Tutty, Ria Jones and Jenna Russell also star in the concert.

Jodie Steele, Danyl Johnson, Jenny Fitzpatrick, Natalie Green, John Barr,  Sally Ann Triplett, Gerard McCarthy, Alison Jiear, Shekinah McFarlane and Lucy Williamson, all performers on the West End, join the concert.

Lise Davidsen in Oslo – Metropolitan Opera – August 29th – 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT

Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen made a stunning Metropolitan Opera debut in last season’s production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. As one of the fastest rising new stars in opera, it was no surprise that the Met invited her to be part of their Met Stars Live in Concert series.

With James Baillieu on piano, Davidsen will be performing live from Oslo. The program includes works by Richard Wagner (Tannhäuser), Edvard Grieg, Giuseppe Verdi (Un Ballo in Maschera), Jean Sibelius, Richard Strauss, Giacomo Puccini (Manon Lescaut), Benjamin Britten, Emmerich Kálmán (Die Csárdásfürstin), Landon Ronald, Ernest Charles and a song from the musical My Fair Lady.

Tickets are $20 and the concert will remain available to you for 12 days.

Leimert Park Jazz Festival – August 29th – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

This year’s Leimert Park Jazz Festival, like many other summer festivals, is going virtual. It’s free and though you won’t get to also discover this historic neighborhood in Los Angeles, you will get some great music.

This year’s line-up is:

Guitarist Michael O’Neill and Friends: David Witham, piano; Andrew Ford, bass; Land Richards, drums

Munyungo Jackson Quartet: Jackson is a percussionist with Errol Clooney on guitar; Keith Jones, bass; Euro Zambrano drums

Sy Smith featuring The Myron McKinley Trio – Smith is a vocalist joined by McKinley on piano; Ian Martin, bass; Stacey Lamont Sydnor, drums/percussion

Dwight Trible – singer

MFUO featuring Jacques Lesure on guitar; Marvin “Smitty” Smith, drums; Pete Kuzma, keyboards; Christian Moraga, percussion. MFUO means “Groove” in Swahili

The festival will be available for viewing on Leimert Park Jazz Festival’s Facebook page.

Skirball Stages: Gavin Turek and Ak Dan Gwang Chil – Skirball YouTube Page – August 29th – 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT

This concert doesn’t neatly fit into what I usually cover at Cultural Attaché, but it seems too interesting not to include it.

The premise of this concert is to pair two unique artists: Los Angeles-based singer Gavin Turek with South Korean band Ak Dan Gwang Chil.

Turek, who performed on the empty grounds of the Skirball, is a singer for whom R&B is her passion, particularly that from the last two decades of the twentieth century.

In Seoul, Ak Dan Gwang Chil performed their trademark fusion of folk songs, sacred and secular gut (ritual music) and other music traditions from the Hwanghae-do region into music that feels both new and traditional at the same time.

The musical conversation between these two very different artists, at a time when political tensions between the United States and the Korean Peninsula are increasingly unsteady, should prove to be both fascinating and entertaining.

The Skirball Cultural Center undertook this project in the absence of being able to present their annual Sunset Concerts. Ak Dan Gwang Chil had been booked to participate in those concerts this year.

You need to RSVP to see the program on August 29th. After that the concert will remain available on the Skirball’s YouTube page through late November.

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg – Glyndebourne – August 30th – September 6th

Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg had its world premiere in Munich is 1868. As with his other works, Wagner wrote the libretto. It is also a rare comedy from the composer. The opera is one of Wagner’s longest running nearly four-and-a-half hours.

At stake in the opera is the love of a young girl named Eva. She has been betrothed to whomever wins a singing contest. Walther von Stolzing is desperately in love with Eva and wants to compete, but the song he wants to sing doesn’t conform to the rules set out by the competition. With the help of a cobbler named Hans Sachs, he hopes to overcome the opposition to him, win the contest and ultimately marry Eva.

This 2011 production from Glyndebourne marked the first-ever performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the venue. David McVicar directed the production with Vladimir Jurowski conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Gerald Finely sings the role of Hans Sachs, Marco Jentzsch sings the role of Walther and Anna Gabler sings the role of Eva.

McVicar discussed the troubled history of this opera with The Guardian prior to its opening at Glyndebourne. In his comments you can get a glimpse into how he handled Wagner’s work:

“When Wagner composed the opera in the 1860s, he thought he was telling a joyous human story,” he says. “He didn’t consider that he was telling a negative, disturbing story. But if you produce the end of Meistersinger according to Wagner’s own stage directions, it would be unbelievably alarming.”

Sierra Boggess with Seth Rudetsky – August 30th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

If you think Sierra Boggess is only known for originating the role of Ariel in the Broadway musical version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, you might be surprised to learn she’s been in several other shows. She has appeared as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera and has appeared in a revival of Master Class and in the musicals It Shoulda Been You and School of Rock.

She will be discussing her career and singing songs on this week’s Seth Rudetsky Concert. Tickets for the concert at $25. If you can’t watch the live version on August 30th, there is an encore streaming of the show on Monday, August 31st at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. That also costs $25.

That’s almost all there is for your Best Bets at Home: August 28th – August 30th. But, as always, we have a few reminders:

Los Angeles area audiences can watch Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic on In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on PBS SoCal at 8:00 PM PDT

Jazz Stream reminders:

August 28th: SFJazz’s Fridays at Five is Wayne Shorter Celebration Part 4 at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

August 28th and 29th: David Murray at the Village Vanguard in New York 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT

August 29th: Multiple Charlie Parker events at the 92 Street Y in New York

August 29th: SummerStage presents Charlie Parker’s 100th Birthday Celebration from New York

August 29th: Ramsey Lewis at 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT

August 29th: Jon-Erik Kellso at Smalls – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PDT

Metropolitan Opera reminders:

Verdi week continues with La Traviata on Friday; Don Carlo on Saturday; Falstaff on Sunday

By my calculation there is far more to watch, see and hear than you could possibly fit into one weekend. So what will you choose? Here ends your Best Bets at Home: August 28th – August 30th. Enjoy!

Main photo: Rico E. Anderson, Adenrele Ojo, Bernard K. Addison, Lorenz Arnell and Karen Malina White in The Ballad of Emmett Till 
(Photo by Ed Krieger/Courtesy of The Fountain Theatre)

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Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope – The Soraya Facebook Page – April 17th – 7 PM EDT/4PM PDT

Violins of Hope is a program celebrating the recovery and restoration of over 60 stringed instruments from the Holocaust. They were restored by Amnon Weinstein, and his son, Avshalom, in Tel Aviv.

The Soraya had scheduled several events around the Violins of Hope, but those have been postponed due to the pandemic. While they have been rescheduled for early 2021, Niv Ashkenazi will give a concert on one of those violins on Friday.

Ashkenazi is the only musician in North America who has been loaned one of these precious instruments. He recently released an album entitled, appropriately enough, Niv Ashkenazi: The Violins of Hope.

For this live streaming event, Ashkenazi will perform the “Theme from Schindler’s List” by John Williams, “The Chassid” by Julius Chajes, an improvisation on Ernest Bloch’s “Baal Shem, II. Nigun” and George Perlman’s “Dance of the Rebbitzen.”

Prior to the performance, The Soraya’s Executive Director Thor Steingraber will conduct a conversation with Ashkenazi about Violins of Hope and his recording.

Celebrating 25 Magical Years of Disney on Broadway – BroadwayWorld – April 17th – 7 PM EDT/4 PM PDT

Last November, Disney celebrated a quarter century of musicals on Broadway with a concert at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. The event was a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

That concert, which featured veteran cast members from Disney’s many shows, is being streamed as an additional fundraiser for BC/EFA, but this time for their Covid-19 Emergency Assistance Fund. There is no charge to watch the show, but they are asking for donations.

As you probably know, Disney has had many a blockbuster musical on Broadway. Their shows include Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, AIDA and Frozen.

Amongst the performers at this concert are Sierra Boggess, Norm Lewis and Sherie Renee Scott from The Little Mermaid, Christian Borle and Ashley Brown from Mary Poppins, Kerry Butler and Susan Egan from Beauty and the Beast, Merle Dandrige, Mandy Gonzalez and Adam Pascal from AIDA, James Monroe Iglehart, Adam Jacobs and Michael James Scott from Aladdin plus a reunion of cast members from Newsies.

Additional participants include Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly!), Whoopi Goldberg (the original film version of The Lion King), Ashley Park (Mean Girls) and more.

Soft Power Listening Party – Public Theater NY YouTube Channel – April 17th – 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT

When Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang’s musical-within-a-play Soft Power played the Ahmanson Theatre in 2018 it proved to be a wholly unique way of telling a story through both a play and a musical. I loved it.

The show was reworked and opened at The Public Theater in New York and that cast recored the show. Soft Power was just made available on Ghostlight Records in the digital and streaming formats.

To celebrate the release, some of the cast and the creators of the show are holding a listening party on The Public Theater’s YouTube channel. They are also raising funds for both The Public Theater and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

The Phantom of the Opera – The Show Must Go On YouTube Page – April 17th – beginning at 2 PM EDT/11 AM PDT for 48 hours

Andrew Lloyd Webber continues to make performances of his musicals available for 48 hours with this version of his blockbuster musical The Phantom of the Opera.

This production stars Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Cristine Daaé and Hadley Fraser Raoul. Nick Morris and Laurence Connor directed this 25th Anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

Attaca Quartet performs Caroline Shaw’s Orange – The Greene Space YouTube Page

If you aren’t familiar with composer Caroline Shaw, this is a great opportunity to get introduced to her work. Orange, performed here by the Attaca Quartet, is one of Shaw’s highly-acclaimed works. Their recording of Orange won the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Musical/Small Ensemble Performance.

Shaw is the youngest recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Partita for 8 Voices.

This performance comes from a 2019 performance at WNYC/WQXR’s The Greene Space.

TCM Classic Film Festival: Special Home Edition – Turner Classic Movies – Now – April 20th

The annual TCM Classic Film Festival had to be canceled due to the ongoing crisis. However, they have moved the festival from Hollywood to your living room. For fans of theatre and jazz there are a few options worth checking out (whether you have never seen them or want a chance to revisit them!) Note that some are not showing at convenient times (unless you are an insomniac) so set your DVR.

Grey Gardens – April 18th 1:30 AM EDT/April 17th 10:30 PM PDT

This is the documentary that inspired the Tony Award-winning musical. The Maysles Brothers (Albert and David) made an utterly compelling film about Jackie Kennedy’s aunt, Edith Bouvier Beale (79) and cousin, Edith ‘Little Edie’ Bouvier Beale (56). They live in a completely rundown mansion on Long Island with no running water that is filled with multiple animals including numbers cats and raccoons in the attic.

The Man with the Golden Arm – April 18th 6:00 AM EDT/3:00 AM PDT

This 1955 film by Otto Preminger makes our list because Elmer Bernstein’s score is so driven by jazz. Not the first film to use jazz as the style of a film score, but certainly one of the best.

Frank Sinatra stars as an ex-junkie who returns home after half-a-year in prison. While in prison he not only got clean, but learned to play drums. Upon his return he has to face the real world and whether or not he has fully recovered from his heroin addiction.

Both Sinatra and Bernstein were Oscar-nominated for their work on this film. Another reason to check out the film is Saul Bass’s amazing title sequence.

Mame – April 19th 3:30 PM EDT/12:30 PM PDT

This is the classic Rosalind Russell film from 1958 that is truly essential viewing. Mame tells the same story as Jerry Herman’s musical (and the subsequent disaster of a film of that musical with Lucille Ball), but Russell’s performance here is superb. Fans of the musical will want to check out this film. In our troubled times perhaps we can all take some sage advice from our dear Auntie Mame.

Singin’ in the Rain – April 19th 6:00 PM EDT/3:00 PM PDT

One of Hollywood’s best musicals ever and recently on the list of best films to watch during the pandemic. Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds star. Watch this film and you’ll be singing “Good Morning” on Monday.

Victor, Victoria – April 20th 3:30 AM EDT/12:30 AM PDT

Blake Edwards’s 1982 film musical was, of course, the basis for the Broadway musical. Julie Andrews stars as a woman, pretending to be a man, pretending to be a woman, who becomes a singing sensation in Paris. But she has to maintain the disguise just as she falls in love with a gangster played by James Garner.

The film also stars a phenomenal Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren and Alex Karras.

The songs were written by Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse.

The Verdi Chorus: The Force of Destiny – The Verdi Chorus Website and Facebook Page – April 18th – 10:30 PM EDT/ 7:30 PM PDT

Forced to cancel their planned April 18th concert, The Verdi Chorus is going to stream their first online concert: The Force of Destiny. This was their 2018 concert that featured selections from Verdi’s La forza del destino, Nabucco and La Traviata. It also included music from Strauss’s Die Fledermaus.

Joining the Verdi Chorus are Shana Blake Hill, soprano, Karin Mushegain, mezzo-soprano, Alex Boyer, tenor and baritone Ben Lowe.

Treasure Island – National Theatre Live’s YouTube Page – Now – April 23rd

Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel has been given a couple twists for this 2014 stage version. First of all, Jim, is played by actress Patsy Ferran. There is music and songs by Dan Jones with additional songs by John Tams.

But the reviews were extraordinary. Arthur Darvill (of Dr. Who) plays Long John Silver. Polly Findlay directed the play. Tim van Someren directed the film. Treasure Island runs 1 hour 50 minutes.

Buyer and Cellar – Broadway.Com – April 19th – 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT

Actor Michael Urie has performed Jonathan Tolin’s Buyer and Cellar countless times. It’s a perfect role for him as the man who attends to Barbra Streisand’s personal shopping mall in her Malibu home. Of course, this isn’t a true story, but what if it was?

On Sunday Urie will perform the show from his own home as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Covid-19 Emergency Assitance Fund. The performance will stream on Broadway.Com.

This is a thoroughly entertaining show and well worth your time.

***Don’t forget there is also Madama Butterfly on April 17th, Adriana Lecouvreur on April 18th and Der Rosenkavalier on April 19th – each available for 23 hours beginning at 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT at the Metropolitan Opera’s website.

Another reminder that WNET is making five different Great Performances available. For details you can go here.

Photo: The company of Treasure Island (Photo by Johan Persson/Courtesy of National Theatre Live)

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Robert Longbottom, who directed Into the Woods in 2016 for Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas, is directing and choreographing an all-star cast for this production. The cast includes Skylar Astin (“The Baker”), Sierra Boggess (“Cinderella”), Chris Carmack (“Rapunzel’s Prince”), Anthony Crivello (“The Mysterious Man”), Sutton Foster (“The Baker’s Wife”), Tamyra Gray (“Granny/Cinderella’s Mother”), Edward Hibbert (“The Narrator”), Cheyenne Jackson (“Cinderella’s Prince/The Wolf”), Hailey Kilgore (“Rapunzel”), Gaten Matarazo (“Jack”), Patina Miller (“The Witch”), Edelyn Okano (“Cinderella’s Stepmother”), Rebecca Spencer (“Jack’s Mother”), Shanice Williams (“Little Red Riding Hood”) and the voice of Whoopi Goldberg as “The Giant.”

Usually these productions have two weeks to rehearse before the performances. Longbottom was able to negotiate for three. This is truly an ensemble work where characters go in and out of each other’s stories. That requires a lot of work on the part of the cast, the director and music director Kevin Stites.

We are dedicating the next three days to Into the Woods here at Cultural Attaché. Go here for our interview with director/choreographer Robert Longbottom. On Wednesday we will have interviews with many of the cast members. On Thursday we will have our interview with Tony Award-winner Patina Miller (Pippin.)

Check back for those interviews.

For tickets on Friday night go here.

For tickets on Saturday night go here.

For tickets on Sunday night go here.

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