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.

We have fifteen different options for you this week. Attention Margaret Cho fans, we will tell you how to start and end your weekend with her.

Here are your Best Bets at Home: November 6th – November 8th:

Solitude – LA Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage – November 6th

This week’s filmed performance from the Hollywood Bowl finds Gustavo Dudamel leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program entitled Solitude. There are two works being performed and they both look at the idea of being alone in very different ways.

First up is the American premiere of Dawn by Thomas Adés. The work had its world premiere earlier this year in a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra conduced by Simon Rattle. It’s designed for our socially distant times and for an orchestra of indeterminate size.

Dawn will be followed by Duke Ellington’s Solitude as arranged by Morton Gould. It’s one of Ellington’s finest.

Both of these works are less than ten minutes. This will be a shorter Sound/Stage, but who wants to spend more time than that alone?

As a reminder, previous episodes of Sound/Stage are also available for viewing.

Virtual Halston – November 6th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST

After a couple weeks off to shoot a film, Julie Halston returns with Virtual Halston. Her guest this week is Margaret Cho.

For the uninitiated, Halston holds an on-line salon where pithy conversation and witty repartee are the main ingredients. (Of course, I’d suggest having a martini in hand, too.)

Whether you know Cho for her music, her stand-up comedy, her film and television appearances or her activism, you know she’s smart, funny and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

There’s no charge to watch Virtual Halston. However, donations are encouraged and proceeds will go to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

Midori and Ieva Jokubaviciute – 92 Street Y – November 6th – 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST

Violinist Midori and pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute perform works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, César Franck and Edvard Grieg in this recital.

Midori and Jokubaviciute have been collaborating since 2016. What began as a handful of recitals in Canada, Columbia, Germany and Austria has turned into worldwide performances together.

Grieg is first with his Sonata No. 2 in G Major, Op. 13. This three-movement sonata was written in what is now called Oslo in 1867.

Mozart follows with Sonata in E-flat Major, K. 302. This two-movement sonata was composed in 1778.

Franck closes the program with his Sonata in A Major. This four-movement sonata was written in 1886 as a wedding gift from the composer. It’s first public performance was in December of the same year.

Tickets are $15.

Alan Broadbent and Don Falzone – Mezzrow – November 6th – November 7th

Pianist Alan Broadbent and bassist Don Falzone will be performing four sets between Friday and Saturday night live from Mezzrow in New York City. There are sets each night at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST and 9:00 PM EST/6:00 PM PST.

If your first introduction to Broadbent was his Grammy Award-winning arrangement for Natalie Cole’s When I Fall In Love, you might be surprised to learn he’s been closely involved with some of the most celebrated music of all-time. Sometimes as a pianist, other times as an arranger.

A diverse list of his collaborators would include David Byrne, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Diana Kroll, Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart and Barbra Streisand. He’s also recorded 26 records as a leader.

In addition to working with Broadbent, Falzone has worked with David Lindley, Eric Person and Rufus Wainwright.

There is no cost to watch the performance, though donations are encouraged. Sponsorship tickets are also available at $40.

The link in the heading is for Friday night’s shows. To access Saturday night’s shows, please go here.

José James Celebrates Bill Withers – SFJAZZ – November 6th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

When this 2019 concert took place at SFJAZZ, James was supporting his 2018 album Lean on Me which celebrated Bill Withers. This concert, part of SFJAZZ’s Fridays at Five series, will be a bit more melancholy than it was originally as we lost Withers earlier this year.

The album found James performing classic Withers songs like Ain’t No Sunshine, Lovely Day, Just the Two of Us and the title track.

I enjoy James and his music, whether he’s performing jazz or soul or hip-hop influenced material. I’m looking forward to this concert.

SFJAZZ asks that you become a member to enjoy their Fridays at Five concerts. Membership is $5 for one month of shows or $60 for a full year. It’s a bargain in my book.

Fred Hersch – Village Vanguard – November 6th – November 7th

Jazz pianist Fred Hersch is offering two different performances this weekend from New York’s Village Vanguard. On Friday night he’ll be performing solo on the piano.

His latest album, Songs from Home, was released on Friday. The project finds him recording in quarantine from his home. Songs by Jimmy Webb, Joni Mitchell, Cole Porter, The Beatles and Duke Ellington’s Solitude are included on the record.

On Saturday night he’ll be performing with saxophonist Miguel Zenón.

Zenón has released twelve albums as a leader – the most recent being 2019’s Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera. He’s toured and recorded with numerous artists including David Gilmore, Charlie Haden, Danilo Pérez, Antonio Sánchez, Kenny Werner and Fred Hersch. He was named Jazz Artist of the Year on the 2014 Jazz Times Critics Poll.

Tickets for each concert are $10 and include the ability to stream the performance for 24 hours.

One Man, Two Guvnors – PBS Great Performances – November 6th – check local listings

I’ve written about this hilarious play starring James Corden before. I’m including it again because if you just want to laugh yourself silly for a couple hours, you should watch One Man, Two Guvnors.

The filmed performance is airing on Great Performances on PBS. As with all PBS programming, best to check your local listings for start time and exact airdate.

Border Crossings Part 1 – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – November 6th – 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is launching an ambitious new program entitled Close Quarters. The series, which will have multiple episodes between now and June 4, 2021, will combine performances by select LACO members paired with images and art created by James Darrah.

This first concert features Baroque works and Baroque-inspired composers originating from Bolivia, Mexico and Spain. On the program is Diferencias sobre la gayta by Anónimo and Martín Y Coll; Sonata Chiquitana IV by anonymous, Concierto barroco by José Enrique González Medina and Gallardas by Santiago de Murcia.

Patricia Mabee, who curated the program, leads from the harpsichord. She will be joined by Josefina Vergara and Susan Rishik on violin, Armen Ksajikian on cello, Ben Smolen on flute, Jason Yoshida on theorbo/baroque guitar and Petri Korpela on percussion.

There is no charge to watch the performance which will be available on the LACO website, their YouTube channel and Facebook Live.

Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera – San Francisco Opera – November 7th – November 8th

Nicola Luisotti conducts; starring Julianna Di Giacomo, Thomas Hampson, Ramón Vargas, Heidi Stober, Dolor Zajick, Efraín Solís, Christian Van Horn and Scott Conner. This Jose Maria Condemi production is from the 2014-2015 season.

Verdi’s opera, translated A Masked Ball, had its premiere in Rome in 1859. Librettist Antonio Somma used the libretto written by Eugène Scribe for the opera, Gustave III, ou Le Ballo masqué, written by Daniel Auber in 1833. 

The opera is based on the real life assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden who was killed while attending a masquerade ball in Stockholm. 

Verdi takes some dramatic liberties which certainly enhances the drama. Riccardo is in love with Amelia. She, however, is the wife of his good friend and confidante, Renato. Riccardo is warned by his friend that there is a plot to kill him at the ball. Paying no attention to the warning, Riccardo instead seeks out Ulrica, a woman accused of being a witch. In disguise he visits Ulrica to have his fortune read. She tells him he will be killed by the next man who shakes his hand. That next man turns out to be Renato. What follows is a story of intrigue, deception, questions of fidelity and, of course, the assassination.

Di Giacomo made both her company debut and role debut as Amelia in this production. Lisa Hirsch, in her review for the San Francisco Gate, said of her performance, “Di Giacomo has the ideal voice for this role, beautiful, fresh and easily produced, from glowing top to bottom. She lacks for nothing technically, singing with a gorgeous legato and noble, long-breathed phrasing, not to mention exquisite dynamic control, whether pleading for a last view of her child in Morrò, ma prima in grazia or contemplating the gallows at midnight in Ma dall’arido stelo divulsa.”

Marcus Strickland Trio – Smalls – November 7th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST

This is the same trio about which I wrote when they played in September at Blue Note. The difference here is you don’t have to pay to see the performance, though donations are encouraged for both the artist and the venue.

Strickland was named “Best New Artist” in the 2006 JazzTimes Reader’s Poll.

In Critic’s Polls for DownBeat he was named the 2008 “Rising Star on Soprano Saxophone” and the 2010 “Rising Star on Tenor Saxophone.”

He’s been releasing albums since 2001’s At Last. His most recent recording was 2018’s People of the Sun. 

Joining Strickland again will be Ben Williams on bass and E.J. Strickland (his twin brother) on drums.

There is a second set at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST. Sponsorship seats are available for $40 per set.

Amor y Odio – Verdi Chorus – November 8th – November 22nd

Los Angeles-based Verdi Chorus has put together their first pandemic-era concert. It is called Amor y Odio and the concert will celebrate Songs of Spain and the New World.

A subset of the Verdi Chorus known as The Fox Singers make up the singers for the first of several virtual concerts they are producing. The singers for Amor y Odio are sopranos Tiffany Ho and Sarah Salazar; mezzo-soprano Judy Tran; tenors Joseph Gárate and Elias Berezin; and bass Esteban Rivas.

Anne Marie Ketchum, Artistic Director, leads the performance. Laraine Ann Madden is the accompanist.

The premiere of the concert will take place at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST on Sunday, November 8th. The concert will remain available through November 22nd.

Be sure to read our interview with Sarah Salazar who has quite a story of determination against the odds.

Johnny O’Neal and Mark Lewandowski – Mezzrow – November 8th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST

Jazz pianist and vocalist Johnny O’Neal will be joined by bassist Mark Lewandowski for these performances from Mezzrow in New York.

Perhaps you caught the October 14th performance by Johnny O’Neal I wrote about. If not, you are in for a treat. That preview tells you a bit about O’Neal and his incredible story.

Lewandowski is a bassist and composer who, like most jazz musicians, works as a sideman in addition to his own work. He’s toured and recorded with such artists as Sheila Jordan, Wynton Marsalis, Zoe Rahman, Jean Toussaint, Bobby Wellins and with these shows, O’Neal.

There is a second set at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST. Sponsorship seats are available for $40 per set. Regular viewing is free, but donations are encouraged.

Modern Beauty Part 2 – Pittance Chamber Orchestra – November 8th – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

In last week’s Best Bets, I included Pittance Chamber Orchestra’s three-part performance series entitled Modern Beauty. The series, featuring pianist Gloria Cheng, continues this week with clarinetist Donald Foster joining her.

The program features Garlands for Steven Stucky. Four works for solo piano will pay tribute to the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who passed away in 2016. Cheng will perform Iscrizione by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Green Trees Are Bending by Stephen Andrew Taylor, Waltz by John Harbison and Interlude by Kay Rhie.

Foster will join her for a performance of Stucky’s Meditation and Dance.

There is no charge to watch the performance, but donations are encouraged. By the way, if you missed last week’s performance, you can still watch it on Pittance Chamber Orchestra’s website.

Jessie Mueller with Seth Rudetsky – November 8th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM EST

Tony Award-winner Jessie Mueller (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) is Seth Rudetsky’s guest for his concert series this weekend.

In addition to her role as King, Mueller has appeared on Broadway in the 2011 revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, the 2012 revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, she originated the role of “Jenna” in Waitress and appeared as “Julie Jordan” in the 20128 revival of Carousel.

Mueller was in previews in The Minutes, a play by Tracy Letts, when the pandemic hit.

If this live performance does not work for your schedule, there will be a re-streaming of the concert on November 9th at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST. Tickets for either date are $25. Uber fans who purchase a ticket for the live performance can also purchase (for an additional $25) a VIP Upgrade allowing access to the sound check taking place at 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST.

Beth Lapides’ Uncabaret – November 8th – 10:30 PM EST/7:30 PM PST

If any week in recent memory has called for a thought-provoking but gentle way to end the weekend, this might just be that weekend. So I offer you Uncabaret. Joining for Zoom #16 of the long-running comedy show are Jamie Bridgers, Margaret Cho, Alex Edelman, Judy Gold, Alec Mapa, Apart Nancherla and Julia Sweeney. As usual, Mitch Kaplan is the music director.

If you are unfamiliar with Uncabaret, check out my interview with Beth Lapides as she started the second quarter century of the show in 2019.

Tickets range from free to $100 with perks along the way the more you are able to pay to see the show.

Those are my fifteen Best Bets at Home: November 6th – November 8th. However, you know that I’ll always give you some reminders just in case you want more. And what’s wrong with wanting a little more?

This weekend’s offerings from the Metropolitan Opera are La Forza del Destino by Verdi on Friday; Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette on Saturday and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg on Sunday.

This is the penultimate weekend for Table Top Shakespeare: At Home. This weekend’s shows are Troilus and Cressida on Friday; As You Like It on Saturday and Othello on Sunday.

Atlantic Theater Company’s Fall Reunion Reading Series has performances remaining on Friday and Saturday of Rajiv Joseph’s Guards at the Taj.

That officially ends all my selections for you this weekend. I hope you will relax and enjoy these Best Bets at Home: November 6th – November 8th.

Photo: James Corden in One Man, Two Guvnors (Photo by Johan Persson/Courtesy PBS)

The post Best Bets at Home: November 6th – November 8th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

This weekend’s choices range from several jazz performances to a topical one-woman show to a powerful dance performance and some great classical music.

If you’re looking for Halloween-themed events in our Best Bets, I want to point you to our special column dedicated to all things spooky you and your family can enjoy this weekend.

Here are our selection of the Best Bets at Home: October 30th – November 1st:

Reena Esmail’s Piano Trio – The Wallis – Now – November 19th

The world premiere of composer Reena Esmail’s Piano Trio took place last November in Seattle. It is a work that finds both Indian and Western classical music combined. As Esmail said about the work, “Imagine if you could say a single sentence, but it could be understood simultaneously in two different languages – that is what I aim to create through my music.”

Over the course of the next four weeks The Wallis will present a performance of one movement of her Piano Trio combined with insights and observations from Esmail and the three musicians performing the work. They are Vijay Gupta on violin, Peter Myers on cello and Suzana Bartal on piano.

Each movement will be streamed via Zoom. After that initial stream each movement can be found on The Wallis’ YouTube channel. Since the streaming events are on Thursdays, this week we have included a link to the YouTube page. If you want to watch subsequent performances on Zoom, you can go here to register for those.

Esmail is one of our most talented and interesting composers. This is going to be well worth your time if you love chamber music.

Kamasi Washington – Los Angeles Philharmonic – October 30th – November 29th

Jazz musician/composer Kamasi Washington takes to the Hollywood Bowl stage for a performance of the music he wrote for the film Becoming. This concert is part of the LA Phil’s Sound/Stage series and is free and available on their website. Becoming is the documentary about Michelle Obama’s book tour.

Along with the recently released Andra Day concert, this is a performance without the LA Phil.

Washington and his band perform his score. In addition to the performance, Washington will also be seen in an interview.

Of his work for Nadia Hallgren’s film, Washington told Rolling Stone Magazine, “Nadia asked me to write a song that would capture what the movie was saying about Michelle Obama. She’s a down-to-earth, brilliant queen who lives next door. She’s aware of who she is and what she has done, but she’s also aware of the people around her. So I tried to give that song a sense of depth and lightness. I thought, ‘If Michelle was going to write a song, what would it sound like?’”

Washington is one of our most exciting jazz musicians. I wouldn’t miss this.

Trio 3 & Vijay Iyer – Blue Note – October 30th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT – $10 Restream 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT

New York’s Blue Note will live stream a concert on Friday featuring the supergroup Trio 3 and they are joined for this performance by pianist/composer Vijay Iyer.

The members of Trio 3 are Oliver Lake on alto sax, Reggie Workman on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. Iyer joined them for 2014’s Wiring.

Each musician has a lengthy career as both a leader and as a sideman. It is the combination of the three of them that makes truly unique music.

Nate Chinen, in writing for the New York Times about a 2015 performance at the Village Vanguard, said of Trio 3, “One misperception about the jazz avant-garde is that it’s essentially reactive, a single-minded pushback against conventions of form. Whatever lump of truth or slander you might find in that idea, Trio 3, which is playing at the Village Vanguard, provides scant supporting evidence for it. 

“An alliance of eminent composer-improvisers now in their 70s — the alto saxophonist Oliver Lake, the bassist Reggie Workman and the drummer Andrew Cyrille — Trio 3 belongs squarely to the jazz avant-garde, both in process and pedigree. But there was no rebellious undercurrent in the group’s first set on Wednesday night, which moved briskly through its allotted hour, propelled by cooperative forces.”

Adding Iyer to this trio will make for a truly wonderful concert.

Tickets are $15. There is also a re-streaming of the performance at 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT.

Lila Downs – SFJAZZ – October 30th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

This week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ features Lila Downs in a concert from May 2019 at the venue in support of her album, Al Chile.

Downs, who is from Oaxaca, rose to fame with her participation in the soundtrack to Julie Taymor’s 2002 film, Frida. She is the winner of one Grammy and three Latin Grammy awards.

As a friend said to me recently in an e-mail, “Hope you are able to watch Lila Downs! I love her and saw her concert in Portugal a couple of years ago!! Lively!!!”

Even though the clip we have from this concert is a ballad, expect lively for much of the performance.

Membership is required to watch the concert. Either a $5 monthly membership or a $60 annual membership. Tips are also encouraged during the streaming of the concert which will be split between the artists and SFJAZZ.

A Swingin’ Sesame Street Celebration – Jazz at Lincoln Center on PBS – October 30th

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have played with a veritable who’s who of jazz artists throughout their careers. But this weekend’s show on Jazz at Lincoln Center on PBS finds them sharing the stage with some of the biggest stars in the world.

Elmo, Bert & Ernie, Big Bird, Grover, Oscar the Grouch and more Sesame Street characters join the orchestra to sing songs from the show in A Swingin’ Sesame Street Celebration.

The one-hour concert, which took place October 2019, is scheduled to air on October 30th. As with most PBS programming, best to check your local listings for exact start times.

So if you want to go where the air is sweet….

Kristina Wong for Public Office – Center Theatre Group – October 30th – November 29th

We often wonder why our elected officials seem to lack a sense of humor. Or why they lack any awareness of the absurdity of it all. That isn’t the case with Kristina Wong who both serves in office and is also a performance artist with a wicked sense of humor.

She combines both those seemingly disparate sensibilities in a new one-person show called Kristina Wong for Public Office.

The 75-minute comedy performance becomes available at 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT from Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.

Kristina Wong for Public Office examines the role an artist, who is also a politician, can play in the democratic process. She also examines what that process is like, the history of voting and what it takes to run a campaign – all filtered through Wong’s unique perspective.

Tickets to watch Kristina Wong for Public Office are $10.

Four Quartets: 2018 Premiere – Fisher Center at Bard – October 31st – November 1st

In February of this year choreographer Pam Tanowitz’s Four Quartets was performed at UCLA’s Royce Hall. This work is a collaboration with Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, American painter Brice Marden and actress Kathleen Chalfant.

For two days this weekend Bard College will stream the 2018 premiere of Four Quartets. The work is inspired by T.S. Eliot’s monumental work.

Four Quartets is comprised of four different poems written by Eliot over a period of six years. They are Burnt Norton, Easy Coker, The Dry Salvages and Little Gidding. Thematically Eliot is exploring mankind’s place in the world and our relationships with both time and God.

Four Quartets is comprised of four different poems written by Eliot over a period of six years. They are Burnt Norton, Easy Coker, The Dry Salvages and Little Gidding. Thematically Eliot is exploring mankind’s place in the world and our relationships with both time and God.

The result of this collaboration has earned worldwide acclaim. Rightly so, it is a beautiful and powerful work.

Tickets range from $5 for Bard Students up to $25 to stream Four Quartets. (Pricing is based on your individual ability to afford tickets.)

There is another option as well. On Friday, October 30th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT, you can join the premiere of a documentary, There the Dance Is (In the steps of Pam Tanowitz’s Four Quartets). The film features interviews with the dancers, Tanowitz and Chalfant.

Prior to the screening there will be a live Q&A between Tanowitz and Alistair Macaulay of the New York Times. You will also gain early access to stream the performance of Four Quartets. Tickets are $100.

Modern Beauty – Pittance Chamber Orchestra – November 1st – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

Pittance Chamber Orchestra is comprised of musicians from the LA Opera Orchestra. This weekend they begin rolling out a three-part performance series called Modern Beauty. The performances were all filmed during the pandemic and feature Grammy Award-wining pianist Gloria Cheng.

The first performance finds Cheng and bassoonist Judith Farmer performing Sonata for Bassoon and Piano by Billy Childs. Included in this performance will be comments from Childs.

Part two of the series will stream on November 8th and the third part will stream on November 15th.

There is no charge for the performances, but donations are strongly encouraged.

En 3×4 – Quinteto Astor Piazzolla – November 1st – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

One could argue that Astor Piazzolla redefined the tango with his compositions and his playing. Quinteto Astor Piazzolla celebrates his work in this performance filmed live in Buenos Aires for CAP UCLA.

On the program are seven different compositions: Verano Porteño, Camorra III, En 3×4, Soledad, Milonga del Ángel, Adios Nonino and Libertango.

The members of Quinteto Astor Piazzolla are Pablo Mainetti on bandoneón, Nicolás Guerschberg on piano, Serdar Geldymuradov on violin, Daniel Falasca on bass and Armando de la Vega on guitar.

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

American Youth Symphony Fall Concert – November 1st – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Since its inception in the early 1960s, the American Youth Symphony has afforded Los Angeles-based students the opportunity to perform symphonic works as part of a fully-functioning orchestra. They regularly perform live concerts (commonly at Royce Hall) throughout the year.

Obviously 2020 is a different year. For their Fall Concert, Music Director Carlos Izcaray has assembled a combination of remotely-lead performances and two in-person filmed performances.

On the program is Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments performed by the AYS Virtual Wind & Brass Ensemble, Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst performed by the AYS String Ensemble, the world premiere of Izacary’s Bloom, performed by a Percussion Trio and Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge also performed by the AYS String Ensemble.

Through the performance both Montgomery and Izacary will discuss the creation of their two compositions.

Tickets are free, but require registration. The link in the title will take you to details and provide access to register for the concert.

Beth Malone with Seth Rudetsky – November 1st – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM EST

Tony Award-nominee Beth Malone is best known for her performance as Adult Alison in the musical Fun Home. She recently appeared in the 2018 revival of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. Earlier this year she starred as the title character in the off-Broadway production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest this weekend for music and conversation about her life and career.

If you are unable to catch the live performance of Beth Malone‘s appearance, there is a re-stream on Monday, November 2nd at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST. Tickets are $25 for either date.

They are also making a VIP Upgrade available three hours prior to the live performance that allows a behind-the-scenes look at the sound check and prep for the live show. That’s an additional $25 and is only available on November 1st and requires the purchase of a ticket to the performance.

Those are our selections are your Best Bets at Home: October 30th – November 1st. As always, we offer a few reminders:

This weekend’s operas from the Metropolitan Opera are Boris Godunov on Friday, The Ghosts of Versailles on Saturday (which I strongly recommend) and Satyagraha on Sunday (another strong recommendation).

Table Top Shakespeare At Home features Cymbeline on Friday, Julius Caesar on Saturday and Antony and Cleopatra on Sunday.

You can stream all three plays in the Donmar Warehouse’s Shakespeare Trilogy on Film this weekend. St. Ann’s Warehouse is making Julius Caesar, Henry IV and The Tempest available.

The reading of David Mamet’s Race continues through Sunday.

Have a safe and enjoyable Halloween weekend. I hope you enjoy our Best Bets at Home: October 30th – November 1st.

Photo: Kamasi Washington (Courtesy of the artist)

The post Best Bets at Home: October 30th – November 1st appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

So let’s get to it. Here are your Best Bets at Home: October 23rd – October 25th:

Zoot Suit – Center Theatre Group – Now – December 20th

Amongst one of the most memorable shows ever to appear at the Mark Taper Forum was Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit. Upon its premiere in1978, it was immediately hailed as a masterwork. Zoot Suit returned to the Taper in 2017 for their 50th anniversary season.

Zoot Suit tells the story of Henry Reyna, the leader of the 38th Street Gang, who gets accused of the murder of José Williams at Sleepy Lagoon. Reyna and his gang were about to fight their rivals, the Downey Gang, when the mythical El Pachuco stops it. Police nonetheless arrive and arrest Williams and his gang. This sets in motion a very magical show that uses dance, Latin music and surreal moments to reveal what happens to Reyna and how El Pachuco guides the actions and reveals certain truths.

In collaboration with Los Angeles Theatre Works, Center Theatre Group is making their radio play version of Zoot Suit available for free listening.

Marco Rodriguez plays El Pachuco, Kinan Valdez is Henry Reyna, Daniel Valdez is Enrique Reyna and Alma Martinez is Dolores Reyna.

This is a wildly imaginative and entertaining play. Well worth your time to give it a listen.

Skeleton Crew – Atlantic Theater Company – Now – October 23rd

Playwright Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew had its world premiere at New York’s Atlantic Theater in 2016. It is the third play in her Detroit Cycle and depicts one auto plant department’s work family. Everyone has challenges in their own lives that will have to be navigated if the plant closes. In the middle of this is Reggie, the manager who was once one of the workers. He has to determine whether to be loyal to his work family or maintain the discretion required of his job.

As part of their Fall Reunion Reading series, Atlantic Theater is bringing most of the original cast back: Jason Dirden as Dez, Wendell B. Franklin as Reggie, Nikiya Mathis as Shanita and Adesola Osakulumi (choreographer and performer.) New to the company is Caroline Clay who takes on the role of Fay which was originated by Lynda Gravatt. Ruben Santiago-Hudson returns to direct.

Ben Brantley, in his New York Times review of that production said, “It is, in other words, a deeply moral and deeply American play, with a loving compassion for those trapped in a system that makes sins, spiritual or societal, and self-betrayal almost inevitable.”

I saw the Geffen Playhouse production of Skeleton Crew. It’s quite a good play. This should be an excellent reading.

There is no charge to watch Skeleton Crew, but reservations are required. A donation of $25 is suggested.

Beethoven Symphony No. 7 – LA Philharmonic Sound/Stage – Starts October 23rd

In this fifth episode of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series, Gustavo Dudamel leads the orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

Composed in 1811-1812, the symphony’s debut took place in 1813 in Vienna. There are four movements: Poco sostenuto – Vivace, Allegretto, Presto – Assai meno presto and Allegro con brio.

Dudamel and the LA Phil performed a full cycle of Beethoven’s symphonies in 2015 that earned rave reviews. Given that this work is orchestrated for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings it is perfect for a socially-distanced performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

Of course, it’s also great music.

dwb (driving while black) – Baruch College – October 23rd – October 29th

The New York premiere of Susan Kander and Roberta Gumbel’s dwb (driving while black) was meant to take place in March at Baruch Performing Arts Center. As a result of that postponement, they have created a directed-for-video performance of the work which will have its world premiere on October 23rd.

The 44-minute dwb portrays the dilemma every Black parent faces when his/her son is of age to drive. How do you both encourage him to enjoy the freedom that comes with the ability to drive while also making sure he’s fully aware of the challenges and anxiety that come with driving while Black.

Gumbel sings dwb. She is accompanied by Hannah Collins on cello and Michael Compitello on percussion. Chip Miller directed.

The work had its debut in Kansas City in 2019. The Pitch, the alternative newspaper, said of dwb, “In pinpointing and relating the terror racial biases and injustices cause, Kander and Gumbel created one of the most singularly devastating theatrical moments of the last year.”

You must register to watch the video of dwb. Baruch Students can watch for free. General admission is available and you can pay what you can to watch it.

Ravi Coltrane Quartet – Village Vanguard – October 23rd – October 24th

New York’s Village Vanguard has straightened out their streaming issues and returns with two performances by saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.

Coltrane had not even turned 2 when his father, John Coltrane, passed away. But he inherited true musical talent from both his father and his mother, Alice.

He became a bandleader and released his first album, Moving Pictures, in 1998. At this point in his career he had already worked with Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Stanley Clarke, Steve Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, Pharoah Sanders, Carlos Santana and McCoy Tyner.

For these performances he will be joined by David Virelles on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass and Jonathan Blake on drums.

Tickets are $10.

Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Is Now – American Masters on PBS – Check Local Listings

Earlier this year, and perhaps not quite as ceremoniously as planned, Michael Tilson Thomas concluded a 25-year run as the Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. It was just one accomplishment in a truly amazing career. He has 11 Grammy Awards, has received a National Medal of Arts and was a Kennedy Center Honoree. Not too bad for a guy who grew up in Los Angeles and accompanied musicals while a student at USC.

American Masters on PBS will presents Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Now Is on October 23rd. The 90-minute documentary by Susan Froemke and Kirk Simon follows his young life in Southern California to his time as a protégé of Leonard Bernstein through to his becoming one of the world’s most acclaimed conductors.

Amongst those appearing in the documentary are composer Steve Reich, architect Frank Gehry, LA Philharmonic’s CEO Chad Smith, Carnegie Hall’s Clive Gillinson and Thomas’s husband, Joshua Robison.

For me personally, Thomas was one of the most influential people discussing, creating and performing classical music as I was growing up. Watching him talk about this music instilled in me a great appreciation for it. I would turn to his many recordings on a regular basis from the classics to a live concert with Sarah Vaughan and the LA Phil – which if you haven’t heard, you must.

While scheduled for October 23rd, you should check your local listings.

Taj Mahal Quartet – SFJAZZ – October 23rd – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

This week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ is one of the last concerts to take place this year before venues were required to shut down. Taj Mahal Quartet performed on February 28th, 2020 in the concert being shown.

Taj Mahal began his career in an ill-fated band called Rising Sons with Ry Cooder in 1964. When that failed to come together successfully, he recorded with a few artists before going on his own with his first album in 1968. 31 studio albums, 7 live albums and three Grammy Awards later, he is considered one of the best ambassadors for the blues. Of course, he does more than the blues. His influences range from soul music, international rhythms and so much more and all find their way into his music.

Fridays at Five requires you have either a one-month membership ($5) or a year-long membership ($60) to watch the performances.

Charles Lloyd Ocean Trio – Lobero Theatre – October 23rd – 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT

Jazz legend Charles Lloyd just keeps performing. Aren’t we lucky? For this live performance from Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre he will be joined by pianist/composer Gerald Clayton and guitarist/composer Anthony Wilson. As Lloyd says in this video, he’s trying to keep live music alive.

Tickets are $15.

State of Darkness – The Joyce Theater – October 24th – November 1st

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.

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.”

For these performances, Fenley has restaged the work and will have seven different dancers performing State of Darkness. This weekend’s schedule is as follows:

Saturday, October 24th: Michael Trusnovec of Paul Taylor American Dance Company performs at 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT; 2020 Juilliard graduate Jared Brown performs at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

Sunday, October 25th: Annique Roberts of Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE performs at 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT; Shamel Pitts (formerly of Batsheva Dance Company) performs at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

There are three additional performances next week by Lloyd Knight of Martha Graham Dance Company, Sara Mearns of the New York City Ballet and Cassandra Trenary of American Ballet Theatre.

Tickets are $13 to watch each individual performance.

Le Nozze di Figaro – San Francisco Opera – October 24th – October 25th

Conducted by Patrick Summers; starring Phillippe Sly, Lisette Oropesa, Nadine Sierra, Luca Pisaroni, Catherine Cook  Greg Fedderly and John Easterlin. This Robin Guarino production is from the 2014-2015 season and is a revival of their 1982 production. Guarino was new to the production.

Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro is based on the 1784 play La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro (translated: “The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro”) by Pierre Beaumarchais. Lorenzo da Ponte wrote the libretto. La Nozze di Figaro had its world premiere in Vienna in 1786.

Figaro and Susanna are getting married. They are in a room made available to them by the Count who plans to seduce the bride-to-be based on an old law that gave permission to lords to have sex with servant girls on their wedding night. When Figaro gets wind of this plan he enlists several people to outwit the Count using disguises, altered identities and more.

Critics mostly lauded this production. Many were intrigued by a younger-than-usual cast that brought a freshness to Mozart’s oft-performed opera. Of particular interest to me is Oropesa as Susanna. She should be delightful in this performance.

Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja – Met Stars Live in Concert – October 24th – 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT

After some schedule changes, Met Stars Live in Concert returns this weekend with a performance by soprano Diana Damrau and tenor Joseph Calleja. Accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera, they will be performing from Caserta, Italy.

The program will include three arias from Puccini’s Tosca, one from Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, one from Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, one from Rossini’s Semiramide, two from Bizet’s Carmen, Bach/Gounod’s Ave Maria and more.

Damrau made her Met Opera debut in 2005 in Ariadne auf Naxos. Since then she’s performed nearly 150 times at the Met. Calleja made his debut at the Met one year later in Rigoletto and has given almost 100 performances there.

Tickets are $20

Patti LuPone Live from the West Side – Segerstrom Center – October 24th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT – $30

Two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone is the first of three performers in Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway series. The series features intimate live-streamed performances from New York’s Shubert Virtual Studios. Songs, stories and apparently questions responded in real time are all part of the show.

LuPone, as you certainly must know, is the two-time Tony Award winner for her performances in Evita and the 2008 revival of Gypsy. She has received five other Tony nominations. She was in rehearsals to open in a new revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company when the pandemic forced the closure of Broadway.

If you watched Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood, you would have seen her as the strong-willed and risky Avis Amber.

This series will include two additional concerts: Laura Benanti (LuPone’s co-star in Gypsy and also a winner of the Tony Award) will perform on November 14th; Vanessa Williams (who appeared in the 2002 revival of Into the Woods with Benanti) performs on December 5th.

The three concerts are being held to help support 22 theaters around the country. In Southern California that venue is the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Tickets are $30 for each individual concert. A three-show package might be available depending on the venue. You will be able to stream the concert for an additional 72 hours after its completion.

Gateway to Cabaret: A Star Studded Virtual Event – The Cabaret Project of St. Louis – October 24th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Fans of musical theatre will want to catch Gateway to Cabaret from The Cabaret Project of St. Louis. Their line-up is impressive: Norm Lewis (The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess), Faith Prince (Tony winner for the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls), Brandon Victor Dixon (Shuffle Along or The Making of a Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed), Alexandra Billings (Wicked), Sidney Myer (Don’t Tell Mama), Christine Andreas (On Your Toes, Oklahoma), Tony DeSare (jazz singer), Capathia Jenkins (Caroline, Or Change), Billy Stritch (pianist/singer) and Steven Brinberg (Simply Barbra).

Tickets are $25/household.

Jeremy Denk Recital – Caramoor – October 25th – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

I’ve written about Jeremy Denk before. I think he’s one of our most talent and interesting classical pianists. This program on Sunday from Caramoor in New York only proves how interesting he is. The program is scheduled to include: Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C Minor, K 457; Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins’s The Battle of Manassas; Joplin/Chauvin’s Heliotrope Bouquet; Tania León’s Ritual; Frederic Rzewski’s Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No 32 in C Minor, Op. 111.

You’ll get two classical period compositions, ragtime, the work of a young Black man during The Civil War and the work of two contemporary composers. How’s that for diverse?

Tickets are $10 for non-Caramoor members. No charge for members.

LaChanze with Seth Rudetsky – October 25th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

In 1990, LaChanze originated the role of Ti Moune in the Broadway production of Once on This Island. She was nominated for a Tony Award. In 2005 she originated the role of Celie in the original Broadway production of The Color Purple. She won the Tony Award. In 2018 she originated the role of Diva Donna in Summer. She received another Tony Award nomination. Throw in some Sondheim, Dreamgirls and being one of sixteen performers to play Fanny Brice in a concert presentation of Funny Girl and you’ve got someone with serious talent and certainly some great stories.

All of that is a good thing as she is Seth Rudetsky’s guest for this week’s concert and conversation. One more thing she can discuss: her daughter, Celia Rose Gooding, just received a Tony nomination for her performance in the musical Jagged Little Pill.

As usual, there will be an encore presentation of the show on Monday, October 26th – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT.

Tickets for either date are $25.

That’s our official list of the Best Bets at Home: October 23rd – October 25th. We do have a few reminders:

Last week we wrote about Shakespeare Trilogy on Film from Donmar Warehouse and St. Ann’s Warehouse. The series continues this week with an all-female version of The Tempest.

Charity, the final play in The Mexican Trilogy by Evelina Fernández, is now available from Latino Theater Company. For our preview of the trilogy, please go here.

This weekend’s Table Top Shakespeare: At Home includes Coriolanus, The Merry Wives of Windsor and King Lear. To read our preview, please go here.

The Public Theater’s Forward. Together. virtual fundraiser remains available through Saturday, October 24th. This was a terrific show. You can read our preview here.

The reading of Kenneth Lonergan’s This Is Our Youth remains available through Saturday, October 24th. Details can be found here.

SFJAZZ members can watch Terence Blanchard’s opera in jazz, Champion, through Sunday, October 25th. Our preview has all the details. You can read it here.

Metropolitan Opera’s week of Operatic Comedies concludes with Verdi’s Falstaff on Friday, Rossini’s Le Comte Ory on Saturday and Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier on Sunday. You can find our preview here.

The 1999 Broadway production of Death of a Salesman that originated at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre will be available through the weekend on Playbill. For more details, you can read our preview here.

That officially ends our Best Bets at Home: October 23rd – October 25th.

There are only 72 hours in a weekend. How can you possibly watch it all? You can’t, but wouldn’t it be great if you could?

Photo: Patti LuPone (Photo by Rahav/Courtesy Segerstrom Center)

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The post Best Bets at Home: October 23rd – October 25th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, cultural events are picking up now that we’ve entered the traditional fall season. This week proves that point as we have 13 different shows for you to consider. Plus a few reminders, just in case you don’t find something you like. But seriously, what are the odds of that?

So here are our Best Bets: October 16th – October 18th:

Shipwreck – The Public Theater – October 16th – 12:00 PM EDT/9:00 AM PDT

Starting on Friday – for an open-ended run – is a radio play from The Public Theater called Shipwreck. This is a recent work from playwright Anne Washburn who was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2009.

The play was scheduled to be part of The Public Theater’s 2020 season and has been recorded and produced for listening at home.

In Shipwreck a group of friends have gathered in upstate New York. What starts out as a glorious day, suddenly turns dark and stormy. That applies to both the weather and to the relationships. It turns out that even close, liberal friends, can find their belief systems challenged in present-day America.

Performing Shipwreck are Mia Barron, Brooke Bloom, Phillip James Brannon, Rob Campbell, Bill Camp, Raúl Esparza, Jenny Jules, Sue Jean Kim, Bruce McKenzie, Joe Morton, Jeremy Shamos and Richard Topol. Saheem Ali directs.

When the Almeida Theatre in London produced Shipwreck in 2019, the play earned strong reviews. Amongst them was this comment from Michael Billington writing in The Guardian: “…this is an important play that not only examines the Trump phenomenon but also asks why he was elected: one character shocks his friends by explaining that he voted for Trump because a failing democracy needs a shock to the system. It is precisely the argument you sometimes hear in Britain about a no-deal Brexit being a catalyst for change.”

Andra Day – Los Angeles Philharmonic Sound/Stage – October 16th – 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT

The fourth episode of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage online series starts running on Friday and it is the first one to feature a solo artist without the orchestra: singer/songwriter Andra Day.

Day is perhaps best known for her hit song, Rise Up. She’ll perform that song along with Gold (both songs are from her 2015 album Cheers to the Fall) and also Nina Simone’s classic song, Mississippi Goddam. She will also appear in an interview as part of the program.

Included in the program as well will be performances from Flypoet Summer Classic that was filmed at The Ford.

For details about the full Sound/Stage series, please check out our full preview here.

Henry IV – St. Ann’s Warehouse – October 16th – October 22nd – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse has partnered with London’s Donmar Warehouse to stream Shakespeare Trilogy on Film, three of his plays performed by all-female casts. They began by streaming the 2013 production of Julius Caesar last week. (Don’t worry, you have another chance to see it).

This week the 2016 production of Henry IV is streaming.

Phyllida Lloyd (who, for better or worse, was the director of Mamma Mia! both on stage and screen) directed all three plays.

In this version of Henry IV, the two Shakespeare plays have been condensed into one 135-minute play. Harriet Walter, who is perhaps best known for her roles in Sense and Sensibility and Atonement, plays Henry.

Ben Brantley of the New York Times, called Walter “one of the great Shakespearean interpreters of her generation” in his review of this production when it played St. Ann’s Warehouse in 2015.

He also said of Lloyd’s Henry IV, which is set in a women’s prison, “It’s a multilayered act of liberation. Prisoners are allowed to roam the wide fields of Shakespeare’s imagination; fine actresses are given the chance to play meaty roles that have been denied them; and we get to climb out of the straitjackets of our traditional perceptions of a venerated play.”

The third play in this trilogy is The Tempest, which will become available on October 23rd – October 29th. But fear not, the entire trilogy (which includes Julius Caesar) will be available for streaming at will October 30th – November 1st. All viewings are free.

Mary Stallings and Bill Charlap Trio – SFJAZZ – October 16th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

This week’s Friday’s at Five concert from SFJAZZ features vocalist Mary Stallings with the Bill Charlap Trio (which includes Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums). The concert is from March, 2018.

If Mary Stallings isn’t familiar to you, let me start by sharing this review from her concert.

“At 78, Stallings has entered territory that’s largely uncharted. Her voice sounds remarkably lithe and strong, and her gift for blues-tinged phrasing links her directly to matriarchs Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington.

“The only precedent for a world-class jazz vocalist sounding this good closing in on 80 is Ernestine Anderson (the extraordinary Sheila Jordan is still going strong at 89, but she’s a very different kind of jazz singer). Considering how relatively little Stallings has recorded, her performances feel like precious, ephemeral experiences, and she made the most of her time with Charlap’s trio, a unit that’s been touring and recording together for more than two decades.”

Those were the words of Andrew Gilbert writing in the San Francisco Classical Voice.

Stallings’ most recent album was last year’s Songs Were Made to Sing. She has kept some pretty fine company during her career: Tony Bennett, Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams and the list goes on. Her best known recording was Cal Tjader Plays, Mary Stallings Sings which came out in 1960.

This collaboration with the Bill Charlap Trio should be a great way to start your weekend.

Sticks & Stones – October 16th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

The story of David versus Goliath gets a new telling in the musical Sticks & Stones which was written by composer John McDaniel and lyricist/bookwriter Scott Logsdon.

A concert performance of Sticks & Stones will stream this weekend as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation.

Teen bullying is the theme of Sticks & Stones with the Biblical story serving as the setting for the story.

An impressive cast has been assembled for the concert. Audra McDonald plays David’s mother, Nizevet. Javier Muñoz, who was the first actor to take over the title role in Hamilton after Lin-Manuel Miranda left the show, plays David’s father, Jesse. George Salazar, who appeared in Be More Chill, plays King Saul. Joshua Colley (2014 revival of Les Misérables) is David and Mykal Kilgore (Motown: The Musical) is The Prophet Samuel.

The concert will be available for streaming through October 20th. There is no charge to watch Sticks & Stones, but donations are encouraged.

Aaron Diehl Trio – Caramoor – October 16th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Because I think he is one of the finest pianists working today, I’ve written about Aaron Diehl a few times and have interviewed him. He plays both jazz and classical music. (You can read the interview here.)

For this concert he’ll be performing standards and some of his own compositions with Aaron Kimmel on drums and Paul Sikivie on bass.

Rather than reiterate his credits or offer more praise, just listen to the music.

This concert is streaming from Caramoor in Katonah, NY which is a bit more than 40 miles from Manhattan. They are presenting the Aaron Diehl Trio in association with Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Tickets are free for Caramoor members. If you’re not a member, there is a $10 fee to watch the live stream concert.

Ben Williams Live – Blue Note New York – October 16th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

At the 2009 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Bass Competition, the musicians had a mightily impressive jury to win over. Ron Carter, Charlie Haden, Dave Holland, Robert Hurst, Christian McBride and John Patitucci were the judges. They awarded 1st place to Ben Williams.

Williams will be performing live from Blue Note in New York on Friday.

In addition to the live stream listed above, there is an encore showing at 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT.

Lest you think his competition victory was a fluke, he’s gone on to work with George Benson, Terence Blanchard, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Roy Hargrove, Chaka Kahn, Pharrell and many more.

His most recent album is I Am a Man which was released earlier this year. It’s a terrific album. He also released an instrumental-only version called I Am a Man: Mentals.

Tickets for either the live performance or the re-stream are $15.

Los Angeles Dance Festival Week #3 – October 16th – October 18th

The third week of Los Angeles Dance Festival is upon us. The show, which runs two hours, becomes available at 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT on October 16th and will remain available until 3:00 AM EDT/12:00 AM PDT on October 19th.

This week’s line-up features Charlotte Katherine & Co (modern dance), Nannette Brodie Dance Theater (modern dance), Kybele Dance (multi-cultural contemporary dance), Poets In Motion, MarieElena Martingano & Camryn Eakes, John Castagna (contemporary ballet), Louise Reichlin & Dancers/Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers (contemporary dance), The Dance Narrative Project, Lula Washington Dance Theatre (modern dance) and SIDFIT South Korean Artists: Lee Jihee, Kim Jubin. 

Atilla – SF Opera – October 17th – October 18th (begins 10:00 AM through 11:59 on 10/18)

This marks the second weekend of opera productions streamed by San Francisco Opera this fall. This weekend finds a rarely performed opera by Giuseppe Verdi: Atilla.

Verdi’s opera, his ninth, had its premiere in Venice in 1846. The libretto was based on Zacharias Werner’s play Attila, König der Hunnen (Attila, King of the Huns) and was written by Temistocle Solera.

Atilla isn’t an easy man to please. Odabella, a prisoner of war, hopes to kill Atilla in retribution for his killing of her father. Ezio, a Roman Envoy, wants to cause havoc in the empire with Atilla’s help. Instead he infuriates him.

Amongst those who have survived the carnage that is dividing the empire is Foresto. He reunites with Odabella who had assumed he was dead.

Meanwhile Attila has a dream where an old man tells him not to enter Rome. He disregards the advice and marches in. In doing so, he sets off a series of events that will ultimately lead to his death.

This 2012 production marked the return of Atilla to San Francisco Opera after 21 years. Ferruccio Furlanetto sings the title role. Ana Lucrecia García sings Odabella. Diego Torre is Foresto and Quinn Kelsey sings the role of Ezio. Gabriele Lavia directed and Nicola Luisotti conducted.

In looking up reviews of this production, my favorite quote comes from Joshua Kosman writing in the San Francisco Gate. He wrote, “…it was a swift, short onslaught marked by ferocity and thunder. The difference was that only the title character died, and everybody else had a grand time.”

Atilla runs 1 hour and 50 minutes. It will become available at 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT and ends on Sunday, October 18th at 11:59 PM PDT/2:59 AM EDT on October 19th.

Speaking Truth to Power – Orpheus Chamber Orchestra – October 17th – October 22nd

Most classical music fans are well-acquainted with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. Fewer are familiar with the subsequent nine pieces that follow which call for soprano, narrator and orchestra.

In Beethoven’s work (inspired by a play by Johann Wolfgang Goethe) he used the story of Lamoral, Count of Egmont, whose execution prior to the start of the Eighty Years’ War inspired a movement that led to Netherlands’ independence.

The composer was using this work as a statement against Napoleon.

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has commissioned a new translation to reflect our present-day world. Egmont was adapted by playwright/translator Philip Boehm.

Joining Orpheus for this performance are Liev Schreiber as the narrator and Karen Slack singing the soprano parts.

Schreiber won a Tony Award for his performance in the 2005 production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. He also starred in the Showtime series Ray Donovan.

Slack made her Metropolitan Opera debut in their 2006 production of Verdi’s Luisa Miller. She also sang the role of Emelda Griffith in Terence Blanchard’s Champion at San Francisco Opera. (That production will be streaming next week by SFJAZZ beginning on October 21st.)

The concert was recorded in Beechwood Park in Hillsdale, New Jersey, following social distancing guidelines.

Speaking Truth to Power begins streaming at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT on October 17th and remains available through October 22nd. Tickets to watch the performance are $15.

Lizz Wright – Mandolin – October 17th – 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT $15

I’ve seen singer Lizz Wright several times in concert. From the first time I heard her 2003 record, Salt, I was hooked. She has a beautiful voice and has a unique ability to make each song she sings her own.

Rather inexplicably she has only recorded five other albums since her debut. The most recent was 2017’s Grace. She does appear on No Beginning No End 2 by José James which was released earlier this year.

If you don’t know Lizz Wright, I strongly encourage checking out this concert. If you do, you know how terrific it’ll be.

Ticket are $15.

March – Los Angeles LGBT Center Anita May Rosentein Campus Parking Lot – October 17th – November 15th

Our first live and in-person event (and the reason the title of this column was changed). The venue is the parking lot below the Anita May Rosentein Campus at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Sixteen cars will be admitted per performance. The audio will be broadcast to you through your radio.

The title of this play is March and it was conceived and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera. The cast has contributed to the writing of the play during exercises and rehearsals.

A pandemic is gripping the world in March. The time could be a quarter century into the future – or not. Three Trans/Gender Non-Confirming women need to find a place where The Military will not find them. Not much is known beyond that. A little mystique never hurt anyone, did it?

The cast of March includes Miss Barbie Q (MJ), Chad Christopher, Matthew Clark, Amir Levi, Marcelino Mendoza, Coretta Monk, and Roland Ruiz.

What makes this so appealing is that Rivera is one of the most interesting and talented writer/directors working in Los Angeles theater. I have no idea what to expect from March, but I have absolutely no doubt that it will be fascinating.

Performances take place only on Saturday and Sunday. There are two performances each night. One at 7:30 PM and one at 9:00 PM. The per car price to attend is $20.

Keala Settle & Seth Rudetsky – October 18th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Anyone who saw The Greatest Showman knows who Keala Settle is. She introduced the song This Is Me to the world in her role as Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady in the film. She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest this week for his conversation/concert show.

If you only know Settle from that film, you’re missing out. She was memorable as Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody. It’s a role that yielded multiple nominations including a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She’s appeared in the musicals Les Misérables, Waitress, Hairspray and South Pacific.

If the Sunday live performance does not work for you, there will be an encore showing of the concert on Monday, October 19th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. Tickets for each showing are $25.

That’s the official list of Best Bets: October 16th – October 18th. A few reminders before we go:

Donizetti Week at the Metropolitan Opera concludes this weekend with Maria Stuarda on Friday; Roberto Devereux on Saturday and Don Pasquale on Sunday. You can read our full preview here.

Table Top Shakespeare: At Home has the following plays this weekend: Henry VI, Part 2 on Friday; Henry VI, Part 3 on Saturday and Richard III on Sunday. You can read our preview here.

Part 2 of Evelina Fernández’s A Mexican Trilogy is now streaming from Latino Theater Company. The play is called Hope and will be available through October 22nd. For details read our preview here.

That is my complete list of your Best Bets: October 16th – October 18th. Whatever you choose to watch, I hope you enjoy!

Photo: Aaron Diehl (Photo by Maria Jarzyna/Courtesy AaronDiehl.com)

Update: Center Theatre Group has changed the dates for Luis Alfaro’s trilogy of plays. Though originally announced to start this week, they have been rescheduled to start November 6th. We have removed “Electricidad” from this weekend’s Best Bets.

The post Best Bets: October 16th – October 18th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Let’s get started with Best Bets at Home: October 9th – October 11th with a new show from the Geffen Playhouse:

Inside the Box – Geffen Stayhouse – October 8th – January 3rd

Part of the announced scheduled for this year’s season at the Geffen Playhouse included a show called The Enigmatist. It’s a show the New York Times called “An evening of tricks and brainteasers, it’s like a spin class for the frontal lobe, with drinks available.” That show’s creator is David Kwong. If the name sounds familiar it is because he has created crossword puzzles for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

So what can a puzzle master and theater do when a pandemic sweeps in and makes putting on a live show with an audience an impossibility? They think Inside the Box.

Rather, that’s the end result of Kwong figuring his way out of this conundrum. Fresh on the heels of the Geffen’s massively successful show The Present by Helder Guimarães, he and the Geffen Playhouse came up with another live streaming show.

Only twenty-four tickets are available for each performance. After receiving via e-mail a 9-page packet with instructions and some advance work required on your part, Kwong will challenge audiences with a series of games and wordplay, all while offering insight into some of the greatest puzzle-makers of all time.

Tickets, which are a hot commodity, are $75 per household. Or rather I should say, were $75. The initial run sold out immediately as did the extension into January that just went on sale Thursday, October 8.

A Mexican Trilogy: Faith, Part 1 – Latino Theater Company – Now – October 15th

In 2012, Latino Theatre Company produced an epic three-part play by Evelina Fernández that would go on to win the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s Ted Schmitt Award for the outstanding world premiere of a new play.

The company has begun streaming the first in that trilogy with the remaining plays to be streamed later this month.

The plays document several decades in the life of the Mexican-American Morales family.

Part 1 of A Mexican Trilogy is called Faith and begins in Arizona while World War II is raging. Esperanza and Silvestre are raising three daughters. Though the matriarch tries to keep the girls on a short leash, the attention they draw from neighborhood boys, nor the dreams of having a career as singers, can’t be so easily controlled.

By the time A Mexican Trilogy is concluded, this story has traveled from the 1940s to 2005.

José Luis Valenzuela directed A Mexican Trilogy. The cast includes Esperanza America, Olivia Delgado, Alexis de la Rocha, Sal Lopez, Xavi Moreno, Matias Ponce, Geoffrey Rivas and Lucy Rodriguez.

Home, Part 2 becomes available from October 13th – October 22nd. Charity, Part 3 will be available from October 20th – October 30th.

She Kills Monsters – Laguna Playhouse – October 9th – October 11th

Acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen (Vietgone, Revenge Songs) created this version of She Kills Monsters specifically to be seen online. In fact, it is called She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realm.

The play, which is described by the playwright on his website as a Dungeons and Dragons comedy, has not only updated its many references, but has made adjustments so the play can be seen and performed using Zoom and other teleconferencing apps.

She Kills Monsters tells the story of a young girl, Average Agnes, leaving her home after the death of her sister, Tilly. When going through Tilly’s possessions she finds her Dungeons and Dragons notebook. That leads Agnes on an adventure where she learns more about her sister than she ever imagined.

Tickets are per household. General tickets are $20. There is an option for tickets for 16-24 year olds. Whatever the discount price is requires filling out a survey related to mental health issues and awareness of them.

If you are unable to watch She Kills Monsters this weekend, it will also be available October 16th – October 18th. Performances begin at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT on each Friday and continue through 1:00 AM EDT Monday/10:00 PM PDT Sunday.

Los Angeles Dance Festival – October 9th – October 11th

This is the second weekend of this year’s Los Angeles Dance Festival. The programming begins at 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT on Friday and continues through 3:00 AM EDT Monday/12:00 AM PDT. Each show is two hours in length.

The companies participating in this weekend’s programming are  CyberYOGA (fitness and movement), 2DANCECOLLECTIVE, Jana Taylor and Dancers, Ironstone Dance (focused on queer narratives), cyan cian (performance art/dance), Luminario Ballet (Contemporary Ballet), Versastyle (Hip-Hop), Mixed eMotion Theatrix (modern dance), BrockusRED (multi-disciplinary), Danza Floricanto/USA (Mexican folk dance), Lula Washington (contemporary), Ken Morris Project, Kim Hyunsun, Kim Ok, Yoo Gawon. 

The Los Angeles Dance Festival continues for two more weeks. We will include each week’s line-up in the next two upcoming Best Bets at Home.

Tosca – San Francisco Opera – October 10th – October 11th

San Francisco Opera resumes their streaming opera productions with this 2014 production of Giacomo Puccini’s opera.

It is quite likely that Tosca was the first opera to premiere in 1900. Its first performance was on January 14 in Rome. Based on Victorien Sardou’s 1887 play of the same name, Tosca‘s libretto was written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

The setting for Tosca is Rome in 1800. The Napoleonic wars were raging and political unrest was omnipresent. The opera takes place over the course of slightly less than 24 hours. Floria Tosca is the object of Chief of Police Baron Scarpia’s lust. He uses suspicions that her lover, Mario Cavaradossi, aided a political prisoner who has escaped as an opportunity to get him out of his way which will leave Tosca for himself. After capturing Cavaradossi, Scarpia says that if Tosca doesn’t become his lover, he will have Cavaradossi killed.

Jose Maria Condemi directed this production with Riccardo Frizza conducting. Singing the role of Cavaradossi is Brian Jagde. Singing Scarpia is Mark Delavan. But the person making this greatest impact, as it should be in Tosca, is soprano Lianna Haroutounian singing the title role.

Haroutounian made her San Francisco Opera debut with this production. Critics hailed her performance. Joshua Kosman, writing in the San Francisco Gate, said of her performance, “Her rhythmic control is fluent, her low notes robust and full of life, and her stage presence at once charismatic and vulnerable. And yes, the big Act 2 aria, “Vissi d’arte,” was delivered with sympathetic ardor — but Haroutounian’s entire performance surrounding it was so gripping, from moment to moment and scene to scene, that that number was merely one splendor among many.”

Tosca becomes available on Saturday at 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT and remains available through 2:59 AM EDT Monday/11:59 PM PDT Sunday. The production runs 2 hours and 2 minutes.

Jessica Vosk: Coco Catch up – Birdland – October 10th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Jessica Vosk has appeared on Broadway in Wicked, The Bridges of Madison County, Finding Neverland and the 2015 revival of Fiddler on the Roof. She’s a stunning singer (listen to her contributions to Georgia Stitt‘s A Quiet Revolution) and she has eclectic taste in music, too.

Her album, Wild and Free, is, in a word, delightful.

It finds her singing songs by Sara Bareilles, The Beatles, Jason Robert Brown, Billy Joel, Elton John, Melanie, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Sia, Stephen Sondheim and Jule Styne.

For her concert from Birdland she will mix songs from the album with songs by Eva Cassidy, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. Joining Vosk are Marissa Rosen and Michael DiLiberto.

Tickets for this show are $23.50.

Hold On to Me Darling – The Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theater in Los Angeles – October 11th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Mark Ruffalo, Michael Cera and Gretchen Mol will perform a staged reading of Hold On to Me Darling by Kenneth Longergan on Sunday as a fundraiser for The Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theater in Los Angeles.

New York’s Atlantic Theater Company gave the premiere of Hold On to Me Darling in 2016. The play tells the story of a successful country/western star, Strings McCrane, who moves back to his hometown in Tennessee after his mother has died. Given the playwright, you know there are going to be complications.

Neil Pepe, who directed the original production, directs this staged reading.

Ben Brantley, writing in the New York Times, said of the play and Lonergan’s writing, “In other words, you might expect Mr. Lonergan to have a natural affinity for obsessive, self-sabotaging people. And so it proves with ‘Darling,’ a poignant comic study of the bad faith and bad behavior of a narcissistic celebrity and those around him.”

Ruffalo appeared in Longeran’s films You Can Count on Me and Margaret. Cera has appeared on Broadway in two Lonergan plays, The Waverly Gathering and This Is Our Youth. Mol appeared in his film Manchester By the Sea.

There are two different tickets available to watch Hold On to Me Darling.

For $10 you will be able to watch the reading and the Q&A that will follow. A $100 ticket will add a signed poster by Ruffalo, entry to the Q&A with private chat and the ability to submit, in advance, a question for the cast, Longergan and Pepe.

Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland – Laguna Playhouse – October 11th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Angela Ingersoll has performed in multiple productions of End of the Rainbow as the famed star of A Star Is Born (1954), The Harvey Girls and, of course, The Wizard of Oz.

This two-hour concert will be performed live from Chicago. Ingersoll will sing many of Garland’s classic songs including “Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “Get Happy,” and “The Man That Got Away.” Immediately following the concert will be a talkback for online viewers.

Tickets are $35 per household.

Beth Leavel with Seth Rudetsky – October 11th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Tony Award-winner Beth Leavel joins Seth Rudetsky for this weekend’s show of conversation and music. Leavel won her Tony Award for her performance as the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone. (A truly wonderful performance!)

She’s also received Tony nominations for Baby It’s You and The Prom. (You know that role is good when the upcoming film version by Ryan Murphy has Meryl Streep in that role. In another role reversal, Leavel will be taking on Streep’s role of Miranda Priestly in the Elton John musical of The Devil Wears Prada.)

All this adds up to what should be a terrific show on Sunday. If that showtime doesn’t work for you, there is an encore presentation of the show on Monday, October 12th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. Tickets for either time are $25.

Before we conclude Best Bets at Home: October 9th – October 11th, a few reminders:

This week’s new episode of Sound/Stage from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is called Power to the People! from their series that was forced to end early due to the pandemic. The program includes performances of Jessie Montgomery’s Banner; William Grant Still’s Sorrow from his Symphony No. 1, “Afro-American” and Andra Day performing Rise Up from her 2015 album Cheers to the Fall. Gustavo Dudamel conducts.

Here are reminder’s from this week’s Jazz Stream:

October 9th: Abraham Burton Quartet performs from Smalls; SFJazz’s Fridays at Five this week is a Thelonious Monk Celebration; Theo Croker performs from Blue Note in New York; the Cyrus Chestnut Trio performs from Smoke Jazz and Supper Club

October 10th: Cyrus Chestnut Trio (second concert from Smoke); Chick Corea in a solo performance from his studio

October 11th: Melissa Aldana from Smalls

This weekend’s Table Top Shakespeare: At Home offerings are Henry IV, Part 1 on Friday, Henry IV, Part 2 on Saturday and Henry V on Sunday.

Here are the last three operas by Richard Wagner as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Wagner Week: Siegfried on Friday; Götterdämmerung on Saturday and Parsifal on Sunday.

Wagner fans probably already know that Siegfried and Götterdämmerung are the final two operas in the four-opera Ring Cycle. So your interest in watching these two productions this weekend may be predicated on whether or not you’ve been watching this cycle earlier this week or whether or not you want to revisit the last two operas themselves.

There you have multiple options to keep yourself entertained with Best Bets at Home: October 9th – October 11th. Enjoy yourselves. Enjoy the shows!

Photo: Julio Macias, Elia Saldana, Olivia Delgado Young, Xavi Moreno and Esperanza America in A Mexican Trilogy (Photo by Grettel Cortes Photography-Courtesy Latino Theater Company)

The post Best Bets at Home: October 9th – October 11th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

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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Thankfully it appears we will have an even larger number of ways to enjoy culture at home in the weeks and months ahead. This weekend’s best bets include a virtual version of the annual Monterey Jazz Festival, a live-streamed musical from England, a dystopian virtual reality live musical, a concert with two stars of opera and stage and so much more.

Here are your Best Bets at Home: September 25th – September 27th:

From The Ford with Lula Washington Dance Theatre – Now

Cultural Attaché made a big deal about the cancellation of this summer’s Hollywood Bowl season. Lost in the shuffle was the cancellation of the season at The Ford Theatre as well. Much like their colleagues on the other side of the Cahuenga Pass in Los Angeles, they have been presenting some programming on line.

While much of it isn’t programming that we would naturally cover – which does not reflect on its quality at all – this week’s program is a perfect fit.

Los Angeles-based Lula Washington Dance Theatre performed at The Ford in 2018. That performance became available Thursday on The Ford’s Facebook and YouTube pages. The performance (and, in fact, all of the performances they began streaming in August) are available for viewing.

Earlier this year I interviewed Lula Washington as they celebrated their 40th anniversary. You can read that interview here and get more information about this wonderful company.

Monterey Jazz Festival – September 25th – September 27th

Every day this weekend the Monterey Jazz Festival is streaming two-hours of performances by jazz legends. There will be a mix of archived and new performances. The streaming begins each day at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT on the festival’s YouTube channel.

The line-up is as follows (and when I last checked there was still a notice that more performances might be added):

Friday, September 25th: Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove & RH Factor, Christian Sands (the 2020 and 2021 Monterey Jazz Festival Artist-in-Residence), Terri Lyne Carrington – Mosaic Project, Next Generation Jazz Orchestra Directed by Gerald Clayton, Christian McBride & Inside Straight, Jamie Cullum and Herbie Hancock.

Saturday, September 26th: Regina Carter, Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo Directed by Katie Thiroux, Next Generation Jazz Orchestra Directed by Gerald Clayton, Davina and the Vagabonds, Clint Eastwood in conversation with Tim Jackson, Eastwood at Monterey with Diana Krall & Kenny Barron Trio, Berklee Institute of Jazz & Gender Justice Quintet, Our Native Daughters featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla and Allison Russell and a Tribute to Dave Brubeck with Cannery Row Suite featuring Kurt Elling & Roberta Gambarini.

Sunday, September 27th: Sonny Rollins Tribute featuring Jimmy Heath, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, and Joshua Redman, Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, Anat Cohen Tentet, Angela Davis in conversation with Terri Lyne Carrington, Gerald Clayton Quartet, Cooking Demonstration with Lila Downs from her home in Oaxaca, 2012 Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour with musical director Christian McBride and Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals, 2018 Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour with musical director Christian Sands and Cécile McLorin Salvant on vocals and a Tribute to Quincy Jones, “The A&M Years”, featuring Hubert Laws and Valerie Simpson.

There is no charge to watch these programs. Donations are encouraged and will go to the artists performing, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Just Like Us – Latino Theater Company – September 25th – October 4th

Los Angeles-based Latino Theater Company continues presenting both archived films of previous productions and readings of new works with a sneak peek of Karen Zacarías’s Just Like Us.

The play depicts the lives for four teenage Latinas. Two girls are undocumented and two are not. As the realities of their separate immigration situations begin to reflect what each girl may or may not be able to accomplish, their friendships get tested.

Zacarías based her play on Helen Thorpe’s best-selling book of the same name. Zacarías (Native Gardens) uses a documentary-style approach to this play.

The cast includes Richard Azurdia, Natalie Camunas, Michelle Castillo, Alicia Coca, Peter Mendoza, Elyse Mirto, Lys Perez, Geoffrey Rivas, Lucy Rodriguez, Kenia Romero and Alexis Santiago. Just Like Us is directed by Fidel Gomez.

While you are at the LATC website (where you can access Just Like Us), you might also notice that Nancy Ma’s Home will be available for viewing. Ma performed her one-person show at LATC last year. The play illuminates Ma’s struggle to accept her own identity when she finds herself torn between her immigrant family’s Chinese Toisan background and her new-found American home.

Miranda: A Steampunk VR Experience – Now – September 26th

In 2013 the first production of Kamala Sankaram’s steampunk opera took place. Seven years later, a new version that takes the work and brings it into the virtual reality world, co-created by Tri-Cities Opera and co-presented by Opera Omaha, is available for free (with advance registration).

Miranda tells the story of three suspects who are on trial for the murder of a wealthy woman. Each of the three defendants will have to testify in order to exonerate themselves. You, the audience, will serve as judge and jury. The entire story takes place in a dystopian feature that appears to be a radical version of our present-day world with steampunk influences.

The performance happens live in real time. Each performer is kept separated in their own motion capture cubicles. Utilizing motion capture gear (think Andy Serkis in the Planet of the Apes remakes) their movement and performances are captured a brought into the 3D virtual environment.

There are three performances each day. The website lays out the various ways you can experience Miranda (you don’t have to have VR gear to do so.)

I honestly don’t know how good this will be, but it is certainly a unique way to bring the performing arts to audiences during the pandemic. The sheer bravado of doing a project this way makes it worthy of inclusion.  

Dances at a Gathering – The Royal Ballet – September 25th – October 24th

Jerome Robbins’s Dances at a Gathering was first performed in 1969 by the New York City Ballet. The hour-long work is set to the music of composer Frédéric Chopin.

The Royal Ballet brought the ballet back onto their stages during the 2019-2020 season. It marked the return of this particular Robbins work after an absence of eleven years.

Dances at a Gathering features five couples. The company for this performance includes Luca Acri, Federico Bonelli, William Bracewell, Alexander Campbell, Francesca Hayward, Fumi Kaneko, Laura Morera, Yasmine Naghdi, Marianela Nuñez and Valentino Zucchetti.

Robbins was a five-time Tony Award winner and a two-time Academy Award winner. He’s best known for West Side Story.

The Royal Ballet is charging £3 to view the ballet. That’s just under $4.

Romantics Anonymous – The Wallis – September 26th – 4:00 PM EDT/1:00 PM PDT

For the past few years Emma Rice and Kneehigh have brought their innovative productions of The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk and Brief Encounter to the stage at The Wallis in Beverly Hills.

This year Rice was scheduled to return to the United States with a tour of The Wise Children, Bristol Old Vic and Plush Theatricals Production of the musical Romantics Anonymous, but that was not to be.

Romantics Anonymous is based on the 2010 film Les Émotifs Anonymes. It tells the story of two people who make chocolate and are navigating their way through the world in very different ways. Angélique, who pours her heart and soul into her chocolates, is part of a support group helping her get a better grip on her life. Jean-René listens to self-help tapes while trying to keep his floundering chocolate factory afloat. They are both very emotional people and, of course, fall in love.

The musical was written by Michael Kooman (music) and Christopher Dimond (lyrics). Rice wrote the book.

Lyn Gardner, writing for The Guardian, said of the show, “Romantics Anonymous is a multifaceted gem, chock-full of love, generosity and joy…”

Ever resourceful, Rice and the entire team have taken a unique approach to making their show available. The entire cast and crew have been in quarantine and will be performing the show live at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre on Saturday. The Wallis is one of six companies to host the United States performance.

Romantics Anonymous stars Marc Antolin, Carly Bawden, Me’sha Bryan, Philip Cox, Omari Douglas, Harry Hepple, Sandra Marvin, Laura Jane Matthewson and Gareth Snook.

The cost to watch the show is £21 which is just under $27 (as of the exchange rate on 9/24 when this was written). Romantics Anonymous will only be streamed live on this one date. There will be, however, an audio described version and a closed caption version available on Monday, September 28th at 11:00 AM and 11:30 AM respectively.

A Time to Sing: An Evening with Renée Fleming and Vanessa Williams – The Kennedy Center – September 26th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Opera singer Renée Fleming and Tony Award-nominated actress Vanessa Williams team up for this new concert filmed at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The women will share the stage and perform songs written by Harold Arlen, Benjamin Britten, Antonín Dvořák, Joni Mitchell, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Stephen Sondheim, Sting and more. There will also be the world premiere of Diva by Andrew Lippa.

Tickets to watch the concert are $15 and will allow access to view A Time to Sing through the rest of 2020.

Open Fist Theatre Company’s 30th Anniversary Virtual Gala – September 26th – 10:00 PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT

For any theatre company to last thirty years is quite an accomplishment. Los Angeles-based Open Fist Theatre is celebrating that accomplishment with a virtual gala and online auction on Saturday night.

Joining the company during this one-hour event will be Shoshana Bean (Broadway’s Waitress), Jason Paige (For the Record shows) and Ty Taylor (lead singer of Vintage Trouble.)

Since their inception in 1990, Open Fist Theatre Company has produced multiple award-winning productions including Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage, The Cosmonaut’s Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved In The Former Soviet Union and DeLEARious.

There is no cost to watch the gala. Donations are, of course, encouraged. There are also VIP tickets for a virtual cocktail hour that runs in the 60 minutes prior to the gala’s start. Those tickets are $100.

Those are my choices for your Best Bets at Home: September 25th – September 27th. As usual, I have some reminders for you.

Los Angeles Philharmonic’s new series Sound/Stage launches today on their website. This week’s program is called Love in the Time of Covid and features performances by the orchestra with Gustavo Dudamel conducting. Guests include mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges and actress María Valverde. Works by Peter Liberson, George Walker and Gustav Mahler will be performed.

This weekend’s Table Top Shakespeare: At Home will have performances of King John on Friday, Titus Andronicus on Saturday and Much Ado About Nothing on Sunday.

Here are this weekend’s listings from this week’s Jazz Stream:

The Nicole Glover Quartet performs live from Smalls on September 25th.

Fridays at Five from SFJAZZ streams at 2014 concert: John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme 50th Anniversary Celebration on September 25th.

The Kenny Barron Trio live at the Village Vanguard streams on September 25th and September 26th.

Ramsey Lewis performs live on September 26th.

The Marcus Strickland Trio live at Blue Note streams on September 26th.

Charles Lloyd, Zakir Hussain and Julian Lage perform live from Healdsburg Jazz Festival on September 26th.

This weekend’s operas from the Metropolitan Opera’s Puccini Week are Tosca on Friday, Turandot on Saturday and La Bohème  on Sunday.

That is a lot of options for this weekend’s Best Bets at Home: September 25th – September 27th. Continue to check back at Cultural Attaché for our weekly suggestions to satisfy your desires to see the performing arts.

Main photo: The company of Romantics Anonymous (Photo by Steve Tanner/Courtesy The Wallis)

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Let’s get to it. Here are your Best Bets at Home: September 18th – September 20th.

Carmen – Royal Opera House – September 18th – October 17th

Georges Bizet’s most popular opera gets presented with a new perspective in this 2018 Royal Opera House production directed by Barrie Kosky. He is perhaps best-known for his innovative production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute which has been performed all over the world. LA Opera in Los Angeles has performed his production three times…so far.

Georges Bizet collaborated with librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy on this immensely popular opera. It was based on Propser Mérimée’s novella of the same name. 

When Carmen was first performed in Paris in 1875 it was considered both shocking and scandalous. 

Set in Seville, Spain, Carmen is a gypsy who has caught everyone’s eye. A soldier, Don José, plays coy and gives her no attention. Her flirtation causes troubles for both when Don José’s girlfriend, Micaëla arrives. Tensions escalate between the two women and after a knight fight, José must arrest Carmen. When she seduces him it sets off a series of events that will not end well for the gypsy woman.

In Kosky’s production, Carmen (sung by Anna Goryachova) is front and center. The opera is told from her point-of-view. There is a narrator and the production uses music Bizet eliminated from the opera’s earliest performances.

In an interview with the New York Times Kosky said, “Everyone assumes Carmen is what people are used to. A big Spanish spectacle: loud, huge orchestra, huge chorus. Lots of Spain…The piece is not a Spanish opera. It’s a French opera, from the first note. Actually it’s not even a French opera, it’s an operetta that turns into an opera in the fourth act.

“This is the mistake that people make. They assume that it’s a doom-laden story of a Gypsy with black curly hair and gold earrings, and a story of love and sex and whatever. Well, it turns into that, but for the first two thirds of the evening, it’s sunlight, it’s joy, it’s naughtiness, it’s irony. I keep saying to the cast, ‘You’re in an operetta. You are not in ‘le grand opéra.’”

This production of Carmen will be available for one month and does have a fee of £3 (which is equivalent to approximately $4).

Sleep with Angels – Latino Theater Company – September 18th – September 27th

In their continuing series of archived plays and readings of new works, Latino Theater Company is offering a sneak peek of Sleep with Angels. Written by Evelina Fernández, the play is scheduled to have its world premiere with the company next year.

A mysterious woman named Juana shows up on Molly’s doorstep. She arrives just as Molly is in need of someone to watch her children now that she’s separated from her husband.

The kids are charmed by Juana, but who is she?

Sleep with Angels is directed by José Luis Valenzuela. The cast features Aileen Alfaro, Esperanza America, Sandino Gonzalez-Flores, Sal Lopez, Xavi Moreno, Robert Revell, Lucy Rodriguez and Elia Saldana.

The first opportunity to watch Sleep with Angels is at 10:00 PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT on Friday, September 18th. The reading will be available through September 27th.

While at Latino Theater Company’s website you’ll also notice that a film of their 2010 production of La Victima is also available. This was the company’s first show and it starred the late Lupe Ontiveras. La Victima will be available for viewing through September 24th.

Now Hear This “Haydn: King of Strings” – PBS Great Performances – September 18th (check local listings)

The work of composer Franz Joseph Haydn is explored in this one-hour show on PBS’s Great Performances. In particular, host Scott Yoo will explore the role folk music from Austria, Hungary and Scotland played in informing the composer’s composition of his Emperor Quartet. Haydn is considered the father of the string quartet having written 68 of them.

Amongst his guests are violinist Geoff Nuttall and the St. Lawrence String Quartet.

Jack DeJohnette/Don Byron/Matt Garrison – Shapeshifter Lab – September 19th – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

Simply put, Jack DeJohnette is one of the most important drummers in the history of jazz. His collaborations have included recordings and performances with John Abercrombie, Alice Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Keith Jarrett, Charles Lloyd and John Scofield. And that’s just a few of a very extensive list of credits.

On Saturday he will be performing live from home with bassist Matthew Garrison and clarinetist Don Byron.

Garrison, the son of John Coltrane bassist Jimmy Garrison, has recorded and performed with a broad range of artists that spans from Betty Carter to Whitney Houston; The Gil Evans Orchestra to Paul Simon and Tito Puente to Joni Mitchell.

Byron is a musician, teacher and composer. His range of musical styles vacillates from jazz to klezmer and includes composing for films and for such ensembles as the Kronos Quartet.

Tickets to watch this performance require a minimum donation of $20. The performance will remain available for three days after the live stream on Saturday.

Anna Karenina – Broadway on Demand – September 19th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Not all musicals are happy. Case in point is this Russian musical by Roman Ignatyev and librettist Yully Kim. Based on Leo Tolstoy’s tragic love story between Anna Karenina and military officer Alexey Vronsky. The musical is set in the late 19th century amongst Russian nobility.

Ekaterina Guseva plays Anna and Sergey Lee plays Alexey. Alina Chevik directs and choreography is by Irina Korneeva.

The musical is sung in Russian with English subtitles.

This production was filmed in front of a live audience in 2018. The pay-per-view price is $5.99. Anna Karenina will also be available for two days afterwards to rent for the same amount.

Miss Saigon (another not-happy musical) had a helicopter land on stage. I’m sure the train required for Anna Karenina will make that accomplishment seem terribly outdated.

A Marvellous Party – Broadway on Demand – September 20th – 2:30 PM EDT/11:30 AM PDT

I’ll Leave It To You marked the first time playwright/actor Noël Coward had a play of his performed in London’s West End. He also appeared in the show. I’ll Leave It To You opened at the New Theatre on July 21, 1920 and ran for 37 performances. The rest, as they say, is history.

Coward went on to write such plays as Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit.

In 2006 the New Theatre was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre.

To celebrate this centenary, The Noël Coward Foundation is presenting an all-star event called A Marvellous Party. His words and music will be performed (in either self-recorded performances at home or performances filmed following Covid-19 guidelines) by Kate Burton, Judi Dench, Stephen Fry, Montego Glover, Derek Jacobi, Josh James, Cush Jumbo, Robert Lindsay, Kristine Nielsen, Bebe Neuwirth, Julian Ovenden, Patricia Routledge, Kate Royal, Emma Thompson, Giles Terera, Indira Varma and Lia Williams.

A Marvellous Party will remain available on demand for two weeks (or a fortnight as Coward might say.)

There is no charge to watch the show, but you will need to register to do so. Donations to Acting for Others and The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Judy Kuhn with Seth Rudetsky – September 20th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

In this week’s Seth Rudetsky concert series, four-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn joins for conversation and song. Kuhn originated the role of Helen Bechdel in Fun Home (one of her Tony nominations). Her other nominations came for her performances in Les Misérables (as Cosette); Chess (as Florence) and the 1993 revival of She Loves Me (as Amalia Balash).

She also memorably played Fosca in the Classic Stage Company’s 2013 production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Passion.

There will be an encore presentation of this show on Monday, September 21st at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. The show will also be available for pay-per-view viewing next week. Tickets for all viewings are $25.

Erasing Borders Dance Festival – Indo-American Arts Council – September 20th – September 27th

The multitude of dances found in India are celebrated in the Erasing Borders Dance Festival. This is the 12th year of the festival and, for obvious reasons, this year the festival is online. Each program can be found on the Indo-American Arts Council’s Facebook page (link in the title).

Each program becomes available at 8:30 PM EDT/5:30 PM PDT. The line-up is as follows:

Sunday, September 20th: Shambhu Nath Karmakar/Ashpara Care Club (Purulia Chhau)
Monday, September 2st: Neha Mondal Chakravarty (Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam) and Krishnakshi Kashyap (Sattriya)
Tuesday, September 22nd: Ganesh Vasudeva (Bharatanatyam)
Wednesday, September 23rd: Divyaa Unni (Bharatanatyam) and Arun Mathai (Bharatanatyam)
Thursday, September 24th: Sandhya Raju (Kuchipudi)
Friday, September 25th: Damir Tasmagambetov (Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam) and Barkha Patel (Contemporary Kathak)
Saturday, September 26th: Mesma Belsaré (Shilpa Natana)
Sunday, September 27th: Vishwakiran Nambi (Contemporary) and workshops by Nahid Siddiqui (Sufi Kathak)

Those are my selections for your Best Bets at Home: September 18th – September 20th. Before we go, a few reminders:

Los Angeles area audiences can watch In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on PBS SoCal on September 18th at 8:00 PM. This week’s show is Musica Sin Fronteras and features performances from Café Tacvba, Columbian singer/songwriter Carlos Vives, Florida’s Siudy Garrido Flamenco Dance Theatre all in performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

New to our listings is Table Top Shakespeare: At Home. These unique presentations of Shakespeare’s plays got launched on Thursday. This weekend’s performances (which are all free to watch) are Perciles on Friday; The Merchant of Venice on Saturday and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Sunday. All performances are live at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT.

Some reminders from this week’s Jazz Stream:

Fridays at Five from SFJAZZ offers a 2017 concert by jazz legend Wayne Shorter.

The Bill Frisell Trio performs Friday from New York’s Blue Note.

Pianist Bill Charlap and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis perform from the Village Vanguard on Friday and Saturday.

The Ehud Asherie Trio performs from Smalls on Saturday.

Trumpeter Keyon Harrold performs from Blue Note on Saturday.

For opera fans, here are reminders of this week’s programming from the Metropolitan Opera:

This week’s Bel Canto series concludes with Bellini’s I Puritani on Friday; Donizetti’s L’Elisir de Amore on Saturday and Bellini’s Norma on Sunday.

Eclectic right? Those are your Best Bets at Home: September 18th – September 20th. Let me know what you watched and what you thought in our comments section. Enjoy your weekend!

Main photo: Anna Goryachova and ensemble in “Carmen” (©2017 ROH/Photo by Bill Cooper)

The post Best Bets at Home: September 18th – September 20th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

What does that mean? You can watch condensed versions of all of Shakespeare’s plays performed live from Sheffield, London and Berlin by actors using a table in their kitchen, bedroom or living room and the various objects they have at hand. Take a look at the teaser for Table Top Shakespeare: At Home to get a better sense of what they are doing.

Forced Entertainment has been entertaining audiences with their unique presentation of plays like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and more for five years. In fact Table Top Shakespeare has been performed around the world. What seems absurd (and it probably is at times) seems to be a truly audience-friendly approach to these plays.

Lauren Collins-Hughes, writing in the New York Times, said of Table Top Shakespeare:

“There is something of the nursery in the show’s insistence on unfettered imagination, and something of the bedtime story in the way the best of these tales unfold. They’re not soporific but soothingly mesmeric, even the tragic ones.”

Performances take place Thursday-Sunday at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT for the next nine weeks. There is no charge to watch the performances, but you do need to register in advance to see them. Go here to register.

At the conclusion of each Sunday performance is a post-show Q&A. To attend that Q&A you need to email feaftertalks@gmail.com.

Here’s the schedule:

Week 1:

September 17th: Macbeth (can you now not say that play’s title in the kitchen?)

September 18th: Pericles

September 19th: The Merchant of Venice

September 20th: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Week 2:

September 24th: Romeo and Juliet

September 25th: King John

September 26th: Titus Andronicus

September 27th: Much Ado About Nothing

Week 3:

October 1st: Hamlet

October 2nd: Love’s Labour’s Lost

October 3rd: The Winter’s Tale

October 4th: All’s Well That Ends Well

Week 4:

October 8th: Richard II

October 9th: Henry IV, Part 1

October 10th: Henry IV, Part 2

October 11th: Henry V

Week 5:

October 15th: Henry VI, Part 1

October 16th: Henry VI, Part 2

October 17th: Henry VI, Part 3

October 18th: Richard III

Week 6:

October 22nd: Measure for Measure

October 23rd: Coriolanus

October 24th: The Merry Wives of Windsor

October 25th: King Lear

Week 7:

October 29th: Twelfth Night

October 30th: Cymbeline

October 31st: Julius Caesar

November 1st: Antony and Cleopatra

Week 8:

November 5th: Two Gentlemen of Verona

November 6th: Troilus and Cressida

November 7th: As You Like It

November 8th: Othello

Week 9:

November 12th: Taming of the Shrew

November 13th: The Comedy of Errors

November 14th: Timon of Athens

November 15th: The Tempest

If “All the world’s a stage,” Table Top Shakespeare: At Home proves that you don’t have to have men and women as its players. Apparently straws and a set of salt and pepper shakers will do just fine.

Photo: Table Top Shakespeare: At Home – Henry V (Photo courtesy CAP UCLA)

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