TandB are doing most of their critiques from armchairs in front of the large screen TV these days. Our commentary on favorite films and other observations can be followed mostly at the Serendipity blog. We will chime in with the occasional recommendation for performances you might find appealing.
It’s the intrepid Mari S. Gold taking her seat on the aisle to keep us up to date with events live and theatrical.
We sit on the sidelines, read, admire and post. It’s a pleasure being able to share her view of the scene with you.
Playwrights are citizens, too. They’re place on our planet, and their talent makes them suited to comment and advocate.
Rachel Bublitz has created a near doomsday scenario in response to the very real climate crisis in Utah.
Red Days introduces us to Dianna, a high-school athlete already affected by toxic air, as she pushes through grueling practices, urged on by her coach – who is also her mother- as Salt Lake City all around them is engulfed in flames.
The New York premiere by the innovative theatre company Adjusted Realists in association with Weber State University will run May 31 – June 9, 2024 at Jeffery & Paula Gural Theatre A.R.T. / New York Theatre
Keep an eye out for opportunities to honor and enjoy theater, dance and music this summer.
Here is one upcoming:
The Next Festival Announces Bold Classical Music and Dance Programming for 12th Season June 1-14, 2024 Multi-disciplinary arts festival champions leading living composers, young string musicians, and emerging choreographers in a series of unique public performances across New York State
Slated to appear at The Janice Jam concert are Omar Jose Cardona (NBC’s The Voice), Jackie Cox (Ru Paul’s Drag Race), Matt DeAngelis (Waitress), Lissa DeGuzman (Wicked), Christine Dwyer (Wicked), Tony-Award Winner John Gallagher Jr. (Swept Away), Justin Guarini (Once Upon a One More Time), Morgan James (Motown), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Parade), Laurence Olivier Award and Grammy-nominated Caissie Levy (Leopoldstadt), Talia Suskauer (Wicked), Ryan Vona (Parade), Nik Walker (Spamalot), and more to be announced (subject to change). The evening’s band, led by Jacob Yates (musical director/keys), includes Rich Mercurio (drums), Lee Nadel (bass), Meg Toohey (guitar) and Yair Evnine (Guitar/Cello).
Will Swenson (I believe he’s Audra McDonald’s spouse) planted a kiss on my cheek as part of an audience “surveil” during a production of Hair back in the day.
The Janice Jam was started by Matt DeAngelis in honor of his mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2022.
Matt’s Broadway cohort is rising to this fundraising event with a concert benefitting Breast Cancer Research Foundation on May 13, 2024.
Join Tony Award-winner John Gallagher Jr. and Laurence Olivier Award Nominee Caissie Levy and an all-star cast at Haswell Green’s at 7:30 pm for an evening of Celebration, Remembrance, and Awareness.
Also, on May 13th (sigh) but you can catch it on Sunday the 12th: Works & Process presents Caleb Teicher’s This Is The Part When You Go Woo on Sunday, May 12 and Monday, May 13, 2024 at 7pm at the Guggenheim’s Peter B. Lewis Theater, 1071 Fifth Avenue, NY. Tickets $35 to Choose-What-You-Pay.
The Masque of the Night returns to New York and at Princeton in June
The Masque of Night, a reimagined version of Romeo and Juliet, returns to play in Princeton on June 7 & 8 and at Gramercy’s Casa Clara on June 21st & 22nd. Pianist Chris Jarrett provides accompaniment.
Jarrett is also featured at Casa Clara on May 10th for an evening of jazz, improvisation, and world music
In NJ, you will see Clara Tristan as Juliet and Jorge Carrion Alvarez as Romeo. The New York cast features Maximilian Macdonald and Elizabeth Lindsey as the star-crossed lovers.
For tickets and more about the venue in Princeton, click here. Find out more about the NYC performances here.
Tickets for Chris Jarrett’s May 10th concert are available online here.
The New York Society for Ethical Culture & Jody Sperling/Time Lapse Dance present a Gala performance of SOUND~EARTH~MOTION on Jun 1st.
Photo by Julie Lemberger
Choreography by Jody Sperling and featuring the Time Lapse Dance Ensemble with live musical performances by composer Matthew Burtner, The MET Orchestra musicians, and pianist Jeffrey Middleton.
Communion, World Premiere, directed by Sidra Bell and set to music composed by Immanuel Wilkins.
Lighting Design/Technica
Director Amith Chandrashaker
Set Design: Cass Calder Smith
Costume Design: Caitlin Taylor
Musicians: Immanuel Wilkins (Alto Saxophone/Flute/Voice), Kweku Sumbry, Rick Rosato, Micah Thomas
Sound Engineer: Michael Roche
Executive Director/Artistic
Featuring Dance Artists: felix bryan, Mio Ishikawa, AJ Libert, Kimie Parker, Alejandro Perez, Camille Phelps, Kaya Tsurumi, kira shiina, Where: Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, The Theater (Studio H) 280 Broadway, New York (enter at 53A Chambers Street) When: May 16-18. At: 7:30 PM ET How: Tickets are on sale now at gibneydance.org
Gibney is celebrating 32 years of “transformational movement.”
GB Shaw and friends:
Noel Coward’s first play on April 29th and Shaw’s Heartbreak House on May 20th will be at Symphony Space in Gingold Theatrical Group productions.
Here’s what we may not have mentioned in our earlier posting:
Among the performers scheduled to appear are Tiler Peck and Roman Meija of New York City Ballet; Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside of American Ballet Theatre; Aaron Robison and Sasha De Sola of San Francisco Ballet; Aviva Gefler-Mundl, Marcos Hernandez, and Kate Inoue of Los Angeles Ballet; Rasmus Ahlgren of Boston Ballet; Adji Cissoko and Shuaib Elhassan from Alonzo King LINES Ballet; Fabrice Calmels, formerly with The Joffrey Ballet; and Ekaterina Malkovich, Constantine Geronik, and Andrea Lassakova of World Ballet Company. Performances in every city will also feature local ballet companies bringing together local and international ballet stars.
Opening Night in each city will showcase a diverse array of crowd-pleasing works in a gala program that includes George Balanchine’s Tarantella, excerpts from Don Quixote and Flames of Paris, Alonzo King’s Suite Etta, set to the music of Etta James, William Forsythe’s Blake Works set to the music of James Blake, and much more.
The second night is dedicated to Ballet Blockbusters, allowing audiences to thrill to some of the most iconic works in ballet all in one night. Highlights from Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and more give audiences an entertaining overview of some of ballet’s greatest works.
Information provided by World Ballet Company publicists
World Ballet Company is driven by the belief that ballet is for everyone. In addition to this year’s World Ballet Festival, the Company presents World Ballet Series and offers “Ballet for All” with the aim of developing the ballet audiences of tomorrow and ensuring nationwide access to the art form.
In June 2024, World Ballet Festival brings ballet productions often to first-time audiences in four cities.
The Festival features stars from New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, and more. In its debut year, it will include performances in Minneapolis, Spokane, Detroit, and San Diego.
This first-of-its-kind touring festival will celebrate all that ballet has to offer by showcasing an array of ballet programming from beloved classics to today’s most exciting new works.
Minneapolis, MN at the Pantages Theatre, June 7 – 9
Spokane, WA at First Interstate Center for the Arts, June 14 – 16
The Sorcerer was the third operatic collaboration by W. S. Gilbert, who wrote the libretto, and (not yet Sir) Arthur Sullivan, who composed the music. The work premiered in 1887 and its relative success encouraged the collaborators to write their next work, H.M.S. Pinafore. While The Sorcerer includes all the tropes that appear in later G&S shows, including comic duets, a patter song, and a tenor/soprano love song, it is clear to seasoned G&S aficionados that most of the work, other than the excellent patter song, are not of the quality of the team’s later offerings. This helps explain why this work is performed less frequently than crowd-pleasers including Pinafore, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance and Yeomen of theGuard.
The performance by the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players (NYGASP) at the Kaye Playhouse April 6, 2024 (repeated April 7) was up to the company’s high standards.
James Mills, as the Sorcerer, J.Wellington Wells, was terrific both as a singer and comedian (especially when after ‘dying’ he reappeared onstage in search of his hat), with other fine performances by Daniel Greenwood as Alexis and Amy Maude Heller as Mrs. Partlet.
This is one work from the G&S cannon that requires special efforts from the lighting designer, which were delivered effectively by Benjamin Weill. Gail J. Wofford’s costumes were delightful down to the Sorcerer’s plaid trousers and the hair ribbons worn by Michelle Seipel playing Aline. As always, the small orchestra under the direction of NYGASP’s Artistic Director/General Manager, Albert Bergeret, performed with verve.
The Sorcerer satirizes Victorian era class distinctions, some of which may not be evident to modern audiences such as the name Lady Sangazure which translates as ‘blue blood,’ a not-so-subtle reference to the character’s high born status, an important aspect of the opera in which aristocrats fall in love only with members of their own social class until the Sorcerer’s love potion (served from a small teapot) takes effect turning things ‘topsy-turvy’ in classic G&S fashion.
The Sorcerer was preceded by Trial by Jury, among the first of the team’s operatic collaborations. The story deals with a ‘breech of promise of marriage’ lawsuit that mocks the legal system. In this one act work, often offered as a curtain raiser, David Greenwood sang with clarity and radiated humor as the Judge who ends up marrying the plaintiff to get the case over with. He handled his role with panache embellished by his judicial robes with vivid red-striped sleeves by costumer Wofford who also gets an A in bonnet design. David Auxier, choreographer for both Trial and Sorcerer, used the relatively small stage and simple movements to good effect.
Although neither work is a Gilbert & Sullivan standout, it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to see both. The team’s later collaborations have more sophisticated twists and engaging musical numbers, but watching these two early works is enjoyable in itself and further enhances the pleasures of the later ones.
The Andersons often travel the roads that comprise a history of jazz. They represent the Dorseys or Glenn Miller, Cole Porter, or Duke Ellington in their overview concerts.
A typical Anderson Twins program will mix music with information. Here’s what reviewer Mari S. Gold found at one performance.
On the afternoon of April 20th at the iconic Blue Note, they will trace the Journey of Jazz. You are invited:
Our concert takes audiences down a musical memory lane to experience how these various jazz styles evolved and became intertwined with the music of Broadway and popular culture. We’re so excited and can’t wait till the show! See you there 😉 –
Origin 1st Irish festival, including 10 in competition. For tickets and information, click here.
Samples from the programming are some from Dublin etc:
Festival mainstay, Dublin’s Fishamble: The New Play Company returns to 59E59 Theaters with their 10th Festival production, King, written by and starring Pat Kinevane. Runs to Apr 14.
25th anniversary season, The Drilling Company brings us the world premiere of Tim McGillicuddy’s Herself, a comedy about a prodigal daughter’s return to the waterside town of Galway, playing at The Gural Theater, through Apr 20.
This year’s festival offering from the Irish Repertory Theatre Company is Brian Friel’s Philadelphia Here I Come, part of their Friel Project, which started in October and runs through May 5.
Origin Theater Company presents a concert restaging of Eamon O’Tuama’s rock musical Peace and Love in Brooklyn. This poignant rock ‘n roll drama runs five nights at the cell, 338 West 23rd Street, 6 performances: April 3, 4, 5 at 7pm; Apr 6 at 2pm and 7pm; and Apr 7 at 2pm.
Zoe Seaton’s Storytime Café will be staged immersively at the bar Ryan’s Daughter on the Upper East Side, will be seen four times Wed to Fri Apr 17, 18, 19 at 6:30pm + Sun Apr 21 at 2pm.
The Janice Jam was started by Matt DeAngelis in honor of his mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2022.
Matt’s Broadway cohort is rising to this fundraising event with a concert benefitting Breast Cancer Research Foundation on May 13, 2024.
Join Tony Award-winner John Gallagher Jr. and Laurence Olivier Award Nominee Caissie Levy and an all-star cast at Haswell Green’s at 7:30 pm for an evening of Celebration, Remembrance, and Awareness.
Slated to appear at The Janice Jam concert are Omar Jose Cardona (NBC’s The Voice), Jackie Cox (Ru Paul’s Drag Race), Matt DeAngelis (Waitress), Lissa DeGuzman (Wicked), Christine Dwyer (Wicked), Tony-Award Winner John Gallagher Jr. (Swept Away), Justin Guarini (Once Upon a One More Time), Morgan James (Motown), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Parade), Laurence Olivier Award and Grammy-nominated Caissie Levy (Leopoldstadt), Talia Suskauer (Wicked), Ryan Vona (Parade), Nik Walker (Spamalot), and more to be announced (subject to change). The evening’s band, led by Jacob Yates (musical director/keys), includes Rich Mercurio (drums), Lee Nadel (bass), Meg Toohey (guitar) and Yair Evnine (Guitar/Cello).
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