Thursday, April 25, 2024
Before there was Beatlemania, there was Lisztomania. The 19th Century Hungarian composer created such a fan frenzy that it would be the envy of any 20th or 21st Century musician - for classical music, along with Opera, and their creators, were the arena rock stars of their era. This grandness of mayhem and musicality is keenly felt in Rocktopia. So if you are looking for the most astounding arias, soaring symphonic sounds or incendiary electric guitar, you needn't bother with multiple trips to The Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall or MSG - they're all under one roof at The Broadway Theatre! Rocktopia:
Month: March 2018
Babette’s Feast at The Theatre at St. Clement’s
In the course of my many years watching live theater, I have, several times, been fascinated when something goes wrong during a performance. And I’ll tell you why a bit later. Conceived and developed by Abigail Killeen, written by Rose Courtney and directed by Karin Coonrod, the Theatre at St. Clement’s production of BABETTE’S FEAST owes more to the original Isak Dinesen short story than to the Oscars-winning 1987 film of the same name. Set in the late 1800s in the small village of Berlevǻg, Norway, it tells the story of two lovely sisters, Martine (Abigail Killeen) and Philippa (Juliana Francis Kelly),
A Walk in the Woods: The Barrow Group Mainstage
A play about nuclear arms negotiations in the 1980s should be a dated piece of interest only to historians of theatre, and perhaps, of nuclear strategy. Lee Blessing’s “A Walk in the Woods” is as relevant today as it was when it was written almost 30 years ago, though. For one thing, our world hasn’t grown out of nuclear threats, a disappointment felt heavily by those of us who thought the end of the Cold War might mean something better. More importantly, though, Blessing’s script isn’t about throw-weights, megadeaths, SLCMs, ICBMs, Pershing IIs and SS-20s (I’ll spare you the definitions,
Music: the little OPERA theatre of ny in collaboration with New Vintage Baroque presents the New York City Premiere of Johann Adolph Hasse’s ‘Piramo e Tisbe’
Because early opera is highly regimented and at times surprisingly experimental, the right performance space makes all the difference. The little OPERA theatre of ny (LOTNY) presented the NYC premiere of Johann Adolph Hasse's "Piramo e Tisbe" at the Baruch Performing Arts Center on the East Side. The CUNY campus housing the theatre is in the corporate, no-frills Kips Bay neighborhood - making its intimate size ideal for students and those new to opera. Since the sold-out audience consisted primarily of students, and Hasse's 1768 opera (revised, 1770) was new to most likely new to everyone else, LOTNY and the New Vintage Baroque orchestra conducted by Elliot Figg proved both outstanding musicians and
301 Views: A Night At The Movies
My entire life I have been a considerable fan of sketch comedy. From more modern sketch like The Kids In The Hall to The State to The Whitest Guys You Know to the forerunners of sketch like Sid Ceasar, Carol Burnett and Monty Python among dozens of others. It’s the history of it all I love so much. It’s a medium that very few can excel in. On Wednesday March 7th The Sketch group, 301 Views, excelled at it. The performed to a capacity crowd who only added capacity laughs.
Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical Experience at (Le) Poisson Rouge
Sit back, grab a drink and strap yourself in for a ride on this sonically brilliant, delightfully cheeky romp through '90s nostalgia that's easily the most fun you'll have on or Off Broadway all year! With the current conditions of the world, it's no surprise and perhaps even the responsibility of the arts to portray and reflect upon where we are and how we got here. The result is (or can be) impactful and deep yet often heavy work laden with meaning and statements on our state of affairs. Even in comedic or satirical efforts such as Mankind or Jerry Springer
Theatre: Musicals Tonight! presents ‘Calamity Jane’ at the Lion Theatre
This will serve as both a review and a testimonial. Mel Miller, the artistic director of Musicals Tonight!, has announced that "Calamity Jane," his hundredth production, will be Musicals Tonight!’s last. For two decades he’s produced vest-pocket versions of musicals ranging in original size from intimate to enormous, and ranging in fame from household-word to incredibly obscure. He’s given us operetta ("Mlle. Modiste," "Naughty Marietta"), New York premieres of good West End shows ("Hoi Polloi," "Love from Judy"), Broadway flops that improved on his small stage ("My Favorite Year"), out-of-town casualties by major writers ("That’s the Ticket"), and musicals we
From the Horse’s Mouth: A Celebration of Egyptian Dance in All its forms and Traditions
The evening begins with an invocation to Egyptian goddess Hathor, praising her as “mistress of dance,” and “lady of jubilation.” But the woman who takes the stage is more evocative of Egyptian goddess Bastet with feline features and a catlike stride. Her stature barely surpasses 5 feet and yet she commands the entire space of the Theater at the 14th Street Y with her stately presence. This is Magda Saleh, the woman of honor and inspiration for this week long series of events and performances celebrating Egyptian dance, “in all its forms and traditions.” Ms. Saleh sets the tone with an
Theatre Women Awards at The TimesCenter
On Friday March 16, 2018 The League of Professional Theatre Women held their fifth annual Theatre Women Awards at The TimesCenter - a sophisticated, intelligent event honoring six women’s contribution to the arts. Kelli Lynn Harrison (Co-President) and Ludovica Villar-Hauser (Co-VP of Programming) started off the proceedings with infectious exuberance. The tone of the event was heartfelt and authentic, creating an atmosphere of intense optimism. They spoke about their efforts towards gender parity in the arts and of the LPTW Seal of Approval initiative that will be awarded in 2018 to Off Broadway theaters in which women make up 50% of
Music: Curtis Opera Theatre presents ‘A Quiet Place’ at the Kaye Playhouse
2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein's birth. Accomplishments such as the first American music director of the NY Philharmonic, music educator who united the concert hall with television, and composer "West Side Story" fill more than one lifetime. Yet that formidable legacy overshadows his lesser-known work worth knowing, including "A Quiet Place." On March 13, 2018 his alma mater, the Curtis Institute of Music, visited from Philadelphia for a single performance of the 1983 opera at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. "A Quiet Place" is the sequel to Bernstein's 1951 "Trouble in Tahiti". Both are one act, and Bernstein