Winter in New York City is not known for being particularly steamy (though the unseasonably mild weather this year gives one reason to pause), but there is always Complexions Contemporary Ballet's season at the Joyce Theater to turn up the heat to a feverish, sweltering boiling point! For the 26th season, the company revived recent seminal works -- Bach 25 and Woke -- alongside favorites spanning from 1994 to a brand new solo in Essential Parts, which acted as a 'Greatest Hits' compilation for the ever-evolving, always revolutionary dance troupe. This year also marked the World Premiere of their latest exploration of the full canon of a particular musician's oeuvre -- Love Rocks featuring the music of the iconic Grammy-winning rockstar, Lenny Kravitz. For patrons unable to attend all programs, FOMO (fear of missing out) syndrome is understandable, but for those who are highly familiar with the group's work or only getting their first taste, Program C -- which featured the latter two mentioned -- was the most delectable sampling of Complexions offerings old and new. The fascinating thing about such juxtapositions is that, in seeing the latest creations from 2020 side-by-side with choreography premiered in the early 1990s, it is remarkable to note how the level of innovation, depth of emotion and current relevance remains the same. It's a reminder that timeliness and timelessness can coexist, given the right mediums and masters. The genius of legendary Co-Founders, Co-Artistic Directors Desmond Richard and Dwight Rhoden (also the Principal Choreographer) cannot be underestimated. Indeed, it has not. They have both achieved phenomenal success and longevity, been lauded as trailblazers and received numerous accolades from peers, critics and audiences alike since they burst on the dance scene. It's no wonder that they have utilized the music of David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar and Lenny Kravitz to tell their stories through bodies in motion -- they are rockstars themselves!
The Old Testament story of a blustering genocidal despot and the canny woman who resists and brings him down finds voice in one of the most innovative works of the violent, volatile, and tragically short-lived genius Alessandro Stradella.
The popular concert series created by Alexandra Silber recently had its third installment and it was so good that people are already making plans to see episodes four and five, later this year.
The third program in Early Music New York's 45th anniversary season under the rubric 'Harmony of the Spheres' will open, fittingly, with an early symphony by William Herschel, who would go on to become the foremost astronomer of his age, and discoverer of the seventh planet, Uranus. The composers on this program will emerge from the eclipsing shadow of the classical period's 'stars' (Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven) to illuminate an era of almost infinite variety with music deserving of discovery.
By Popular Demand, the Broadway at Birdland concert series presented the return of Julie Halston to the stage. This special one-night-only event, entitled “Judge Julie Presiding” took place on February 3 at Birdland, located in the heart of Manhattan's Theater District. The sold-out house was left helpless with laughter, thanks to Ms. Halston's rants, raves and readings!
On Sunday, March 8, 2020 at 7:30pm, New York-based composer/pianist Robert Sirota and Los Angeles-based composer/violist Jonah Sirota present individual works and a world premiere collaboration at The New School's Ernst C. Stiefel Concert Hall (55 West 13th Street, 4th Floor), presented in association with the school's College of Performing Arts (Mannes School of Music, School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, School of Drama). This concert, Elegies and Ecstasies, is part of the Sirota @ 70 season, marking Robert Sirota's 70th birthday with concerts, commissions, and residencies across the country.
On the heels of its exciting 2020 lineup announcement, Boston Calling announces the availability and onsale of Single Day tickets for this year's festival, taking place at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston, MA on Memorial Day Weekend, May 22 – May 24, 2020. Single Day tickets are available for purchase beginning TOMORROW Friday, February 7 at 10:00am EST. Tier 1 Single Day General Admission ($149.99), VIP Passes ($349.99), and Platinum Passes ($749.99) will be on sale at www.bostoncalling.com. Availability of tickets at Tier 1 pricing will be very limited. Once Tier 1 tickets sell out, Tier 2 pricing will go into effect for Single Day General Admission ($159.99), VIP ($399.99), and Platinum ($799.99). Three-Day passes will remain on sale.
Cambridge's Strawberries & Creem has revealed its 2020 line-up, with Grammy Award winning artists Sean Paul and Koffee confirmed to headline. One of the most exciting and diverse festivals in the UK right now, RAYE, Jaykae, Tiffany Calver, Nafe Smallz, Mike Skinner and Hybrid Minds are amongst a broad range of acts also revealed, with the one-day event set to move to a much larger, brand new site just outside of Cambridge on Saturday 20th June.
Festa Della Donna, a celebration of Italian-American women, is slated for the Laurie Beechman Theatre Saturday March 7th. The event, in honor of International Women's Month, pays tribute to their contributions to the arts and features an accomplished lineup of female Italian-American performers spanning the genres of music, comedy and dance.
She talks about the mundane and the explosive; from newspaper wedding features to style/life advice from the one and only Joan Crawford, combining them in her cauldron of comedy, so, one can never go wrong spending the cash to see Julie Halston on stage. Whether she is creating a character in a play or musical or if you are taking in a truly inspired (and inspiring) comedienne (I won't stop using that word) on the nightclub stage you are in for the most laughs; and for all of those laughs, we give JULIE HALSTON - JUDGE JULIE PRESIDING a hearty 5 out of 5 Rainbows.
Bernadette Peters (Hello Dolly, Follies, A Little Night Music), J. Harrison Ghee (Kinky Boots, upcoming Mrs. Doubtfire), Jason Gotay (Evita, upcoming Between the Lines), and Sierra Boggess (School of Rock, It Shoulda Been You), will join previously announced performers including New York Yankees legend and Latin Grammy-nominee, Bernie Williams, whose father passed away from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine continues its 2019-2020 season of Great Music in a Great Space with This Fragile Earth, a celebration of nature's exquisite beauty in collaboration with world music ensemble Rose of the Compass, on Monday, February 10, 2020 at 7:30 pm at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street), Manhattan.
San Francisco theatre goers got gypped! Oh, not by this sensationally funny satire on America's gun culture, but by the fact that it only got a limited three-performance run. Running for the past 18 months in LA, a musical comedy that pokes fun at our warped political processes, conservatives and 'woke' liberals is perfect fodder for San Francisco audiences. Three sold put audiences here were treated to a perfect musical comedy- great performances, a compelling story and a fantastic hummable score.
On February 2, 2020, Pacific Opera Project (POP) presented Giacomo Puccini and Giovacchino Forzano's 1918 Gianni Schicchi with Maurice Ravel and Colette's 1925 L'Enfant et les Sortilèges (The Child and the Magic Spells), a pair of lesser known operas, to a most receptive audience at Occidental
On this episode of West of Broadway, Will Armstrong interviews Michael (Mike) Milton at the 2020 Broadway Con where he was debuting his new mentoring App Shadow Star!
From February 27 to March 29, Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre will celebrate both Black History Month and Women's History Month with an Off-Broadway production of 'Two Can Play' by Trevor Rhone, directed by Clinton Turner Davis, at Castillo Theater, 543 West 42nd Street. In this two-act comedy, Gloria and Jim, a lower middle-class couple in Kingston, try their wildest schemes to escape gun crime and establish residence in the United States. They survive because they learn to communicate and rediscover each other. Playwright Trevor Rhone was the artistic giant of Jamaican theater. The play celebrates the pent-up need for self-discovery and personal development in Jamaican women, a theme which is also universal. Director is Clinton Turner Davis, who helmed the comedy's New York premiere in 1985.
Theatre production company Parity Productions has released its monthly list of Qualifying Productions for February -their directory of New York City shows in which the individual creative teams have 50% of the positions filled with women and/or trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC) artists (directors, designers, and playwrights).
Dance/NYC has announced the 25 recipients of the second iteration of the Dance Advancement Fund, made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation. The purpose of the Fund is to address the inequitable distribution of resources in the dance field and advance resilience by supporting dance makers with annual budgets between $25,000 and $1 million.
Producers Philip Labes and Michael O'Konis are pleased to announce that their production of MORE GUNS! A Musical Comedy About The NRA a?" currently playing to sell-out audiences at The Second City in Hollywood a?" will play a limited engagement at San Francisco's Z Space (450 Florida Street, San Francisco, CA 94110) from January 30 - February 1, 2020. MORE GUNS! features book, music, and lyrics by Philip Labes and Michael O'Konis, with original direction by Zach Siegel, musical direction by Michael O'Konis and choreography by Dahlya Glick. The press opening will take place on Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at http://www.zspace.org/ or MoreGunsMusical.com.
