THE BLACK CLOWN, as envisioned by Langston Hughes, is a metaphor for the Afro-American as a figure of entertainment in a white world. It is also a series of verses by Hughes. In this performance piece devised by Davone Tines and Michael Schachter, the clown is examined though the lens of history and given life in a series of impressive vignettes, employing song, acting, and dance. An eclectic mix of music is heard, mainly soul, gospel, Black choral, and spiritual. Various verses of the poem, which is lengthy, are brought to life by the extremely talented performers; some examples follow:
The first time I heard bass-baritone Davone Tinesa--he off the sensual, resonant voice and startlingly vivid stage presence--it was in Handel's ACI, GALATEA E POLIFEMO (described as a spectacular, streamlined, Cliff-Notes version of a Handel opera), at Brooklyn's National Sawdust. Tines wowed me and I thought that I wanted to hear more of him. He opens July 24, 2019 at Mostly Mozart in THE BLACK CLOWN at the Gerald Lynch Theatre of John Jay College, near Lincoln Center.
Oak Cliff's award-winning multicultural and multidiscipline center for the arts, Bishop Arts Theatre Center (BATC), announces the 2019/2020 theatre series season. Under the direction of Founder and Executive Artistic Director Teresa Coleman Wash, the 26th season celebrates color, culture, and creativity embodying the diverse community of voices that are found in North Texas.
LaVon Fisher-Wilson and the Vonettes presents THE QUEENS OF FUNK AND SOUL Concert at The Triad. The Triad Theatre is located at 158 West 72nd Street, New York, NY.
Something old, something new…there's still plenty going on for fans of opera and classical vocal music in the Northeast now that summer is upon us. Here's a taste of what to look for.
It feels in many ways poetic that both the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman's birth fall on the same year. That's precisely where The Bearded Ladies Cabaret comes in. The Philadelphia-based experimental cabaret troupe is part of La MaMa's STONEWALL 50 celebrations, joining a group of LGBTQ+ artists from around the globe. The Beards' contribution is the New York premiere of their CONTRADICT THIS! A BIRTHDAY FUNERAL FOR HEROES, which---spoiler alert---starts as a birthday party for 'much-lauded homo poet' Walt Whitman and descends into a trial, taking on Whitman's problematic political views, our imperfect heroes, and cancel culture as a whole.
Summer at Lincoln Center is a time-honored New York tradition, bringing people from all walks of life together to experience a multitude of music, dance, and drama across the entire campus.
Community College of Baltimore County Performing Arts and Humanities, in partnership with Maryland Humanities, presents Chautauqua 2019: Making Waves, July 12-14, at the Center for the Arts Theatre, CCBC Catonsville, 800 S. Rolling Road, Catonsville, Md.
Poet Langston Hughes questions in 1951 through his poem "Harlem;" What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" The legendary poem inspired Lorraine Hansbury to write the award winning drama A Raisin in the Sun eight years later. In 1959, Hansberry became the first African American women to have her play produced at New York's Barrymore Broadway theater in an era when women in general, regardless of ethnicity, were published. Opening in '59 with a primarily African American cast, the play heralded a dramatic change for theater audience in years to come. At Anoka's Main Stage Theater, Lyric Arts presents an outstanding revised thirteenth anniversary production of the play directed by Austene Van, which features a stellar cast, two tiered set designed by Peter Lerohl and lighting designed by Matt McNabb.
Carnegie Hall today announced the 2019-2020 season of Carnegie Hall Citywide, a free concert series that brings music to all five boroughs of New York City. Presented in partnership with local community organizations, the performances showcase outstanding mainstage artists and rising stars, tapping into the pulse of the city and bringing people together to share in the joy of music. Carnegie Hall Citywide builds on Carnegie Hall's tradition of bringing free concerts to New York City neighborhoods for more than 40 years.
Yaddo, America's first artist colony, will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising with "Yaddo Inspirations: A Queer Look Through The Generations". The celebration will highlight queer artists as they discuss their individual ownership of queerness and queer liberation through the arts.
Harlem One Stop today announced a free special Memorial Day Weekend concert by The 369th Experience in celebration of the Harlem Renaissance Centennial and the Harlem Hell Fighters. The ensemble will perform a program of music by ragtime and early jazz bandleader James Reese Europe. The free outdoor performance will be presented from 7:00-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 25 at Marcus Garvey Park (Mt. Morris Park West between East 120th-124th Streets) in Harlem.
CDI/Concert Dance Inc. (CDI) returns to the Ravinia Festival as part of the annual Ruth Page Festival of Dance Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 2 at 4 p.m. in Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall, 418 Sheridan Rd. Gates open on Saturday, June 1 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, June 2 at 3 p.m. Regularly commissioned by Ravinia to present new works, CDI Artistic Director Venetia Stifler's 2019 program will include Colandd's El Salon Mexico in Berstein's two-piano arrangement.
The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) will honor its 40th Anniversary with a celebratory concert at NJPAC in Newark on Sunday, May 19 at 3:00 p.m. The orchestra's Artistic Director, Helen Cha-Pyo will showcase the youth symphony's extensive talent. Broadwayworld had the opportunity to interview Helen Cha-Pyo about her career and the upcoming concert.
The Grammy Museum will be hosting NOTES ON LIVING: ALL-STAR JAZZ WITH TALES BY BRIAN DOYLE May 14, 2019 as a joint benefit for WordTheatre in the Schools (WITS) and the Grammy Museum. WordTheatre's artistic director Cedering Fox will be producing and directing this evening of selected stories by award-winning author Brian Doyle, read by a star-studded cast, and accompanied by an all-star jazz band led by Starr Parodi. Cedering opened up some of her early evening time to speak to me.
The line between Broadway-type musical theatre and opera becomes finer by the year--though I dare say that TOOTSIE is unlikely to be showing up at the Met any time soon. But the Kurt Weill-Ira Gershwin-Moss Hart LADY IN THE DARK might have morphed in a slightly different, better piece of music theatre if it arrived in the 21st century rather than World War II.
The New York Guitar Festival and Arts Brookfield will present "Memphis Minnie: In Search of the Hoodoo Lady," a free, outdoor concert celebrating the life and music of influential blues guitarist Memphis Minnie. The Saturday, June 1st, 7pm event will be held at Brookfield Place's Waterfront Plaza in lower Manhattan.
This June, in celebration of his 200th birthday, the Morgan Library and Museum will present Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy, a fascinating, and beautiful, exploration of the poet's life, times, work, and legacy.
