AN EVENING OF SHORT PLAYS DIRECTED BY BOB BALABAN

–
Bob Balaban, photo courtesy of Guild Hall.

Tag: Performing Arts

In an Italian Garden: An Evening of Chamber Music with Musicians from the New York Philharmonic

An evening of chamber masterpieces played by musicians from one of the world’s most celebrated orchestras.

Yulia Ziskel, Kuan-Chen Lu, violins 
Rebecca Young viola
Patrick Jee cello
Timothy Cobb double bass
Anthony McGill clarinet
Eric Huebner piano  

HANDEL / Arr. Halvorsen Passacglia for Violin and Viola
ROSSINI Duetto for Cello and Double Bass, Allegro
PAGANINI Cantabile for Violin and Piano
MENDELSSOHN / Arr. Rachmaninoff Scherzo from Midsummer Night’s Dream
BOTTESINI Gran Duo for Clarinet and Double Bass
INTERMISSION
BRAHMS Clarinet Quintet, Adagio
GLINKA Gran sestetto originale, Allegro

Broken Bone Bathtub: An immersive theater project by Siobhan O’Loughlin

Beginning its global journey in Tokyo in 2015, Broken Bone Bathtub is an immersive happening taking place inside a bathtub. After a serious bike accident, a young woman musters up the courage to ask for help and shares her story, exploring themes of trauma, suffering, human generosity, vulnerability, and connection. The audience takes on the role of Siobhan’s close friends; not only in listening but sharing in their experiences, and assisting the artist in the actual ritual of taking a bath.  

Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm: Tickets $40 ($38 Members)
Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm, and Sundays at 3pm: Tickets $30 ($28 Members)

The Met: Live in HD – The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

The Gershwins’ modern American masterpiece has its first Met performances in almost three decades, starring bass-baritone Eric Owens and soprano Angel Blue in the title roles. Director James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row, a setting vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants.

Encore screening on March 28.

Melissa Errico Sondheim Sublime

The Wall Street Journal raves about Melissa Errico’s new album Sondheim Sublime: “The best all-Sondheim album ever recorded, in which radiantly warm singing and sensitive, intelligent interpretation are tightly and inseparably entwined.” For one night only Errico brings her unique vision of Broadway’s greatest songwriter to Guild Hall.  Guaranteed to be the Broadway-cabaret event of the season!

“Isn’t it bliss? asks Stephen Sondheim rhetorically in his most famous creation Send In The Clowns and bliss it is when the thrilling Melissa Errico lets loose for one golden hour of the greatest living composer’s work on her new album Sondheim Sublime.” –Mark Shenton

“Just re-visited Melissa Errico’s Sondheim Sublime show at Live at Zedel: when she sings “Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George this couldn’t be truer:
‘Anything you do
Let it come from you
Then it will be new
Give us more to see’
As she connects with Sondheim, we connect with her. It’s not just the ravishing, shimmering vocal tones Melissa Errico brings to Sondheim; it’s also the emotional and intellectual connections she makes to his ambivalence and contradictory feelings. It’s a masterclass in appreciating and understanding his work.” –Mark Shenton

“Melissa Errico’s masterclass is a must-see for every cabaret wannabe as well as more experienced practitioners who think they’ve cracked this art form but haven’t. She is one of a kind.” –Jeremy Chapman, Musical Theatre Review

KidFEST: Teatro SEA’s La Cucarachita Martina

“Cockroaches are people, too. Well, at least they are in this production, presented in an easy-to-understand mix of Spanish and English by Teatro SEA, which specializes in Latino theater for children. The heroine of the show, is a tiny cutie who is nonetheless much bigger than anything scurrying around your basement. But not to worry: She’s a bunraku-style puppet, seeking true love.”–Laurel Graeber, New York Times

A live-action Latin puppet show rock-n-roll musical mash-up straight from NYC’s celebrated bilingual theater Teatro SEA, La Cucarachita Martina is a tale based on the popular Cuban and Puerto Rican children’s story of the little roach Martina who learns many lessons on her journey to find true love. Recommended for Pre-K and up.

Narrator / Narrador
Samuel Garnica

Puppeteers / Titiriteros
Ana Campos-Stephens, Hector Palacios, Christopher Palmieri, J. Edgar Mozoub

The tale of La Cucarachita Martina originated as an oral tradition and was later adapted to literary form. The story is very powerful, and permeates many borders, making its mark on many cultures.

Martina is a little roach who dreams of finding the love of her life. One day, while sweeping her backyard, she finds a penny. Thinking about what she should buy with her new penny, she decides to buy some makeup to make herself pretty.
Martina is visited by a number of potential suitors, but when she meets Mr. Perez, she falls in love with him right away. They get married in a great big celebration. All the little insects attended the party. Cucarachita Martina and little Mr. Perez lived happily ever after.

Register for our KidFEST Pre-show Workshop: Create your own Puppet!

Hearts Aflame: Succesion’s Brian Cox & more performing Love/Hate Letters & Torch Songs. An Original Production Benefitting The Pushcart Prize Fellowships and WordTheatre in the Schools

HEARTS AFLAME: Torch Songs & Love/Hate Letters by the Famous and Infamous

A One-Night-Only, Original, Music Infused WordTheatre® Production Benefitting WordTheatre in the Schools and The Pushcart Prize Fellowships.

Brian Cox, the outrageous Patriarch on ‘Succession’ and Holt McCallany, the serial killer tracking FBI agent on ‘Mindhunter’, are among the incendiary cast of performers who’ll fire up some torch songs and ignite love and hate letters by the famous and infamous in a divine and ridiculous 90 minutes of fun!  Calling all cynics, these passionate communiques—from 12th century missives to 21st century emails—will have you weeping with laughter and recognition at the follies of the human heart.

Performers participating in this sexy and ofttimes ridiculous WordTheatre® production are donating their time and talents to benefit both WordTheatre in the Schools (WITS) and the Pushcart Prize Fellowships.

CAST

Brian Cox (Succession, X2: X-Men United)
Vincent Piazza (Boardwalk Empire, Jersey Boys)
Sarah Clarke (The Twilight Saga, Bosch, 24)
Holt McCallany (Mindhunter, The Losers, Fight Club)
Xander Berkeley (The Walking Dead, Salem, 24)
Emily Bergl (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Shameless, Desperate Housewives)
Jihae (Mortal Engines, Altered Carbon)
Spencer Garrett (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Mad Men)
Nicole Ansari (The Blacklist, Deadwood)
David Call (The Sinner, The Magicians)
Liisi LaFontaine (London’s West End Dream Girls, Broadway Bound Born for This)
Fernando Villegas (The Lesson, Off-Broadway)

Musical Accompaniment by Jonathan Mastro on Piano, Pedro Segundo on Drums, and Teddy Motz on Bass

Created, Directed and Produced by Cedering Fox.

This benefit is made possible with support from THE OSTER FAMILY FOUNDATION.

WordTheatre® gives voice to great writing. Since its creation in 2003 by founder Cedering Fox, WordTheatre has become an internationally renowned 501(c)(3) whose work celebrates contemporary literature through live performance in Los Angeles, New York and London. The organization’s events feature esteemed authors, actors and musicians who capture the imagination of diverse audiences, spanning from underserved students to cultural enthusiasts. WordTheatre’s mission: to inspire empathy, curiosity and conversation by sharing exquisitely crafted stories that remind us of what it means to be human.

WordTheatre in the Schools (WITS) serves underserved schools in the U.S. and the U.K., where English is commonly the second language and 40-90% of students live at or below the poverty line. By connecting underserved youth with curriculum-relevant literature, W.I.T.S. educates and connects communities in and out of the classroom and stimulates the imaginations of culturally, economically and racially diverse audiences.

The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America. The Pushcart Prize is one of the last surviving literary co-ops from the 60’s and 70’s. Its legacy is assured by donations to its Fellowships endowment.

KidFEST: FLY Dance Company

Fly Dance Company – The Gentlemen of Hip-Hop! from Fuzion Entertainment on Vimeo.

FLY is wowing concert audiences all over U.S., receiving one standing ovation after another. Why? Because FLY is pure fun — youthful energy, risk-taking movement, and clever choreography set to a mix of surprising musical selections
“Pops and locks set to Bach!” — The New York Times
Labeled an artistic phenomenon, FLY crosses street dance with classical choreographic principles. FLY’s concerts are clean-cut, wholesome artistry designed to cross all audience boundaries – young and old, men and women, sophisticated and unsophisticated – with pieces combining styles and cultures to reflect contemporary Americana.
FLY Dance Company’s concerts are a unique combination of entertainment and art—a high-energy, non-stop mix of hip-hop, classical, and modern dance with an added touch of Vaudeville. The choreography by Kathy Musick Wood is action-packed with ensembles and solos, pure dance movement, acrobatic tricks, acting, and frequent entrances and exits. The music is varied with styles and genres thoughtfully mixed for change-of-pace or mood. The dancers are all street dancers —youthful, masculine, risk-taking, acrobatic, funky, and fun—who act as well as dance.

Also performing at 5pm

KidFEST: FLY Dance Company

Fly Dance Company – The Gentlemen of Hip-Hop! from Fuzion Entertainment on Vimeo.

FLY is wowing concert audiences all over U.S., receiving one standing ovation after another. Why? Because FLY is pure fun — youthful energy, risk-taking movement, and clever choreography set to a mix of surprising musical selections
“Pops and locks set to Bach!” — The New York Times
Labeled an artistic phenomenon, FLY crosses street dance with classical choreographic principles. FLY’s concerts are clean-cut, wholesome artistry designed to cross all audience boundaries – young and old, men and women, sophisticated and unsophisticated – with pieces combining styles and cultures to reflect contemporary Americana.
FLY Dance Company’s concerts are a unique combination of entertainment and art—a high-energy, non-stop mix of hip-hop, classical, and modern dance with an added touch of Vaudeville. The choreography by Kathy Musick Wood is action-packed with ensembles and solos, pure dance movement, acrobatic tricks, acting, and frequent entrances and exits. The music is varied with styles and genres thoughtfully mixed for change-of-pace or mood. The dancers are all street dancers —youthful, masculine, risk-taking, acrobatic, funky, and fun—who act as well as dance.

Also performing at 1pm

Register for our KidFEST Pre-show Workshop: Hip Hop Dance

GUITAR MASTERS: Eight Time Grammy Award Winner Buddy Guy

Guild Hall welcomes the return of the second annual Guitar Masters festival, celebrating the artistry of the guitar with the world’s finest talents.

Greatest living Blues legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Buddy Guy was a major influence on titans Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Guy has received 8 Grammy Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, 37 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone ranked him #23 in its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

KidFEST: Jedi Academy

A long time ago and not so very far away….children yearned to be Rebels. Your family will thrill as they join the Rebel Alliance and access the Force within! David Engel’s JEDI ACADEMY! is a solo, comedy variety show that captivates kids and nostalgic adults alike. Come learn the ways of the Jedi with Pannikin Moonjumper, a true Master of Intergalactic fun and adventure and discover the great Force within yourself. During this laugh-riot tribute, your Youngling Jedi Warriors, Princesses and Darth Vader’s will be delighted with comic antics, exciting physical challenges, magical mayhem, a visit from a furry alien sidekick, and engage in light saber lessons. May the FORCE be with you! Kids encouraged to dress as their favorite Star Wars character. Recommended for ages 4 and up.