Miscast – MCC Theater Click here to watch Miscast is an annual joke that Broadway tells on itself – men sing songs written for women, girls sing tough guys, elderly singers sing about Spring and youth, and they all have a wonderful time measuring their considerable talents against a song they could never, in a million years, expect to sing in the show for which it was written. It features the biggest Broadway stage stars singing songs from roles in which they would not traditionally be cast. This year’s list of participating artists is enormous. I count some 35 star singers and actors but I may have missed some. To pick out just a few - Idina Menzel, LaChanze, Kelli O'Hara, Hugh Dancy, Jennifer Garner, Laurie Medcalf, Marisa Tomei, and Lin Manuel Miranda. May 16, at 8pm ET, and will remain available through May 20. A New Stage – Tiler Peck Click here to watch Three marvellous dance performances in a range of styles from ballet to hip-hop to tap made by three major choreographers, Chloe Arnold, Jennifer Weber, and Christopher Wheeldon with a world premiere, curated by Tiler Peck. The principal performers, all stars in their different fields, are Tiler Peck (ballet), Lil Buck (hiphop), Sierra Boggess (singer), Brooklyn Mack (ballet), and the Syncopated Ladies (tap). If your idea of tap dancing is Fred Astaire, prepare to be astounded by The Syncopated Ladies who give a whole new perspective to contact with the dance floor. Lil Buck is a hiphop performer who, together with Tiler Peck and Brooklyn Mack, has rethought the classical ballet Petrushka for the 21st century and blurred the lines between street and traditional dancing. Remarkable. Spring Song – Andrea Marcovicci Click here to watch Stage and screen veteran Andrea Marcovicci will celebrate Mother's Day with a streaming concert to benefit The Actors Fund. Spring Song, blends poetry by Sara Teasdale with songs by Frank Loesser and Johnny Mercer. May 9 at 7 PM ET on YouTube and will be available through May 15. The Weir – Irish Rep Click here for tickets I’m delighted that several of my favourite Irish plays are now being issued On Demand by Irish Rep in New York. The advantage of On Demand is that we can watch them at a time convenient for us and don’t have to wait until the theatre is showing them on its own schedule. This On Demand is somewhat more expensive, $25 a play, but it’s worth it for this gem of a play. The Weir is by Conor McPherson, a sort of language magician who can turn the most down-to-earth speech into poetry. Newsweek’s critic wrote of The Weir, “This play is one of the best that Irish theater – and by extension world theatre - has produced in 25 years.” For what it’s worth, I agree wholeheartedly. Set in an Irish country pub, a young woman is spellbound by stories told by the bachelors who drink there regularly, showing off for the newcomer. With the wind whistling outside, and a whiff of sexual tension in the air, what starts out as blarney darkens as the tales drift into the realm of the supernatural. Then, Valerie reveals a startling story of her own… Directed impeccably by Ciaran O’Reilly, the cast includes some of the best Irish and Irish-American actors, including Dan Butler, Sean Gormley, John Keating, Tim Ruddy, and Amanda Quaid as Valerie. $25 for a 48hour rental Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions - Semifinals Click here to register. If you’re an opera lover, and particularly if you’re interested in young and emerging singers, you’ll love this. The Metropolitan Opera auditions dozens of singers every year for places in its productions and on its roster of performers. It’s the most coveted prize by far for young singers from all over the world and the gateway to a possible glittering future at the Metropolitan Opera. Who wouldn’t want to start at the top? The Met is making the Semifinals and Finals of this year’s competition public with a live stream starting this Sunday with the Semifinal round. 23 singers—chosen from among 1,200 applicants—compete in opera’s leading vocal competition. These auditions, normally closed and held on the Met stage, are this year open to the public for the first time ever, streamed from different locations around the world. The competition will determine the select group of performers who will advance to the Grand Finals Concert, which will also be streamed free on Sunday, May 16, at 3PM ET. Registration is required to view both the Semifinals and the Grand Finals concert. May 9 at 11am ET (4pm UK) and then available to watch on demand for 48 hours following the live stream. Why There is No Hope - John Cleese Click here for tickets This is a one-man show, sort of a funny lecture, filmed live on stage in London’s Cadogan Hall. The 60-minute on-demand stream sees John Cleese examining the dysfunctional world we live in and explaining why, according to him, there is no hope. The presentation is full of laughs and hilarious insights. Cleese first made his mark as a member of the Monty Python troupe, and has gone on to create classic performances in the likes of Fawlty Towers and the Oscar-nominated A Fish Called Wanda. $20 On demand through May 31 Cocktails with a Curator – Coronation of the Virgin – Paulo Veneziano Click here to watch This is another unmissable art history lecture from the Frick. Curator Xavier Salomon discusses one of the Frick’s earliest paintings. This one was made by Paulo Veneziano, the Father of Venetian painting in the 14th century. Son of painters, father of painters, head of the most significant studio in Venice in the 14th century, Veneziano’s closeness to the Dominican Order led to his being commissioned to make the altar pieces for San Marco’s Dominican Basilica. This Coronation of the Virgin was one of his final works, his last dated painting, made in 1358, three years before he died, and is an important example of early Italian religious paintings that deploy precious materials – gold and silver - to evoke the divine. Thank you, Xavier, I didn’t know any of that. Tales from The Wings – Lincoln Center Gala Click here to register The great and the good of New York Theatre are participating in this look back at favourite Lincoln Center Theater productions. Artists associated with LCT will be sharing “insider” anecdotes to go with the video excerpts. We are promised a joyous hour of theatrical nostalgia with sparklies the like of Jordan Donica, Rosemary Harris, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Ruthie Ann Miles, Seth Numrich, Steven Pasquale, Paulo Szot, Ayad Akhtar, Lileana Blain-Cruz, and Bartlett Sher remembering iconic LCT productions plus a preview of the 2021-22 season ahead! It’s a fundraiser, of course, but it looks like a pretty classy one. May 13 at 7pm ET and then available through May 17
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AuthorRuth Leon is a writer and critic specialising in music and theatre. Archives
May 2024
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