Soil Beneath: An Empirical Decay streams through Primary Stages this week
Who:Chesney Snow, Kevin Hillocks, Rachael Holmes, Winston Dynamite Brown, Latra Wilson, Kimille Howard, Diedre Murray What:Choreopoem Where:Primary Stages online When: November 11-15, $35 Why: Beatboxer, actor, songwriter, poet, and educator Chesney Snow will debut his Primary Stages commission, Soil Beneath: An Empirical Decay, this week, livestreaming November 11-15. The sociopolitical, multidisciplinary exploration of race and class in America was created by and stars Snow (In Transit, Oo Bla Dee), who will be joined in the forty-minute show by Kevin Hillocks as Homerel, Rachael Holmes as Dori, and choreographers Winston Dynamite Brown and Latra Wilson; Soil Beneath, which includes music, dance, poetry, and storytelling, is directed by Kimille Howard and features a score by Pulitzer Prize finalist Diedre Murray (Running Man, Eli’s Comin’). The November 11 opening-night performance will be followed by a Zoom talkback with members of the cast and artistic staff.
Fred Hersch and Miguel Zenón will perform live fron the Village Vanguard this weekend
Who:Fred Hersch,Miguel Zenón What: Livestreamed concerts from the Village Vanguard Where:Village Vanguard online When: Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, $10, 9:00 Why: Jazz pianist, composer, and educator Fred Hersch is celebrating his sixty-fifth birthday, this past October 21, with the release of the intimate Songs from Home (Palmetto Records, November 6) and two shows at the Village Vanguard, to be streamed live from the legendary club. The Cincinnati-born Hersch will perform solo on November 6, then be joined by multiple Grammy nominee and MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellow Miguel Zenón on alto saxophone on November 7; tickets for each concert are $10 and will be available for viewing for twenty-four hours. Hersch recorded the album on a laptop in the woods of Pennsylvania during the pandemic; it includes such classics as Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman,” the Beatles’ “When I’m 64,” Frederick Loewe’s “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” Joni Mitchell’s “All I Want,” and Duke Ellington’s “Solitude.” In the liner notes he explains, “I hope this selection of songs that mean something to me will bring some warmth to your days and that all of you stay well and walk with peace.” Puerto Rico native Zenón’s latest release is Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera, a tribute to the famed salsa singer.
Who: Trey Anastasio, the Disco Biscuits, Fantastic Negrito, Umphrey’s McGee, Jim James, Citizen Cope, Billie Eilish, MGMT, Jerry Douglas, Jim James, Taking Back Sunday, GEM, Jeff Tweedy, Rise Against, the Dresden Dolls, Colin Meloy, the Polyphonic Spree, Shawn Colvin, Bush, Jukebox the Ghost, Drive-by Truckers, Phantom Planet, DJ Logic, more What:Virtual festival in support of get-out-the-vote efforts Where:ivotedconcerts.com When: Tuesday, November 3, free with RSVP, noon – late Why: Although we are unlikely to know who is president on November 3, all of us who voted can at least know that we honored our responsibility to participate in our democracy, especially with voter suppression on the rise. The nonpartisan, nonprofit HeadCount is celebrating the end of the election with #iVoted, a virtual music festival featuring hundreds of bands, performing live, sending in videos, or taking part in conversations, divided into eighteen themed stages depending on where they’re from or where they are trending, including the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and Ohio as well as college campuses. The event will conclude with the Everyone Orchestra — Andrew Borger of Pink Martini, JP Downer of Portland Cello Project, Sarah Clarke of Dirty Revival, Asher Fulero of Emancipator Ensemble, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, and Nick Werth, conducted by Matt Butler — performing the two-set “Soundtrack to History,” followed by a dance party with DJ Logic. You’re also encouraged to send in a selfie outside a polling place or voting by mail. Among those making appearances are Trey Anastasio, the Disco Biscuits, Jim James, Citizen Cope, Billie Eilish, MGMT, GEM, Jeff Tweedy, Rise Against, the Dresden Dolls, Colin Meloy, the Polyphonic Spree, Shawn Colvin, Bush, Jukebox the Ghost, Drive-by Truckers, and Phantom Planet.
Who: Tim Curry, Wilmer Valderrama, Lance Bass, Rosario Dawson, Jason George, Nell Campbell, Seth Green, Jason Alexander, David Arquette, the Dresden Dolls, Miss Peppermint, Eiza Gonzalez, Josh Gad, Ben Barnes, Jenna Ushkowitz, Rachel Bloom, Karen Olivo, Marissa Jaret Winkour, Madison Uphoff, Kalen Chase, Rumer Willis What: Livestreamed Halloween political fundraiser Where:WisDems Zoom When: Saturday, October 31, suggested donation $31, 10:00 Why: America is in danger of going through a perilous time warp if the current administration gets another four years in office, further setting back gains that have been made over decades toward freedom and equality for all. With that in mind, the Wisconsin Democratic Party has been on a fierce and furious drive to flip the swing state blue on election day with virtual cast reunions of Happy Days,The Princess Bride,Veep, and Superbad that have each raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Next up is a celebration of the 1975 midnight cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a film that celebrates individuality and daring to be different. We might not be able to touch-a, touch-a, touch-a, touch one another, but we can reach out and come together online, and joining in the fun on Halloween night will be Dr. Frank N. Furter himself, Tim Curry, along with Wilmer Valderrama, Lance Bass, Rosario Dawson, Jason George, Nell Campbell, Seth Green, Jason Alexander, and David Arquette, with musical performances by the Dresden Dolls, Miss Peppermint, Eiza Gonzalez, reunion champ Josh Gad, Ben Barnes, Jenna Ushkowitz, Rachel Bloom, Karen Olivo, Marissa Jaret Winkour, Madison Uphoff, Kalen Chase, and Rumer Willis. The suggested donation is $31 for the one-time-only live event, but you can give any amount to watch the festivities and submit your own question, so as far as change goes, don’t just dream it, be it.
Who: James Monroe Iglehart, Rafael Casal, Adrienne Warren, James Monroe Iglehart, Danny Burstein, Nik Walker, Lesli Margherita, Rob McClure, Kathryn Allison, Jenni Barber, Erin Elizabeth Clemons, Fergie L. Philippe, Jawan M. Jackson, Brian Gonzales What: Livestreamed benefit concert Where:the Actors Fund Vimeo channel When: Saturday, October 31, $4.99, 7:00 Why: “Year after year, it’s the same routine / And I grow so weary of the sound of screams / And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King / Have grown so tired of the same old thing,” Skeleton Jack sings in Tim Burton’s 1993 animated classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas. In this horrific 2020, everyone will be lamenting the holiday, with no parade in the Village, no club parties and in-person costume contests, no bobbing for apples, and no trick-or-treating; the city is destined to be a lonely place on October 31. But there’s a lot happening online, including a benefit concert featuring Broadway stars performing Danny Elfman’s music from Nightmare. The all-star cast includes Rafael Casal as Jack, Adrienne Warren as Sally, James Monroe Iglehart as Oogie Boogie, Danny Burstein as Santa, Nik Walker as Lock, Leslie Margherita as Shock, and Rob McClure as Barrel, joined by Kathryn Allison, Jenni Barber, Erin Elizabeth Clemons, Fergie L. Philippe, Jawan M. Jackson, and Brian Gonzales. Tickets are only $4.99, with proceeds going to the Actors Fund and the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
City Lyric Opera reinvents Brecht and Weill’s Threepenny Opera for online viewing and participation
Who: Sara LaFlamme, Sara LeMesh, Michael Parham, Rachelle Pike, Gretchen Pille, Mary Rice, Thomas Walters, Shane Brown, Geddy Warner, Shanelle Valerie Woods, the Curiosity Cabinet What: Live virtual two-part performances Where:City Lyric Opera Zoom When: Thursday – Sunday, October 29 – November 15, viewing $12, live audience with toolkit $24, 8:00 Why: In Die Dreigroschenoper, or The Threepenny Opera, one of composer Kurt Weill’s goals in his collaboration with Bertolt Brecht was to bring opera, primarily an art form enjoyed through the centuries by the wealthy, snobbish elite and royalty, to the common people, making the story and music accessible and the production affordable. During the pandemic, technological online innovation has accomplished just that organically, with such shows as White Snake Projects’ excellent Alice in the Pandemic, which sent the protagonist, an ER nurse, down the rabbit hole in search of her coronavirus-infected mother, journeying through an animated video-game-like dark and empty wonderland, with the singers performing live (October 23-27, free); Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s version of Beethoven’s Egmont, with the masked, socially distanced musicians playing in a New Jersey bandshell, accompanied by narrator Liev Schreiber and soprano Karen Slack (October 17-22, $15); Here Arts Center’s Zoom opera for all decisions will be made by consensus, a short work broadcast live on Facebook and Zoom about a Zoom meeting (April 24-26, free); and On Site Opera’s To My Distant Love, an adaptation of Beethoven’s six-song cycle, An die ferne Geliebte, delivered via email and cell phone (June – August, $40). Meanwhile, the Met, which will be closed through at least next summer, has been streaming more than 150 video and audio recordings of performances dating back to the 1950s (initially free, now $4.99 each or $14.99 monthly).
So it makes sense that City Lyric Opera (CLO), founded in 2016 by Megan Gillis and Kathleen Spencer to “provide a one-of-a-kind experience for audience members by welcoming them to the operatic art form without judgment, expectation, or financial burden,” is taking on The Threepenny Opera itself. “With the Dreigroschenoper we reach a public which either did not know us at all or thought us incapable of captivating listeners,” Weill explained way back when. “Opera was founded as an aristocratic form of art. If the framework of opera is unable to withstand the impact of the age, then this framework must be destroyed.” Weill and German playwright and librettist Brecht adapted John Gay’s 1728 The Beggar’s Opera, translated by Elisabeth Hauptmann, Brecht’s lover at the time, adding several songs based on works by fifteenth-century French poet and thief François Villon. The work, set during the Victorian era, premiered in Berlin in 1928; it was a Broadway failure in 1933, in a translation by Jerrold Krimsky and Gifford Cochran. However, Marc Blitzstein’s 1952-54 English translation became a hit and is the version we know today, and the one that will be used by CLO, which was scheduled to stage a full, in-person production this season. It has now been reimagined for the internet, being livestreamed in two back-to-back parts, Thursday to Sunday from October 29 to November 15. Tickets are $12 to watch and $24 with a live, interactive toolkit that incorporates the audience into the narrative. (Glow sticks, anyone?) The piece was developed at Here Arts Center, where director Attilio Rigotti and scenographer Anna Driftmier worked with the cast socially distanced in separate Covid performance boxes, each with its own design and lighting.
The company features baritone Justin Austin as Macheath, tenor Kameron Ghanavati as Filch/Smith/Ensemble, baritone Philip Kalmanovitch as Mr. Peachum, soprano Sara LaFlamme as Polly Peachum, soprano Sara LeMesh as Lucy Brown, baritone Michael Parham as Jackie “Tiger” Brown, mezzo-soprano Rachelle Pike as Mrs. Peachum, soprano Gretchen Pille as Dolly, mezzo-soprano Mary Rice as Bob/Berry, tenor Thomas Walters as Jake, baritone Shane Brown as Walt, tenor Geddy Warner as Matt, and mezzo-soprano Shanelle Valerie Woods as Jenny. The conductor and music director is Whitney George, leading the Curiosity Cabinet: Jared Newlen (reed I: clarinet, alto sax), Ben Solis (reed II: clarinet, alto sax), Hugh Ash (trumpet I), Clyde Dale (trumpet II), David Whitwell (trombone), Markus Kaitila (piano/celeste/harmonium), Joe Tucker (timpani, percussion), and Justin Rothberg (banjo, guitar). With its bitingly satirical view of capitalism and societal norms, The Threepenny Opera should feel right at home online in 2020, as we are all sheltering in place, in the midst of health and economic crises and a contentious presidential election where decency, humanity, wealth inequality, health care, and the social contract are on the ballot.
Who: Joshua Malina, David Broza, Nita M. Lowey, Joel Grey, Shoshana Bean, Tiffany Haddish, Yemin Orde Youth Village Choir, more What: Virtual benefit Where:ImpactIsrael When: Wednesday, October 28, free with RSVP, 8:00 Why: ImpactIsrael is a Maryland-based organization that “provides the support needed to transform immigrant and at-risk youth into productive members of Israeli society through value-driven education and support. ImpactIsrael works to improve the education, security, health, and welfare of over 25,000 Israelis by touching lives across all boundaries — religious, secular, Jews, Arabs, Druze, and Bedouins.” On October 28 at 8:00, it will be presenting “A Celebration of Gratitude and Hope,” an online benefit for Israel’s next generation of leaders. The evening will be emceed by Joshua Malina (A Few Good Men, Scandal) and features appearances by Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza (East Jerusalem West Jerusalem, At Masada: The Sunrise Concert featuring Shawn Colvin & Jackson Browne), U.S. Representative Nita M. Lowey (who will receive the Tikkun Ha’Lev Award), singer and stage actress Shoshana Bean (Wicked, Waitress), comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip, The Carmichael Show), legendary actor and director Joel Grey (Cabaret,Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish), and the Yemin Orde Youth Village Choir, among others. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted, including at special levels that will qualify you for listings on a digital scroll, promotional materials, and recognition with a commemorative gift.
