this week in lectures, signings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&As

A VERY BRADY MUSICAL: A VIRTUAL BENEFIT READING

Who: Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Gavin Lee, Kerry Butler, Klea Blackhurst, Trista Dollison, Celia Hottenstein, Diana Huey, Troy Iwata, Mason Reeves, Anthony Zambito, Tracy Bidleman, Jason Matthews, Melinda Portages, Chuck Ragsdale
What: Virtual benefit reading and Q&A
Where: Ogunquit Playhouse
When: Wednesday, October 28, suggested donation $20, 7:00
Why: It was bound to happen. How many of us have not at least once made a Brady Bunch joke during a Zoom session? Well, that was the impetus behind the virtual reading of the 2008 show A Very Brady Musical, benefiting Maine’s Ogunquit Playhouse. The cast features Gavin Lee as Mike Brady, Kerry Butler as Carol, Klea Blackhurst as Alice, Trista Dollison as Cindy, Celia Hottenstein as Marcia, Diana Huey as Jan, Troy Iwata as Peter, Mason Reeves as Greg, and Anthony Zambito as Bobby in addition to Tracy Bidleman, Jason Matthews, Melinda Portages, and Chuck Ragsdale as the kids try to prevent their parents from divorcing. The book is by Lloyd J. Schwartz and Hope Juber, with music and lyrics by Hope Juber and Laurence Juber; the show is directed by Richard Israel, with technical direction and video design by Jeremy Handelman.

“As we move through 2020, we are continuing our mission of new works development while celebrating how many of us are spending our lives in the ‘Brady square’ virtual worlds of Zoom and other online platforms,” Ogunquit Playhouse executive artistic director Bradford T. Kenney said in a statement. “Working with our outstanding A Very Brady Musical team, we’re taking what could be a static reading, adding a dash of digital magic, and layering it with that iconic Brady framing to create a unique experience that appeals to every kind of theatergoer.” The reading will take place October 28 at 7:00 and be available for viewing through November 1; the suggested donation is $20. Donations of $100 or more give you access to the live Zoom talkback and Q&A with members of the cast and crew and original Bradys Barry Williams (Greg) and Christopher Knight (Peter).

CONSCIENCE

George Street Playhouse reimagines Joe DiPietro’s Conscience for Zoom

Who: Harriet Harris, Mark Junek, Lee Sellars, Cathryn Wake
What: Live world premiere play reading
Where: George Street Playhouse
When: October 27-31, November 11-15, suggested donation $25
Why: In March, the world premiere of two-time Tony winner Joe DiPietro’s Conscience opened at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, but the pandemic shut it down. The original cast is now reuniting for a live, virtual adaptation streaming October 27-31 (with an encore November 11-15). The play is built around Maine senator Margaret Chase Smith’s “Declaration of Conscience,” which she delivered on the Senate floor on June 1, 1950; it was directed at President Harry S. Truman and explained that “the United States Senate has long enjoyed worldwide respect as the greatest deliberative body in the world. But recently that deliberative character has too often been debased to the level of a forum of hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity” while also calling for “the right to criticize. The right to hold unpopular beliefs. The right to protest. The right of independent thought.” Sound familiar? Tony winner Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Desperate Housewives) stars as Smith, with Lee Sellars as Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Mark Junek as William Lewis, and Cathryn Wake as Jean Kerr, directed by David Saint. For more on the production, you can watch an April Q&A with Wake here and listen to a virtual symposium with Saint, DiPietro, and playhouse director of education and community artistic programming Jim Jack here.

WHOLE LOTTA CELEBRATIN’ GOIN’ ON: 85 YEARS OF THE KILLER

Who: Jerry Lee Lewis, John Stamos, Elton John, Bill Clinton, Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack, Joe Walsh, Billy F Gibbons, Bonnie Raitt, Chris Janson, Jacob Tolliver, James Burton, Jerry Phillips, Jimmy Swaggart, Linda Gail Lewis, Lindsay Ell, Marty Stuart, Mickey Gilley, Mike Love, Priscilla Presley, Tom Jones, Wink Martindale, Kenny Lovelace, Ray Gann, Kenny Aronoff, more
What: Virtual benefit birthday party for Jerry Lee Lewis
Where: jerryleelewis.com
When: Tuesday, October 27, free with advance RSVP, 8:00
Why: At last year’s “Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll” exhibit at the Met, the signage for Jerry Lee Lewis’s 1955 Petite Grand Piano spoke of “the Killer” in the past tense, but Lewis is still alive and kicking. The man behind such monster hits as “Great Balls of Fire,” “Breathless,” “High School Confidential,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On” turned eighty-five on September 29, and several dozens of his friends, relatives, and music colleagues will be honoring the living legend at the virtual birthday party “Whole Lotta Celebratin’ Goin’ On: 85 Years of the Killer,” taking place October 27 at 8:00. Among the participants are Elton John, Bill Clinton, Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack, Joe Walsh, Billy F Gibbons, Bonnie Raitt, James Burton, Linda Gail Lewis, Marty Stuart, Mickey Gilley, Priscilla Presley, Tom Jones, Wink Martindale, Kenny Aronoff, and host John Stamos. The all-star event is free, but donations will be accepted for World Vision, which “partners with children, families, and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.”

RuckUS VOTER ACTIVATION PARADE AND POP-UP

Who: Kurt Andersen, Chavisa Woods, Siri Hustvedt, Carlos Menchaca, the Blacksmiths Marching Band, Will Calhoun, PRC Drum Team, Stefan Zeniuk, Laurie Anderson, Nona Hendryx, Masha Gessen, Tine Kindermann, Bill T. Jones, Elizabeth Streb, Batala NY, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars, Mambembe NY, Holly Bass, Plezi Rara, Kenny Wollesen and the Himalaya
What: RuckUS 2020 get out the vote events
Where: Multiple locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan
When: Saturday, October 24, free, noon – 6:00
Why: With the election only eleven days away, events to get out the vote are ratcheting up around the country and here in New York City. RuckUS, a group started by Laurie Anderson, Arto Lindsay, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Iain Newton to advocate for voter participation and election security, will be hosting rallies in Brooklyn and Manhattan on Saturday following last week’s events in Staten Island and the Bronx, featuring special guest speakers and socially distanced live performances. (An event in Queens for Sunday has been canceled but is trying to be rescheduled.) Below is the lineup. And remember: “Register. Plan. Protect.”

Saturday, October 24, Manhattan
The Africa Center, 1280 Fifth Ave. & 110th St., noon
New York Public Library Main Branch, Fifth Ave. & 42nd St., 2:00
New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th St. off Seventh Ave., live performance by Holly Bass of Moneymaker, twelve-hour endurance performance, 4:00
Washington Square Park, 5:00
Speakers: musicians Laurie Anderson and Nona Hendryx, journalist Masha Gessen, visual artist Tine Kindermann, choreographers Bill T. Jones and Elizabeth Streb
Live performances: Batala NY, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars, Mambembe NY, Plezi Rara, Kenny Wollesen and the Himalayas

Saturday, October 24, Brooklyn
Grand Army Plaza, noon
BRIC, Fulton St. & Rockwell Pl., 2:00
Cadman Plaza, 4:00
Speakers: Kurt Andersen, Councilman Carlos Menchaca, Siri Hustvedt, Chavisa Woods
Live performances: The Blacksmiths Marching Band, Will Calhoun, PRC Drum Team, Stefan Zeniuk

HAPPY DAYS SCRIPT READ AND REUNION

Who: Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams, Marion Ross, Don Most, Lowell Ganz, Josh Gad, D’Arcy Carden, Yara Shahidi, more
What: Live reunion reading
Where: WisDems Zoom
When: Sunday, October 25, minimum donation $1, 7:00
Why: It will not be the happiest of days for everyone when the cast of Happy Days reunites for a benefit script read and Q&A in support of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in an effort to help turn the state blue again in the upcoming presidential election. On October 25 at 7:00, a classic episode of the sitcom, which aired on ABC from 1974 to 1984 and was set in Milwaukee, will be read live on Zoom by Henry Winkler as the too-cool Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, Ron Howard as the the freckle-faced Richie Cunningham, Don Most as the wacky Ralph Malph, Anson Williams as the doofy Potsie Weber, and Marion Ross, on her ninety-second birthday, as the frisky Mrs. C. Sadly, creator Garry Marshall, Tom Bosley (Howard Cunningham), Erin Moran (Joanie Cunningham), Pat Morita (Arnold), and Al Molinaro (Al) are no longer with us. But what about Scott Baio, as tough-guy Chachi Arcola, you ask? Well, the staunch Trump-supporting conservative recently tweeted, “What a shame to use a classic show like Happy Days about Americana to promote an anti-American socialist. #Shameful.” So John Stamos will be stepping into Chachi’s shoes for the presentation, which will also include writer Lowell Ganz, Josh Gad, D’Arcy Carden, Yara Shahidi, and surprise guests. (Ted McGinley, Cathy Silvers, Linda Purl, Lynda Goodfriend, and Crystal Bernard are still around.) And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get the real, inside story of what happened to Chuck.

“We’re thrilled a show made famous in Milwaukee is coming back home to help make Donald Trump a one-term president,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler said in a statement. “We know all roads to the White House go through the Badger State, and with the cast of Happy Days helping us raise money to take back the White House, we believe even more we can deliver a victory on November 3.” Happy Days hasn’t held up very well, but this should be a fun night anyway, following two other WisDems reunions, The Princess Bride and Veep, as well as the PA Dems benefit reunion of This Is Spinal Tap and the Texas Democratic Party’s Seinfeld Fundraiser About Something on October 23.

MOLIÈRE IN THE PARK: THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES

Who: Tonya Pinkins​, Kaliswa Brewster, Cristina Pitter, Tamara Sevunts, Mirirai Sithole, Carolyn Michelle Smith, Corey Tazmania
What: Molière in the Park virtual presentation in association with French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)
Where: Molière in the Park Zoom
When: Saturday, October 24, free with RSVP (donations accepted), 2:00 & 7:00
Why: “Don’t worry, friend; I’m not a fool,” Arnolphe tells Chrysalde at the beginning of Molière’s The School for Wives in Richard Wilbur’s translation. “I shan’t expose myself to ridicule. / I know the tricks and ruses, shrewd and sly, / Which wives employ, and cheat their husbands by; / I know that women can be deep and clever; / But I’ve arranged to be secure forever: / So simple is the girl I’m going to wed / That I’ve no fear of horns upon my head. . . . No, keep your smart ones; I’ve no taste for such. . . . / In short, I want an unaccomplished wife, / And there are four things only she must know: To say her prayers, love me, spin, and sew.” Molière in the Park, following their popular virtual presentations of The Misanthrope and Tartuffe online over the summer instead of in Prospect Park, their usual home, is now taking on Molière’s 1662 five-act comedy, reinvented for Zoom, copresented with FIAF. And in a casting twist that would terrify Arnolphe, all the roles will be portrayed by women, with Mirirai Sithole, Kaliswa Brewster, Cristina Pitter, Tamara Sevunts, Carolyn Michelle Smith, Corey Tazmania, and Tony winner Tonya Pinkins (Jelly’s Last Jam; Caroline, or Change) as the lead cad. (The play ran on Broadway in 1971 with Brian Bedford as Arnolphe, Joan Van Ark as Agnes, and David Dukes as Horace and was made into a 1983 film by Ingmar Bergman with Allan Edwall as Arnolphe, Lena Nyman as Agnes, and Stellan Skarsgård as Horace.)

The troupe has employed unique technical elements in their virtual plays, courtesy of director Lucie Tiberghien, video engineer Andy Carluccio, set designer Lina Younes, costume designer Ari Fulton, composer Paul Brill, sound designer Daniel Williams, and animator Emily Rawson, so it should be fun to see what innovations they will bring this time around. The School for Wives will be performed live on October 24 at 2:00 and 7:00, followed by a Q&A with members of the cast and crew; French and English subtitles are available, and the show can be viewed through October 29. Next up for Molière in the Park is a rare contemporary play, Christina Anderson’s pen/man/ship, on December 12.

A CANARY TORSI | YANIRA CASTRO — LAST AUDIENCE: A PERFORMANCE MANUAL

Video still of devynn emory from “Dust,” one of twenty-eight audio, video, and/or text-based scores in Last Audience: a performance manual

Who: Yanira Castro, Kathy Couch, Stephan Moore, David Hamilton Thomson, LD DeArmon, Marshall Hatch Jr., Tara Aisha Willis
What: Sneak peek of Last Audience: a performance manual
Where: MCA Chicago Zoom
When: Saturday, October 24, $10 (manual $15-$40), 2:00
Why: When innovative choreographer Yanira Castro began working on Last Audience in the summer of 2018, she could not have predicted how timely it would become, now reinvented for a pandemic with so many of us stuck at home, trapped by a deadly virus, and entertainment venues shuttered all over the city and across the country. Influenced by the concept of reckonings, the requiem mass, Greek tragedy, and Artur von Ferraris’ 1918 painting The Last Audience of the Hapsburgs, specifically how it relates to the current president, the Puerto Rican-born, New York-based Castro (Performance | Portrait, Paradis) has forged ahead with the project as a format for people to create their own works using a manual, consisting of twenty-eight multimedia performance scores to be brought to life wherever you are sheltering in place, building a different kind of artistic community in the age of Covid-19. “This is a manual for you to make a requiem, your Last Audience,” Castro writes in an opening “Dear Participant” letter. “I understand performance as an act of complicity. Specifically, it is a call to practice a social politic — to gather, to take on roles, to repeat ritual, to weave incantation, to cite oracles, to imagine myth. Like all rituals, it is mystery. Like many communal acts, it is uneasy.” The manual, developed and produced by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, divides the scores into “One Body,” “Sever,” “Mercy,” “Judgment,” and “Blessing”; it also features video by Peter Richards, website design by Fei Liu, and photographs by Simon Courchel, including shots of contributing writer Leslie Cuyjet and Kirsten Michelle Schnittker in performance.

Last Audience manual features photos by Simon Courchel

On October 24 at 2:00, Castro, who runs a canary torsi, will be joined by contributing writers and audio/video performers Devynn Emory, David Hamilton Thomson, and Kathy Couch (who also compiled and designed the manual with Castro), music and audio designer Stephan Moore, project coordinator LD DeArmon, MAAFA Redemption Project executive director Marshall Hatch Jr., and MCA associate curator Tara Aisha Willis for a live discussion and Q&A, tracking the evolution of the project, which premiered October 2019 at New York Live Arts and had its virtual launch September 20 at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s TBA Festival. There will also be a live, private event on December 13 if you purchase the manual by October 22. As it says on the Last Audience website, in which you can add your own images and experiences, “Your refusal is yours. As is your agreement. And your ambivalence. Take care.”