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TICKET ALERT: BAM 2016 NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL

Mikhail Baryshnikov channels Nijinsky in Robert Wilson’s LETTER TO A MAN (photo by Lucie Jansch)

Who: Performers and/or creators Mikhail Baryshnikov, Isabelle Huppert, Ivo van Hove, Robert Wilson, Peter Brook, John Jasperse, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Alarm Will Sound, Howard Fishman, David Lang, Jonah Bokaer, Daniel Arsham, TR Warszawa, Cheek by Jowl, the Magnetic Fields, So Percussion, Wordless Music Orchestra, Shen Wei Dance Arts, Kyle Abraham / Abraham.In.Motion, Faye Driscoll, Mark Morris Dance Group, and many more
What: Annual fall interdisciplinary performance festival
Where: BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St.), BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave.), BAM Fisher (321 Ashland Pl.)
When: September 7 – December 3
Why: Tickets for BAM’s 2016 Next Wave Festival have just gone on sale to the general public, but you better hurry if you want to see some of the hottest shows of what is always a great collection of innovative dance, music, film, theater, and hard-to-describe hybrid presentations from around the world. This year there are more than five dozen events, including performances, talks, and master classes. We don’t know about you, but we’ll be practically living at BAM this fall. Below are five of our don’t miss favorites.

Isabelle Huppert stars as a modern-day mythical queen in PHAEDRA(S) (photo by Pascal Victor/ArtComArt)

PHAEDRA(S)
BAM Harvey Theater
September 13-18, $30-$95
Isabelle Huppert is back at BAM, following her stunning turns in Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis in 2005 and Robert Wilson’s Quartett in 2009. This time she stars as the mythological queen in Phaedra(s), in which director Krzysztof Warlikowski and Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe incorporate texts by Kane, Wajdi Mouawad, and J. M. Coetzee to tell the three-and-a-half-hour story of love and tragedy. On September 18, BAM will host the related panel discussion “Phaedra Interpreted” at Borough Hall as part of the Brooklyn Book Festival.

REMAINS
BAM Harvey Theater
September 21-24, $20-$45
John Jasperse, who presented the exhilarating Canyon at BAM in 2011, now looks back at his thirty-year career as well as toward the future in Remains, featuring dancers Maggie Cloud, Marc Crousillat, Burr Johnson, Heather Lang, Stuart Singer, and Claire Westby and music by John King. On September 22 at 2:00 ($30), Jasperse will teach a master class for intermediate to professional dancers at the Mark Morris Dance Center, and on September 23 at 6:00 ($25) he will participate in a talk with Tere O’Connor at BAM Fisher.

LETTER TO A MAN
BAM Harvey Theater
October 15-30, $35-$120
BAM regular Robert Wilson reteams with Mikhail Baryshnikov in this multimedia staging of the diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky; the two collaborated at BAM in 2014 with The Old Woman. Baryshnikov recently paid tribute to his friend Joseph Brodsky in Brodsky/Baryshnikov, while Wilson has presented such aural and visual spectacles at BAM as Quartett, The Black Rider, and Woyzeck. On October 24 at 7:00 at NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts, “Inside Nijinsky’s Diaries” will consist of an actor reading from the diaries, followed by a discussion (free with advance RSVP).

Ivo van Hove merges multiple Shakespeare plays into KINGS OF WAR (photo by Jan Versweyveld)

KINGS OF WAR
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
November 3-6, $24-$130
In-demand director Ivo van Hove and Toneelgroep Amsterdam return to BAM for a four-and-a-half-hour adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V, Henry VI Parts I, II & III, and Richard III. Van Hove has previously staged such works as Angels in America, Cries and Whispers, and Antigone (with Juliette Binoche) at BAM, in addition to the double shot of A View from the Bridge and The Crucible on Broadway.

THANK YOU FOR COMING: PLAY
BAM Fisher
Judith and Alan Fishman Space
November 16-19, $25
Choreographer Faye Driscoll follows up Thank You for Coming: Attendance with this new work, which we got a sneak peek at this past weekend on Governors Island. Driscoll’s presentations (There is so much mad in me, 837 Venice Blvd.) are always involving and unpredictable, and this piece is no exception. Driscoll will also be teaching a master class on November 18 at 2:00 ($30) for performers at all levels.

THE BIG EGG HUNT

Jane Morgan’s penny coin sculpture is one of more than 260 eggs scattered across all five boroughs (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

From 1885 to 1916, Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé and his company created fifty lavish, jewel-encrusted Easter eggs for the imperial royal family, primarily as gifts the emperor could present to the empress. Over the years, mystery has surrounded some of the eggs, eight of which appear to have gone missing. In tribute to its famed history, Fabergé is sponsoring the Big Egg Hunt, “hiding” more than 260 large, artist-designed eggs across all five boroughs. As you come upon the eggs, you can use an app to claim them, making you eligible for the weekly prize of a Fabergé Zenya jeweled egg pendant. (The just-released map is sure to help.) The eggs are also being sold at auction (starting at $500), benefiting Studio in a School, which teaches the visual arts to underserved New York City children, and Elephant Family, which protects Asian elephants and their habitats. Among the artists and designers who have crafted eggs for the occasion are Pat Steir, Bruce Weber, Carolina Herrera, Peter Beard, April Gornik, Clifford Ross, Martha Stewart, Peter Max, Diane von Furstenberg, D*FACE, Julian Schnabel, Bruce High Quality Foundation, Donald Baechler, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Leo Villareal, Mary Mattingly, Tommy Hilfiger, Betty Woodman, Robert Wilson, Cynthia Rowley, and Ralph Lauren; the hottest eggs so far are Zaha Hadid’s “Liquid Skyline” at $27,000, Tracey Emin’s untitled sculpture at $14,000, the Prince’s Drawing School’s “The Royal Egg — Humpty Dumpty” at $13,000, Marc Quinn’s untitled orb at $11,000, Emma Clegg’s “B” at $8,000, and Jon Koon’s “The Golden Child” at $7,000. Oh, and then there’s Jeff Koons’s colorful seal egg balancing a silver ball, which is estimated as “priceless” and can currently be had for a mere $140,000. If those prices are a bit too steep for you, there are also postcards for $10, T-shirts for $30, tote bags for $25, miniature eggs for $45, and ostrich eggs for $130. On April 18, all of the large eggs will be nesting together at Rockefeller Center, followed by the grand auction at Sotheby’s on April 22.

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARINA ABRAMOVIC

Marina Abramović’s life — and death — takes center stage with the help of Willem Dafoe, Antony, Robert Wilson, and others

Park Avenue Armory, Wade Thompson Drill Hall
643 Park Ave. at 67th St.
December 13-21, $135, 7:30
212-933-5812
www.armoryonpark.org

Performance artist extraordinaire Marina Abramović has been undergoing a career renaissance this century, highlighted by an exciting, vibrant 2010 MoMA retrospective, “The Artist Is Present,” and the 2012 documentary about the making of the exhibition. The Serbian-born, New York-based Abramović is a regular at fancy galas, and she even recently performed at Pace Gallery with Jay-Z. So what does the sixty-seven-year-old artist do, just as her life and career have become rejuvenated? Well, she stages her own funeral, of course. Actually, Abramović has decided to hand her biography over to experimental theater maestro Robert Wilson, the man behind such innovative and unique collaborations as The Black Rider with William S. Burroughs and Tom Waits, Einstein on the Beach with Philip Glass and Lucinda Childs, and The Temptation of Saint Anthony with Bernice Johnson Reagon and Geoffrey Holder. In The Life and Death of Marina Abramović, the woman behind the “Rhythm” series and so many other cutting-edge works plays herself and her mother, with Willem Dafoe serving as narrator and songs by Antony Hegarty. Conceived and directed by Wilson, it is another audiovisual spectacle that has already had a documentary made about its creation; “Marina is the landscape, Bob the mind, Antony the heart, Willem the body,” director Giada Colagrande explains. The Life and Death of Marina Abramović will fill the Park Ave. Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall December 12-21; on December 15 at 6:15, armory artistic director Alex Poots will moderate an artist talk with Abramović and Dafoe in the Veterans Room as part of the Malkin Lecture Series.

JASON AKIRA SOMMA: PHOSPHENE VARIATIONS

“Phosphene Variations” performance series will bring together live dancers and performance artists with their holographic versions

Location One
26 Greene St. between Grand & Canal Sts.
Exhibition runs Tuesday – Saturday through October 3, free; weekly Wednesday or Thursday performances, $10
212-334-3347
www.location1.org

Premiered as an experimental work-in-progress in December 2010 at the Watermill Center and later presented at the National Theatre of Paris, Brooklyn-based Virginia native Jason Akira Somma’s “Phosphene Variations” is now on view at Location One in SoHo through November 17. [Ed. note: Due to technical difficulties, the exhibition was forced to close on October 3.] The interactive exhibition features free-floating holograms of such dancers and performance artists as Robert Wilson, Laurie Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carmen DeLavallade, Bill Shannon, Frances Wessells, Jirí Kylián, and Joan Jonas, who seemingly react when “touched.” In addition, there will be weekly live performances ($10, 7:00) Wednesdays in September and October and Thursdays in November in which several of Somma’s subjects will be on hand to improvise live with their holographic image, with real-time video feedback provided by Somma and live music by electro-acoustic cellist Christopher Lancaster. Curated by dance artist Luke Miller, the schedule includes Flexors on September 26, Miss Dirty Martini, Julie Atlas Muz, and Monstah Black on October 10, Brian Brooks on October 17, Jeanine Durning and Manelich Minniefee on October 24, and Susan Marshall & Company, Bill Shannon, and Vanessa Walters on November 8, concluding on November 15 with Phosphene Redux, a closing party highlighted by the return of various of the artists who previously performed. [Ed. note: The October 10 performance will be the last one, with the others canceled as a result of the unfortunate shutdown of the exhibition.]

MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY: 85th ANNIVERSARY SEASON

The Martha Graham / Isamu Noguchi collaboration EMBATTLED GARDEN is part of MGDC season at the Rose Theater (photo by Nan Melville)

Rose Theater
10 Columbus Circle, Broadway at West 60th St.
March 16-20, $48-$133
212-721-6500
www.marthagraham.org
www.jalc.org

Since 1926, the Martha Graham Dance Company has been one of the most famous and influential dance companies in the world, boasting some 181 works from such choreographers as Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, and Pascal Rioult performed by such superstars as Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Margot Fonteyn. Under the current leadership of executive director LaRue Allen and artistic director Janet Eilber, MGDC, continuing the legacy of its legendary iconic founder, will be at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater March 15-20, celebrating its eighty-fifth anniversary season by presenting several of its most exciting pieces from throughout its storied history, many of which are either choreographed by Graham or reference her directly. The season begins Tuesday with a gala honoring Robert Wilson and a revival of his Snow on the Mesa, which has not been performed in fifteen years, along with Maple Leaf Rag, Graham’s final ballet. On March 16 & 19, “New Revival / New Work” features Graham’s 1943 Deaths and Entrances and the world premiere of a commissioned piece by Taiwanese choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava. On March 17, “The Noguchi / Graham Connection” is explored in three collaborations between Graham and Queens-based Japanese sculptor Isamu Noguchi, Appalachian Spring, Cave of the Heart, and Embattled Garden. On March 18, “Wilson / Graham” includes Snow on the Mesa and Maple Leaf Rag. The March 19 matinee, “Political Dance Project,” features Dance Is a Weapon, a montage by Graham, Isadora Duncan, Jane Dudley, and others, in addition to a performance of Graham’s 1935 Panorama by thirty New York City high school students. The season concludes with the Sunday matinee “Wilson / Graham / Noguchi,” a grand finale of Snow on the Mesa and Embattled Garden in conjunction with the JapanNYC festival.

QUARTETT

Robert Wilson reinterprets LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES with Isabelle Huppert at BAM (photo by Pascal Victor)

Robert Wilson reinterprets LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES at BAM (photo by Pascal Victor)

BAM Harvey Theater
651 Fulton Street between Ashland Pl. & Rockwell Pl.
November 4-14
Tickets: $25-$75
718-636-4100
www.bam.org

Leave it to the endlessly innovative Robert Wilson to reinterpret Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s classic story of seduction, LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES, in yet new ways. The 1782 novel has been turned into movies, operas, a television miniseries, a ballet, and a Broadway play, but avant-garde stylist Wilson has turned things inside out and upside down – literally – in his unique, thrilling, and annoying staging of German playwright Heiner Müller’s condensed 1980 adaptation of de Laclos’s tale, running at the BAM Harvey Theater through November 14. (Gabriella Maione’s version of QUARTETT was performed at the Harvey back in 2001.) An oddly coiffed Isabelle Huppert, in a stylized, futuristic purple dress, stars as Madame de Merteuil, her dirty blonde hair wound into a large cone pointing off to the right; Ariel Garcia Valdès plays Valmont, made up in red to look like Mephistopheles. As the two protagonists discuss their sexual conquests and challenge each other to yet more – and switch roles, with Huppert speaking Valmont’s words and Valdès reciting the marquise’s – they are joined onstage by Rachel Eberhart in a short green dress (purposefully braless so she can bound around demurely) and a shirtless Louis Beyler, who act out sexual deviance and frustration, seemingly representing the younger marquise and Valmont as well as their various lovers. Benoît Maréchal rounds out the cast as a gangly, goofy old man in white whom Wilson has said is a stand-in for Müller himself. Only Valdès and Huppert speak; the other three actors frolic about the stage, hang suspended from above, and dance behind a partial curtain.

Ariel Garcia Valdès and Isabelle Huppert grab hold of one another in Robert Wilson's QUARTETT (photo by Pascal Victor)

While Valdès devilishly overacts, Huppert is coldly mannered, her every movement carefully choreographed to a tee (as opposed to her previous appearance at BAM, when she stood stock-still throughout a harrowing version of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 PSYCHOSE). All of the characters occasionally break out into horrific laughter (which is actually piped in from offstage), with Huppert also sticking her tongue out to yet more strange sounds. Unfortunately, far too many of the actions are accompanied by a disturbing, alarming bang that perhaps is there to ensure those who aren’t quite getting it remain awake. The entertaining score is by Michael Galasso, who passed away in September. At ninety minutes, QUARTETT is almost shockingly short, which will delight less adventurous theatergoers. Wilson, who conceived and directed the production for the Odéon-théâtre de l’Europe and also designed the sets and lighting, has crafted yet another confounding visual spectacle, transforming the age-old story of wealthy socialites playing sexual games into a compelling, intriguing, and infuriating experience.