by Deirdre Donovan Valentine’s Day arrived a little early this year, thanks to the baton of the renowned Jacques Lacombe and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. In his recent program at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) at Newark, he brought Shakespeare’s beloved Romeo and Juliet to life, not through high-flown rhetoric, but…
Photograph by Richard Termine by Stewart Schulman When Kelli O’Hara and Matthew Morrison took the stage at Carnegie Hall on December 19th and 20th, as part of The New York Pops annual holiday concert, it was the first time these two stars of Broadway, film and television had performed together since doing The…
by Deirdre Donovan Under the lively baton of Ted Sperling, Monty Python’s Eric Idle and John Du Prez brought to life their latest work at Carnegie Hall, giving a surreal twist to a holiday classic. Tomfoolery with the New Testament? You betcha. Monty Python’s Eric Idle and John Du Prez (A Fish Called Wanda)…
Photographs by Richard Termine By Stewart Schulman A concert where the orchestra was the star and the conductor its leading player. “By Special Request: An Evening With The Orchestra” was an artfully conceived and delightfully entertaining concert comprised of classic works by three 19th/20th century European masters (Part 1), favorites by three legendary New…
By R. Pikser Bobby McFerrin, extraordinary musician and improviser, opened the 60th season at Brooklyn College’s Brooklyn Performing Arts Center. Mr. McFerrin, son of Robert McFerrin, Sr., the first African American to become a member of the Metropolitan Opera, and singer, music teacher and accompanist Sara McFerrin, is a seeker and appreciator of music…
by Deirdre Donovan This rock star pianist was a guest performer of New York’s recent event. “Clear, beautiful, and musical.” That winking weather forecast in the October 20th program for the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York breathed with brilliance as virtuoso pianist Konstantin Soukovetski took the stage with his personal arrangements of…
Bradley’s duet, She and Him, etc. – last dance on the program. Dancers Katherine Sprudzs and Joseph Wamp. photo by Nan Melville by R. Pikser The excellent idea behind the STEPS workshop performance series is to give young choreographers a chance to look at their new works, to get feedback, and to allow young…
by R. Pikser Ralph Lee’s Mettawee Theatre Company is a mixture of puppets and actors, music and movement, all in the service of telling the story. These particular stories about wily foxes and wilier humans, about masters of the world and payback for misers, resonate these days as much as they ever did. As…
Andrea Martin in Conversation with Nathan Lane by Linda Amiel Burns The 92nd Street Y launched its new season of TALKS with 2 Tony winners in conversation – Nathan Lane interviewing Andrea Martin about her new book, “Lady Parts.” What is TALKS? According to the series description at the 92nd Y, it is about…
By Michall Jeffers Note for next season: If you have an opportunity to get a seat facing the conductor at the Mostly Mozart Festival, grab it! Seeing the program from this angle is a whole different experience, and it’s well worth it. Conductor Louis Langree exudes sheer joy, and clearly inspires the musicians with…