All in Concert
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s debut concert at Carnegie Hall last night showcased the pulsating power and syncopated joy of percussion in a program featuring a heavy dose of Latin American flavor as part of Philip Glass’s residency as the 2017–2018 Composer’s Chair.
“Black Light”, an incandescent evening of song and story, stars performance artist Daniel Alexander Jones as his alter-ego, the enigmatic cabaret creation Jomama Jones; rich in meaning and message, its politics pointed but poetic, “Black Light” is a wickedly funny, painfully revelatory, and poignantly beautiful exploration of race, identity, gender, power, history, change, and community that is perfectly calibrated for these turbulent times. Catch this show if you can.
"Bar Mitzvah Boy" was the second offering in the York Theatre Company's annual "Musicals in Mufti" series dedicated to composer Jule Styne; not performed in New York since 1987, this sweet and charming musical received an excellent production using a 2016 revised book, but could benefit from some musical trimming.
The Philip Glass Ensemble returned to Carnegie Hall last night for the first time in a decade to present “Music with Changing Parts” (1970), an oft-overlooked and rarely performed early masterpiece from Mr. Glass’s prolific repertoire.
Two songs from "Mack & Mabel" steal the show at Encores! 25th anniversary concert “Hey, Look Me Over!”—an original concert pulling overtures, songs, and scenes from nine different, lesser-known musicals—overshadowing middling material from the other eight musicals celebrated. A fun experiment after 25 years, hopefully Encores! sticks to full concerts of single shows at a time in the future.
Tonight, the New York Pops gloriously kicked off Black History month and blew the roof off Carnegie Hall with "Heart and Soul", a joyful concert in tribute to the greatest voices in R&B featuring guest vocalists Capathia Jenkins and James Monroe Iglehart.
Jule Styne, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green's 1968 Tony Winning Best Musical "Hallelujah, Baby!", now largely forgotten, receives an excellent concert production as part of the York Theatre Company's annual "Musicals in Mufti" series, which is dedicated to composer Jule Styne this year.
“Hundred Days” is a beautiful and uplifting concert musical about a musical duo’s love story and resolution to live life to the fullest; long in development, it still needs some time to germinate, but the seeds of greatness—compelling characters, a driving score, and a poignant, big idea—are all there.
Last night, The New York Pops presented “Women of Notes: In Dedication to Female Composers and Lyricists”, a concert celebrating female composers and lyricists of stage, screen, and the recording studio.
A sold-out “gala presentation” of the hauntingly glorious 1947 Lerner and Lowe musical “Brigadoon” plays New York City Center through Sunday—starring a stunning cast including Kelli O'Hara, Patrick Wilson, Stephanie J. Block, Aasif Mandvi, and Robert Fairchild—and you will want to catch it (if you can) before, like the mythical town of Brigadoon, it disappears for 100 years!
"Of Thee I Sing", the classic Gershwin musical, was presented by MasterVoices in an abbreviated concert at Carnegie Hall; a political satire eerily on point in 2017, it was fun to enter the world of this silly musical for an evening, before returning to its less humorous reality.
Last night, The New York Pops kicked off its 35th Anniversary Season at Carnegie Hall with a special tribute concert to its founder and long-time music director and conductor, Skitch Henderson (1918-2005).
