Show Recommendations

Dear Friends,

It is my hope that you will find out about all kinds of performing arts events through this blog. I will continue to add links to connect you to information about shows in the city and in Westchester, and I will update this letter to let you know about any interesting shows I have seen. Also, you can check out the Beyond Wicked" post on this site, which is a reprint of a monthly arts column I write for The Examiner of Pleasantville and Mount Kisco; there will often be more show recommendations there.

Please also let me know what you are getting out there to see. You can do so by filling out a comment (below) and then I can share your report with other readers. People have told me they are hesitant to write in because they are not confident about their writing skills. Please feel free just to write in the name of a show and that you liked it; it does not have to be a full review.

And now, some recommendations:

Whether or not you saw the open rehearsal of The Atlantic Theater's "Port Authority" as part of our Series, I strongly and happily recommend that you go to their production in the city. I saw the show's opening last week and the production was far above even my ridiculously high expectations. The play itself is moving, heartbreaking, poignant, and even hilarious at times. The cast - Brian d'Arcy James, John Gallagher Jr., and Jim Norton, are remarkable. It is a real chance to see three of the theatre's finest actors at the top of their game. This is a meaningful evening of theatre on every level.

Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is now playing at The Pearl Theatre in the East Village, with the lovely and talented company member, Rachel Botchan, as Gwendolyn.

And now, about some great shows that I've seen by groups that always have something interesting going on year-round:

I went downtown to The Moth for its StorySLAM on the theme "danger." In an evening hosted by the author Dan Kennedy (Loser Goes First), 10 storytellers were chosen out of a hat brimming with hopeful contestants' names. Those chosen came on stage to tell a five minute story - and it must be a true story - on the above theme. Most of the storytellers were quite wonderful and the stories ranged from the details of a visit to see the human bodies (read: "dead bodies") exhibit at the South Street Seaport, to opening a furniture business in Hawaii, to a man witnessing his father being shot by his stepfather. Each story was scored by three sets of judges and, at the end of the evening, a winner was declared. That winner will go on to compete in the The Moth's GrandSLAM evening in the fall. These evenings are a great deal of fun - a real testament to the power of the story - and the environment is festive (beer and wine can be taken to your table). I have been to two such evenings and have been exposed to some really wonderful talent (my book list is growing as a result, as many of the hosts and storytellers are published authors). The Moth presents many versions of these evenings, with curated evenings being their mainstay. For these evenings, they select a theme (at the JCC on the Upper West Side, the theme was "Guilt: Don't Mind Me, I'll Just Sit in the Dark) and invite seasoned storytellers to perform a ten-minute story. Check out The Moth's calendar of events; I'm sure you'll have a great evening if you go.

VIVA COLOMBIA! AT THALIA THEATRE - this one already closed, but check them out as they have solid year-round programming:

For a really festive night of dance and music, head over to Thalia Theatre in Queens. I saw their current production of "VIVA COLOMBIA!" and thoroughly enjoyed it. The evening consists of about 20 separate Latin American songs and dances from the region. There are six musicians onstage - playing the saxophone, flute, guitar, bass and percussion, as well as singing - accompanying 16 dancers. The costumes for each dance are worth the trip alone, but the dancers and musicians are really extraordinary. Their was a real range of styles in each piece, which kept the evening interesting and alive - as evidenced by a wildly enthusiastic audience including one man who waved a Colombian flag every now and again and a woman who looked like it was all she could do not to jump up and start dancing in the aisle. Thalia Theatre presents plays, music, and dance and is well worth the trip. Across the street from the theatre is a wonderful Colombian restaurant , El Comelon, with a live saxophonist. I brought my daughter to the restaurant and the show and we felt as if we'd traveled to an exotic and exciting foreign country for the evening. "VIVA COLOMBIA!" runs through December 10th. El Comelon Restaurant can be reached at 718-392-7822.