Interludes

THE STATE OF THE ARTS – February 11, 2015

• By drediman
• February 11, 2015
• No Comments

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• The New York City Ballet’s winter season continued its winning streak with last week’s one-night-only program, entitled Classic NYCB. The evening was unique in that it did not include any Balanchine, but the following: Peter Martins’ slight and rhythmic Halleluhah Junction (music by John Adams); Christopher Wheeldon’s poignant pas de deux A Place for Us (music by Andre Previn and Leonard Bernstein); and the centerpiece of the evening, Jerome Robbins’ engrossing 80-minute The Goldberg Variations (music by Bach). If anything, the program highlighted the astonishing depth of talent in the company’s corps.
• Benjamin Scheuer brings back his deceptively simple, vibrant one-man musical The Lion, this time to the Lynn Redgrave Theater in the East Village. Upon second viewing, this brief 70-minute autobiographical piece packed an even more walloping emotional punch than when I saw it last summer (it had left a pleasant, if forgettable, flavor in my mouth). Scheuer, who is an appealing, cool presence, has now eased into the show nicely and seems to be tapping into a raw, vulnerable place within that he only did intermittently previously.
• Oh, Bridget Everett. Her current cabaret show at Joe’s Pub, Rock Bottom, is probably the most unadulterated fun time one can have in the city right now. Admittedly, she’s not for everyone – she’s obnoxious, in-your-face, crude, and a total dominatrix b*tch. She also has the uncanny and moving ability to reveal pearls of wisdom in the most unexpected places and is one of the most fearless and mercilessly present performers I’ve come across. She’s naughty, she’s not so nice, and she’s the real deal. Don’t miss her.
• There’s nothing onstage right now quite like the Neo-Futurists’ The Human Symphony at the New Ohio Theater. In it, five randomly selected members of the audience perform a collage of stories onstage, as prompted by the synchronized headphones they wear. What could have been a tiring gimmick turns out by evening’s end to be an inspired, very amusing way to tell our stories.
• The Metropolitan Opera is currently housing a new production of a fascinating double bill: Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta (starring Anna Netrebko) and Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle (starring Nadja Michael and Mikhail Petrenko). Both Netrebko (who was so tremendous early this season as Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth) and Michael acted and sang with thrilling commitment to both the music and their respective characters. Mariusz Trelinski’s production is dark and atmostpheric (even the upbeat fairy tale that is Iolanta); I found it terribly effective. I’m looking forward to what Mr. Trelinski will do with next season’s Met opener, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. Maestro Gergiev conducted the mighty Met forces magnificently and with great nuance.
• Greg Edward and Andy Sandberg’s Application Pending at the Westside Theater is breezy and entertaining fare, but it is Christina Bianco’s tour-de-force performance that makes this one not to miss. Ms. Bianco, with pure panache and expert timing, plays countless characters in this new play about kindergarten admissions.