Musicians all across Manhattan are playing al fresco in the hopes of earning some money and lifting morale. For many New Yorkers, the sounds and sights of musical ensembles on city streets and in parks is a much-needed sign of promise and resilience.
Since June, for example, Prospect Park’s entrance plaza has been the regular stage for Wayne Tucker and Bad Motha’s. They started playing outside because they missed the thrill of playing for crowds.
All of the city’s 2,400 indoor performance spaces have been closed since March when the pandemic began and New York issued lockdown orders. The improvised outdoor shows are kindling a connection and comradery that is healing for both the musicians and the city dwellers.
As many performances have migrated to virtual spaces since the coronavirus took hold across the world, it has not been easy to keep up with the sheer quantity of cultural opportunities. Particularly the digital dance world has commissioned all kinds of works and adapted countless choreographies for screens new works for the screen.
But some establishments have chosen to reflect on the talents already existent in their mist, finding archival materials and unaired footage of past shows. The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s website now features a section entitled Love From the BAM Hamm Archives which includes more than two dozen interviews, routines, recitals, and presentations since 2008.
Among the featured dance acts are John Jasperse’s “Remains,” which debuted in 2016 at the Next Wave Festival, and “Expressions and Encounters: African, Cuban, and American Rhythms,” a DanceAfrica 2011 show. The credits for each video lead viewers to related archival materials including billboard posters, photos, program books, etc.
The city that never sleeps is currently taking a nap. All the things that make New York City the vibrant, exciting, and enchanting place that it is have modified their programming and reaching customers despite the current restrictions. There are plenty of the city’s finest haunts and jaunts available to enjoy virtually.
Social distancing, school lockdowns, and stay at home orders have made the days of the week virtually indistinguishable. Rosé Mansion makes sure you launch your weekend off right by offering virtual happy hours every week! They even have customized Zoom Backgrounds so you can feel like you are in your favorite mansion room. No happy hour is complete without a glass of wine, and Rose’ Mansion has got you covered. They will deliver a 6 or 12 pack of wine—produced by small businesses—right to your door. And while down your drink you can feel good about giving to charity too: 100% of the money from the online sales go toward paying the staff and reopening the bar.
If you are missing the sounds and beats of New York, you can check out the Music for the Soul of NYC’s Health + Hospitals Heroes. This new series brings inspiration and comfort to the 43,000 staff at NYC’s 11 public hospitals and their patients. It is providing paid work for musicians and features professional NYC musicians performing songs requested by health workers and patients at NYC public hospitals. Music for the Soul is livestreamed on NYC Health + Hospital’s Facebook page every day from noon-1pm.
Thought Gallery is live-streaming hundreds of talks, lectures, performances, and cultural events to enjoy. If you like to curl up with a good book, The New York Public Library is offering access to more than 300,000 FREE e-books and e-audio books during this crisis.
New Yorkers and Big Apple tourists are all impacted by
COVID-19. But not even the raging pandemic can put New York City’s culture to
rest. Check out this list for those looking for some good, old-fashioned New
York fun to enjoy from the safety and coziness of your own home.
The Metropolitan Opera is offering live audio streams of most performances. Some of Broadway’s best musicals are available for viewing on stage but at home. Netflix, AmazonPrime, BroadwayHD, and others are offering classics like Rent, Cats, and Kiss Me, Kate. Check provider websites for full listings.
New York Operas are being audio streamed for home-bound listeners
No matter how you get your New York fix these days, keep
yourself New York ready- and healthy- for when you can finally get back to all
your favorite spots.
Oh no! Summer is almost over and you haven’t yet done something really spectacular? No need to fret, just go to a Broadway show!
Broadway is one of the unique New York attractions that bring people from all over the world to the Big Apple. Why not indulge yourself and another special someone, or even the entire family?
Here is what is on offer on the Great White Way:
Musicals
This genre of theater is really what Broadway a household word all over the world. And for very good reasons; the music is phenomenal, costumes and scenery will blow your mind, and the voices will most assuredly send chills up and down your spine. Pick the right show and you will also be treated to some incredible dancing. The choices are varied and many. Here are some of our favorites:
The Lion King: Based on the beloved Disney movie whose story bears a strong resemblance to Hamlet, the staged version of the animated film takes the music, and everything else to a completely new, and incomparable level.
The Book of Mormon: This controversial original play won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical of 2011, and was nominated for 14.
Fiddler on the Roof: This revival of the iconic 1964 show based on the “Tevye” stories written by Yiddish writer Sholom Aleichem tells the story of love between couples old and young; between parents and children; social and political upheavals at the turn of the 20th century; and done with humor, empathy and lots and lots of heart. In short, its themes are universal and guaranteed to please whatever your ethnic origin.
Drama
The Price: This is a revival of a 1968 play written by Arthur Miller, of “Death of a Salesman” fame. The original was nominated for two Tony Awards, and is the story of family dynamics, the price of furniture and also the price of one’s decisions.
Heisenberg: A hit off-Broadway, Heisenberg tells the story of Clare, who notices a “much older than she is” Alex in a crowded London tube station. She spontaneously kisses him on his neck, which sets the stage for the two to engage in a life-changing game.
Photograph 51: See Oscar winner Nicole Kidman perform as Rosalind Franklin, the x-ray crystallographer whose photo allowed Watson and Crick to uncover the structure of DNA. The play focuses on the frantic hunt for the answer to how the shape of DNA transmits the information which carries the secret of life. Written by Anna Ziegler, Photograph 51 is a journey through what is sacrificed for science, love and a place in history.
From now until May 14 Lincoln Center is hosting a wonderful free event: Artists for LPA Share Shakespeare. Taking place at the New York
This was long thought to be the only portrait of William Shakespeare that had any claim to have been painted from life, until another possible life portrait, the Cobbe portrait, was revealed in 2009.
Public Library for the Performing Arts, come hear the answers actors, comic, musicians, designers and songwriters give to some intriguing Shakespearean questions, such as: “What is your favorite Shakespeare play or character? Your least favorite? Your favorite actor or production?” In other words, “How did Shakespeare inspire you?”
The event is completely free at 10:30am every day but Sunday. Not tickets needed. When you visit The Library you will see their answers paired with artifacts from the library’s collections.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Plaza Corridor Gallery is right next to Lincoln Center at 65th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues.
The Signature Theater was founded in 1991 by James Houghton. Houghton’s goal was to explore and celebrate playwrights in a deeper way, frequently devoting an entire season of performances to works by one living contemporary writer.
This year the theater moved to its new home, a space designed by the illustrious architect Frank Gehry in such a way as to give form to the lofty ambitions of Houghton’s dream.
The Signature Center is now the home to three major Off-Broadway venues: a 299-seat main stage; a 199-seat miniature opera house; and a versatile courtyard theater named in honor of the late Romulus Linney.
If you come today at 2pm, Sunday February 26th, you will be able to enjoy the remake of Athol Fugard’s 1961 allegory about racism, Blood Knot. More performances of this tale about two brothers from South Africa will take place at the following times:
Tue 7:30pm; Wed 2pm, 7:30pm; Mar 01 – Mar 02 7:30pm; Mar 03 2pm, 8pm. Ending: Sun Mar 11 2pm.
For more information call (212) 244-7529
Pershing Square Signature Center is located at 480 West 42nd at Tenth Avenue
Kids’ Night Out on Broadway is a fantastic way to take your children out for an unforgettable experience, and not have to mortgage the house to do it. From February 5th through the 9th, kids between the ages of 6 and 18 can get a free ticket to a Broadway show when they are accompanied by an adult with a full price ticket.
The list of shows from which to choose is long, including such incredible productions as The Lion King, Anything Goes, Sister Act, and many more. There are several off-Broadway shows also available, such as Rent, Stomp, Avenue Q, and others.
As an added bonus, those participating in KNOB are invited to Madame Tussauds for a pre-theater party on February 7th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. The event is free to kids and one parent or guardian who has a KNOB ticket for a participating show. Kids will meet many cast members, participate in a variety of fun programming, and will get to explore the world-renowned wax museum. Madame Tussauds is located at 234 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues.
Remember the film Sister Act? Whoopi Goldberg plays a singer who must hide from the Mafia after witnessing a murder, and the police hide her in a convent where she must play the part of a nun. The screenplay was adapted for the theater and became a big hit in London’s West End after it opened there in 2009.
Now you can see Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy on Broadway. Unfortunately Goldberg is unable to reprise her role as Sister Mary Clarence, but Patina Miller is up to the challenge, with a wonderful voice and amazing stage presence. The chorus of nuns backing up Miller is spectacular, singing some old favorites and original tunes by the likes of Alan Menken, who gave the Little Mermaid her voice, and Aladdin his genius.
Sister Act is taking part in “Broadway Week,” and tickets can be purchased at the 2 for 1 price for shows beginning September 18 through the 30th.
Are you ready for something really different, and uniquely New York? Try the 13th Street Repertory Company, located at 50 West 13th Street between Fifth and the Avenue of the Americas. At this bastion of contemporary theater new artists are welcome to come and find their individual voices.
The company performs as many as seven shows each week, including theater for children in addition to its trademark “New Works Reading” series.
Especially enduring has been the play “Line,” written by Israel Horovitz and first performed at the 13th Street Repertory 32 years ago. The show is still performed weekly, making “Line” the longest running off-off-Broadway play in history.
