Dancing at Lughnasa is by Brian Friel, one of Ireland’s finest playwrights. Set in the summer of 1936, during the Celtic harvest festival Lughnasa, the play is told through the memories of Michael, recalling those days of growing up in the northwest county of Donegal with his mother, her three sisters, and an uncle priest recently returned from his missionary days in Africa.
Gemma Arterton is Joan of Arc, broadcast live from the Donmar Warehouse. Bernard Shaw’s classic play follows the life and trial of a young country girl who declares a bloody mission to drive the English from France. As one of the first Protestants and nationalists, she threatens the very fabric of the feudal society and the Catholic Church across Europe.
Our celebration of doo wop acappella harmony at the Pollak Theatre is back by popular demand. Born on the street corners of urban America, rhythm & blues and doo wop singing reached its peak in the 1950’s, but still has a strong following today. While doo wop singing began as an African American art form, by the late 1950’s it was enjoyed by singers of all races. Doo wop harmony in its purist form is acappella (without instruments or musical tracks).
We’ve again assembled some of the top acappella doo wop vocal groups from NYC to Washington DC. Headlining the concert will be R&B and Doo Wop favorites, Pookie Hudson’s Spaniels along with Vito & the Salutations. The Spaniels are known for the 1956 million seller, “Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight,” a song that defined the whole doo wop era. The current group backed lead singer Pookie Hudson before his passing in 2006 and continues the Spaniels’ tradition of superb doo wop harmony. Originating on the streets of Brooklyn, Vito & the Salutations scored regional hits in the early 1960’s with their recordings of “Gloria,” “Unchained Melody” and “Your Way”. Rick Anthony has been handling most of the group’s leads for the past 15 years, as the original Vito is no longer with them. The group also contains long time member, Shelly Buchansky, who sang on “Unchained Melody” and many of their other hits. While both Pookie Hudson’s Spaniels and Vito & the Salutations almost always sing with bands, we’ve persuaded both to do this concert acappella, harking back to their early days singing on the street corners. Returning from our last acappella concert are two of the groups that excel every time they perform. The Philadelphia acappella group Quiet Storm remains one of the areas’ top vocal groups. Re-MemberThen did a fabulous job last time, on their own set and backing Larry Chance. New to the concert this year are A Perfect Blend and the Copians. A Perfect Blend is a great acappella group from Philadelphia who have been singing since 1990, and had previously won the talent contest on the nationally syndicated “Showtime At The Apollo” TV show. The Copians are made up of former members of other standout Philly acappella groups. Enjoy another night of Doo Wop Acappella Harmony. A “Meet & Greet” Reception will be held prior to the concert for those holding Golden Seat Tickets.
Kristine Opolais stars in a new production of the opera that first won her international acclaim, Dvořák’s fairy-tale opera about the tragic water nymph Rusalka.
REAL BOY is the coming-of-age story of Bennett Wallace, a transgender teenager on a journey to find his voice as a musician, a friend, a son, and a man. Navigating the ups and downs of young adulthood, he works to gain the support of his mother, who has deep misgivings about her child’s transition. As tension mounts at home, Bennett is taken in by his idol, Joe Stevens, the lead singer of the alt-Americana band, Coyote Grace. Exploring how our search for personal identity also involves those closest to us, REAL BOY is a nuanced look at the new American family and the people we turn to when our given families are unavailable. There will be a post screening Q&A with the director Shaleece Haas.
Liz Moore is a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction. Her first novel, The Words of Every Song (Broadway Books, 2007), centers on a fictional record company in New York City just after the turn of the millennium. It draws partly on Liz’s own experiences as a musician. It was selected for Borders’ Original Voices program and was given a starred review by Kirkus.Roddy Doyle wrote of it, “This is a remarkable novel, elegant, wise, and beautifully constructed. I loved the book.” After the publication of her debut novel, Liz obtained her MFA in Fiction from Hunter College. In 2009, she was awarded the University of Pennsylvania’s ArtsEdge residency and moved to Philadelphia, where she still lives.
The Mitzvah (“The Good Deed”) is a one-person play that dramatically explores one of the most shocking stories of the Second World War. More than a hundred thousand German men — classified as “mischlinge” (the derogatory term the Nazis used to describe those descended from one or two Jewish grandparents) — fought in the German armed forces.
The story of one such mischling is at the center of The Mitzvah and actor (and child of survivor) Roger Grunwald seamlessly transforms himself into an array of characters to tell that story. In addition to Christoph (the “mischling”), other characters include Schmuel, a Polish Jew from Bialystok and the play’s Chorus who offers edgy commentary that probes the boundary between the absurd and the horrific. The Mitzvah is a touching and tragic tale told in a powerful one-act solo performance created by Grunwald and Broadway veteran Annie McGreevey.
Caladh Nua is a tightly-knit, vibrant and staggeringly talented band with its origins deeply rooted in the Southern counties of Ireland. Comprised of five versatile musicians and singers playing a wide selection of instruments – from banjo to fiddle, guitar to bodhran and tin whistle to button accordion – the band has captured the essential qualities of traditional Irish music and balanced them finely with an innovative contemporary flair.
Through a series of international tours and festivals across the globe, which saw the band take the stage in cities such as Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen, Berlin, Mumbai and Vancouver, Caladh Nua has cast a uniquely captivating net of Irish music and song over an ever widening worldwide audience.
A long list of TV and radio broadcasts of their performances and two acclaimed recordings includes American Public Radio, the BBC, and RTE. Performing a vast repertoire of haunting songs and evocative Irish tunes, Caladh Nua is a young ensemble on the rise.
Sonya Yoncheva brings her acclaimed interpretation of the doomed courtesan Violetta Valéry to Live in HD audiences for the first time.
