[note: many, if not most, of these links may no longer be working, but such is the nature of the digital. hopefully, the url and context are enough to help you find any further information you want. if not, feel free to contact me, and i’ll try to help.]
noviembre 2024
¡hola, difus@s!
each fall season feels harder to catch, which is probably a function of advancing age (time does move faster) and changing conditions (one is now a bit more settled), but what i have managed to catch thus far has been really, really good.
buildings i & ii was everything i love (and some people, like those i shared an elevator with, do not) about richard maxwell; the first half was a sharply focused take on the classic family inheritance drama, the second was a mordantly funny and surreal quasi-musical, and both were rigorously (and hilariously) affectless. the builder’s association’s atlas drugged (tools for tomorrow) was right on par with house / divided, a trenchant (and admirably accessible) analysis of contemporary politics with gorgeous set design, and antigone in the amazon was equally incisive in its politics and elegant (though more spare) in its staging, a strong argument for why we should be seeing more of rau’s work in new york. (both these shows were at skirball, which has emerged as the most reliably interesting performing arts venue in manhattan, at least for my taste. ¡mil gracias, jay wegman!)
farther afield (for me), cole escola’s oh, mary! deserves all the praise—and commercial success—it’s been getting, and more. i can’t recall the last time i had that much fun in a theater (or didn’t feel any remorse over paying broadway ticket prices—which i’d happily pay again). at some dear friends’ insistence, i saw cats: the jellicle ball and found it surprisingly enjoyable, even moving (in part for the families with kids sitting around us); reframing the bonkers musical as ballroom gives it some narrative coherence (but, now that i’ve finally seen the musical, i’m still puzzling over what its success says about the 80s...). as much as i appreciate opera, i’m far from a regular at the met; productions like ainadamar, though, will see me there much more often.
seeing the substance (excellent body horror with incredible design and fierce performances) and anora (a wild ride with a crushing ending that only deepened my sean baker fandom) in close succession left me both thrilled (for film) and disturbed (for young women, both on screen and off). rumours was every bit as absurd as i’d expected, though that absurdity was inscrutable (oscillating abruptly between cynical and playful) in ways that tended to undermine the overall effect—but the ending totally delivered. the ornithologist (which is an even more lush, oneiric ghost story than i’d remembered) left me wanting to see more of “the ongoing revolution of portuguese cinema”, but moma’s persistent (and, importantly, staff-acknowledged) problems with security personnel (hell-bent on wrecking the visitor experience) left me vowing never to return—we have so many more (and more pleasant) places to enjoy art and film...
and we’ve got a LOT of good art, visual and performing, as well as film on this month:
dance: seeing wally cardona in matthew barney’s secondary reminded me how long it’s been since i’ve seen him on stage, so i’m really looking forward to a plump single-color bulb, or a dance at new york live arts (where i’d to catch ismael mouraki’s le sacre de lila). i’m also really intrigued by marija krtolica’s parrhesia (because foucault), carmen caceres / danceaction’s the price is right (de-valued), levi gonzalez’s hoary, and animals of distinction’s frontera.
film: films from cannes keep rolling in with all we imagine as light (which won rapturous praise on the film comment podcast), the seed of the sacred fig (which won the jury prize), and emilia pérez (which won the special jury prize and best actress). other features of note include a traveler’s needs, bird, nathan-ism, queer (i’m so not a guadagnino fan, but i am interested in this burroughs adaptation), and the sacrifice (i’ll take any chance to see tarkovsky on the big screen). anthology’s sergei parajanov centennial series is essential viewing; other series and festivals worth looking into are anthology’s kamal aljafari series, film forum’s bruce weber series, momi’s lana wilson series, the african diaspora international film festival, the new york short film festival, and selected shorts from the morelia international film festival.
music: in new music this month, the jack quartet (whom i haven’t seen in far too long) and the pacifica quartet play the 92y, the silk road ensemble (with rhiannon giddens) presents american railroad at bam, john adams conducts an american program for the ny phil, ice and steve schick premiere zosha di castro’s touch trace and theresa wong presents fluency of trees at roulette, and jeremy denk and steve jackiw play charles ives’ violin sonatas at the crypt sessions. for early music, check out the gesualdo six with abendmusik, the schola cantorum nicola sala, and the marian consort. a few other concerts i’d like to catch are ute lemper (a fave from college), alba carmona, and treya lam and kaki king.
performance + theater: thiago rodrigues’ by heart was surprisingly affecting, so i’m eager to see catarina and the beauty of killing fascists. the civilian’s sex variants of 1941—a study of homosexual patterns is also at the top of my to-see list. other shows that have my interest piqued are fowl play: conference of the birds, hothouse, the light and the dark (the life and times of artemisia gentileschi), oud player on the tel, robert will show you the door (tales of being fired), and shit. meet. fan.
art: among the shows i’m hoping to see this month (while still working through the long list of fall museum shows i’ve yet to see) are “maḏayin: eight decades of aboriginal australian bark painting from yirrkala” at the asia society, anne duk hee jordan at canal projects, and the inaugural show at marian goodman’s new headquarters. i’m also really curious about luna luna at the shed and the auction previews at sotheby’s and christie’s, and, while the weather’s decent, i want to check out artnet’s public art recommendations.
the full calendar follows, and you can always share with anyone else by signing them up here.
un abrazo,
p
noviembre / november
3: ink (dance)
3: hans: night creatures (dance)
3: harrison storm (music)
3: fka i am a bad blk person (performance)
3-7: niki de saint phalle on screen (art, film)
3-7: bruce weber (film)
3-7: the sacrifice (film)
3-9: ainadamar (music)
3-9: the beastiary (theater)
3-10: mrs. stern wanders the prussian state library (theater)
3-10: ragtime (theater)
3-10: ghost of john mccain (theater)
3-16: f*ck7thgrade (theater)
3-17: the christine jorgensen show (theater)
3-17: in the amazon warehouse parking lot (theater)
3-17: a woman among women (theater)
3-17: a freeky introduction (theater)
3-17: hothouse (theater)
3-17: 2024 la mama puppet festival (theater)
3-19: the ongoing revolution of portuguese cinema (film)
3-20: golem owned a tropical smoothie (theater)
3-23: tin church (theater)
3-24: we live in cairo (theater)
3-24: walden (theater)
3-24: mcneal (theater)
3-: emilia perez (film)
3-: we are here: scenes from the streets (film)
3-: the light and the dark (the life and times of artemisia gentileschi) (theater)
3-: gatz (theater)
3-: bad kreyol (theater)
3-: give me carmelita tropicana! (theater)
3-: the notebook of trigorin (theater)
3-: king lear (theater)
3-: the blood quilt (theater)
3-: shit. meet. fan. (theater)
3-: music city (theater)
3-: hold on to me darling (theater)
3-: music city (theater)
3-: babe (theater)
4: jo andres: neil greenberg & paul hamilton, antonio ramos, samantha lysaght (dance)
4: i can't remember anything (theater)
5: bill nace and haley fohr (music)
5: daniel rafimayeri, violin (music)
5: "1989": a musical by gdańsk shakespeare theatre & juliusz słowacki theatre + election watch party (theater)
5-10: limon dance company (dance)
6: guy klucevsek and volker goetze: little big top quartet (music)
6: orpheus chamber orchestra; maxim vengerov, violin (music)
6: rachel kolly, violin; christian chamorel, piano (music)
6-9: raven chacon (music)
7: leila lois and hussein smko: when fire meets mountain (dance)
7: the flat earth society orchestra (music)
7: marty ehrlich / ingrid laubrock (music)
7: jjjjjerome ellis: aster of ceremonies (music)
7: orpheus chamber orchestra; maxim vengerov, violin (music)
7: historical performance chamber music (music)
7: attacca quartet (music)
7: kwami winfield: up, within a subset (music)
7-9: stories will not mend this broken world (theater)
7-10: justin vivian bond: oh well (music)
7-12: rouvali leads julia wolfe, strauss & sibelius (music)
7-17: get it together (theater)
7-24: funhouse (theater)
7-24: rita is the goat (theater)
7-24: diva therapy (theater)
7-24: woman on a ledge (theater)
7-: we are your robots (theater)
8: sandra lied haga, cello; anna fedorova, piano (music)
8: historical performance chamber music (music)
8: the art of bach (music)
8: a musical celebration of diwali with brooklyn raga massive (music)
8: louis cole choral music (music)
8-9: frontera (dance)
8-9: le sacre de lila (dance)
8-9: valleto's 10th anniversary presents eternal bonds (dance)
8-9: johnny gandelsman: this is america (music)
8-10: the baker's wife (music)
8-11: mosquitoes (theater)
8-14: a fidai film (film)
8-14: new york short film festival (film)
8-14: il grido (film)
8-17: sergei parajanov centennial (film)
8-20: methods in madness (theater)
8-24: oud player on the tel (theater)
8-: bird (film)
8-: hippo (film)
8-: the piano lesson (film)
8-: orson's shadow (theater)
9: bebe miller company: open rehearsal of vespers, reimagined (2025) (dance)
9: douglas lora and irene atienza (music)
9: the gesualdo six with abendmusik (music)
9: schwanengesang (music)
9: the art of bach (music)
9: a memorial for catherine christer hennix (1948-2023) (music)
9-19: kamal aljafari (film)
9-30: the magic of frank oz (film)
10: fonissa (murderess) (film)
10: jack quartet (music)
10: mao fujita, piano (music)
10: juilliard jazz ensembles | the swing song tradition: sarah vaughan and dinah washington (music)
10: spring storm (theater)
11: the greatest production of romeo and juliet that history has ever known or festival of love (theater)
12: sussan deyhim: whispers from the underworld (in memory of richard horowitz) (music)
12: mitsuko uchida, piano; musicians from marlboro (music)
12: cowboy sadness, jason nazary & kieran daly (duo) (music)
12-: burnout paradise (performance)
12-: 300 paintings (theater)
13: american railroad (music)
13: american pops orchestra: no one is alone (music)
13: pacifica quartet (music)
13: elena villalón, soprano; craig terry, piano (music)
13: liederabend (music)
13: charlotte jacobs and mazz swift (music)
13-16: levi gonzález: hoary (dance)
13-16: zeena parkins (music)
13-17: gallim (dance)
13-17: catarina and the beauty of killing fascists (theater)
13-17: the harlem doll palace (theater)
13-23: gaviota (theater)
14: blue in the face (film)
14: treya lam and kaki king (music)
14: belcea quartet; quatuor ébène (music)
14: orchestra of st. luke’s (music)
14: sonic spectrum i (music)
14: lisa moore, piano (music)
14: miguel zenón (music)
14: library (performance)
14-16: prisma (dance)
14-16: a plump single-color bulb, or a dance (dance)
14-16: molly lieber and eleanor smith: prairie dawn (dance)
14-16: boca tuya (dance)
14-16: lucidity (music)
14-16: john adams, copland, and gabriella smith (music)
14-17: nathan-ism (film)
14-24: agamemnon: the circle of blood (theater)
14-25: sex variants of 1941 (theater)
15: desire lines (film)
15: piotr kurek (music)
15: abdullah ibrahim trio (music)
15: quetzal (music)
15: gilbert kalish, piano (music)
15: theo bleckmann (music)
15: immunity (music)
15: joni: surge (music)
15: a musical celebration of diwali with brooklyn raga massive (music)
15-16: carmen caceres / danceaction: the price is right (de-valued) (dance)
15-20: unraveling women (film)
15-23: polly: a dumbshow for smart people desperate to survive the fallout (theater)
15-26: once more with ealing (film)
15-: all we imagine as light (film)
15-: thistles (theater)
15-: room 1214 (theater)
16: alba carmona (music)
16: kali malone's all life long / raphael rogiński (music)
16: the marian consort (music)
16: catch 77 (performance)
17: sunn o))) / mabe fratti (music)
17: theresa wong: fluency of trees (music)
17: ana vidovic, guitar (music)
17: berliner philharmoniker (music)
17: virtuoso winds (music)
17: american brass quintent (music)
17: carol szymanski: the fall (recirculation): 1st movement (music)
18: kayla hamilton, paloma mcgregor, imogene williams, fabio tavares (dance)
18: berliner philharmoniker (music)
18: the met orchestra chamber ensemble (music)
18: juilliard orchestra conducted by giancarlo guerrero (music)
19: lines of light vocal ensemble (music)
19: berliner philharmoniker (music)
19: schoenberg and beyond (music)
19: charles ives violin sonatas (music)
19: the ashlee simpson lip-sync / scout davis (performance)
19-22: concrete boom vol. 3 (theater)
19-: complexions contemporary ballet (dance)
19-: this is my favorite song (theater)
20: ivy queen (music)
20: schola cantorum nicola sala (music)
20-21: godspeed you! black emperor (music)
20-23: bronfman plays beethoven (music)
20-23: anna webber (music)
20-: the dead, 1904 (theater)
20-: cult of love (theater)
21: morelia international film festival: selected shorts (film)
21: the ivalas string quartet (music)
21: ice and steven schick: touch trace by zosha di castri (music)
21: filippo gorini, piano (music)
21: the orchestra now (music)
21: darius jones: samesoul maker and fluxkit vancouver (music)
21: māyā - the musical (music)
21: billy & the situation (theater)
21-23: ayano elson + wendell gray ii (dance)
21-23: anna martine whitehead: force! an opera in three acts (music)
21-23: la tragédie de carmen (music)
21-: robert will show you the door (tales of being fired) (theater)
21-: fowl play: conference of the birds (theater)
22: catalyst quartet: intersections (music)
22: chamber orchestra of new york (music)
22: gregorio benítez, piano (music)
22: royal concertgebouw orchestra (music)
22: galvin cello quartet (music)
22: a musical celebration of diwali with brooklyn raga massive (music)
22-23: choreographers and composers (dance, music)
22-24: come alive: the films of lana wilson (film)
22-: a traveler's needs (film)
22-: sabbath queen (film)
22-: never look away (film)
22-: ernest cole: lost and found (film)
22-: porcelain war (film)
23: marija krtolica: parrhesia (dance)
23: born dancing (dance)
23: egg by césar alvarez and emily orling (music)
23: ali akbar moradi & pejman hadadi: sacred music of kurdistan (music)
23: royal concertgebouw orchestra (music)
23: rebirth brass band (music)
23: coro acardenchado (music)
23: katie porter: collaborations ex-situ (music)
23: damaged goods (theater)
24: an evening with sir stephen hough (music)
24: ny phil ensembles at merkin (music)
25: axiom (music)
26-29: ute lemper sings kurt weill (music)
26-: queer (film)
27-: the seed of the sacred fig (film)
27-: the wages of fear (film)
27-: yunchan lim plays chopin (music)
29-: african diaspora international film festival (film)