The New York City Traveler

New York comes a close second to Los Angeles in the number of people who are seeking fame.  Starry-eyed dreamers arrive in the Big Apple with hopes of one day seeing their name on a Broadway marquee.  If you’re seeking the limelight, be sure to add these two opportunities to your list of auditions.  Who knows, you may just be the next big thing.
“NYC Sound Tracks,” an eight-episode series on MSG and MSG.com that finds the most talented New York City subway performer, will be holding an open call for talent.  Auditions are on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 from …read more

3 Comments

First there was Shakespeare in the Park, then there was Shakespeare Under the Bridge, and now The Drilling CompaNY, an acting troupe, has taken up residence in a downtown parking lot to perform some of Shakespeare’s classics.  
This summer marks the 13th annual year of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot.  The avant garde production employs cardboard sets, minimal props, and plenty of contemporary aspects, including a wardrobe that looks like it just came out of Sex and the City.
The season begins next week with performances of Twelfth Night, and in mid-July, continues with performances of Henry V.  
Bring …read more

1 Comment

Normally a series of summer concerts featuring lesser-known talent in a variety of venues across the five boroughs, the Metropolitan Opera’s summertime tradition is shifting gears this year and will feature a free one-night-only performance with two of opera’s biggest stars, Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna.  
Operatic partners, as well as husband and wife, soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna are frequent performers at the Met Opera and will perform popular arias and duets at the outdoor concert.
The concert will take place at Prospect Park in Brooklyn in the Long Meadow, which can accommodate up to 150,000 people, six …read more

2 Comments

Shakespeare in the Park it is not.  For something a little more avant garde, try Shakespeare under the bridge… the Brooklyn Bridge, that is.   
Polish theater company TR Warszawa and director Grzegorz Jarzyna breathe new life into Shakespeare’s Macbeth with performances at St. Ann’s Warehouse in DUMBO, Brooklyn.  This Shakespeare classic tragedy will be presented in an a two-story, open-air, column-free structure that was specially constructed for the event.  The production will be a true multi-media experience complete with video walls and English supertitles, as the play will be presented entirely in Polish.
For more information on Macbeth under the bridge, …read more

Comments Off

The love story between Ennis and Jack isn’t over yet.  New York City Opera announced yesterday that they have commissioned American composer Charles Wuorinen to write an opera based on Annie Proulx’s short story “Brokeback Mountain.”  Proulx’s 1997 short story was made into a 2005 feature-length film and garnered multiple Academy Award nominations, including three wins.
The film, set in 1963, is an unlikely love story that follows the relationship of two ranch-hands, Ennis and Jack, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.    
“Ever since encountering Annie Proulx’s extraordinary story I have wanted to make an opera on it, and …read more

Comments Off

River to River, a downtown festival that stretches from June to September with various events, is will underway.  Featuring world-class performing arts and free admission, the festival takes place in a variety of Downtown Manhattan public venues, from Chambers Street to the Battery on Manhattan’s southern tip, and includes Governors Island. 
There are a number of free events virtually everyday.  Highlights of the summer festival include:

Otis Clay and Ryan Shaw June 11  Free
Sonic Youth  July 4  Free
Folk Music Festival on Governors Island  July 26  Free
The Big River Project: The Music of Johnny Cash  July 26  Free
Seaport Music Festival  …read more

Comments Off

It may not be the Globe Theatre, but Shakespeare has returned to Central Park in one of New York City’s favorite free summer events, Shakespeare in the Park. 
This year the Public Theater is performing Shakespeare’s classic tragedies, Hamlet.  Denmark’s Prince Hamlet sets out for revenge against his Uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet’s father, the King, and marries Hamlet’s mother in an attempt to take the throne.  Among the actors in Hamlet is Law & Order alum Sam Waterston.    
Free tickets are available on the day of the performance beginning at 1pm at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. …read more

Comments Off

ABC’s hit show Dancing with the Stars has just crowned a new champion.  But if you’re going through withdrawals from Dancing With the Stars, why don’t you dance under the stars?
The dance that has been called a “three minute love affair” is returning to Central Park again this summer.  Central Park Tango, a free dance meeting, is set to begin next week, Saturday, June 7 with Hernan as the DJ.  
Central Park Tango began in 1995 with a handful of people and a boom box at Bethesda Fountain.  At the time it was called “Hit and Run Tango” because if …read more

4 Comments

This is your last weekend to catch the Whitney Biennial, the majority of the exhibition ends June 1st.  Here is the rest of my short list on other notable exhibitions and shows that are ending in June.  Be sure you catch these events before they’re gone!
“Geometry in Motion” | MoMA   Tracing the transformation of the art object.  Through June 23.
“Darwin’s Garden” | The New York Botanical Garden  Explore the untold story of Darwin’s botanical influences, his research, and his contribution to our understanding of plants.  Through June 15. 
“Olafur Eliasson”  | MoMA and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center  This comprehensive two …read more

Comments Off

The spring season of the New York City Ballet opens tonight, April 29.  The two-month season features programs from one of the finest American-born choreographers, Jerome Robbins.
Jerome Robbins is an Academy Award winning film director (West Side Story) and choreographer whose work has been seen from the stages of Broadway to the halls of the New York City Ballet. 
Robbins’ career in choreography stretched for nearly 40 years and the NYC Ballet will be featuring ten programs which are all Robbins, as well as others which showcase Robbins’ collaboration with other greats, like Leonard Bernstein.  The season also …read more

Comments Off