MARK AUERBACH
Can Hillary and The Donald Sing and Dance?
Can Bernie Sanders deliver a showstopper? Can the Pope visit the USA and escape the musical satire of The Capitol Steps? Since 1981, the DC-based political satire group has been touring the country singing and dancing about politicians and public figures ripped from today’s headlines. They’ll make a stop at Springfield Symphony Hall on November 20 for one show only.
You may have seen The Capitol Steps perform during their summer residencies at Cranwell in Lenox, but truth be told, there’s been a lot of news worthy of satire, since The Capitol Steps went back on the road, and their show changes constantly. Visit their website at capsteps.com and listen to their on-going list of greatest hits, or click on theirYouTube channel to laugh at some performance clips. Some of their oldies, including their recaps of the last presidential election campaign, are still ha-ha LOL funny.
For tickets: 413-788-7033 or www.citystage.symphonyhall.com.
Anon(ymous) at CT. Repertory Theatre
CRT to Stage Naomi Iizuka’s Immigration Play, Anon(ymous)
Connecticut Repertory Theatre will stage Anon(ymous) by Naomi Iizuka as the second show of its 2015-2016 season. The show is directed by UConn visiting professor Vincent Tycer (through November 8).
Separated from his mother, a young refugee called Anon, the play’s central character, journeys through the United States, encountering a wide variety of people — some kind, some dangerous and cruel — as he searches for his family. From a sinister one-eyed butcher to beguiling barflies to a sweatshop, Anon must navigate through a chaotic, ever-changing landscape in this entrancing adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey. Whether colonial religious refugees, the Irish of 150 years ago or the migrant workers of today, we are all Anon — or his recent descendants.
For details: 860-486 2113 or www.crt.uconn.edu
The New Christy Minstrels at TheColonial in Pittsfield.
People and Places
Antay Bilgutay has been appointed Director of Development at Hartford Stage. Bilgutay comes to Hartford from Dallas, TX, where he held the position of Director of Development at the Dallas Theater Center and oversaw an annual fundraising campaign of $4.9 millin. Prior to his work with the Dallas Theater Center, Bilgutay was the Director of Corporate and Foundation Giving at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis from 2005 through 2010.
Peter Salerno, interim Executive Director of the Springfield Symphony, has been named Executive Director of the Orchestra. A former member of the Springfield Symphony Board, he stepped in as interim director, when longtime director Michael Jonnes left the orchestra, and then again last March, when SSO director Audrey Szychulski departed.
Susan Beaudry has been named the new development director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Beaudry was previously affiliated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood, Berkshire Untied Way and Junior Achievement World Huizenga Center at Broward Collage in Florida.
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center have signed a new, five-year agreement to host the Talcott Mountain Music Festival at Simsbury Meadows through 2020. The 2015 Talcott Mountain Music Festival was the most successful and well-attended in its 20-year history, including a capacity audience for the annual Celebrate America concert, which has become a summer holiday tradition for families all across Connecticut. The new season will be announced in early 2016. For details: www.hartfordsymphony.org.
The California Guitar Trio at Springfield’s CityStage.
Keep in Mind…
Man of La Mancha, the epic music about Don Quixote and his “Impossible Dream” is next at The Broad Brook Opera House (November 13-29). Madeline Lukomski, a senior at Westfield High School and a featured singer in the recent Westfield 89.5FM/WSKB broadcasts of “War of The Worlds”, is among the cast. Anna Giza, a community theatre veteran, directs, Steven D. Cirrillo is music directior, and the cast includes radio personality Brad Shepard and John Baran. For details: http://www.operahouseplayers.org/CurrentShow.html.
The New Christy Minstrels play Pittsfield’s Colonial Theatre on November 14. The New Christy Minstrels are Grammy Award-winning folk music legends with 20 albums and numerous hits, including: “Today,” “Saturday Night,” “Denver,” “Mighty Mississippi” and “Green, Green.” The band includes Randy Sparks, Pete Henderson, Becky Jo Benson, Jennifer Lind, Greg O’Haver, Dave Rainwater, and John Denver’s Uncle, Dave Deutschendorf. For tickets: 413-997-4444, or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
The California Guitar Trio returns to Springfield’s City Stage on November 5. They perform a mix of unique originals to dazzling, cleverly-arranged interpretations of jazz, classical music, and even surf rock. For tickets: 413-788-7033 or www.citystage.symphonyhall.com.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
