Theater, Dance & Comedy October 2017

Theatre, Dance & Comedy Fall 2017: The best of local theatre, dance at PAC and LOLing with Dice Clay, Amy Stiller, Steven Wright and more. Did we mention Val Kilmer and Garrison Keillor?

OCTOBER

Annie Get Your Gun, Westchester Broadway Theatre – Thurs-Sun, 9/14-11/26: check times: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Traveling Show and Irving Berlin’s classic score is the backdrop for this romantic gender duel from 1946 as sharpshooter Frank Butler meets his match in Annie Oakley. “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better”, “They Say It’s Wonderful”, “I Got the Sun in the Morning”, Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly ”, and the show-stopper “There’s No Business Like Show Business”. (One Broadway Plaza, Elmsford: www.broadwaytheatre.com)

Local! Private Eyes, Arc Stages Pleasantville – Fri-Sun, 9/22-10/7: 8 & 2pm. In Steven Dietz’s comedy of suspicion nothing is quite what it seems. Matthew’s wife Lisa is having an affair with Adrian, a theatre director. Or is that just part of the play? The audience gets to play detective in this “relationship thriller” about love, lust and deception. (147 Wheeler Ave., Pleasantville; www.arcstages.org)

SITI Company: Hanjo, Performing Arts Center – Fri, 10/6: 8pm: This cross-cultural and bi-lingual play about a hanjo (a summer fan or summer fling) by Yukio Mishima is based on a 14th century Noh play adapted from a Han Dynasty poem. Mishima sets Hanjo in 20th century Japan bringing age-old issues of gender and identity into a relevant modern setting. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Local! LOHUD Comedy, Schoolhouse Theater – Fri, 10/6: 8pm: One night! Three comics! Featuring: “Everyone’s favorite dad”, Tim Hayes, winner of the Sarcasm Comedy Competition and Stand Up New York vet. Regina Decicco, who worked behind the scenes at SNL before winning the 2012 Ladies Laughter Competition. Tony nominee, Adam Oliensis won the 2013 Paramount Theatre Stand-Up Star Search Competition despite many years of psychotherapy. (3 Owens Rd, North Salem; www.schoolhousetheater.org)

Steven Wright, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 10/6: 8pm: Deadpan one liners like ”If God dropped acid would he see people?” “What’s Another Word for Thesaurus?” placed Steven Wright at No. 15 on Rolling Stone’s Best Standup Comedians of all time. They also named his 1985 A Steven Wright Special No. 17 on their list of Best Standup Specials of All Time. And Spin Magazine ranked his I Have a Pony as the No. 14 Comedy Album of All Time. “Is it weird in here or is it just me?” (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT;   www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Local! Laurel Masse and John Hall’s Songs and Stories, Schoolhouse Theater, Sat, 10/7: 8pm: Founding member of The Manhattan Transfer, Laurel Masse and John Hall, founder of the band Orleans (“Still The One”, “Dance With Me”) and former Congressman team up for an evening of songs and stories. (3 Owens Rd, North Salem; www.schoolhousetheater.org)

Ghost: The Musical, WPPAC – Fri-Sun, 10/13-29: 8 & 2pm: Adapted from the hit film by its Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Bruce Joel Rubin, with a fresh pop/rock score by Grammy winners Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”, Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”), Ghost: The Musical follows Sam and Molly, a young couple whose connection takes a shocking turn after Sam’s untimely death. (White Plains Performing Arts Center, 11 City Place, 3rd Floor, White Plains; www.wppac.com)

Tracy Morgan, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 10/13: 8pm: During his seven year run on NBC’s 30 Rock he won an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Here he brings his standup routines to the Ridgefield Playhouse. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT;  www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Local! Shining City, Armonk’s Hudson Stage Company – Fri, 10/13-Sat, 10/28: HSC’s Dan Foster conducts Conor McPherson’s Shining City to kick off the company’s fourth season in Armonk. Everyone’s drifting in this ghost story that recounts the therapy sessions between a widower who claims he has seen his dead wife and a novice therapist –fresh out of the priest-hood and soon to abandon his girlfriend and their child. Did we mention the guy who falls for a woman because she seemed “genuinely interested in his sinus problems”? The NYT’s Ben Brantley noted the Pinter-esque dialogue and near-perfect construction when it debuted with on Broadway in 2006. (Whippoorwill Hall, 19 Whippoor Rd. East, Armonk; www.hudsonstage.org)

The Doo Wop Project, Paramount Hudson Valley – Sat, 10/14: 8pm: Current and former stars of Broadway’s Jersey Boys and Motown: The Musical trace the evolution of Doo Wop from Dion’s “I Wonder Why” and Thurston Harris’s “Little Bitty Pretty One” to their own Doo Wop take on Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” and Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”. 1008 Brown St., Peekskill; www.paramounthudsonvalley.org)

Kyle Abraham/A.I.M. Dance, Performing Arts Center ­– Fri, 10/20: 8pm & Sat, 10/21: 3pm: Kyle Abraham’s choreography is informed by his upbringing in classical music and his explorations of hip-hop culture. His new program Dearest Home, staged in collaboration with a variety of age groups and sub-cultures, is comprised of solos and duets focusing on love, longing and loss. Abraham studied at SUNY Purchase and worked with the Bill T. Jones/Arne Zane Dance Company. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

The Crucible, Performing Arts Center Purchase College – Fri-Sun: 10/20-28: check times: Peter Kramer of The Journal News called Purchase College’s student repertory company “Broadway bound.” Here they put a fresh spin on Arthur Miller’s partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Miller wrote the play as an intended allegory for Senator Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities hearings. Tickets just $20, $10 for kids. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

In bocca al lupo!, Taconic Opera – Sat, 10/21: 3:30pm & Sun, 10/22: 2pm: Conductor and composer Dan Montez presents his new opera In bocca al lupo! (“break a leg”) a behind the scenes comedy of an opera company. This highly accessible, Rossini-inspired story follows the chaos of auditions, rehearsals, fundraising, backstage antics at the show, and what to do when the show starts to fall apart. (Yorktown Stage, 1974 Commerce St., Yorktown Heights; www.taconicopera.com)

Local! The First Ladies Coalition, A Pop Up Play Event, Schoolhouse Theater – Sun, 10/22: 3pm: Ginger Grace, directed by Austin Pendleton, creates the role of Colleen McCracken, a seamstress and ex-con who transports us into the life and times of Lady Bird Johnson, Jackie Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Todd Lincoln. Ginger developed her first lady characters touring with Rich Little in The Presidents. (3 Owens Rd, North Salem; www.schoolhousetheater.org)

Lewis Black, The Rant, White & Blue Tour, Palace Stamford – Thurs, 10/26: 8pm: This Grammy Award-winning comedian considers himself more of a “pissed-off optimist” than a “mean-spirited curmudgeon”. Clearly pissed-off sells! He works his standup routines 200 nights a year and has sold out Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City Center, several Broadway theaters and the Main Stage at the Mirage in Vegas. (61 Atlantic St., Stamford, CT; www.palacestamford.org)

Local! Suits for Soldiers Benefit Comedy Show, Schoolhouse Theater – Sat, 10/28: 7:30pm: Brewster native and comedian, Tom Briscoe hosts a night of stand up at the Schoolhouse’s second annual Suits for Soldiers Benefit. Bring a new or gently used suit for the drive and get a $10 discount off the regular admission price of $25. Or contact Lynn Darlington at the theater (914) 277-8477. (3 Owens Rd., North Salem (Croton Falls); www.schoolhousetheater.org)

The Ivy League of Comedy Presents Cory Kahaney, Emelin Theater – Sat, 10/28: 8pm: This grand finalist on NBC’s 2016 Last Comic Standing and frequent late-night TV guest bills herself as “the every woman”: “Mother, daughter, wife… ex-wife!” She was named “Best NYC Comedian by Backstage and Best NYC Female Comedian by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) and has had her own specials on Comedy Central and HBO. Opening Act is Joe Larson a MAC-nominee for Best Up & Comer. (153 Library Ln., Mamaroneck; www.emelin.org)

Alton Brown Live, Eat Your Science, Palace Stamford – Sun, 10/29: 7pm: Host of The Food Network’s Iron Chef America, Alton Brown follows up his Edible Inevitable tour with a new show featuring songs, multi-media presentations, talk show antics and bigger, better and “potentially dangerous” food demonstrations. He’s also contemplating more sophisticated protective gear for folks in the first few rows…just in case things get messy…again. (61 Atlantic St., Stamford, CT; www.palacestamford.org)

November

Val Kilmer Live presents Cinema Twain, Tarrytown Music Hall – Fri, 11/3: 8pm: Val Kilmer introduces this screening of his one-man stage show about Mark Twain. Citizen Twain played to sell out houses in LA and you can see a recording of the play (and Val Kilmer too) here. Come for the screening, stay for the Q&A with Bruce Wayne… er… Val after the show. (13 Main St., Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Nectar, Axial Theatre, Pleasantville – Fri-Sun, 11/3-19: The Axial Theater presents the world premiere of Katie Baldwin Eng’s Nectar. This poignant comedy follows a surprising overnight vigil of a mid-western woman and a French film star, both former mistresses of a legendary French writer who lies in a coma. The play, in staged readings, has already won numerous awards including the Hudson Valley Writers Center New Play Prize. (St. John’s Episcopal Church, 8 Sunnyside Avenue, Pleasantville; www.axialtheatre.org)

Capital Steps: Orange is the New Barack, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 11/3: 8pm: Created in 1981 by a group of Senate staffers, this political-satire group specializes in song parodies and through various cast incarnations has recorded over 40 albums. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT;  www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Local! Company, Arc Stages Pleasantville – Fri-Sun, 11/3-12: 8 & 2pm: Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1970 musical about Bobby, a commitment-phobic New Yorker, who juggles the pros and cons of marriage with the advice of five married couples (also all neurotic) was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical. The songs: “Marry Me a Little”, “The Ladies Who Lunch”, “Being Alive”, “Another Hundred People”, “Getting Married Today”, “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” and “Company”. (147 Wheeler Ave., Pleasantville; www.arcstages.org)

The Enlightenment of Mr. Mole, Schoolhouse Theater – Thurs- Sun, 11/9-26: 8pm, Sun: 3pm: B.H. Barry’s new adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, the classic 1908 children’s novel about anthropomorphised animals in Edwardian England by Kenneth Grahame. B. H. Barry is a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award-winning fight director and choreography in theater, film television, opera and ballet. (3 Owens Rd., Croton Falls; www.schoolhousetheater.org)

Local! Nectar, Axial Theatre Pleasantville – Fri –Sun, 11/3-19: check times: The Axial Theatre premieres a new play by Katherine Baldwin Eng about “an impossibly famous writer” who “lies dying in a great European city. Lovers, past and present, gather together in an absurd and comic summit of the beguiled and heart-broken.” (St. John’s Episcopal Church, 6 Sunnyside Ave., Pleasantville; www.axialtheatre.org)

Bobby Collins, The Palace Stamford – Fri, 11/3: 8pm: This native New Yorker (Glen Oaks, Queens) started his career at Catch a Rising Star in NYC. He now lives in Santa Monica, CA and his routines mine the tensions between West Coast and East Coast cultural differences. He has opened for Frank Sinatra, Cher, Julio Iglesias, Tony Bennett and Dolly Parton. (61 Atlantic St., Stamford, CT; www.palacestamford.org)

Vic Dibitetto, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 11/10: 8pm: The Italian Hurricane is best known for his “Bread and Milk” rant that garnered over 15 million hits on YouTube. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT;  www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org) 

Jackie Mason, Tarrytown Music Hall – Sat, 11/11: 8pm: If you don’t know the difference between a Jew and a Gentile, (we mean really know) Jackie Mason can riff on the topic for quite some time. They don’t call him the King of Jewish Comedy for nothing! (13 Main St., Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Jim Breuer, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 11/17: 8pm: One of the country’s top touring comedians, Breuer rose to prominence with his impressions of Joe Pesci and his character Goat Boy on Saturday Night Live. Comedy Central named him one of their “100 Greatest Standups of All Time” for his spot-on impressions and off the wall humor. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT;  www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Chicago City Limits, The Palace Stamford – Sat, 11/18: 8pm: Here’s a cheap date. Just $19 will get you in to see this legendary NYC improv troupe. That’s right, they’ve been performing in NYC for 30 years and won the 2009 MAC Award for Best Comedy/Improv Group. ”They’re the funniest show in town.” – New York Post. (61 Atlantic St., Stamford, CT; www.palacestamford.org)

Presley, Perkins, Lewis and Cash, Paramount Hudson Valley – Sat, 11/18: 8pm: This show tells the story of what has been called “the greatest jam session of all time”. The night Elvis, Carl, Jerry Lee and Johnny all played together at Sun Records Studio. The songs? “Blue Suede Shoes”, “I Walk the Line”, “Great Balls of Fire”. (1008 Brown St., Peekskill; www.paramounthudsonvalley.org)

December

Garrison Keillor with musical guests Robin & Linda Williams, Tarrytown Music Hall – Fri, 12/1: 8pm: From the land where “all the kids are above average”, Garrison Keillor, host of the radio show A Prairie Home Companion and author the best seller Lake Wobegon Days stops in for a chat in Tarrytown with Americana music legends Robin and Linda Williams. (13 Main St., Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Local! What Fresh Hell Live! ChappPac: Fri, 12/1: 8pm: Comedians Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson bring their hit parenting podcast What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood to a live audience. Ables and Wilson combine their twenty-year friendship, their comic sensibilities and their usually completely opposite approaches to parenting, for a ‘Mom’s Night Out’ full of games, laughs, and maybe even a little parenting advice. (480 Bedford Road, Chappaqua; www.

Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Performing Arts Center – Sun, 12/3: 3pm: George Balanchine’s most celebrated muse, Suzanne Farrell, in her company’s final performance ever, serves up a pageant of the choreographer’s handpicked favorites. Including classic works of the canon and iconic works created especially for her by Mr. Balanchine. The NYT’s praised the company for “tackling arduous roles… with energy, scale, nuance and musical sophistication seldom found anywhere.” (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, WPPAC – Fri-Sun, 12/22-1/14/18: 7 & 2pm: This musical is based on the Victor Hugo novel and showcases songs from the Disney film featuring music and lyrics from the Academy Award-winning composing team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Watch Quasimodo pine for the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda and save the gypsies from the devious Dom Claude Frolio. (White Plains Performing Arts Center, 11 City Place, 3rd Floor, White Plains; www.wppac.com)

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