Theatre, Dance & Comedy April & May 2018

admin Posted OnMarch 20, 2018

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Theatre, Dance & Comedy April & May 2018: The best 25 local performing arts events from Cheech & Chong to Eleanor Roosevelt, Andy Borowitz to Julius Caesar, Jessica Lange Dance to James Van Praagh – The Ghost Whisperer.

April

Sister Act, Westchester Broadway Theatre – Thurs, 4/5-Sun, 7/1: The big glitzy musical Sister Act fared better than the original movie. It received four Olivier Award nominations for its original stage production at London’s West End Theatre. It moved to Broadway in 2011 where it received five Tony and five Drama Desk Award nominations. The musical features music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Menken has won eight Academy Awards for his Disney Scores that include The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas. His stage hits include Little Shop of Horrors and Sister Act. Glenn Slater is his frequent collaborator. (One Broadway Plaza, Elmsford; www.broadwaytheatre.com)

Local! LoHud Comedy, The Schoolhouse Theatre – Fri, 4/6: 8pm: Comics from Letterman, Comedy Central and The Tonight Show take the stage at the intimate 99 seat Schoolhouse theatre. Including Adam Oliensis (winner of 2013 Parmount Theatre Standup Star Search) who wrote and starred in the movie The Pompatus of Love, Frank Vignola (Just for Laughs Comedy Festival with Bill Maher) and Cynthia Kaplan (Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same). (3 Owens Rd., Croton Falls; www.schoohousetheater.org)

Best Theatre, Dance & Comedy Spring 2018 Theatre, Dance & Comedy April & May 2018

An Evening With David Sedaris, Tarrytown Music Hall – Sun, 4/8: 7pm: Best-selling author of Naked, and Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk:A Modest Bestiary, David Sedaris mines material from his peculiar childhood in North Carolina, his bizarre career path and his life in Paris for his stage appearances. He is well known for his unique and sophisticated observations on neuroses and drugs. The audio version of his book Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls is a 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominee for Best Spoken Word Album. (13 Main St, Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Local! Eleanor Roosevelt, Her Secret Journey, Schoolhouse Theatre – Thurs-Sun, 4/12-29: 8pm, Sun @3pm: FDR has died. Truman is calling and Eleanor isn’t responding. A study in the psychology of what we do after the ball is over… A revival of Rhoda Lerman’s play, based on her novel Eleanor, takes place in 1945 when she declines Truman’s invitation join him in the Paris Peace Talks. She reflects on her time in Paris with her husband after WWI – then accepts Truman’s offer after all. (3 Owens Rd., Croton Falls; www.schoolhousetheatre.org)

Hot ticket alert! Shen Yun, Performing Art Center Purchase College – Thurs-Wed, 4/19-25: six shows: This “awe-inspiring sensation” (ABC) has drawn praise from the likes of Cate Blanchett, Donna Karan, Siegfried & Roy and Kenn Wells of the English National Ballet. The New York Times called it “5,000 years of Chinese music and dance, in one night.” With original orchestral works and graphic scenography. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; TKTS)

National Theatre Live: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Performing Arts Center Purchase College: – Thurs, 4/19: 7pm: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, The Woman in Black), Joshua McGuire (The Hour) and David Haig (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Witness for the Prosecution) star in Tom Stoppard’s brilliantly funny situation comedy, captured live from The Old Vic theatre in London. David Leveaux’s new production marks the 50th anniversary of the play that made a young Tom Stoppard’s name overnight. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Local! Switzerland, Hudson Stage Company, Armonk – Fri, 4/20 – Sat, 5/5: Hudson Stage Company presents the NY premiere of Joanna Murray-Smith’s original thriller inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley murder mysteries (The Talented Mr. Ripley). In Switzerland, Murray-Smith turns Highsmith, herself, into a character in a psychological cat and mouse game of her own making – a dance to the death with a literary agent summoned to entice her to write one more thriller in her self-appointed exile in Switzerland. (Whippoorwill Hall, NCPL, 19 Whippoorwill Rd. E., Armonk, 914.271.2811; www.hudsonstage.com)

Hot Ticket Alert! Cheech and Chong, Capitol Theatre – Fri, 4/20:5:30pm: The comedy duo, Cheech and Chong recorded six gold comedy albums, receiving four Grammy-noms and won the 1973 Grammy for Best Comedy Recording with their seminal work Los Cochinos. Since then each has gone on to star in TV and movies as actors and writers. They reunited in 2009 for their Lights Out Tour. (149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester; www.thecapitoltheatre.com)

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Stamford Palace – Fri, 4/20:8pm: With over 300 million YouTube views and sell-out performances at Madison Square and The Microsoft Arena, “Fluffy” (I’m not fat… I’m fluffy and Hot and Fluffy) is a stand-up comedian with broad audience appeal. A character voice in the animated comedy The Nut Job, Fluffy’s routine is a mix of storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects. (61 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT; www.palacestamford.org)

Fabulously Funny Females of Comedy, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 4/20: 8pm: Three fab fems do stand up, including: Cory Kahan, a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and a late night show regular had her own Comedy Central special; Karen Bergreen, who has appeared on Comedy Central, and Erin Jackson, a semi-finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing who has been featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Local! Vanities, Katonah Village Library – Fri-Sat, 4/20-21: 8pm: Director Tom Kramer (Small Town Theatre Company) and Millennium Productions present a stage reading of Jack Heifner’s 1976 comedy that chronicles the lives of three high school cheerleaders from a small Texas town. The play spans the years 1963 to 1974 and follows the trio from HS to college sorority to New York City. The play earned Heifner a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play and ran off Broadway for o ver four years and 1785 performances. (26 Bedford Rd., Katonah; www.katonahvis.com)

Dance Off The Grid, Emelin Theatre – Sat, 4/21: 8pm: Part 2 in a 3 part series curated by New York State DanceForce, DOTG presents three Bessie Ward-winning choreographers in an evening of contemporary dance. Including Beth Gill whose work has been commissioned by The Chocolate Factor and Dance Theatre Workshop; Pam Tanowitz – recognized in the NY Times Best of Dance Series 2013, 14 & 15, and Eiko Otake a 2X Bessie winner, Guggenheim grant winner and Lifetime Achievement Award-winner from Dance Magazine. (153 Library Ln., Mamaroneck; www.emelin.org)

Ballet des Ameriques, Tarrytown Music Hall – Wed, 4/25: 7pm: French-American choreographer Carole Alexis, Ballet des Amériques, is the new resident dance company of the Tarrytown Music Hall. Carole has choreographed and performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Her dance company is working at the forefront of regional companies to bring dance to Westchester County. (13 Main St, Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

May

The Illusionists – Live From Broadway, Stamford Palace – Thurs, 5/3: 8pm: The Times of London called this Vegas-style touring revue “the Cirque du Soleil of magic.” This variety spectacular assembles seven magicians on stage complete with rock music, dancers and plenty of dry ice for modern and campy variations of stunts from sawing a body in half and escaping a strait jacket after being turned upside down and lit on fire to sleight of hand card tricks. Don’t give them your cellphone or else it will wind up in a blender. (61 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT; www.palacestamford.org)

Local! Crimes of the Heart, Axial Theatre Pleasantville – Fri-Sun, 5/4-10: Rachel Ross directs Beth Henley’s 1981 Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play about the reunion of three sisters in mid-century Mississippi. This comedy of “southern hospitality, sisterhood and making lemonade when life gives you lemons” was novelized by Claudia Reilly in 1986 and released as a motion picture starring Diane Keaton, Sissy Spacek and Jessica Lange in the same year. (St. John’s Episcopal Church, 8 Sunnyside Ave., Pleasantville; www.axialtheatre.org)

Upright Citizens Brigade, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 5/4: 8pm: Founded by Amy Poehler (and others), UCB presents 90 minutes of unscripted improvisation. Here they team up with a UCB alum for this evening. UCB cast members have gone on to write and perform on SNL, The Daily Show, Inside Amy Schemer and more. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

PAC Gala, Jessica Lang Dance, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 5/5: 8pm: Former Twyla Tharp dancer, Jessica Lang’s dance company received a Joyce Theater Artist Residency in 2011. Here they perform the world premiere of a new work set to the music of Tony Bennett. The evening begins with PAC’s annual Gala featuring cocktails and dinner before the show and dessert and drinks after. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy, Tarrytown Music Hall – Sat, 5/5: 8pm: One of the longest running one-man shows in Broadway history comes to Tarrytown starring the original Broadway star Steve Solomon. To celebrate its 4,000 performance. When it debuted in 2006 Variety said listening to Solomon “you’ll catch a little Alan King here, pinch of Seinfeld there, with a smidgen of Don Rickles, Billy Crystal and George Carlin…” (13 Main St, Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Tap! Tap! Tap! Leonardo Saldoval, ChappPac, Fri, 5/11: 8pm: Brazilian tap dancer Leonardo Sandoval, described by the Chicago Sun-Times as” strong yet fine-boned, capable of authority and nuance”, and praised by the New York Times for his rousing choreography, has established a reputation in the tap world and beyond for his musicality and for adding his own Brazilian flavor to the American art of tap dancing. (480 Bedford Road, Chappaqua; 914.458-5143) TKTS

Local! Bill Bowers in All Over the Map, Schoolhouse Theatre – Fri, 5/11: 8pm: Bill Bowers is a mime that speaks. His new multi-media show, hailed by The Huffington Post, is 70 minutes of dramatized recollections and quirky observations of 30 years of traveling all over the world. Bowers performed on Broadway in The Lion King and The Scarlet Pimpernel and has performed at Madison Square Garden, The Kennedy Center, The White House and Off-Broadway in his own plays including Under a Montana Moon and It Goes Without Saying. (3 Owens Rd., Croton Falls; www.schoolhousetheatre.org)

Dance Off The Grid, Emelin Theatre – Sat, 5/12: 8pm: Concluding DOTG event curated by New York State DanceForce. DOTG presents Felipe Galganni, a Brazilian tap dance and choreographer who has performed at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, The Cotton club & more; Nelida Tirado, a Dance Magazine 25 To Watch who has performed her Flamenco and Latin dance pieces on Broadway, and Gaspard & Dancers, Gaspard danced with Pilobulus for ten years. (153 Library Ln., Mamaroneck; www.emelin.org)

National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar , Performing Arts Center Purchase College – Sun, 5/3: 2pm: Ben Whishaw (The Danish Girl, Skyfall, Hamlet) and Michelle Fairley (Fortitude, Game of Thrones) play Brutus and Cassius, David Calder (The Lost City of Z, The Hatton Garden Job) plays Caesar and David Morrissey (The Missing, Hangmen, The Walking Dead) is Mark Antony. Broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre, London. Nicholas Hytner’s production thrusts the audience into the street party that greets Caesar’s return, the congress that witnesses his murder, the rally that assembles for his funeral and the chaos that explodes in its wake. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Connecticut Ballet presents Russian Classics, The Palace Stamford – Sat, 5/12: 7:3-pm & Sun, 5/13: 2pm: The Connecticut Ballet presents two works by titans of the 19^th and 20^th century ballet: Marius Petipa’s Raymonda Variations with music by Alesander Glazounov and Michel Fokin’s Petroucha set to the music of Igor Stravinsky. Plus a revival of their commission by a rising star in American dance Darell Grand-Moultrie’s ballet Pulse hailed by The New York Times as a “rousing group work.” (61 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT; www.palacestamford.org)

James Van Praagh – The Ghost Whisperer, Ridgefield Playhouse– Thurs, 5/17: 7:30pm: A New York Times bestselling author, psychic medium and spiritual teacher, Van Praagh has spent the last 35 years talking to the dead on television, radio and in front of live audiences. If you’d like to chat to deceased loved ones in your life – this show is for you! (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Hot Ticket Alert! Andy Borowitz – Make America Not Embarrassing Again, Palace Stamford – Fri, 5/18: 8pm: The New York Times best-selling author, comedian and writer for The New Yorker since takes his satirical news column on the road for an intimate conversation hosted by Brian Lehrer and audience Q&A. Borowitz has been called “America’s satire king” (Daily Beast), “the funniest human on Twitter” (NY Times), and “one of the funniest people in America” (CBS News’ Sunday Morning). In 2001, he created the Borowitz Report, a satirical news column that has millions of readers around the world, for which he won the first-ever National Press Club award for humor. (61 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT; www.palacestamford.org)

Randy Rainbow, Ridgefield Playhouse – Sat, 5/19: 8pm: Political satirist and internet sensation, Randy Rainbow is best known for his musical tribute to the first presidential debate of 2016, Braggadocious, that received 28 million views on YouTube in its first two days. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

June

Paula Poundstone, Tarrytown Music Hall – Fri, 6/1: 8pm: Number 88 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time, Poundstone was the first female comedienne to win a CableAce Award for her HBO Special Cats, Cops and Stuff. She followed up with another HBO special Paula Poundstone Goes to Harvard and a Bravo special Paula Poundstone: Look What The Cat Dragged In. She is currently the host of NPR’s Live from the Poundstone Institute. (13 Main St, Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

The Dog in the Dressing Room, Schoolhouse Theatre – Thurs – Sun, 6/14-7/1: For it’s final 2017-18 Main Stage production, The Schoolhouse Theatre presents a new play from the multi-award winning playwright Deborah Savadge. The Dog in the Dressing Room is a comedy about a backstage romance – the best kind!