When will the music & arts centers open?

When will the music & arts centers open? In recent weeks we have reported on the cancellation of The Pleasantville Music Festival (July 13) and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival that usually runs from the first weekend in June through the end of August. Pleasantville Music Festival Executive Director, Bruce Figler pointed to the town’s financial responsibility for the event as one of the reason’s they pulled the plug so early. HVSF pulled the plug early because they reached the point where they didn’t have enough rehearsal time to prepare the productions. Caramoor, on the other hand is holding their schedule and developing contingency plans in the event they can’t open the summer season by opening night on June 20.

We have previously reported on the local music halls and performing arts centers pushing back shows into the summer, fall and in some cases 2021. We checked again this week to see if we can find any clues as to when they think they might open. Here’s what we found:

The Stamford Palace’s slate is cleared through June 15 when they are still showing two performances of Kids Bop Kids. There are only three more shows on their calendar through the end of the summer including Daughtry on June 27, a show that was previously scheduled for April 30. And Steve Martin and Martin Short on August 27. The Palace is still showing six events in September including comedian Lewis Black who was originally scheduled to perform on May 2. But only three shows from October 10 through April 22, 2021.

The Emelin Theatre has only eight events scheduled for the rest of the year beginning with American Idol-winner David Cooke on June 20. All other events are re-scheduled from spring dates, beginning with Joan Osborne on August 8th that was originally booked for April 24. Only time will tell if this was too optimistic. They may have lost their nerve after this booking because the rest of the shows on their calendar are in October through December. Most notably, Colin Quinn: The Wrong Side of History Tour on November 20. We’ll see which side history is on by then. But the Emelin, a mid-size venue that features everything from cabaret to bluegrass and dance can turn bookings around quickly.

The workhorse Ridgefield Playhouse is showing some optimism. Hailed as “the hardest working venue” because it has something happening everyday of the year except Christmas, is pushed out to June 29 when John Anderson of Yes is still showing on their calendar. Then they’re showing fifteen live events in July and August, including a cabaret evening with Alan Cumming (Cabaret) and Ari Shapiro. And twenty-one more live events in September and October. Many are rescheduled from the spring, including Chaka Khan on September 12, Jay Leno on October 15, The Fifth Dimension and Rosanne Cash in November. However, we are seeing new bookings such as Colbie Caillat on September 4, Madeline Peyroux and Joan Osborne on September 11 (which would be a hot ticket alert for us if there was such a thing these days). Plus the jazz, hip-hop and classical duo Black Violin (a Perennial PAC Purchase favorite) on September 26 – a first time booking for The RPH.

The Capitol Theatre is showing a hodgepodge of cancelled, postponed, and as yet un-reassigned shows in the upcoming months. However the cancellations end in mid-July with a two-night run for Dark Star Orchestra on July 16-17, followed by a pair of shows from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong on July 23-24. Wishful thinking? We’ll take a wait/see on that. Tarrytown Music Hall is betting on late June, kicking off with the Robert Grasper Trio on June 27 and comedian Kevin James on June 28 – a show originally scheduled for March 21. Fall highlights include Rickie Lee Jones on October 16, Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie on November 5 and comedienne Paula Poundstone on December 4. All spring retreads.