Win Tickets to Elizabeth Mitchell at Symphony Space on October 3, 2009!

Symphony Space has some excellent concerts and events lined up for their 2009-2010 Family Season including mega kiddie acts like Ralph’s World and Brooklyn favorites such as, Randy Kaplan, Astrograss and Gustafer Yellowgold, just to name a few. The new season kicks off on Saturday, October 3 with the Woodstock based folk-rock singer Elizabeth Mitchell who will charm both children and adults alike with her renditions of songs by artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Bob Marley. In celebration of the new season, (and because I love giveaways), I’m giving away family four-pack of tickets to Elizabeth Mitchell at Symphony Space to one lucky reader who emails me at contests@bumpershine.com and tells me the name of their favorite family/kids album. A random winner will be chosen and notified on Wednesday, September 30. View the entire 2009-2010 Symphony Space season of family programming over here.

It’s officially fall now, and not only does that mean back to school, but it also means that there is a bumper crop of children’s fare available on home video, at the movie theatres and even at the record store (if they still have a record store where you live, that is). This Tuesday (September 22) marked the release of The Fine Friends Are Here, the latest DVD from venerable Brooklyn entertainer Dan Zanes (his first DVD in four years, and his first release for Razor and Tie). The new DVD, recorded live at The Jalopy Theatre in Red Hook, Brooklyn, contains 13 live tracks, 3 new videos and a four-song bonus cd of late-night (read “lullaby”) music. The songs and videos on the new disc draw from Zanes’ fine back catalog, with over half the tunes coming his most recent albums, Catch That Train and Nueva York and the rest being drawn from Family Dance, and a few of his various older releases. The new DVD is a huge step up from his previous wildly successful video release, All Around The Kitchen (which I watched until it was etched in my brain) in terms of production quality. The transitions between songs are seamless and clever, the band is well lit for the entire performance (a real fault of the first video if you ask me), the direction is well thought out, the camerawork is solid (not shaky), and the image you see on your screen just looks about 100 times better than the last DVD, in fact, it looks like the show was captured on film (though I suspect it was probably some form of HD video). Sure it’s a much slicker package this time around, but when all is said and done, it’s really the songs and the performances that make this new video a winner. Though Dan has assembled an almost completely new band since Kitchen was released (long time drummer Colin Brooks remains), the new players can still “bring the party”, and the joy and enthusiasm taken in the rendition of each song is directly reflected on the faces of the audience members at the Jalopy and should carry over to those viewing at home too. On a final note, it was nice to see that they got rid of the cookie cutter Noggin videos that were included in the last DVD and created some cute original videos for this new release. Like you might expect, Dan has a few DVD release shows lined up in the near future, he’ll be playing on Friday, September 25 (tomorrow) at the Housing Works Bookstore and Cafe and then again at the 92Y Tribeca on September 30 at 4PM. View all of Dan Zanes upcoming tour dates and the track list for the The Fine Friends Are Here over here.

In TV soundtrack news, on October 20, 2009 the gang from Yo Gabba Gabba, one of the most indie savvy kids programs on TV, will release a new album full of songs from the show as performed by some of your favorite artists including: Of Montreal, Mark Kozelek, The Shins, The Roots and many more artists you wouldn’t expect to find on the Nickelodeon Channel. In celebration of this release, the YGG stars (DJ Lance Rock, Lance Robertson; Brobee, the little green one; Foofa, the pink flower bubble; Muno, the red Cyclops; Toodee, the blue cat-dragon; and Plex) are headed out on a small three city tour which will make its way to the Beacon Theatre in NYC on November 21, 2009, tickets for that show go on sale on October 9. View the track list for Yo Gabba Gabba! Music is Awesome! over here. One last thing, YGG Live isn’t DJ Lance’s only upcoming local appearance, he’ll be appearing this Saturday, September 26 at Riverside Park as part of the RBC Race For The Kids, and then again on Sunday, October 4 at the New York Times Great Children’s Read at Columbia University.

Last but not least, Spike Jonze’s long delayed, yet much anticipated movie adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book Where The Wild Things Are will be released in theaters nationwide on October 16, with the official soundtrack dropping on September 29. The soundtrack features original songs by Karen O and The Kids (”The Kids” includes Tristan Bechet, Tom Biller, Bradford Cox, Brian Chase, Dean Fertita, Aaron Hemphill, Greg Kurstin, Jack Lawrence, Oscar Michel, Imaad Wasif, Nick Zinner and an untrained children’s choir) and to celebrate the new release in style, Karen O and her other band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be performing an intimate show at The Music Hall of Williamsburg on September 29, 2009.

Tons more fall and winter family events from The New York Times, 92Y Tribeca, New Victory Theatre, The Bell House, Brooklyn Center For The Performing Arts, The Jewish Museum, Symphony Space, Kidrockers and other fine NY institutions after the jump.

“Win Tickets to Elizabeth Mitchell at Symphony Space + New Dan Zanes DVD & Live Shows, New Yo Gabba Gabba CD & Live Shows, “Where The Wild Things Are” Movie and Soundtrack and Many More Family Events” continued after the jump

Photo: Lisa Tomasetti

Tickets to A Streetcar Named Desire, featuring Cate Blanchett, and directed by Liv Ullmann, will go on sale to the general public on Sep 21. This limited engagement is sure to sell out, so purchase your tickets early.

Buy Tickets

Mortal Engine

Photo: Andrew Curtis

Just a reminder, single tickets for the BAM Next Wave Festival go on sale to the general public starting today (September 8).

BAM 2009 Next Wave Festival
Next Wave Single Tickets
On sale to the public starting Tue, Sep 8

Many of this year’s Next Wave productions are sure to sell out so buy early. This season’s artists include Juliette Binoche, William Forsythe, Isabelle Huppert, Robert Wilson, the Dessner brothers (of The National), and DJ Spooky. Single tickets go on sale to the general public on September 8. See video previews at BAM.org.

Fela! On Broadway

Fela!, the story of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, played to packed houses and rave reviews when it debuted Off Broadway in 2008, and since nobody loves a hit like Broadway, they’re bringing the show back on the boards starting this fall. Previews for Fela! begin on October 19, 2009 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, in advance of a November 23 opening. Brooklyn’s Antibalas afrobeat ensemble will once again supply the music for Fela!, and Sahr Ngaujah will reprise his role as Fela Kuti.

Here’s how to get discount tickets for Fela! On Broadway:

SAVE NOW WITH CODE FENYT817
Buy Tickets

10/19/09 – 11/21/09
$52 (reg. $97)

12/1/09 – 01/31/10
$67 (reg. $110-$120)

Enter the extravagant, decadent, rebellious world of Afrobeat
legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

THREE EASY WAYS TO SAVE!
1) CLICK HERE TO BUY ONLINE NOW
2) CALL (212) 947-8844 AND MENTION CODE FENYT817
3) VISIT THE EUGENE O’NEILL BOX OFFICE AT 230 W 49TH ST
(PREVIEWS BEGIN OCTOBER 19, BOX OFFICE OPENS SEPTEMBER 28)

Check out NY Mag’s “Fall Preview” article on Fela! over here.

Bryce and Aaron Dessner (Composers of The Long Count)

Photo: David Kressler

If you’re a Friend of BAM, starting on Monday, August 17, you can get early access single tickets to In-I featuring Juliette Binoche and Akram Khan. All other Next Wave Festival single tickets go on sale for Friends of BAM starting Monday, August 23. Check out the cheat sheet below:

Important Friends of BAM priority access on-sale dates

Aug 17 – In-I single tickets
Aug 31 – All other Next Wave Festival single tickets (The Long Count, Imaginary City, Songs of Ascension, Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica and more)
Aug 31 – Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
Sep 14 – A Streetcar Named Desire single tickets

Just a little reminder that the second production of the Public Theater’s 2009 Shakespeare In The Park Season is currently underway. From now until August 30 you can catch The Bacchae by Euripides with original music by Philip Glass at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.

The Bacchae is performed Tuesday-Sunday at 8pm and traditionally ticket distribution begins each performance day at 1pm at the Delacorte Box Office in Central Park. This year, however, there are two other ways to get tickets (without waiting in line):

1) Become a Summer Supporter by making a $170 tax-deductible contribution and receive a reserved seat for a performance of The Bacchae, or

2) Make a request for tickets through the in the “Virtual Line” at vline.publictheater.org. Recipients selected for a pair of tickets through the Virtual Line will receive an email shortly after 1PM on the day of the performance, informing them of their good fortune.

This virtual line option is brand new (and totally awesome I might add) and as far as I know The Public hasn’t been promoting it all. (I got an email from them on August 14 about Shakespeare In Park and oddly there was no mention of it at all.)

Photo: Joan Marcus

A statement on Sunday from the publicists for Hello Entertainment, one of the producers of “Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark,” said work had been suspended on the musical because of “an unexpected cash flow problem.” The statement went on to say: “The plans necessary for this correction are in hand now, and it is expected that activities, including work in the theater, will resume within the immediate future and with no material impact upon the planned production schedule.” No date for resuming production work was given. [NYTimes.com]

“An unexpected cash flow problem” certainly has to be one of the best lines in the history of show business. However, despite the “cash flow problem” tickets for the musical are currently still on American Express presale via Ticketmaster, with a public on sale date set for September 12, 2009. As you may recall, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark will star Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming and features music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge of U2.

Imaginary City by So Percussion

Subscription tickets for the 2009 BAM Next Wave Festival (which includes The Long Count and Imaginary City among other offerings) go on presale for Friends of BAM and subscribers (2008 Next Wave Festival and 2009 Spring Season) on Monday, June 15 (today). Public Next Wave Festival subscriptions go sale Monday, June 22. Also, tickets for the BAM Special Winter Presentation of a A Streetcar Named Desire starring Cate Blanchett and Liv Ullmann may be added to a 2009 Next Wave Festival subscription (of 4 or more events) starting June 15 as well (8 ticket limit per household).

Video preview of The Long Count after the jump. (It looks pretty cool.)

“BAM Next Wave Festival Early On Sale Starts Today (The Long Count, Imaginary City, Streetcar Named Desire)” continued after the jump

The New Is Land Festival (or is it “Island” or “IsLand”?) will run from Sept. 10 to 13 and Sept. 17 to 20 on Governor’s Island, and will include DJ sets, visual arts, provocative theatre, and site specific performances by over 150 Dutch and New York artists. The festival lineup, though not fully announced yet, will include an unspecified production from director Ivo van Hove and Toneelgroep Amsterdam, an outdoor “spectacle” called “Salto Vitale” and the US premiere of “Silent Disco,” a dance party in which all participants wear headphones. A full listing of free and paid events is expected in the coming weeks.

The New Is Land Festival is part of the NY400, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage from Amsterdam to New York Harbor.

Twelfth Night, the first show of the annual New York tradition, Shakespeare In The Park, begins previews this Wednesday, June 10 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Hollywood actor Anne Hathaway brings the star power to this Daniel Sullivan production, so better start lining up now folks (well, on second thought, I think you’ve still got some time).

TWELFTH NIGHT
JUNE 10 – JULY 12
By WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Directed by DANIEL SULLIVAN

With Charles Borland, Andrew Crowe, Michael Cumpsty, Steve Curtis, Clifton Duncan, Raúl Esparza, Herb Foster, Leslie Harrison, Anne Hathaway, Slate Holmgren, Kevin Kelly, David Kenner, Christopher Layer, Robin LeMon, Hamish Linklater, Dorien Makhloghi, Audra McDonald, David Pittu, Ray Rizzo, Jay O. Sanders, Julie Sharbutt, Stark Sands, Baylen Thomas, Zach Villa, Jon Patrick Walker, Julie White

Performances of Twelfth Night will be Tuesday through Sunday at 8pm

Details of the second show in the 2009 Shakespeare In The Park season after the jump.

“Shakespeare In The Park Starts Next Week” continued after the jump

“The Long Count” at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (Oct 28 – 31)

The always eclectic BAM Next Wave Festival revealed its 2009 schedule today and while there are no huge indie rock concerts at the Opera House this time, there is still plenty of interesting stuff happening this year, including pieces by Meredith Monk, DJ Spooky, Sō Percussion, and a world premiere of “The Long Count” by Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner, and Matthew Ritchie featuring guest vocalists Kim and Kelley Deal (The Breeders), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), and Matt Berninger (The National) . Here’s a little more information on the “The Long Count”:

The Long Count

In an inspired collision of creative worlds, three inexhaustibly original artists—brothers Bryce Dessner and Aaron Dessner of indie rock royalty The National and omnivorous visual art phenomenon Matthew Ritchie—combine talents to create a song-filled myth about the beginning of time. A feast of images, instrumentals, and songs thick with primordial mystery, The Long Count pairs Ritchie’s protean forms with a twelve-piece orchestra and the Dessners’ gothic mix of electric and orchestral sounds.

Note: Subscriptions go on sale to Friends of BAM on Mon, Jun 15. Public sale starts Mon, Jun 22.

View the complete BAM Next Wave Schedule over here.

The Toxic Avenger Musical

Demond Green, Matthew Saldivar, Nick Cordero, Sara Chase, Nancy Opel

This week, Bumpershine is pleased to welcome back theatre guru Robert Jaimes for a special review of The Toxic Avenger Musical, which is now playing at the New World Stages Theatre. -ed.

THE TOXIC AVENGER: TOXIE Has Moxie, Thanks To Strong Cast
By Robert Jaimes

When I first sat down to enjoy a recent performance of THE TOXIC AVENGER at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street), my first thought was that the very serviceable toxic waste dump set eerily reminded me of the “tired” garbage dump set from Broadway past. I thought, “A nod to CATS? Perhaps tonight’s show will pay some tongue-and-cheek homage to Broadway’s staple spectacles.” Given the musical’s not-so-standard subject matter, the brainchild of LLOYD KAUFMAN— boy meets blind librarian girl, boy falls into barrel of nuclear waste, loses face and blind librarian girl (after decapitating polluters), boy gets blind librarian girl— at most I was expecting comic toxic science, not rocket science.

What I learned is that just as toxic waste can seep dangerously into our water supply, derivative music seeps unawares all too often into the writers’ creative waters. TOXIC’s writers, JOE DiPIETRO (Book & Lyrics) and DAVID BRYAN (Music & Lyrics) lightly pepper the performance with nods to other Broadway shows, such as PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. In general, when it’s intentional, it works. The problem, however, is that from the very first note and throughout the show, the music frequently sounds derivative of, and harkens to, established Broadway and popular music, and more often than not, this type of peppering seems unintentional, more of a kitchen mishap or failed experiment than a carefully-added ingredient. The show’s lyrics, too, are memorable, mostly for the same wrong reason.

So let’s get this reviewer’s most obvious wink-wink opportunity out of the way: Is the show toxic? No. (Sorry, Britney) THE TOXIC AVENGER has a lot going for it, despite its so-so score and New Jersey locale. Like the Toxic Avenger himself, the cast has superhuman strength… and great chemistry. While toxic fumes are aerated onstage, the cast of just five— 5!— deeply breathes life into the mythical and heavily-populated town of Tromaville, Exit 13B off the New Jersey Turnpike.

More of Robert’s review after the jump.

“The Toxic Avenger Musical: A Review” continued after the jump

Billy Elliot: The Musical

Today the Tony nominations were announced and Billy Elliot: The Musical garnered 15 nominations, tieing the record set by The Producers in 2001. Here are all of the 2009 Tony nominees in the “top categories”:

Best Musical
Billy Elliot, The Musical
Next to Normal
Rock of Ages
Shrek The Musical

Best Book of a Musical
Billy Elliot, The Musical
Next to Normal
Shrek The Musical
[Title of Show] Hunter Bell

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Billy Elliot, The Musical Music: Elton John Lyrics: Lee Hall
Next to Normal Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics: Brian Yorkey
9 to 5: The Musical Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton
Shrek The Musical Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

Best Play
Dividing the Estate Author: Horton Foote
God of Carnage Author: Yasmina Reza
Reasons to Be Pretty Author: Neil LaBute
33 Variations Author: Moisés Kaufman Billy Elliot, The Musical

In other theatre news, yesterday the New York Times ran a piece on the new Henry Miller’s Theatre, which will open in September 2009 with the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of “Bye, Bye Birdie“:

The 1,055-seat theater, on 43rd Street between Avenue of the Americas and Broadway, was built on the site of a theater planned by the actor Henry Miller, which opened in 1918. Over the decades, the original theater fell into disrepair and was used as a movie house and a disco before Roundabout produced the musical “Cabaret” there in 1998, followed by a run of “Urinetown.”
…
The 50,000-square-foot theater, which includes a spacious women’s restroom with 22 stalls, three times the number required by code, is built behind the preserved and restored neo-Georgian facade of the original 1918 theater. During the construction, braces held the facade in place, and vibration monitors were attached to ensure that the facade was not damaged. [NYTimes.com]

The rest of the 2009 Tony nominees after the jump.

“New Henry Miller’s Theatre To Open On Broadway, Tony Award Nominations Announced Today” continued after the jump

STREAM: Coraline Demos

As I mentioned previously, the MCC Theater is bringing Neil Gaiman’s Coraline to the stage featuring the music and lyrics of Magnetic Fields‘ Stephin Merritt. Tuesday night (April 21) there will be a talk back event at the Lucille Lortel Theater featuring Merritt and the creators of the musical:

This event gives our audience a unique opportunity to go behind the creative curtain and expolore the process of bringing Neil Gaiman’s wildly popular novel, Coraline, to the stage. Bill Goldstein, of the New York Times and WNBC’s “Saturday Today” in New York, will moderate a discussion between the creative team of Stephin Merritt (composer), David Greenspan (book writer), Leigh Silverman (director), and Jayne Houdyshell (Coraline), and take questions form the audience.

The evening will conclude with a first-ever public performance of one of Coraline’s songs; performed on the ukulele and sung by composer/lyricist Stephin Merritt.

$25 General admission and $35 premium reserved tickets are now available by visiting www.mcctheater.org
Use the code MCC1 to purchase general admission tickets for $10

Having trouble keeping track of all the music festivals happening this summer? Well, I am too, but here’s a new one you won’t want to miss, it’s The Deli’s Best of NY Festival which is happening May 6 – 10, 2009. The festival features some of The Deli’s (and NYC’s) favorite bands performing over three days at The Bell House, Southpaw and Joe’s Pub, and to top it off, it’s sponsored in part by the good folks at After The Jump Festival.

Full “Deli Best of NYC Fest” lineup after the jump.

“The Deli’s Best of NY Festival” continued after the jump