What’s Happening in Arts & Entertainment This Week | July 10 – 17

What we're watching and listening to this week

PHOTO: Chris Lee | Nathan Gunn and Kelli O'Hara in Carousel at Lincoln Center

Live from Lincoln Center presents Broadway Fridays and beginning July 10, they will premiere Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel”, which will stream through September 8. “Carousel” was hailed by Time Magazine as “the best musical of the 20th Century”.  The New York Philharmonic presents a stunning staged production of this iconic American work, featuring a star-studded cast including Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe, Shuler Hensley, Jason Danieley, Jessie Mueller, Kate Burton, John Cullum, and New York City Ballet dancers Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck. “Carousel” can be viewed at LincolnCenter.org. While there, check out amazing concerts by Cynthia Erivo, Renee Fleming, and Jessye Norman that are also currently streaming. LincolnCenter.org 

Nassim Soleimanpour

The Broad Stage and esteemed LA-based publisher Red Hen Press return with season two of the Red Hen Press Poetry Hour, moderated by award-winning actor/writer Sandra Tsing Loh. This new series of episodes brings together performing artists and poets to explore social justice themes central to works featured in The Broad Stage’s 2020/21 Season and is a part of monthly programming via the online portal The Broad Stage at Home broadcasting through December. On Thursday July 16 at 6 pm PT, a program entitled Finding Truths and Creating Art in Exile features Award-winning playwrights Iranian-American Sholeh Wolpé and Iranian Nassim Soleimanpour. Soleimanpour’s most recent play Nassim will be performed in The Broad Stage 2020/21 season in April 2021. They are joined by acclaimed guests, award-winning poet and playwright Nathalie Handal, award-winning Armenian poet Lory Bedikian, and more, for readings and conversations on bridging the gap between perceptions and reality of cultural norms. TheBroadStage.org/athome

South Pasadena’s troubadour, Brad Colerick, is coming to you from the DeepMix Studio in South Pas to bring us the Wine & Song Podcast #16. So grab your beverage of choice, sit back, relax and spend the evening with selections from The Talbott Brothers, Nathan & Jessie, Sheri Lee, Dean Miller, Gregory Page, Natalie Gelman, and David Starr, plus Words With Chauncey on “Thoughts”. Find it at BlueGuitar.Club

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PHOTO: Paul Kolnik | J.Harris, J.Bozeman, S.Roberts, and S.Dumas in Robert Battle’s Juba at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre

JUBA at AlvinAiley.org | July 9 – 16. This eagerly anticipated return of Artistic Director Robert Battle’s first creation for Ailey is a modern day Rite of Spring with an abstract twist—an electrifying thrill ride through ritual and folk tradition. Battle’s uninhibited movement melds seamlessly with an original score for string quartet and percussion by his frequent collaborator John Mackey. See their website for more content including virtual dance classes and ways you can support the company.

PHOTO: Ken Howard | Madama Butterfly at The Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera brings a special treat Saturday July 11 when you will be able to stream Anthony Minghella’s striking production of Madama Butterfly for 24 hours. Drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese theater, Minghella’s staging retells this heartbreaking tale with brilliant stagecraft, bold colors, and bunraku puppetry. In this Live in HD performance from fall of 2019, Chinese soprano Hui He stars as Cio-Cio-San, the young geisha who puts her trust in a visiting American naval officer, only to later be abandoned by him. In a feat of operatic heroics, tenor Bruce Sledge appears as the callous Pinkerton, stepping into the role on short notice to replace an ailing colleague. Pier Giorgio Morandi conducts one of opera’s most tragic masterpieces, leading a cast that also includes mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as Cio-Cio-San’s loyal companion, Suzuki, and Tony Award-winning baritone Paulo Szot as the U.S. consul Sharpless. MetOpera.org

PHOTO: Tea for Two Photography | Music Director Alex Lacamoire

For those going on deep dives into all things Hamilton these days there is a Broadway Q & A series on Playbill’s YouTube channel that presents hour-long interviews with Broadway professionals on Mondays and Wednesdays. The July 15 episode at 1pm ET features Tony nominee Alex Lacamoire. The Broadway music director will answer questions about Hamilton, In The Heights, Dear Evan Hansen, 9 to 5, Bring It On, and more.