BY Paul Adler
May 1
Get ready for an evening with what is arguably America’s most admired orchestra, The Boston Pops. Led by conductor Keith Lockhart, the Pops are the most recorded orchestra in the country and have been a legendary force in classical music for more than a hundred years. In this rare Westchester performance at The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, the Pops will present a program featuring audience favorites from the Broadway and American songbooks, as well as a range of 20th-century classical works. Turns out you don’t have to drive all the way up to Beantown to experience that city’s most majestic classical orchestra in the flesh.
Electric Artphoto by Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago; Boston Pops photo by Stu Rosner
May 1
It’s difficult to imagine childhood without the beloved works of Dr. Seuss. From Green Eggs and Ham to The Lorax to Hop on Pop, Seuss is responsible for some of the most memorable and touching works in children’s literature. In Seussical Jr., a stage adaptation presented by the Clocktower Players KIDS Troupe at the Irvington Town Hall Theater. Adapted by Tony Award winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty of Ragtime and Once on This Island, Seussical Jr. brings to life many of the author’s most vibrant characters, including the Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, and Hortonthe Elephant. A kooky score and uplifting storyline complete the production, which teaches youngsters and adults alike the power of friendship, family, loyalty, and community.
May 12
It’s not every day the reigning “Godfather of Shock Rock” takes the stage in Westchester. Alice Cooper first brought a darkly theatrical element to arena rock, fusing elements of horror movies and vaudeville acts into his jaw-dropping shows. The renegade rocker made a name for himself with such hits as “School’s Out,” “Welcome 2 My Nightmare,” and “Poison.” Credited with helping to shape the sound of both hard rock and heavy metal, Cooper was a watershed artist throughout the ’70s and ’80s, drawing both rave reviews and red-hot controversy. He continues in that fearsome vein to this day, with a show at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre this month. With any luck, fans in attendance will be treated to some of the the same mesmerizing visual effects that helped enshrine Cooper as the Grammy-nominated icon he is today.
May 13, 14
Founded to promote film literacy throughout the region, the Peekskill Film Festival provides a prime opportunity to see some of the world’s greatest emerging directors strut their stuff. With a wealth of features, shorts, animation, documentaries, and student work, the festival will overtake Paramount Hudson Valley for two days this month. Focusing on black and Hispanic filmmakers and themes, day one includes a screening of Brooklyn Film Festival winner But Not for Me, which stars Peekskill resident Marcus Carl Franklin. On day two, the most honored Mexican film in history, The Golden Dream (above), will be screened. With several other independent features, film workshops, and red carpets, anyone interested in the silver screen will want to head to Peekskill for this annual event.
May 14 – Spetember 4
Degas, Cassatt, Bonnard. The names themselves conjure up images of 19th-century Parisian life, genius-level skill, and world-class artwork. In the Bruce Museum’s new exhibition, Electric Paris, works by these painters and numerous other masters will be on show through the summer in Greenwich. A love letter to the City of Light, the exhibit is divided into four sections: Nocturnes, Lamp Lit Interiors, Street Light, and In and Out of the Spotlight. Over the course of these four subdivisions, the ways in which artists responded to and represented oil lamps and the electric lighting that replaced them are investigated. Works by Vuillard, Toulouse-Lautrec, Marville, and Tissot will join those by Cassatt and Degas in this exhibition showcasing notable artists examining an even more notable city.
May 17
When Andrew Dice Clay hits the stage, he hits it hard. One of the most infamous stand-up comedians in the history of the medium, the Dice Man is known for his no-holds-barred act, as well as his recent re-emergence as a television-and-film actor in the hit HBO show Vinyl and Woody Allen’s Oscar-winning comedy Blue Jasmine. Clay will return to his roots during his stand-up performance at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, when the unrepentantly irreverent funnyman comes armed with a battery of blue jokes. The first comedian to sell out Madison Square Park two nights in a row, Clay is also set to appear in his own Showtime miniseries, titled Dice. Considering his recent phoenix-like rise from the ashes of obscurity, now is the ideal time to see what all the fuss is about.
May 20
The Emelin Theatre’s fan-favorite program, Dance Off The Grid, brings together the biggest names in contemporary dance for three months each year. Closing out its third season this month, Dance Off The Grid will feature three wholly different but equally enthralling companies. Cornfield Dance, founded by famed dancer Ellen Cornfield in 1974, focuses on the subtleties of human interaction and everyday happenstance with a
distinct beauty and playfulness. Graham 2, a company dedicated to honoring the enduring legacy of monumental dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, performs pieces from Graham’s body of work, as well as those of guest choreographers. And, finally, the Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group is a Brooklyn-based dance company whose mission is to develop and present performance work that examines the intersections of culture and movement.
