Around Townes
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Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins |
In Justin Townes Earle’s name alone, you can find a rich musical history. He shares his surname with his father, musician Steve Earle, and he’s also named after his dad’s mentor, legendary songwriter Townes Van Zandt. A career in music just seems like destiny for him, doesn’t it? After hearing Justin Townes Earle’s rootsy, folky original songs, we decided we’re all better off for his musical kismet. He’ll give a performance—including tunes from his 2009 album, Midnight at the Movies—at the Emelin Theatre on June 12. The concert is being held to honor the memory of Seth Kaplan, a member of the Emelin’s board of trustees, who died in 2009.
Cultural Tapas
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Photo by Pieter M. van Hattem, Vistalux |
Some nights, you just want a little of everything: some music, some literature, some theater. When the mood strikes, head out for A Visit from the Goon Squad: An Evening of Short Stories and Live Music on June 10 at the Emelin Theatre. There, the Insights and Revelations Series will be able to satisfy all your appetites. A Visit from the Goon Squad refers to the new book by Jennifer Egan, the award-winning author of The Keep. Professional actors, including Malcolm Gets, will read stories from the book, directed by acclaimed theater vet Lisa Rothe. In addition, musician Josh Rutt, a New Rochelle native, will provide music during the interludes. The evening ends by satiating the only craving you might have left, with a dessert reception.
All Clearwater
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Keller Williams |
Psst! There’s one hallowed summer-time tradition that we left out of our otherwise-comprehensive “Summer Fun” issue—until now. It goes unspoken—true Westchester residents already know—that the start of summer in the County coincides with the Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival at Croton Point Park. Every year, the picturesque park becomes home to a festival of live music, storytelling, puppetry, crafts, and green-living vendors. This year, performers include Steve Earle, Shawn Colvin, Joan Osborne, the Felice Brothers, Steve Forbert, Rhett Miler, and Mike Doughty, among others. Of course, no visit would be complete without a ride on the sloop Clearwater. The festival takes place on June 19 and 20.
Cubanism
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Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons,”Study for Elevata”, 2002 |
Yes, there’s more to Cuba than Castro, Che, and cigars. In fact, Cuba has an active art scene, and you can get a taste of it at the Katonah Museum of Art’s new exhibition, Cuba Avant-Garde: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Farber Collection. The show features painting, drawing, prints, photos, sculptures, and other works from more than 40 Cuban-born artists, and highlights works of “New Cuban Art,” noted for being more open in its political views. The exhibition will be on view from June 27 to September 19.
Keep on Truckin’
Southern indie rock comes to Southern Westchester: Drive-By Truckers—a band whose name conjures up images of road-tripping along the Georgia highway—will perform at the Tarrytown Music Hall on June 4. You can expect the big riffs of other Southern rock legends (Lynyrd Skynyrd, naturally) to be mixed in with quieter, more thoughtful indie-rock sounds. The band is out promoting its most recent album, March’s The Big To-Do, an album that the A.V. Club says “succeeds where 2006’s similarly concise A Blessing And A Curse whiffed, distilling the Truckers’ considerable strengths into a more accessible package without diluting them.”
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Home Theater
What to add to your Netflix queue this month
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Alice in Wonderland DVD Release Date: June 1 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll—the pairing just feels natural, doesn’t it? Burton’s Alice in Wonderland finds a 20-year-old Alice revisiting the kooky world of Wonderland while contemplating a real-life marriage proposal. The DVD comes with plenty of behind-the-scenes features that show how Burton created Wonderland, but you might want to spring for the Blu-Ray so you can also see how Burton and Johnny Depp came up with the vigorous Futterwacken dance. (Yeah, you read that right.) |
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Life DVD Release Date: June 1, BBC Warner Home Video Just like its predecessor—Planet Earth—Life gets you up close to all manner of animals, from delicate monarch butterflies to terrifying komodo dragons. This is the reason you should totally make friends with someone who has an HD TV and a Blu-Ray player, folks. Discs also come with making-of features, because otherwise you’d scratch your head all night wondering how they got some of those shots. |
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Shutter Island |
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The White Ribbon |
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Broadway Box Office
6 Qs for Maddie Corman of Next Fall
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Photo by CAROL ROSEGG Patrick Breen (Adam), Maddie Corman (Holly), and Connie Ray (Arlene) in Next Fall |
Irvington native Maddie Corman is having a much-deserved pinch-me-now moment, starring in the Tony-nominated Next Fall, a very smart and very moving Broadway play, which Ben Brantley of the New York Times has called “the funniest heartbreaker in town.” Corman—who lives in Dobbs Ferry with her husband, TV pilot (Royal Pains, Burn Notice) director Jace Alexander (yes, he ís the son of actress Jane Alexander), and their three young children—originated her role of Holly, the close friend of a gay man whose boyfriend is in a coma, during its three-month run off-Broadway last year. Presented by Elton John and David Furnish, Next Fall opened recently at the Helen Hayes Theatre.
A Broadway debut at forty. A dream-come-true? Yes, but one I had almost stopped dreaming about.
What were you doing professionally before Next Fall? I had slowed down and stepped away from live theater because I have young children and my husband worked long hours and traveled; I also insisted on staying locally. I did a lot of independent films and some smaller parts in feature films like the mean salesgirl in Maid in Manhattan and a baby shower guest in Sunshine Cleaning.
So many off-Broadway productions dream of moving to Broadway. Why did this one make it? There’s no exact recipe—but I have never in more than twenty years of acting been involved in any project that had such a response from all different types of people. To a person they relate to it and think it’s extremely moving and funny.
How would you describe Next Fall? It’s a play that examines faith and family and friendship. Its big take-away message is to open your eyes—it’s never a bad time to tell the people you love that you love them, because you never know what’s going to happen.
How have the years you’ve spent as a mom informed your work? It’s helped my performance as well as my stamina. Surviving on very little sleep is something you learn as a mom and nursing twins is like a crash course in sleep deprivation
What do you hope to be doing next fall? I have a hard time figuring out what I am doing tomorrow—who has karate and who has soccer—but it would be lovely to still be doing this play.
By: Laurie Yarnell
