Plum Viewing
Welcome to the latest edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to view online.
Here are this week’s picks. Happy viewing!
Ok, let’s start with a little quiz: Who watched last week’s recommendation The Weir, by Irish playwright Conor McPherson?
In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap. The five actors in the play each filmed themselves from five different locations, and were then brought together digitally using the original stage set and design. The performances were gorgeous, and the language was just so beautiful. I am so thankful to the NYC’s Irish Rep Theater for giving us this experience. It made my heart happy!
So, for this week, let’s stay in NYC and head to the Village Vanguard (oh, that WOULD make my heart VERY happy!) This mecca for jazz greats first opened in 1935 and it is now the oldest jazz club in New York. Recently, the club started to stream live performances and this Friday and Saturday night, we have the pleasure of seeing and hearing Fred Hersch, a 15-time Grammy nominee who has spent over three decades as one of jazz’s most influential pianists, composers, and improvisers. The shows start at 9 pm ET and tickets, which are $10, can be purchased directly on the Village Vanguard’s website. All shows are streamed live and last approximately 75 minutes. Plus, with your ticket, you can re-visit the performance any time for next 24 hours.
Now this really is a treat, at least for us book nerds. Colson Whitehead is truly the man of the hour. His latest novel, The Nickel Boys won the Pulitzer Prize and his previous novel, The Underground Railroad, which he published in the summer of 2016, also won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Carnegie Medal for Fiction, and was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Courtesy of WNYC’s Let’s Get Lit series (again, a title only us book nerds would find fun!), we get a full hour with this incredible author. He, of course, speaks to his latest novel but also addresses the themes facing the U.S. and frankly the world right now. It’s an insightful discussion which you can find here.
This Saturday, August 1 is Emancipation Day and to honour the day, CBC Arts has partnered with Ngozi Paul to broadcast an online program featuring music, theatre, dance and spoken word. Some of Toronto’s most well known and loved theatres, including Crow’s Theatre, Theatre Centre and Soulpepper feature and act as a backdrop. For anyone not familiar with Ngozi Paul, she is a true force. An award-winner Canadian actress, writer and director, her solo show, The Emancipation of Miss Lovely won a Dora Award in 2017. Here’s a link to the CBC streaming.
The Baryshnikov Arts Center, founded by Mikhail Baryshnikov, has always been a gathering place for artists across all disciplines. Over the years, it has cultivated a well-earned reputation as an incubator to many of the most exciting and innovative emerging talent. During lockdown, BAC has reached into its archive and made available many of its past performances. Now playing (until August 4) is a 2018 performance by Quodlibet Ensemble, a string chamber orchestra comprised of some of today’s most sought-after musicians. The concert takes you on lovely musical journey that moves from classical, to romantic to contemporary music.
Lenny Bruce is easily one of the most well-regarded and also controversial comedians of all time. For fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, you know that he is currently being portrayed brilliantly by Canada’s own Luke Kirby (who was also amazing in Sarah Polley’s Take this Waltz, but I digress!) Well, we can now watch the real Lenny’s penultimate performance, The Lenny Bruce Performance Film, where he uses the transcript from his New York trial (he was arrested A LOT) as his ‘material’. Needless to say, it’s everything you want it to be and more.
Enjoy!!
And, an ask: While we’re enjoying these wonderful performances, let’s remember that for the arts organizations producing this incredible content, this is their livelihood; not a hobby. If we can, now is our time to continue to support our incredible arts community!
And, if you’d like to receive Plum Viewing weekly, send me a note at maggiefairs@gmail.com and I will add you to my mailing list.