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ICON NOVEMBER
Photo, Frank Smith. Bethlehem House Contemporary Art Gallery
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Filling the hunger since 1992
INTERVIEWS 20 | JOEL EDGERTON 22 | TONY BENNETT
Ben Marcune, Winter Barn. The Snow Goose Gallery.
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MORE FILM
ART
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ESSAY Giving a Hoot
Bethlehem House Contemporary Art Gallery
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27 |
FOODIE FILE 28 |
The Hotel Chef
Juried Craft Exhibition
The Snow Goose Gallery 8| 10 | 12 |
Mandy Barnett
Jack Byer
Galen Ayers
Peter Croatto
Joe Strummer
Philip Glass/Craig Morris Fred Hersch Trio ’97
CINEMATTERS Weightless
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FOREIGN Aquarius
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Megan Flanagan
Robert Beck
Schubert/Trio Vitruvi Robert Poss 34 | POP Only the Lonely Bleed 37 | JAZZ LIBRARY Frank Wess
24 | REEL NEWS
26 |
Richard DeCosta
Loudon Wainwright III
Colin James
NIGHTLIFE
The Cakemaker Thunder Road We the Animals BlackKkKlansman
PRODUCTION
A. D. Amorosi
STAGE
Boy Erased Burning Monrovia, Indiana Suspiria
filipiakr@comcast.net
30 | SINGER / SONGWRITER
THE PHOTOJOURNALIST
18 | FILM ROUNDUP
Raina Filipiak / Advertising
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
FILM 14 |
EDITORIAL Editor / Trina McKenna
MUSIC
32 | JAZZ/ ROCK/CLASSICAL/ALT
ON THE COVER: Joel Edgerton. Photo: ©Debbie VanStory/RockinExposures. Page 20
PRESIDENT
Rita Kaplan
Delaware Art Museum
Legacy: The Art of Ben Marcune
John David Washington and Laura Harrier in BlackKkKlansman.
icondv.com facebook.com/icondv
DOCUMENTARY Kusama: Infinity
EXHIBITIONS I Holiday Show
Weightless.
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215-862-9558
Trina McKenna trina@icondv.com
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Boy Erased.
The intersection of art, entertainment, culture, opinion and mad genius
ETCETERA 36 |
HARPER’S FINDINGS
36 |
HARPER’S INDEX
38 |
L. A. TIMES CROSSWORD
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AGENDA
Geoff Gehman Mark Keresman George Miller Bob Perkins Keith Uhlich Tom Wilk
Subscription: $40 (12 issues) PO Box 120 • New Hope 18938 (800) 354-8776 Fax (215) 862-9845 ICON is published twelve times per year. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. ICON welcomes letters to the editor, editorial ideas and submissions, but assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. ICON is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. ©2018 Prime Time Publishing Co., Inc.
ART ESSAY & PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK
GIVING A HOOT
S
SHE LOOKED LIKE A stump covered with leaves on the side of the road, head tucked into her shoulders and feathers matted down in the rain. I pulled over to check. Her head lifted and rotated toward me as I approached, fixing me with a large, yellow, forbidding eye. The other was shut tight. A Great Horned Owl has a set of claws that demand respect. You can have the best intentions in the world, but the bird has one thought: this guy will try to eat me. So I took it slow. When I got too close she spread her wings and lifted off in halfflight, half-jump, but she didn’t go far. The effort was clearly as much as the bird could muster. She was in trouble. I hung back and called Lori. Lori Stagnitto runs Lambertville Animal Welfare. When it comes to animals, she either knows what to do or knows who does. She was ten minutes away. The owl and I stood in the rain regarding each other and waited. I’ve interacted with owls for a good portion of my life. Not because there is magic between us, but because I’ve lived in environments where they live, too. They hoot to find a mate, and if you mimic their hooting pattern you can sometimes draw them closer. It ends in disappointment for the owl, but welcome to life. I’ve persuaded them to answer me many times, the sound moving in the dark from a tree in the distance to another not quite as far, until I’m found out and spurned for more realistic opportunities. Still, I’ve enjoyed our little chats. I was worried the sick owl would fly somewhere inaccessible or dangerous. She was close to the traffic, close to the canal, and close to a thicket that would make rescue difficult. Every time she dipped her head, lifted her shoulders, and looked like she was going to make a move, I gave her a brief hoot, which would turn her attention to me again. Lori showed up, took a large net from the car, and walked a wide circle in the steady rain, climbing fences and cutting through yards in order to sneak up behind. As she closed in I gave a couple of particularly suggestive hoots to distract Ms. Owl, and in a flash she was had and on her way to the help she needed. That help was at the Mercer County Wildlife Center, a facility of the Mercer County (NJ) Park Commission. They provide modern, critical care to injured wildlife so they can be returned to their natural world. The owl was given the number 02261, which reflects how many animals they had already treated by the end of summer, but also that these aren’t pets. They don’t get names. If the examination, tests, and X-rays suggest they can regain self-sufficiency, they are given that chance. 02261 was blind in one eye, had impact damage to her beak, a bad foot, and was dehydrated and undernourished. The eye and beak were thought to be past injuries, possibly leading to her present condition. An owl can adjust to having lost one eye, but the question was whether given time she would resolve the other issues. The veterinarian decided she might. At last, one of those owls that crossed paths with me got lucky. In fact, where I found her was not far from where I live, and she could very well be the girl I’ve been disingenuously flirting with these past years. So why bother? Why is it worth the money the county spends (not much, really, about twenty cents per person) and the fifteen times that contributed by Wildlife Center Friends and other private donors to treat thousands of injured animals? Because life on our planet is interdependent—the landscape, the wildlife, and we humans that have such an adverse impact on them. You might think you can’t do anything to influence the big issues of conservation, ecology, and coexistence, but you can demonstrate awareness and point your actions in the right direction. When we mindlessly sweep something out of our path, be it the bees, the bats, the elms, the ash; when we ravage the system that sustains us in order to enhance the return on investment or the view with our coffee; when we say it’s just a rabbit, or a turtle, or an owl—we are saying it’s just everything in this world that isn’t me, and it doesn’t matter. Which is exactly the thinking that has put us where we are, well on our way to finding out precisely who it is that really doesn’t count. n ICON | NOVEMBER 2018 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV
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EXHIBITIONS I
Force of Nature, Watercolor, Cheryl Elmo
Holiday Show Bethlehem House Contemporary Art Gallery 459 Main St., Bethlehem, PA 610-419-6262 BethlehemHouseGallery.com Through January 12, 2019 Closing reception Jan. 12, 6-9pm
Orange Peel, 2016. Linda Celestian (born 1964). Silk, wool, dye, and nylon thread, 19 × 19 × 3 inches. Courtesy of the artist. © Linda Celestian.
Juried Craft Exhibition The Bethlehem House Gallery welcomes you to visit and enjoy the stunning featured art work and handcrafted furniture exhibited in a relaxed atmosphere. The Gallery is a living space and continuous project that inspires everyone to become a fine art collector. There is a diverse collection of original artwork for a range of household budgets. The Holiday Show features works by Khalil Allaik, Cheryl Elmo, Al Johnson, Frank Smith, Ward Van Haute, and Anthony Viscardi. Experience this unique gallery that is nestled in the heart of Bethlehem’s Historic Downtown. It has become known as one of the most beloved places to experience art.
Bethlehem Steel VIII, Oil on reverse side of glass, Ward Van Haute 6
Delaware Art Museum 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302-571-9590 delart.org Through January 27, 2019 For over 90 years, the Delaware Art Museum has showcased contemporary craft in its temporary exhibitions by artists working locally and throughout the region. Capitalizing on the Museum’s popular annual exhibitions of drawings, prints, paintings, sculptures, and watercolors, the first juried Contemporary Crafts Show was formally established in 1958. Since then, a rich array of woodwork, ceramics, furniture, jewelry, textiles, metalwork, glass, enamel, and leather has been selected by jurors from museums and universities located throughout the United States. Selected by Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Director and juror Paul Sacaridiz, the 2018 Juried Craft Exhibition will celebrate this long history and one of the most vital modes of artistic production today.
Queen Butterfly, 2017. Mirjam Seeger (born 1953). Painting on fused glass, 12 × 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist. © Mirjam Seeger.
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Ben Marcune, Autumn Birches I, oil.
Legacy: The Art of Ben Marcune The Snow Goose Gallery 470 Main St., Bethlehem, PA 610-974-9099 thesnowgoosegallery.com Tuesday–Saturday: 10–5, Sunday: 11–4. December 2–30, 2018 Collectors’ Preview: Saturday, Dec. 1, 1–5 pm Opening Reception: Sunday, Dec. 2, 1–5 pm Ben Fortunado Marcune spent his early years in Brooklyn, NY and in Southern California. He attended UCLA and earned a masters degree in Human Factors Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He was also a fellow of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After Serving in the army as a medic in Korea, Ben enjoyed a successful career as a biomedical engineer and industrial designer. His creative drive and his drawing ability were instrumental in his work in the sciences. In mid-career, Ben moved to Pennsylvania and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Eventually, he became a full-time painter and sculptor. He maintained three studios, two in Historic Bethlehem and one in Bucks County. He became known for his landscapes of Bethlehem and Bucks County. He was also recognized for his portraits of public figures and performing artists. An extremely versatile artist, he created abstract paintings, etchings and collagraphs in addition to his landscapes and portraits and sculptures. His heroic sized bronze sculptures can be seen throughout the Lehigh Valley, including the campus of DeSales University and throughout Bethlehem. Ben Marcune died on March 3, 2018, at the age of 82. He is greatly missed, and fondly remembered.
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SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS
Filippo Di Rosa, Italy, Architecture, Open Winner, 2012
Tobias Brauning, Germany, Split Second, Open Winner, 2012
Giovanni Frescura, Italy, Open Winner, Nature & Wildlife, 2012
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
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STAGE VALLEY
CITY
Brigadoon. “The Heather on the Hill” and “Almost Like Being in Love” top the earworming tunes in this beautiful musical about two game-hunting New Yorkers who find fun, love and magic in a Scottish village that emerges every century. (Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, Nov. 1-4) A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Foolish lovers, feisty fairies and wickedly wise clowns duke it up in Shakespeare’s earthy circus. (Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem, Nov. 9-11, 14-16)
Mr. Burns, a post-electric play. Prickly playwright Anne Washburn’s dark comedy focuses on apocalyptic survivors retelling a Scorsese-like “Cape Feare” episode of Matt Groening’s Fox show The Simpsons with an eye on its evil overlord and the changes enacted by such a global disaster 75 years later. The HotHouse Company and director Yury Urnov join the Wilma’s usual crew for laughs and listless adventure. (Wilma Theater, 265 S Broad Street, through November 11)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Tom Stoppard’s exceedingly witty tragicomedy turns minor witless characters in Hamlet into major characters outwitted by pirates, letters of execution and their princely pal. (Arena Theatre, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Nov. 15-18) TseSho (What’s That?) I experienced my first performanceart go-go at Touchstone Theatre, courtesy of the Ukrainian company TeatrPralnia. Four women and one man wearing knitted caps and overalls tweeted meditations on love, freedom and mobile (de)vices with musical instruments. runaway raps, nonsense arias and smart (dumb) phones. What was said was less intriguing than how it was expressed with frozen faces, frantic limbs and choices cute (the short accordionist seemed tall standing on a table) and clever (an upright bass played sideways like a guitar). Throbbing cartoon projections dovetailed with crackling punk-polka and babbling blurbs (“Did I see real people today?”). A Number. The banquet room of an Irish pub in Bethlehem hosted the Pocono Mountains Theater Company’s compelling production of Caryl Churchill’s harrowing dialogue between a father and three of his sons, two cloned as “a tribute” to the original (“the best”). Benjamin Lovell deftly creased and uncreased the dad’s folds of guilt, greed, vanity and sinister ethics. Peter Sanchez cracked open the kids—civilized English, ruffian English, curious American—with impressive power and wonder. Director George Miller arranged the chipping and hammering as a nasty, nervously funny chess match in a hothouse lab. Private Peaceful. Shane O’Regan tour de forced through two dozen characters in this solo piece about an English soldier in World War I who relives his 16 years while awaiting his execution for disobedience and cowardice. Performing at Lafayette College, the Irish native brilliantly conveyed everything from the awe of a first naked girl to the terror of constant bombing. His movements were spry, his impersonations spot-on, his transformations seamless. He radiated heat even when he was hunkered behind barbed-wire bedsprings. Billy Elliot. Civic Theatre of Allentown opened its vibrantly restored Art Deco home with a top-dog version of a musical about the ultimate underdog: an 11-yearold boy who hurdles a slag heap of obstacles in an English mining village to enter the Royal Ballet School. Parker James Fullmore’s Billy was magnetic whether he was acting or balleting, jumping-bean jumpy or still. Kathleen Oswalt, Billy’s ballsy dance teacher, was drill-sergeant tough and compassionate. As Michael, Billy’s cross-dressing friend, Todd Croslis combined gazelle grace, loony humor and touching awkwardness. Director William Sanders skillfully balanced skill levels, laughs and tears, and separated drama from schmaltz. Choreographers Deena Lin, Sarah Parker and Jennifer Haltzman Tracy excelled at numbers large and small. The whole-company hoofing-it-up finale was a glorious celebration, a grand feat of fireworks of feet. n — GEOFF GEHMAN 10
The 2018 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. Theatre Philadelphia celebrates the local staged dramatic, comedic and dramatic arts with its annual award ceremony for new works, original plays, up-and-coming artisans, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and $75,000 in cash prizes to artists and organizations. (Bok Building, B800 Mifflin Street. Monday, November 5 with a pre-show cocktail party at 5 p.m.)
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Dancing with Giants. Tovah Feldshuh, the woman behind the original Yentl—as well as Cyrano, Lend Me a Tenor, Golda's Balcony, to say nothing of her solo cabarets and time on zombie AMC’s The Walking Dead—performs as a man, Bronx born ”boxing manager Joe “Yussel the Muscle” in a special reading of her playwright brother David Feldshuh’s Dancing with Giants. The play, touching on the boxing manager’s life and philosophies, looks at his friendships with Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, a German who refused to go over to the Nazi side. The Feldshuh family reading is part of Philly’s Congregation Rodeph Shalom’s celebration of its 90th year. (November 14, Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 N. Broad Street.) I Hate Hamlet. Paul Rudnick’s tale of a Hollywood soap star begrudgingly doing Hamlet in Central Park while moving into a Gothic Greenwich Village apartment once owned—and now haunted—by John Barrymore, put the comedic playwright on the map. (Nov. 9 - Dec. 1, Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St., New Hope.) Salt Pepper Ketchup. Local playwright Josh Wilder’s tale of wild gentrification hits many nerves as it touches on the strife within South Philly’s Point Breeze neighborhood. When a trendy food coop opens near a longtime area mom-and-pop grocery, laughs, violence and political discourse ensue. But that’s the InterAct way. (Through November 18, InterAct Theatre Company, The Drake Theatre, 302 S. Hicks Street) warplay. Playwright JC Lee—also known as a television writer JC Lee (HBO’s Looking), and director/Azuka boss Kevin Glaccum humorously recall the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus while peering into the nations of idolatry, heroism, male intimacy and destiny. (Through November 18, Azuka Theatre, Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake, 302 S. Hicks Street.) The Color Purple. Book writer Marsha Norman and musical playwrights Brenda Russel, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray’s take on Alice Walker's slavery era novel about bearing with racism, unending love and family tragedy stays true to its Civil War sound of jazz, gospel, ragtime and blues, recounting the happiness and horror of the time. (November 8 through December 8, Theatre Horizon, 401 DeKalb Street, Norristown, PA) Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s look at the classic Roald Dahl novel, Matilda, looks at a brave little girl with unbounded imagination. Better than Annie any day. (November 6 —January 6, 2019, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street.) n — A.D. AMOROSI
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NIGHTLIFE
NOVEMBER
CURATED BY A.D. AMOROSI
3 BOBBY STARTUP ART WORK
The stage manager behind the poster art of the original Electric Factory in Sansom Village in the ’60s, behind the booking and graphics of Philly’s punk palace, The Hot Club in ’70s, the New Wave of East Side Club in the 80s, Revival in the ’90s and Bar Noir in the 2000s has his first show of punk era art work. A must. Trinity Framing at 3rd and Bainbridge. trinityframing.com
American Idol, the vocalist developed her dramatic chops with time spent on NBC’s theatrical dramedy Smash and several B-way shows. Steelstacks, steelstacks.org
9, 10 RICHARD THOMPSON ELECTRIC TRIO WITH SHAWN COLVIN
The Fairport Connection originator of the frank, folk guitar sound hits the Keswick with one dynamic opener,
15 THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT
The engineer for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and the progressivelite hit maker of the ’70s and ’80s returns to the stage, unless he never left, and I didn’t know it. Keswick Theatre, keswicktheatre.com
8 MARCUS MILLER
His expressive bass work was good enough to play alongside jazz giant Miles Davis, and it’s good enough for you. Ardmore Music Hall, ardmoremusichall.com
3 ELVIS COSTELLO
8 TENACIOUS D
From pub rock through to the skronk of the present day (with stops at Mo-
Maybe rock with a comic twist is not your cup of tea. Jack Black and Kyle Gass (with long-time collaborator
23 THOM YORKE
Ms. Colvin. 11/9 at Keswick Theatre, keswicktheatre.com; 11/10 at SteelStacks, steelstacks.org 10 SCOTT BRADLEE'S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX
town, chamber music and collaborations with The Roots, McCartney and Bacharach along the way), Costello has remained one of Britain’s most lyrical astute and impressionistic songwriters. His new album, Look Now, continues the trend. Hard Rock Atlantic City. hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com
More than just a cover band, this is total reinvention, turning Taylor Swift, Lady GaGa, or John Legend songs into vintage doo-wop, ragtime, or jazz melodies with snazzy instrumentation
Dave Grohl on drums) shove it down your throat with Post-Apocalypto THE ALBUM, and this latest tour. Make it your cup. The Fillmore Philadelphia, thefillmorephilly.com
The powerhouse vocalist behind “Exes and Ohs” returns with a mighty, soul-punkish new album, Shame. Of which she should have none. Theatre of Living Arts, tlaphilly.com 4 GORDON LIGHTFOOT
If he just played “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” on repeat for two hours, I would be fine. Keswick Theatre, keswicktheatre.com
Folk pop’s most newly earnest singer and songwriter returns after hibernating in the woods Keswick Theatre, keswicktheatre.com
Spooky old Radiohead’s main man gets creepier still when he plays his soundtrack to the new remake of Suspria. Plus, this is the first huge show at what was once the Electric Factory and is now North Seventh, or Franklin Hall. Or something. This place, northseventhphilly.com 24 BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA-
Before he hits 2019 with his rockabilly Stray Cats reunion, with new music too, celebrate the big band swing sound of the bluesiest orchestra on 80 legs. Kimmel Center, kimmelcenter.org 28 DRACO ROSA
8 IRON & WINE 4 ELLE KING
about the first 500 days of Trump’s presidency is the cartoonist’s newest collection and it stings. Keswick Theatre, keswicktheatre.com
and tap dancing. Yowsah! Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem, PA, zoellner.cas2.lehigh.edu/events-page
This Puerto Rican songwriting superstar was once in Menudo with Ricky Martin and co-wrote “Living La Vida Loca.” The Foundry is so small, ask
12 JOSH GROBAN/IDINA MENZEL 9 LUCIA MICARELLI
From classical to zydeco, from the halls of Berklee to the swamps of New Orleans, she plays it all, and
Two of Broadways biggest voices and personalities hit the big room. Beware the Grobanites and the Wicked-
7 KATHARINE MCPHEE
Though first known for her stint on him about it. The Foundry atop The Fillmore Philadelphia, thefillmorephilly.com philes.Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com she’s got a crazy huge PBS special to prove it. Keswick Theatre, keswicktheatre.com 12
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13 GARRY TRUDEAU
#Sad!: Doonesbury in the Time of Trump, a tragic comedy collection
30 STEVEN WILSON
The newest son of prog rock’s poppier side has a lavish production for your ears and eyes. The Fillmore Philadelphia, thefillmorephilly.com n
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CINEMATTERS
Eli Haley (Will) in Jaron Albertin’s Weightless. Photo Credit: Paladin
BY PETE CROATTO
T
Weightless
THE DESPERATE STARE. THE slouched shoulders. We’ve seen these men and women smoking outside the convenience store and milling by the gas pump. They’re not so much beaten up by life as fatigued by constant disappointment. In Jaron Albertin’s Weightless, Alessandro Nivola embodies this battered soul with such sad-sack conviction that his performance is almost uncomfortable to watch. Joel has stopped seeking shelter in life’s onslaught of ennui. He could be a fascinating character, if we knew him beyond his lifeless stare. Joel lives as if life is a chore he can barely stand: work at a garbage dump in Central New York, fool around with his surprisingly buoyant girlfriend (Julianne Nicholson), maybe go out for a drink. It’s a no-frills life, until he’s forced to take his long-estranged, 10-year-old-son Will (Eli Haley) after the kid’s mother vanishes. The event has turned Will into a silent recluse, much like his father. Joel’s attitude toward Will wavers between ambivalence and disdain. It’s not that Joel doesn’t care about his son; I think it’s so painful for him to expend the effort to fully care. It’s why he leaves the kid by himself when he heads to work; it’s why an errand after a night of fun provides Joel an alluring option to walk away and never look back. Albertin reveals little about Joel’s state. Judging by his sparsely furnished suburban ranch shrouded in shadows, Joel wears his privacy like a suit of armor. A directorial approach that is meant to be opaque turns ineffective because Joel (and 14
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everyone else) is defined by their silent suffering. The director clearly wants to find the emotional grandeur in the lower middle-class—think a Richard Russo novel adapted by Miranda July—but Albertin is only concerned about gussying up the suffering. The film’s opening scene features Nivola staggering fully clothed from a lake and pounding on the rocky shore. It is visually striking. And ultimately empty. As the plot unfolds, we learn that Joel is raging against himself, but without the unglamorous context, we’re left seeing Nivola and his co-stars perform a series of mopey, arty set pieces. That’s OK for a while. Parts of Weightless are haunting in their sparse terseness, like Joel leaving Will a note that he’ll be back at six p.m. Or his girlfriend dropping off a sad store-bought cake for Will’s birthday that remains unopened on the counter. But for every scene that tears at your heart, one leaves you confused, like Will sitting outside the house with a paper bag on his head. Or emerging from the house with his torso covered in children’s stickers. Or scenes shot from the perspective of a bird. Albertin, in his feature film debut, strings accents of woe together that obscure how Joel and Will can co-exist. So it’s jarring when father and son discover they need each other to stop blowing through life. I wish Albertin had extended his hand to show us how that happened. Instead, he chases his artistic ambitions and leaves us hurtling toward the ground—if it’s even there. [R] n
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TREES OF HISTORIC BETHLEHEM Nov. 1-Jan. 13. Spans the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, 1810 Goundie House and Single Sisters’ House. 800-360-8687. HistoricBethlehem.org CHRISTKINDLMARKT HOT GLASS EXPERIENCE: NEW ORNAMENT OR CANDYCANE ArtsQuest Glass Studio. Nov. 16-Dec. 23. Christkindlmarkt Glass Tent, PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, 645 East 1st St., Bethlehem. Ages 6 and up. No experience necessary. 610-332-1300. bananafactory.org CHRISTKINDLMARKT AT STEELSTACKS Nov. 16-18 & 23-25; Nov. 29-Dec. 2 & Dec. 6-9, 13-16 & 20-23 Thurs. & Sun.: 11am.-6pm. & Fri. & Sat., 11am.-8pm.; event closes at 6pm. on Dec. 23. Twice recognized as one of the best holiday markets in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure. PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, 645 East First St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-332-3378. christmascity.org HOLIDAY PUTZ TRAIL Nov.16-Jan. 13. Kemerer Museum, 427 N. New St.; Moravian Museum, 66 W. Church St.; Single Sisters House, 50 W. Church St. & 1810 Goundie House, 501 Main St. 610-691-6055. historicbethlehem.org CANADIAN BRASS: CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE Nov. 23, 7:30pm. Miller Symphony Hall, 23 North 6th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org COMMUNITY TREE LIGHTING SERVICE Nov. 23, 4:30-6pm. Payrow Plaza, 10 East Church St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-739-1510. lightupbethlehem.org CHRISTMAS CITY STROLL Nov. 23-Dec. 30. Visit website for available days and times. Tours leave from the Visitor Center, 505 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. Certified guides lead you through centuries of Bethlehem's rich history. 800-360-8687. historicbethlehem.org CHRISTMAS PUTZ AND STAR & CANDLE SHOPPE Nov. 23-Dec. 31, Thurs. & Fri. 1-7pm.; Sat. 10am.-8pm & Sun. 1-5pm. Dec. 26-31, Daily 1-5pm. Closed Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.
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Christian Education Building, 40 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-866-5661. centralmoravianchurch.org “MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET” CHRISTMAS CLASSIC MATINEES Nov. 29-Dec.1, 12:30pm. ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA. 610-332-3378. steelstacks.org CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR Dec. 1, 2pm & 7pm. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132, 1-800-999-STATE. Statetheatre.org 53RD ANNUAL COMMUNITY ADVENT BREAKFAST Dec. 1, 8:30-10am. A non-denominational Bethlehem tradition. Moravian Village, 526 Wood St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-739-1510. Lightupbethlehem.org A CHRISTMAS MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA Dec. 1, 1:30pm. Christmas concert with The Mainstreet Brass, the Central Moravian Church Choir and the pipe organ. Sanctuary, 406 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-866-5661. Centralmoravianchurch.org BEL CANTO YOUTH CHORUS WINTER CONCERT Dec. 1, 4pm. The Bel Canto Youth Chorus of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Wesley United Methodist Church, 2540 Center St., Bethlehem. 610-866-4382. Bach.org/tickets SANTA’S NAUGHTY OR NICE COCKTAILS & COOKIES CRAWL Dec. 1, 1-5pm. 324 South New St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-419-9180. southsideartsdistrict.com BREAKFAST WITH ST. NICHOLAS Dec. 1, 8 & 15, 9 a.m. Enjoy a delicious hot breakfast, a photo with St. Nick and admission to Christkindlmarkt. PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, 645 East First St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-332-3378. christmascity.org EDGEBORO MORAVIAN CHURCH CHRISTMAS PUTZ AND CHRISTMAS ROOM Dec. 1-22, Mon.-Fri. (Group Tours): 9am.-2pm.; Thurs.-Sat.: 6-8pm.; Sun.: 3-6pm. 645 Hamilton Ave., Bethlehem, PA. 610-866-8793. edgeboromoravian.org
HISTORIC BETHLEHEM LIVE ADVENT CALENDAR Dec. 1-23; 5:15-5:45pm. 1810 Goundie House, 505 Main St., Bethlehem. The only one of its kind in the country, is kicking off its 10th year! 800-360-TOUR or 610-691-6055. historicbethlehem.org EAST HILLS MORAVIAN CHURCH CHRISTMAS PUTZ Dec. 1-30, Wed. & Fri.: 6-8.; Sat. & Sun.: 3-8. Closed Dec. 24-25. 1830 Butztown Rd., Bethlehem. 610-868-6481 easthillsmc.org ADVENT LOVEFEAST Dec. 2, 11 a.m. A non-sacramental meal of sweet rolls and coffee are served during a service of hymns and anthems. Sanctuary, 406 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-866-5661. centralmoravianchurch.org GERMAN & ENGLISH ADVENT SINGSTUNDE Dec. 4, 7-8pm. Central Moravian Church, 412 Heckewelder Place, Bethlehem, PA. 610-866-5661. centralmoravianchurch.org “THE BISHOP'S WIFE” CHRISTMAS CLASSIC MATINEES Dec. 6-8, 12:30pm. Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. 610-332-3378. Steelstacks.org CHRISTMAS CITY FOLLIES XVIII Dec. 6-23, Thurs.-Sat. at 8pm, Sun. at 2pm. Touchstone Theatre, 321 East 4th St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-867-1689. Touchstone.org
CONTEMPLATIVE WORSHIP SERVICE Dec. 10, 7-8pm. Central Moravian Church, 412 Heckewelder Place, Bethlehem. 610-866-5661. centralmoravianchurch.org DAVID LEONHARDT, A WINTER HOLIDAY JAZZ CONCERT Dec. 14, 7:30pm. Miller Symphony Hall, 23 North 6th St., Allentown. 610-432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org LUMINARIA NIGHT Dec. 15, begins at Sundown. Citywide, Bethlehem. Neighborhoods line their streets with luminaria. FREE. $10 (Luminaria kit includes 10 candles, sand & bags.) 610-691-5602. newbethanyministries.org “THE NUTCRACKER.” PA YOUTH BALLET, BALLET GUILD OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY Dec. 15 & 16, Live music. Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 E Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org BETHLEHEM MUNICIPAL BAND HOLIDAY CONCERT. Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m. Traditional and modern music performed by more than 50 members. Moravian College, Foy Concert Hall, 324 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-984-2131. Cityband.org “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE” CHRISTMAS CLASSIC MATINEES Dec. 20-22, 12:30 pm. Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA. 610-332-3378. steelstacks.org
40TH ANNUAL LIVE BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS PAGEANT Dec. 8 & 9, 1:45 p.m. Bethlehem Rose Garden Band Shell, 8th Ave. Bethlehem. Singers and a narrator tell the story as the pageant unfolds. 610-865-0274. facebook.com/BethlehemNativityPageant
JIM BRICKMAN: A JOYFUL CHRISTMAS Dec. 21, 7:30pm. Miller Symphony Hall, 23 North 6th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org
MOSCOW BALLET’S GREAT RUSSIAN “NUTCRACKER” Dec. 9, 2pm & 6pm. Celebrating 25th Anniversary. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132. Statetheatre.org
JIMMY & THE PARROTS: HOLIDAY PARROT PARTY Dec. 21, 7:30pm. ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA. 610-332-3378. steelstacks.org
THE BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM - CHRISTMAS CONCERT Dec. 9, 4 p.m. Orchestration includes two flutes, oboe, English horn, two bassoons, triangle and piano four-hands. 2344 Center St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-866-4382. Bach.org/event/Christmas-concert-bethlehem
LIGHTWIRE THEATER: A VERY ELECTRIC CHRISTMAS Dec. 22, 1pm & 4pm. Free event parking. Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 E Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org
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FILM ROUNDUP
Suspira
REVIEWED BY KEITH UHLICH
Boy Erased (Dir. Joel Edgerton). Starring: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton. Garrard Conley’s 2016 memoir about his harrowing experience in gay conversion therapy is prosaically, if still affectingly transferred to the big screen by writer, director and co-star Joel Edgerton. Garrard’s onscreen surrogate is Jared (Lucas Hedges), an Arkansas teen who is unwittingly outed to his mother (Nicole Kidman) and Baptist preacher father (Russell Crowe). He chooses to attend a conversion therapy camp run by the perpetually proselytizing Victor Sykes (Edgerton, deftly underplaying the character’s mustache-twirling affect), and soon comes to realize the horrific absurdity of the program. Edgerton maintains an aura of gentle terror throughout, emphasizing the misguided “good” intentions (a very particular kind of evil) of Sykes and his ilk. The main flaw is that the film seems made for its own enlightened choir. It’s a haranguing sermon of another sort, and would need to be tougher and more ragged to really touch, and perhaps transform, any truly hardened hearts. [R] HHH Burning (Dir. Lee Chang-dong). Starring: Yoo Ah-In, Steven Yuen, Jeon Jong-seo. Korea’s Lee Chang-dong (Poetry) excels at slow-burn story18
telling and his adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story, which itself alludes to a William Faulkner tale, takes its hypnotically sweet time achieving smolder. Lee (Yoo Ah-In) runs into old acquaintance Shin (Jeon Jongseo) by chance and they begin a cursory love affair. Then she returns from a trip abroad with a sociopathic new beau, Ben (The Walking Dead’s Steven Yuen), whose reckless playboy lifestyle might include murder. Shin soon disappears, which leaves Lee in the role of amateur detective. He suspects Ben is somehow involved, but the more time passes, the more any hope of resolution fades. An expertly conjured sense of dread infuses every frame, perfectly illustrated when one of the characters performs an impromptu sunset dance (equal parts blissful and terrifying) to a Miles Davis composition. Yet Shin’s absence, though narratively necessary, also renders the film’s second half too chillingly clinical for its own good. [N/R]
HHH1/2 [See Joel Edgerton, Page 20]
Monrovia, Indiana (Dir. Frederick Wiseman). Documentary. Even by his consistently high standards, Frederick Wiseman’s latest documentary is an evident peak, a shattering summative work about an American community on the decline. The usual methods
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apply: Wiseman forgoes narration, identifying titles and any explicit editorializing. Yet even if a certain commander-in-chief ’s name is never once mentioned, it’s evident that the small town of Monrovia, Indiana is deep in the ideological pocket of one Donald J. Trump. This is no simplistic screed, however. Wiseman is obsessed with capturing contradictions (always honestly and perceptively) and letting his viewers do the work of processing the meaning behind them. Board meetings about a new gated community and the color of newly installed fire hydrants have a life-or-death charge. A ceremony in honor of freemasons plays like an alternately acerbic and affectionate scene out of a Coen brothers comedy. The climax, one of the finest sequences in Wiseman’s filmography, is a funeral for one of the town’s residents, during which the 88-year-old director grapples with his own mortality and simultaneously ponders what aspects of the American experiment (that messiest of beasts) should be eulogized and laid to rest. [N/R] HHHHH Suspiria (Dir. Luca Guadagnino). Starring: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth. Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s bonkers giallo Sus-
piria (1977) flits across screen like a hazy, half-remembered nightmare. One of its many themes is the nebulousness of memory, in addition to how the mind compartmentalizes and processes tragedy. Does that sound like a pretentious lot for a movie about a 1977-era Berlin ballet school run by a coven of witches? Perhaps, but there is plenty of method to Guadagnino’s madness. For one, his decision to cast second lead Tilda Swinton in three roles, two of them heavy with prosthetic makeup, pays untold, very knotty dividends. She plays vaguely sinister dance teacher Madame Blanc, as well as an elderly male psychologist, Dr. Klemperer, who is still reeling from his wife’s death in a concentration camp. And, finally, she’s also the fleshy big bad Helena Markos, who is searching for a virginal body—in this case the preternaturally talented dancer, and former Mennonite, Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson)—in which to transfer her demonic soul. Bodies and bones are broken. The Baader-Meinhof hijacking drama plays out on the margins. It’s as likely you’ll find the film repellent in all ways as you might be seduced by its visual and thematic murkiness. Guaranteed the experience will nestle in your subconscious, whether you want it to or not. [R]
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INTERVIEW BY A.D. AMOROSI
JOEL EDGERTON Boy Erased. Actor Fulfilled
WHEN JOEL EDGERTON—THE Australia born star of The Great Gatsby, Loving, and Black Mass, the director/writer of The Gift, and now, the November released, and Oscar-touted Boy Erased— sits in front of me in a hotel suite at Philly’s Ritz Carlton, he leans back with the confidence of an artist who has accomplished what he set out to do, with the curiosity to wonder whether you’ll think so, too, and the wonder of what that means for all of us going forward. Boy Erased doesn’t take that trajectory of Edgerton’s lightly. Based on the memoir by Garrard Conley, Boy Erased tells of the son of a Baptist preacher and his wife, who—perhaps not knowing better, perhaps not trusting God, or na
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BOY ERASED IS NOT A MOVIE WITH
BLACKS AND WHITES, AND CLEAR-CUT HEROES AND VILLAINS. WE MAY HAVE STOOD A
CHANCE OF MAKING MORE MONEY IF WE HAD RENDERED IT THAT WAY. BUT I WAS SO DRAWN TO THE BOOK BECAUSE THERE WEREN’T EASY TARGETS, OR AT LEAST NOT EASY FROM MY LIBERAL STANDPOINT.
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ture, or their own child’s intuition— push their son into a church-supported gay conversion therapy program after he winds up forcibly being outed to his parents. That the film starring Edgerton, Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Flea is a surprisingly supple and subtly scripted work tells us that Edgerton knows as much about intuitive, unobvious writing as he does clever, thoughtful casting. That over 700,000 youths in the United States have gone through such therapy programs, let alone the fact that 36 states here still permit such savage so-called therapeutic events, is reason alone for Boy Erased to exist as a teachable moment. “That’s my hope,” said Edgerton at interview’s end. “That it makes you aware enough to know something you didn’t and to tell those who need to hear it.” Before I ask about your movie, I’m compelled to mention the success of your brother Nash’s Mr. Inbetween series on FX. 20
I fucking love it. I want to do a cameo in the next season. They signed on for a next season. Nash…that show is so his wheelhouse. For starters, he’s re-rendered the mockumentary that the series is based on, The Magician. He knew the character inside out. He has this right way of making you wince and reel in shock at moments—he’s good at that, shocking an audience—while making the violence feel real. Yet, at the same time, he knows how to make you enjoy the black humor of the situation. So, he sets a rare tone—both funny and dark. He gets to the very heart of what black humor is. And he does it very well—he did it in his short films Spider [in which Joel appears], and Bear and other shorter forms, so it’s nice to see that explored at greater length in a series, and the stretch of great character development. Now, you just told me about your brother’s wheelhouse. What’s yours? What should we learn from The Gift, and Boy Erased? They’re two very different riffs. I don’t know what my wheelhouse is. I’m interested in expanding my capabilities as a filmmaker and every time I make something I learn something about myself, my interests moving forward and my limitations. I do know that I love working with actors It’s something I spend most of my time thinking about, the interaction between myself and other actors. More so, now, I have begun thinking cinematically, reminding myself that it’s not just about the actors and the words. It’s about how it looks, breathes, the air around and within it. As I go forward, I’d like to investigate what’s going on behind the actors, what does the world around them look like, what’s the backdrop—so that I can think more cinematically. Wait, I do know my wheelhouse… it’s my thinking about psychology, about actors, and cinematically I’m interested in the flaws of human beings and not judging. Every time I make something I learn something about myself—as a filmmaker, as an artist, as a man. Not judging is how we develop fully-rounded characters. Boy Erased is not a movie with blacks and whites, and clear-cut heroes and villains. We may have stood a chance of making more money if we had rendered it that way. But I was so drawn to the book because there weren’t easy targets, or at least
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not easy from my liberal standpoint. The easy targets naturally would have been the parents and the therapist, and yet Garrett [played by Lucas Hedges] himself didn’t make them targets. So, if I’m telling a true story truthfully, I’m not going to paint in broad strokes. I’m going to let the audience judge the material, as I did when I read the book. If they find it all absurd and preposterous—maybe they won’t—then my intentions come through clearly without pushing my agenda too much. It does, and subtly in terms of its script, which is where the true magic comes through. This could have wound up as a 1980’s television after-school special with good versus bad, and little in between. Boy Erased isn’t gray—it’s a rainbow of colors. Is that all you? Did you hang with the author? Thanks. Yeah, I did. Garrett and I were together days ago. I sent him every draft of the script. He saw several edits of the film. I also visited Arkansas and hung with his parents, to Texas to meet John Schmidt who my character is based on. I wasn’t going to just tell Garrett’s story, and the hell with everybody else. I was curious to hear everybody’s point of view. Coming into the book, I did think I would tell a bunch of Nurse Ratchett stories; villains twirling their mustaches; evil for evil’s sake. What I found was this incredible catch-22 of conflicting ideologies—a longtime, long-held set of religious ideologies held by the parents and the community of which Garrett was a member. And Garrett felt like his sexuality is innately in complete opposition to all those beliefs. And yet, he’s willing to adhere to the wishes of his parents, because he’s fed the same information from the start. That’s his life and his foundation. He’s ultimately the most self-aware character of Boy Erased. That sexuality is a choice. That’s the beginning of his journey—because he’s person with mental, intelligent capacities. At first, he’s listening to everyone else’s agenda. But Garrett is a smart person who, within ten days of such therapy, was able to know and feel, frankly, Whoa, this doesn’t feel right. I don’t feel as if I’m changing. Everything that you said would happen, isn’t. So why am I lying to myself? These theories sounded backward to him, so why should he remain? And the question becomes, for him, how does he get out? n
Photo: Joss McKinley.
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I
INTERVIEW BY A.D. AMOROSI
TONY BENNETT THE BEST IS YET TO COME. f they asked me, I could write a book about Tony Bennett, and the way he talks and whispers and cooks. Whether at 22, or 52 or, now 92, Bennett is the greatest living interpretive singer we have. Having interviewed him a dozen times in the past 20 years, I tried to go deeper than we normally do into some fun and uncharted waters. It’s the least we can do considering he’ll do likewise when he hits the Academy of Music on November 2.
Start for the moment with female vocalists, as you’ve worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, Rosemary Clooney, Amy Winehouse, k.d. lang, Peggy Lee, and, most recently, Diana Krall. You know your own voice intimately: What do you want from a partner in terms of challenge and symbiosis? I like to find contrast when I consider doing a duet with another singer, so certainly if you’re singing with a female singer the contrast is already in place. It’s enlightening for me to think about all the female singers that I’ve worked with over the years—starting, of course ,with Rosie Clooney who I started out with at Columbia back in the 1950s. And Pearl Bailey who gave me my first big break by having me join her in her show down at the Village Inn in NYC. Lena Horne, who I toured with for two years, was the ultimate professional and gave it her all even during a rehearsal. So I think the vocal contrast of working with a female singer certainly has appealed to me over the years. You started singing at the tail end of vaudeville’s run. What do you recall most about that period? And knowing that today’s rooms and shows are better appointed, finer, more geared to the artist, is there anything you miss about the old days? Well, the one thing about the vaudeville circuit was it gave you the opportunity to “be bad before you got good.” So, you could hone your craft. It wasn’t like today where a new artist is put on television or in a stadium and they have to get it all exactly right before they have even spend a year performing. Pearl Bailey told me, “Tony, I can start you out, but it’s going to take you ten years to learn how to walk on a stage correctly.” And she was right, so I was thankful to have a string of small theaters where you could learn the ropes. What I don’t miss are the promotion tours where you would have to visit every radio station in every city in the U.S. to promote your record—now you can get it all done and never leave home. Your first recording was under the name Joe Bari? Why did you feel that you had to Americanize your name? I had chosen Bari because it’s a city in Southern Italy and Joe seemed like a basic American name. But Bob Hope told me when he pulled me on to his show 22
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at the Paramount Theater where we standing backstage—just like a scene out of a Hollywood movie—that my stage name sounded phony. He asked me what my real name was, and when I told him Anthony Dominick Benedetto he said let’s Americanize and call you Tony Bennett. So the first time I ever heard the name Tony Bennett is when he announced my name on stage. I didn’t have much to do with it—Bob Hope gave me my name. Is it true that the favorite album of your own is The Movie Song Album? If so, why? There’s some very esoteric, passionate stuff there. It’s definitely one of my favorites. What I loved about it in particular is that it was a themed album, which was a relatively new concept back when it was released. Since then I’ve had many other recordings that revolved around a specific idea. And working with Johnny Mandel remains a wonderful collaboration. We’ve continued to work together over the years and, of course, being able to introduce “The Shadow of Your Smile,” and get to perform it at the Academy Awards made that project incredibly special to me. Absolutely a career highlight for me. What do you look for now regarding a level of communication that perhaps wasn’t part of your musical needs in the past? And who haven’t you sung with that you’d like to now? I think every time you sing a song you try to make it the first time you ever sang it. I always think about communicating the essence of the song to one person—making them understand what it is that you have to tell them about with this song. That’s a process that always remains exciting to me, and open to innovation, and invention, and keeps me in the moment. How I feel this year versus last year or the next year will always change things—actually, it changes from performance to performance, which is why I tour with a magnificent jazz quartet. They’re such master musicians you can change tempos and songs onstage and they’re right there with you. I would love to do a full album with Stevie Wonder. We recorded the same song, “For Once In My Life,” but it wasn’t written by Stevie, so as a composer and musician—he plays jazz piano like Oscar Peterson—he would be on the top of my list. n
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Diana Krall and Tony Bennett. Photo: Mark Seliger.
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REEL NEWS DVDS REVIEWED BY GEORGE OXFORD MILLER
We the Animals.
The Cakemaker. Starring: Tim Kalkhof, Roy Miller, Sarah Adler. (In Hebrew, German, English with English subtitles.) This love story pivots on multiple hinges ranging from straight love, gay love, religious traditions, deep secrets, cultural animosities, and most of all, trust that must be proved. As the saying goes, love will find a way… even if it means finding new love. Oren (Miller), a city planner in Jerusalem, travels monthly to Berlin on business, and always stops in a bakery for goodies. He can’t resist the cookies, nor it turns out, the baker Thomas (Kalkhof). Embodying the What-Happens-in-BerlinStays-in-Berlin attitude, he and Thomas fall deeply in love, even though he’s happily married back home. Then Oren dies in a car wreck, leaving both his wife Anat (Adler) and Thomas lost in grief. Thomas improbably travels to Jerusalem, meets Anat without revealing his secret, and gets a job baking in her café. Let the melodrama begin… but like one of Thomas’s cakes, the plot rises slowly to a satisfying fruition that hurdles the pitfalls of soap-opera scripting. Deep character development sidelines the hot-button issues and focuses on the universal human need of love, acceptance, and family. [R]
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Thunder Road. Starring: Jim Cummings, Kendal Farr, Nican Robinson.The 24
store goodies. There’s Manny (Kristian) and Joel (Josiah), but the story belongs to the youngest, 10-year-old Jonah (Rosado). Ma (Vand), their Italian mother, and Paps (Castillo), their charismatic but abusive Puerto Rican father, round out their universe in a small, 1980s Pennsylvania town. Paps is a bipolar switch, loving, playful one moment, then suddenly a violent brute who brutalizes Ma and bullies the kids. The older boys cope by getting tougher. Jonah retreats to the safe zone under his bed and fills his notebook with drawings that reflect his inner turmoil. With dreamy visuals that reflect Jonah’s childish view of reality and his voice-over narration, we share Jonah’s feelings and inner conflicts as he tries to establish his personal identity in a dysfunctional household and challenging world. Adapted from an autobiographical novel by Justin Torres, this coming-ofage story captures the formative events that shape the personality and future life of a sensitive child. [R]
old adage that you must walk in a person’s shoes to know who he/she is rarely applies to a character in a Hollywood or independent movie script, or least of all, a TV reality show. But in this heartfelt, and often humorous, character study of a fractured man in a fractured society, Jim Cummings pulls us not just into Officer Jim Arnaud’s shoes, but also into his mind and soul. We feel his grief when he morns his mother, his anger at his estranged wife, and his frustration with his teen daughter’s rejection. The harder he tries, more painful his failures, but he never sees that he’s the cause. The man burns inside and erupts with periodic meltdowns, both comic and tragic. Bemoaning the misguided norms he expects and demands of society, he’s the classic disenfranchised white male, misunderstood cop, and abandoned husband and father. As Jim’s life unfolds, we witness a coming of age story as he struggles to burst free of his self-centered, narcissistic universe and accept the world, and people, around him. [NR] HHHH
HHHH
We the Animals. Starring: Sheila Vand, Raúl Castillo, Evan Rosado, Josiah Gabriel, Isaiah Kristian. The “we” of the title are three brothers, undifferentiated in their adolescent identities, all one in a world of unsupervised play, cold cereal dinners, and purloined c-
BlacKkKlansman. Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver. Make no mistake, this saga by Spike Lee is an outspoken exposé on the immorality of racism and the insidious hate it perpetrates, but it is far more subtle, nuanced, and complex than
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the tirade you might expect. One underlying theme is masquerading, or “passing,” as different from your true identity. Blacks pass for white, Jews conceal their heritage, bigots are polite in society but virulent in private, and undercover cops adopt fraudulent personas. But as the film’s title suggests, the story, which happened in real life, focuses on racial hatred, past and present. In the 1970s, a black cop, Ron Stallworth (Washington), makes phone contact with the KKK and impersonates a radical white-supremacist. Lee juggles the absurdity of a black man spouting hatred for blacks on the phone with the seriousness of his Jewish white partner Flip Zimmerman (Driver) who must attend the KKK meetings in his place. Zimmerman impersonates a gentile who’s impersonating a black man, who’s impersonating a rabid white man. Then Stallworth goes undercover as a black radical and attends a Black Panther rally, which gets complicated when he starts dating one of the leaders. The movie could have been just the story documenting a bizarre incident in history, but racism never sleeps nor grows weary. Lee brings the ongoing danger into the present with clips of the white-supremacist smashing his car through the Charlottesville protesters a year ago. [R]
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FOREIGN
a
AQUARIUS (2016) IS THE STORY of a woman against the world. This Brazilian import features the lovely Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman) as a semi-retired music journalist/writer. She is Clara, a 60-something widow, has grown children and grandchildren, friends who are dying or whose family members are dying. Writers want to write about her—she’s still passionate about music (and proud of her collection of vinyl), and she’s still swimming in the dating pool. All this might make for a compelling character study, which this movie basically is, but there’s a big complication: A local real estate developer wants to buy her apartment, but she’s obstinately happy where she is. Anyone who has seen many movies know that the forces of Urban Development will not take this lying down…and there’s the rub. Clara could’ve been shown as spunky, quirky, proud, and the hip grandma many of us would love to call our own. Aquarius gives us a rounded character—she’s all of the aforementioned aspects, but not excessively so. She’s not idealized. Clara is also forlorn and has a bit of “because I said so” pigheadedness about her. We get to see Clara’s struggles to live 26
Aquarius life on her own terms—her children want her to accept the developer’s offer; she has a brief Sex & City moment with her similarly aged female friends, going to a bar, drinking mash and talking trash. A silver fox of a gent makes the moves on Clara and he begins to get frisky in his car—Clara is receptive until he reaches for her breasts. Clara, and so Ms. Braga, is a breast cancer survivor, in this case having undergone a partial mastectomy. She tells him this and his interest in proceeding falters. One of her friends recommends the services of a gigolo—an old term meaning “male escort/sex worker” that “services” ladies. We see their encounter—it’s oddly not that erotic (though there’s a fair amount of nudity), we’re shown a matter-of-fact, not-too-passionate coupling. Later, when Clara reflects on it with her friend, she maintains unashamedly that she got some pleasure from it while expressing some ambivalence. Aquarius—the name of Clara’s apartment/condo building—is an absorbing slice-of-life about Clara’s life, how she’s survived the worst of things, her enthusiasm and her weariness, how her world is changing around her and how she reacts to this. Braga is,
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simply, a marvel—she conveys more emotion in a facial expression or sigh than some actors do with pages of dialogue, and never resorts to over-emoting. Where this movie, directed and written by Kleber Mendonça Filho, goes sideways is its length and pacing. There are too many scenes of urban and beach panoramas—I get it, Brazil is beautiful!—very lingering closeups: Clara walking into kitchens to do pensive kitchen activities; long tracking shots of a not-very-central character walking down a hallway. Aquarius is about 2.5 hours and it would’ve made a great 90-minute movie. The pacing, to dredge up one of those Critics’ Terms, is lugubrious…tedious, even. The ending, without spoiling it too much, solves Clara’s problem in a manner that seems tacked-on. After the Big Finale (which gets telegraphed), one could easily imagine how it might not really be the ending. But after 2.5 hours, the director and cast had to call it quits sometime, I guess. Aquarius is both beautifully realized—the movie conveys Clara’s passion for music with Brazilian and non-Brazilian fare, the cinematography is decent, swell acting—and a snooze. Proceed with caution. n — MARK KERESMAN
DOCUMENTARY
Y
AYOI KUSAMA IS A walking, talking enigma inside a puzzle inside a riddle. Literally. Kusama is one of Japan’s most acclaimed artists, her art is both confounding and beautiful, and she resides in a Japanese mental hospital, and is still going strong at age 89. You’d better sit down, kids… Kusama is, for sake of oversimplification, a cross between Andy Warhol (who liked her work) and Yoko Ono (for whom she was an influence). While she’s expressed herself via drawings, watercolors, collages, sculpture, installations and performances, she is best known (outside the art world, anyway) for her paintings featuring brightly-colored dots and net/web-like patterns. Kusama: Infinity (2018) is a conventionally structured biopic, and that is a good thing considering the resolute unconventionality of its subject. Also, let’s be real: Art snobs might not agree but such an approach is somewhat necessary for those unfamiliar with her work (such as Your Humble Writer). Directed and co-written by Heather Lenz, Kusama tells her story from the beginning: Born in Japan in 1929, she had a stern, traditional upbringing in a dysfunctional family that discouraged her artistic inclinations. Nevertheless, she struggled (her mother would rip a canvas from her hands) to express herself in painting and decided to make art her life’s work. Inspired and encouraged by Georgia O’Keefe, we see a cross-section of her early work. By the 1950s she had some measure of success in Japan but found her country’s
Kusama: Infinity rigid patriarchy and conformity limiting, so she made her way to New York City circa 1958, just in time for the flowering of the art-zone that included Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Mark Rothko. Naturally, being a Japanese woman in a scene of nearly all white male artists was not exactly an advantage, Kursama circumvented that with lots of chutzpah, relentlessly promoting her work to the galleries and critics. She went beyond painting to do sculptures and installations, even extending to multi-media public “happenings” (that’s what the hipsters called it then, engaging in what we’d now call Performance Art). Success beckoned, but despite this Kursama dealt with mental illness. In the ’70s she returned to Japan, taking up voluntary residence in a hospital— yet continued to work unabated, as she maintains a studio not far from the hospital. She’d get up every day, leave the hospital, do art then return to the hospital. She is still active. Kusama: Infinity is a very A-B-C, “Just the facts, ma’am” documentary, combining black and white, color stills, and film footage. We get to see very detailed viewings of her paintings, very complex in design and many are very beautiful—her style is a combination of surrealism, abstract expressionism, minimalism, and Pop Art, and at its heart is impish, inspired-by-nature, and beauty-loving. We see her sculptures, too, but, they’re unusual even in the avant-garde art world—a couch that’s sprouting bananas and/or phallic symbols. We get to see behind-
the-scenes views of her with the denizens of NYC’s art scene and many outdoor happenings where human nudity comingles/interacts with artwork(s) as well as some of her senses-tweaking indoor and outdoor installations. Like some film biographies we don’t get too much of a sense of her as a person—we get to know her art somewhat, which is fine. This Writer, however, came away with an impression: She is her artwork. Also, this film overlooks some of her activities beyond the art world: She penned an open letter to President Nixon in which she offered to have sex with him if he’d stop the Vietnam War, and some of her happenings coincided with (accompanied?) rock & roll performances by Fleetwood Mac and Country Joe & the Fish at NYC’s iconic Fillmore East theater. On the positive side, this documentary lovingly lingers over some of her works—instead of an art historian or critic blathering on about her “technique” or “significance” we are left to drink in the tiniest detail(s) and exquisiteness of her paintings. Kusama herself provides some of the narration, and we get the customary time-period-setting stills and footage. However, a character like Kusama, with such a remarkable life got a fairly standard movie biography. Perhaps that’s necessary for balance—an overly “arty” or phantasmagorical homage might simply nonplus neophytes. Kusama: Infinity is a fine introduction to the work of one of the 20th century’s greatest creative artists. She warrants —MARK a sequel. n KERESMAN
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FOODIE FILE BY A.D. AMOROSI
THE HOTEL CHEF Executive Chef Mackenson Horeb at Square 1682.
Square 1682 interior.
Stir interior.
Kabocha Squash Cavatelli at Stir. 28
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THIS IS NOT THE first time or the last time that you will hear me enthuse about the value of a great hotel restaurant, and the necessity of a definitive, great chef to steer that vision. If you’re a fan of this page, you’ve read brief histories as to the importance of the hotel restaurant, and how no truly cosmopolitan city can exist without several swank lodgings and their diverse taste sensations. This time, we’re talking about the Kimpton family’s Hotel Palomar, a rejuvenated Square 1682 and its newly minted Executive Chef Mackenson Horebe—“The Mack,” from my stomping grounds of Southwest Philly and West Catholic Boys High, no less—bringing a fresh culinary vibe and the influence of his Haitian roots to touch on Square 1682’s New-American menu. “You know it,” he said with a fist bump when I revealed our similar associations and affiliations. Sure, Chef Horebe worked at Kimpton Hotel & Restaurants in Pittsburgh and Philly in the past. The first thing that got me about his taste sensations—be it the Lamb Lettuce Wraps with ginger, bibb lettuce, and chili soy, or the Duck Wings (with sambal, organic honey and togarashi glaze), or even the Chef ’s Jerk Chicken with pan-fried cabbage and 1682 hot sauce—was that I remembered what he did at Twisted Tail in the Headhouse district. Only there, the flair was New Orleans’ Franco-Louisiana spicings, where here, at Square 1682, it is Caribbean and sweet-spiced and zesty. A dish such as the Pork Shank Griot with Haitian pikliz, whipped parsnips, and orange zest showed his roots off proudly. Even the pasta dishes such as the Bone Marrow Raviolo with jerk oxtail ragout, farmer’s cheese, and herbs, and the Scampi Spaghettini Alla chitarra with lemon, garlic, butter, herbs, and chili flakes had a Hatian-Italo tang. We didn’t get a chance to sample the fall’s newly curated cocktail list—the final piece in the puzzle of any fine hotel’s great restaurant experience—but we’re looking forward to going back for more of The Mack’s new menu at Square 1682. And that’s always the best sign of how a hotel restaurant is doing. LAST MONTH, WE WROTE that Stir at the Philadelphia Museum of Art—with architectural giant Frank Gehry at the helm of its design—popped its top on striking sculptural elements such as “the nest”: shaped in Douglas fir and flowing in form, across the ceiling above the main dining room. The walls and ceiling of Stir are also clad in Douglas fir and its floors in red oak with slabs of frosted glass, felt, steel, leather, bronze, and onyx dotting the space. And now, we’ve been there, and seen that. Stir is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and brunch on Sundays. Now, between the tony restaurant’s warmly serene and stately design elements, operations and its menu (operated by the Philadelphia-based Constellation Culinary Group and locally raised newly-appointed Executive Chef Mark Tropea), you’ll find time for fine art, culture and cuisine. (For the record, on October 1, three years after Starr Restaurant Organization sold it, Starr Catering changed its name to Constellation Culinary Group). Tropea, the newly-appointed Executive Chef, who worked for Sonata in Philadelphia and 15 Central Park West before Starr Catering, said he was “inspired by the textures and design elements” of Gehry’s work when he crafted the look of his own menu’s items such as the roasted chicken. “Stir is a total experience that engages all the senses,” said Gail Harrity, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art,”Our audience likes not only fine art but fine food, and this is a milestone.” The intimate confines of Stir—76 people with seating and tables designed by Gehry Partners—and a new neighboring cafeteria extending the width of the building, with windows offering generous views, is part of the Museum’s new culinary offerings. The Core Project—Gehry’s baby—is the main course that will open the Museum up, literally and figuratively to new glory. A massive $196 million plan, developed by Gehry and his firm in 2006, will finish its first round of major transformations in 2020 if plans and projections go smoothly. It will account for changes in everything from the Museum’s auditorium (demolished, then opening an entire section of the building from Lenfest Hall to the floor below) to a reopened 640-foot vaulted walkway, running from the Kelly Drive side of the Museum to its Schuylkill Riverside, to a new walkway acting as the entrance, providing access to both the redesigned interior and 55,000 square feet of fresh gallery space sculpted from beneath the east terrace. Stir is a delicious appetizer to what will follow. n
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SINGER | SONGWRITER REVIEWED BY TOM WILK
Loudon Wainwright III HHHH Years in the Making StorySound Records With songs recorded between 1972 and 2017, Loudon Wainwright III’s Years in the Making lives up to its title. The two-CD compilation is an entertaining journey through the past as he serves up previously unreleased versions of songs and live recordings that reflect his unique skills as a songwriter and performer. A carefree home recording of Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” from 1974 features Wainwright with then-wife Kate McGarrigle chipping in on piano and backing vocals, while the
two team up for a playful rendition of “Unrequited to the Nth Degree” from the same year. Wainwright pays tribute to musical influences and contemporaries, including Woody Guthrie (“Philadelphia Lawyer”) and Richard Thompson (“Down Where the Drunkards Roll”). The anthology is sequenced by topic, including Love Hurts, Kids, and The Big Picture, and reflects his ability to craft first-rate serious and humorous songs. “Your Mother and I” is a penetrating song about divorce and its lasting effect on children and parents, while “Cardboard Boxes” captures the humorous frustrations of the moving process and setting up a new household. “Meet the Wainwrights,” which features three of his children and his sister on backing vocals, offers a humorous recap of family life with references to the von Trapp family singers and the Kardashians. A live version from 2003 of “Out of This World,” first released in 1985, takes on a deeper meaning with an older Wainwright contemplating his mortality. (42 songs, 125 minutes) Mandy Barnett HHH1/2 Strange Conversation Thirty Tigers Known for her onstage portrayal as 30
Patsy Cline and her recordings of classic country songs, Mandy Barnett expands her repertoire with Strange Conversation, her first studio album in five years. That’s evident from her sultry reading of “More Lovin’” that combines a swampy vibe with an intimate vocal with backup singer Arnold McCuller. Her pop/soul rendition of “It’s All Right (You’re Just in Love), originally recorded by the Tams, basks in the good-time feel of a new romance. “Dream Too Real to Hold” and “All Night,” the latter written by Sam Phillips, show Barnett at home in art song/cabaret territory with a nuanced vocal style. She unearths some unexpected songs to cover—recasts “A Cowboy’s Work is Never Done,” written by Sonny Bono and a hit for Sonny and Cher, into a slice of edgy rock with John Hiatt as guest vocalist. “Puttin’ on the Dog,” co-written by Tom Waits, shows
her versatility in tackling one of his songs. She shifts gears for a lovelorn version of “My World Keeps Slipping Away,” co-authored by Neil Sedaka, and get some gospel-styled vocal help from Ann and Regina McCrary on “Put a Chain on It.” Strange Conversation demonstrates that Barnett is a worthy heir to Linda Ronstadt as a fearless vocal stylist. (10 songs, 38 minutes) Galen Ayers HHH Monument Bombinate Records Music can be therapeutic for an artist in dealing with a life-changing event. That was the case for Galen Ayers, daughter of Kevin Ayers, a cofounder of the British band Soft Machine who died in 2013. Monument finds the younger Ayers using her songs to cope with his loss. Such songs as “Ain’t The Way” and “Into The Sea (Calm Down)’ address her emotional state. Their reflective na-
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ture recalls the confessional songs of John Lennon with observations that “life is complicated” and “sleep don’t come easy.” The title track offers hope for the future as she works through her grief. Ayers varies her sound from the ethereal intimacy of “You Choose” to the Brazilian flavor of “Run Baby Run,” which features bilingual vocals. The hypnotic rhythms of “Duet” form an effective backdrop for the impressive
range of her soprano voice. On “UTurn,” Ayers ventures into ‘60s pop with overtones of Leslie Gore and Dusty Springfield in her approach. “Collide” serves as a plea for social interaction. “Take a deep breath and jump right in,” she sings, urging listeners “to find out what you love.” (10 songs, 38 minutes) Colin James HHH Miles to Go Stony Plain Records Blues music is associated with the American South, but Colin James has been keeping it alive north of the border for more than 30 years. The Canadian guitarist, singer-songwriter pays tribute to his musical influences with Miles to Go with a mix of cover songs and some of his own compositions. James starts off the album with “One More Mile” and “Still a Fool,” a
pair of songs by Muddy Waters. James adds a soulful edge to the former, while opening the latter with some jagged guitar lines to symbolize the song’s lyrical heartbreak. On the mid-tempo “I Will Remain,” one of two original songs by James, he evokes comparisons to Robert Cray. “Just call my name/Let me
ease your pain,” James sings in a declaration of his intentions. “40 Light Years,” the other original, is straightahead blues. The sonically frisky “Ooh Baby Hold Me,” a cover of a Howlin’ Wolf song, gives James an opportunity to show his amorous side. A strippeddown rendition of Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “See That My Grave is Kept Clean” and an acoustic reprise of “One More Mile” put the focus on the lyrics and spotlights James’ strength as a singer. (12 songs, 43 minutes) Joe Strummer HHH1/2 Joe Strummer 001 Ignition Records Joe Strummer’s work before and after the Clash is featured in Joe Strummer 001, a two-CD compilation that includes a sizable selection of rarities and 12 previously unreleased recordings. The anthology, which includes music recorded between 1975 and 2002, imaginatively traces Strummer’s artistic evolution nearly 16 years after his death of a heart attack at age 50. “Letsgetabitarockin’” and “Keys to Your Heart,” recorded with his preClash band the 101ers, are energetic songs derived from ’50s rock ‘n’ roll and ‘60s power pop. The former is also heard on the second CD as a folk-styled demo with Strummer accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. By the 1980s, he had diversified his sounds with excursions into country (“Tennessee Rain”) and reggae (“Ride Your Donkey”). Strummer grew musically adventurous with the genre-blending “AfroCuban Be-Bop,” written for the film I Hired a Contract Killer, and the African and electronica mash-up “Sandpaper Blues.” He teams up with Johnny Cash for a moving, folk-gospel duet on Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” Strummer’s work with the Mescaleros in his final years led him to produce some of his best solo work, from the stirring Irish traditional song “Minstrel Boy,” featured in the film Black Hawk Down, to the Springsteen-influenced rocker “Coma Girl.” Among the unreleased tracks, the highlights are a wistful “Pouring Rain” and feisty “London is Burning,” which could have been a Clash song for the 21st century. (32 songs, 125 minutes) n
JAZZ, ROCK, CLASSICAL, ALT REVIEWED BY MARK KERESMAN
Philip Glass/Craig Morris HHHHH Three Pieces in the Shape of a Square Bridge Nearly everyone (just wait) knows Philip Glass a little. He’s a classical composer most identified with the minimalist style/genre, one of the first to become known beyond “avantgarde music” circles, and since his ’70s “emergence” (he was active long before) Glass has composed soundtracks for many films, from the indies (The Thin Blue Line) to mainstream horror (Candyman) to arty-mainstream (The Hours, The Illusionist). Glass has in-
Craig Morris.
terpreted/recast music from the David Bowie/Brian Eno collaborations, interesting as Glass was an inspiration for them, and he’s even produced albums for a rock band, the sadly underrated Polyrock. (Look on youtube for their cover of The Beatles’ “Rain”—trust me.) Even for Glass with his big catalog (from solo piano to orchestral), Three Pieces… is a little unusual—this is music for brass, in this case solo trumpet, played by a trumpeter from the classical zone. The longest bit here, “Melodies” (1995) is utterly captivating—the composition/suite is naturally based around repeated melodic motifs, very song-like (in the non-classical sense) and harmonious. Trumpeter Craig Morris is a marvel, playing with a high level of technical expertise yet with a very personal warmth and aching panache. You know how a brass instrument can “approximate” the sound of a human voice (Morris achieves this with astonishing purity of tone) and snatches of mood? (Well, older listeners likely will.) This disc is loaded with such moments. “Piece in the Shape of Square” (1968) is for multiple brass, here all played by Mor32
ris via overdubbing. This consists of waves of trumpeted (literally) clarioncall melodies that overlap each other, seemingly endlessly. Depending on one’s frame of reference, this could be maddening or (my choice) music to get lost in, the same way one might get lost listening to the sound of downpouring rain. (15 tracks, 52 min.) bridgerecords.com Fred Hersch Trio ‘97 HHHH1/2 @ Village Vanguard Self-released Any, ahem, self-respecting hepcat is aware of the pianistic wonderfulness of Fred Hersch. Before establishing himself as a leader he tinkled the 88s for Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Bill Frisell, Dawn Upshaw, and Janis Siegel. Pianist Jason Moran, no slouch himself, compared Hersch to LeBron James in terms of ability/agility. Hersch is, pardon the hyperbole, heir to the mantle of Bill Evans, who is the nearest/best possible reference in terms of (sublime) lyricism—but he’s no throwback to him or any era. Hersch has a modern attack/verve that’s all his—note how he briskly swings from the get-go on opening song “Easy to Love.” This set is something of an archival deal, capturing the previously unreleased debut of Hersch’s Trio (a regular working band) at NYC’s legendary Village Vanguard club. Ballad playing? It’s to die for on “My Funny Valentine” which FH & his lads rebuild in their own image—nice bass solo from Drew Gress here. Tom Rainey is up there with those drummers that can be tasteful yet ROAR when needed— think Jack DeJohnette, Joey Baron, Philly Joe Jones. Nothing too startling herein, just more of Hersch’s (fairly consistent) excellence. Fans of Evans, Moran, Hank Jones, George Cables, and Herbie Hancock, listen up. Novices: The emotional directness and savvy make for a good entry point. (8 tracks, 59 min.) fredhersch.com Schubert/Trio Vitruvi HHHH1/2 Piano Trios D.929 & D.897 Bridge Say “piano trio” to some musichead and said person will likely think
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of the popular piano, bass & drums configuration found most often in jazz. But before jazz happened, a piano trio was usually piano, violin & cello, mostly in the classical zone. One of the biggest historical names in that area is Franz Schubert (1797-1828)—only 31 years old when he died, yet he’s up there in the pantheon with Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms. In his lifetime he was often regarded as a fellow that wrote some pleasing tunes but nowhere in the same league as Ludwig van and the big boys—but after his passing, composers Richard Strauss, Benjamin Britten, and George Crumb paid homage to him. “Piano Trio in E Flat Major” is very rhythmic,
Photo: Tom McKenzie.
lilting without being overly sweet, and bits of Central European folk melodies can be heard subtly within. There are many changes of tempo and tone, getting a touch dramatic in that oldschool German fashion (as Ludwig von B), but overall the mood is upbeat—at times the slightly-minimalistic piano notes glisten in the air like a light summer shower—so much so you might not notice the virtuosity the Vitruvi brings to bear. Schubert fans and newcomers ought to add this to their list. (5 tracks, 59 min.) bridgerecords.com Robert Poss HHHH Frozen Flowers Curse the Day Trace Elements Robert Poss is perhaps best known in the rock sphere as main person of the band Band of Susans—which at one time had three guitarists named Susan. But he also has presence in the NYC minimalist music/performance zone, as he’s performed/recorded with the (underrated) composer Phill Niblock and guitar-army general Rhys
Chatham as well as performing works of John Cage. His solo album Frozen Flowers Curse the Day draws upon both sets of experiences—entrancing guitar drones descended from minimalism and thorny, tightly structured rock songs. “More Frozen Flowers” is a Sgt. Pepper-ish soundscape, a pastoral acoustic guitar motif over a backwardlooped fragment—the effect is oddly soothing yet queasy-inducing. Then Poss’ diaphanous vocals enter (evoking slightly Pink Floyd) the fray with “The Six Sense Betrayed,” slightly evoking Pink Floyd circa Saucerful of Secrets. “Time Frame Marking Time” is a charming, softly-essayed ambient piece with Poss’ guitar delicately sighing and making sustained bird-like sounds emanating from across a windswept ocean—this has stylistic bits of both King Crimson’s Robert Fripp (his loop-the-loop Frippertronics) and The Allman Brothers’ pensive moments in “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” Then “Bitter Strings,” recalling early ’70s Rolling Stones’ guitar riffs sliced-and-diced into a sly instrumen-
Photo: Debra Hochman.
tal. Frozen Flowers (re)captures a very interesting moment in rock history— when performers were still making songs, yet influences from other genres and the avant-garde were becoming part of the program before massive and weighty “concept albums” came along—think The Beatles circa late ’60s, King Crimson, select Robert Wyatt, the late ’60s studio albums of Ten Years After. Who’d’ve thunk it? Thinking Persons’ Rock Music. (10 tracks, 47 min.) traceelementsrecords.com n
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POP BY A.D. AMOROSI
ONLY THE LONELY BLEED
Frank Sinatra at a Capital Records Recording Session in Los Angeles 1958. Photo: Sid Avery.
Bob Dylan, circa 1975. Photo: Ken Regan. 34
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AS FAR AS THEMATIC concept albums on the overdone topic of ruined romance go, they started with crooner Frank Sinatra’s Only the Lonely—a slowly danced illustration of frustration and despair over an affair’s end—and finished with irked songwriter Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, itself a meditation on love’s loss, but geared toward anger and resentment. Only Marvin Gaye’s Here, My Dear of 1978, Richard & Linda Thompson’s Shoot Out The Lights of 1982, Willie Nelson’s Phases And Stages (1974) and, of course, Tammy Wynette’s D-I-V-O-R-C-E album show as much disgust, fear, anxiety, loathing and anxiety at having to separate love’s bonds. Each of these stately recordings, Sinatra’s torch songs of 1958, Dylan’s blues and reds of 1975, are re-released this month with additional songs and missed opportunity rarities, particularly in the case of Dylan’s large deluxe six-disc More Blood, More Tracks in accordance with his long-running Bootleg series. This new box features unheard alternative versions of songs from the moody masterpiece such as raw, emotional solo, acoustic renditions of “Tangled Up In Blue,” “Simple Twist of Fate” and “If You See Her, Say Hello” as well as the standard-bearing “Spanish Is the Loving Tongue.” In Dylan’s case, there’s a quiet intensity to the original recordings merely enhanced and made even more earnest and yearning by its missing links—the take after take of “Idiot Wind” and “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go,” the solo addresses of “You’re a Big Girl Now,” a rehearsal version of “Up to Me,” a test pressing’s take on “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts.” The versions of “Blood on the Tracks” recorded in NYC, before five of its tracks’ recordings in Minneapolis—the holy grail of Dylan tapes—find his band racing to catch up with the songwriter’s solo demos, and you can sense the rush best on the takes of “Call Letter Blues” and “Meet Me in the Morning.” Anyone who remembers the hushed first takes of “Idiot Wind” and “Tangled Up in Blue,” available on The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3, will recall how his anger was magnified the quieter he got. One thing that doesn’t change, no matter the version, take, or ensemble, is Dylan’s lyrics and melodies. Some of the last, more fluid and arranged songs of his career (his more recent work is sparer and punctuated by sharp rhythm, Sinatra covers excluded), Blood on the Tracks’ venomous sting comes through, not its softly lit melodies. Regretful and bitter with the life he’s left behind (or she, he), this is Dylan’s bloodiest shot at wearing his heart and soul on his sleeve. The same can be said, albeit in tenderer torchier tones and languid yet tortured emotions, with silkier—yet surprisingly discordant, at times—strings of Only the Lonely. This wasn’t Sinatra’s first shot at an all-ballads album, not by half. Led by the near-classical tone of Nelson Riddle’s orchestrations—truly shimmering in the newly remastered mix of “Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry”—this is a bleaker affair than usual, with Sinatra’s keen baritone more desperate and despairing; an actor’s voice that’s woeful and blue (and bluesy, considering the downright muddied water, “It’s A Lonesome Old Town” and “Willow Weep For Me”), but overall, verbally naturalistic and easily flowing and conversational on the spare, pensive likes of “Angel Eyes” and “One for My Baby (And One More For the Road).” An intimate, heartbreaking and heartbroken album simply made better by its skeletal takes on the previously unreleased “Lush Life,” this is truly Frank at his whiskey sour finest, his most after-hours affair. Even Sinatra said of Only the Lonely, that “I like recording late at night. The later the better. My voice was not made for daytime use…. The ones that stick in my mind are ‘Only The Lonely,’ ‘Wee Small Hours,’ and ‘Come Fly With Me,’ because I think the orchestrator’s work and my work came together so well.” n
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harper’s FINDINGS The effect whereby gay men tend to have more older brothers holds true only for those who are prone to being receptive partners during anal sex. Straight men who were asked to fantasize shortly before ejaculation about their female partners cheating on them failed to produce higher-quality sperm, and men who were asked immediately after ejaculation to rate women’s faces found them less attractive. One fifth of men surveyed online had experienced postcoital dysphoria in the preceding four weeks. The longer a straight couple stays married, the less physically satisfied the man becomes with their sex life, whereas the woman remains as content as at the beginning. Men interacting with a computer-animated woman over the course of four virtual dates spanning a theoretical three-month relation- ship became more likely, when dosed with alcohol, to persist in requests for virtual vaginal and oral sex, which, when refused ve times in a row, caused the woman to fade to black and the date to end. “You dirty bitch, you know you want it,” one participant told the computer screen, as reported the study in Aggressive Behavior. A study of UK men “forced to penetrate” by women determined that the most common coercive tactic was the threat of lies. Astrophysicists affirmed the Strong Equivalence Principle. Chinese neurologists ball-gagged women who identified as BDSM submissives to test its effect on their neural responses to photos of other women in pain. More water has been consumed than saved by the deployment of shade balls in Los Angeles.
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Fertile, Iowa; Intercourse, Pennsylvania; and Nothing, Arizona, are childcare deserts. Young children who cradle dolls to the left are more socially capable. Newborn mice who pass through the vaginas of stressed mothers may become more stressed themselves. Worker honeybees in need of emergency queens support members of royal subfamilies over candidates from their own worker families. Ectopleura larynx polyps allow unrelated individuals to fuse to the communal body. Peruvian fishing nets illuminated with LEDs were entangling fewer cormorants, migratory bird populations along the East Coast were declining because of the biomedical industry’s overharvesting of horseshoe crab blood, and surface-sediment oxygen levels off Fiji were falling because of the culinary industry’s overharvesting of sea cucumbers. The removal of rats increased native seedlings by 5,000 percent on Palmyra Atoll, said study leader Coral Wolf. The lepidopterist Andrei Sourakov reported 400 litter moths resting in a hollow tree. No objections emerged to challenge an article on pediatric popliteal artery entrapment coauthored by the vascular surgeon V. Nabokov.
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Lavender was found to calm dressage horses, and the oldest surviving color in the world, extracted from rocks beneath the Sahara Desert, was found to be bright pink. Bread preceded agriculture by 4,000 years. The Meghalayan Age, comprising the past 4,200 years of the Holocene, was added to the International Chronostratigraphic Chart. A computer program can predict when online conversations will turn into personal attacks. Humans hesitate to switch off a robot who begs them not to. Psychopaths were found to have a particular deficiency in distinguishing real from feigned distress, and 292 crocodiles were killed by a mob in Indonesia. Thieves stole a horn shark named Miss Helen from a San Antonio aquarium by disguising her as a baby in a carriage. The Western public considers tigers the most charismatic species of megafauna, leopards the most beautiful, and pandas the rarest; zebras are the species whose charisma depends most heavily on their beauty, and great white sharks are the one species nobody considers cute. The Lorax may have been a patas monkey. In Poland, a Persian cat high on marijuana presented with gluttony and apathy. 36
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INDEX Chance that an American aged 18 to 24 has never kissed anyone: 1 in 5 Percentage of UK adults who think socializing with Christians is more fun than socializing with atheists: 7 Who would be “cautious” about leaving their children in the care of Christians: 7 Factor by which an American is more likely to think that boys are easier to raise than girls: 2 By which US men are more likely to have a strong preference for having a son rather than a daughter: 2 % of 18-year-old US women in 2004 who planned on being stay-at-home mothers by the age of 30: 2 Who became stay-at-home mothers by 30: 15 % by which men who make less than their wives underreport their wives’ earnings: 2.1 By which they overreport their own earnings: 2.9 By which their wives underreport their own earnings: 1.5 Estimated annual amount that the tariffs the United States has announced this year will cost the average household: $127 Percentage of visual artists who make at least 75 percent of their income from art: 17 Who identify themselves as “completely financially stable”: 3 Who list family support or inheritance as one of their top three sources of income: 29 % of college-educated white families that will receive an inheritance of more than $10,000: 41 Of college-educated black families that will: 13 Average amount by which white families’ inheritances are greater: $110,000 % of black Americans who say social media helps shed light on issues that don’t get much attention: 80 Of white Americans who say social media distracts from truly important issues: 80 Date Egyptian parliament passed law criminalizing “fake news” on social media: 7/16/18 Number of followers that qualifies a social media account as a media outlet under that law: 5,000 Percentage of Americans who think social media platforms should always censor profanity: 38 Number of paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence that were censored by Facebook in July as hate speech: 5 Portion of New York Times hardcover non-fiction bestsellers over the first half of 2018 that mentioned Donald Trump: 3/4 Number of countries that provide more personnel per capita than the United States to NATO’s operations in Afghanistan: 8 % of Americans who think one is equally or more likely to be a victim of violence in Europe than in the United States: 61 Min. number of foreign electoral interventions conducted from 1990 to 2000 by the U.S.: 18 By Russia: 3 Est. % of outside spending on US state judicial elections that is “dark money”: 54 Est. amount of money held in security deposits for New York City apartments: $507,000,000 Average % by which the price of a US product exceeded its production cost in 1980: 10 In 2016: 60 Date on which an Uber patent application for technology that would discern whether users were drunk was made public: 6/7/18 % change from 2008 to 2016 in the number of Americans 25 to 34 who die from cirrhosis each year: +58 Portion of e-cigarette users who stop smoking conventional cigarettes within a year: 1/10 Est. % of American employers that offer wearable fitness-tracking technology to employees: 8 That offer fitness competitions or challenges: 38 That offer “mindfulness training”: 52 Percentage of workers aged 24 to 35 who plan on quitting their jobs within two years: 43 SOURCES: 1 YouGov (NYC); 2,3 ComRes (London); 4,5 Gallup (Atlanta); 6,7 Jessica Pan, National University of Singapore; 8–10 US Census Bureau (Suitland, Md.); 11 Kirill Borusyak, Princeton University (N.J.); 12–14 The Creative Independent (NYC); 15–17 Joanna Taylor (Waltham, Mass.); 18,19 Pew Research Center (Washington); 20,21 Committee to Protect Journalists (NYC); 22 Harris Interactive (London); 23 Facebook (Menlo Park, Calif.); 24 New York Times/Harper’s research; 25 NATO (Brussels)/Harper’s research; 26 YouGov; 27,28 Dov Levin, University of Hong Kong; 29 Brennan Center for Justice (NYC); 30 Office of the New York City Comptroller; 31,32 Jan Eeckhout, University College London; 33 US Patent and Trademark Office (Alexandria, Va.); 34 Elliot Tapper, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor); 35 Scott Weaver, Georgia State University (Atlanta); 36–38 Society for Human Resource Management (Alexandria, Va.); 39 Deloitte (McLean, Va.).
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JAZZ LIBRARY BY BOB PERKINS
FRANK WESS
COUNT BASIE FRONTED THE swingingest big band in the land for many years. Few jazz writers and critics will dispute that observation. The Count had everything going for him over the years; he had a corps of gifted writers and arrangers— some were members of the band. When the veteran Basie bandsmen became household names, more than a few capitalized on their fame by garnering side gigs when opportunities were presented. One of the Basie band veterans was multi-instrumentalist Frank Wess. Wess played tenor saxophone and was one of the jazz artists to not only pioneer on the instrument, but win Down Beat’s critics’ poll on the instrument from the late 1950s into the mid1960s. Frank Wess was born January 4, 1922 in Kansas City, Missouri. But the family moved to Washington, DC when he was ten years old. He had a running start in music because his father headed a small band, and young Wess became a member of the band. While in his teens, he landed a job playing saxophone in Washington’s Howard Theater house band. He was holding a saxophone chair in Blanche Calloway’s band when he was called to duty in the army around 1940, where he played clarinet in a special service band. After release from the military in 1945, came stints and experience with a number of bands, including the progressive jazz orchestra of Billy Eckstine. Under the GI Bill, Wess began serious music studies at the Modern School of Music in Washington, studying under a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, and eventually earning a degree. The pairing of Wess and the Basie band was destined to be, and it happened in 1953. It was some months before Basie realized Wess not only played the heck out of the tenor sax, but also played flute, and from then on the Count made use of that knowledge by featuring Wess on the instrument. The Basie-Wess connection was mutually beneficial and lasted eleven years. The Basie band was known for its ability to swing, and with the addition Bob Perkins is a writer and host of an all-jazz radio program that airs on WRTI-FM 90.1 Mon. through Thurs. night from 6–9 and Sunday 9–1.
From left, Frank Wess, playing tenor sax, with Joe Wilder and Benny Powell in 2004. Credit Steve Berman/The New York Times
of Wess—who knew how to swing---The band had another plus. Wess was in good company, and with him in the lineup were his outstanding band-mates, like Eddie “lockjaw” Davis, Freddy Green, Thad Jones, Joe Williams and Frank Foster, to name a few. Wess left the Basie band after eleven years to work in the pit band of the show Golden Boy, on Broadway. He had been playing clarinet on and off, and began to feature it on dates on occasion. He characterized the instrument by relating that “it was invented by five men who never met.” As mentioned earlier, Wess served as a sideman with other jazz groups while with Basie, and when he left the band, he became super busy responding to commercial calls, working as a sideman, and leading his own small bands. He was also a member of the David Frost TV Show (in which Dr. Billy Taylor was Musical Director) and Saturday Night Live. He continued his event-filled schedule as a member of Clark Terry’s band for several years, and touring abroad with the New York Jazz Quartet. Later, there was international travel with the Phillip Morris Superband. Over the years, Wess had made music with musicians that jazz critics and writers have categorized as the cream of the crop of the jazz idiom. Wess especially liked to team with fellow Basie Band alum, saxophonist Frank Foster. One of the finest recordings featuring the two Franks is titled Frankly Speaking. Wess recorded a couple dozen albums as a leader, and countless others as a sideman. It’s been estimated that he’d been a part of more than 600 recordings. Frank Wellington Wess suffered a heart attack and died at age 91 on October 30, 2013. n ICON | NOVEMBER 2018 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV
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The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE
HUNGER GAMES By Patti Varol
ACROSS 1 Comfy cover-up 7 Didn’t toss 11 Elemental variant 18 Loosen, in a way 19 “Spare me your excuses” 21 Spot for doodles 22 Land at Mexico City Airport? 23 A hungry actor might __ 25 Poison sumac exposure risk 26 Nonstick cookware brand 28 “It matters how you get there” app 29 Dollars for quarters 30 A hungry film critic might __ 34 Compote component 36 Polish literature? 37 Exile 39 Bird feeder food 43 “How you holdin’ up?” 46 “No __ done” 48 Subjects of the film “Blackfish” 50 Music-licensing org. 51 Not quite right 52 Some is changed regularly 53 A hungry locksmith might __ 56 Pentagon address 57 Clever barb response 60 Loch with a mystery 61 Seriously ticked 62 Cartoon desert island sight 64 Passé 65 Special forces mission 67 Competed using blades 68 A hungry librarian might __ 73 Cherry-topped dish 76 Venerable English school 77 Dinghy need 78 “Thor: Ragnarok” actor Idris 82 Live, TV-wise 83 Bouquet bearer 85 Mariano Rivera, memorably 88 Alley in comics 89 A hungry janitor might __ 92 Shade 93 Curved plumbing piece 95 Call __ day 96 Monopoly buy 97 Somber notice 99 CafePress purchase 100 Comes together 102 Kellogg’s toaster pastry 104 Philistine 105 Inched 107 A hungry banker might __ 38
113 Point of contention 116 Swearing or swearing-in words 118 Cookie grain 119 Mystique 120 A hungry angler might __ 124 Lanai furniture material 126 “One man’s struggle to take it easy,” for “Ferris Bueller” 127 Intimidating words 128 Password preceder 129 Poor rating 130 Actress Falco 131 Reason
DOWN 1 Measure up 2 Singer Baker 3 14-time Grammy-winning banjoist Béla 4 North Carolina team 5 Unlike this ans. 6 One who picks up a lot 7 Mexican painter Frida 8 Night before 9 Chapel bench 10 Champ’s collection 11 Trains 12 A behavioral sci. 13 Ferrell’s “SNL” cheerleading partner 14 Guiding principles 15 Willing to listen 16 Auto store buy 17 “Grand” ice cream brand 19 Ponzi scheme, e.g. 20 Psalm pronoun 24 Sincere attempts 27 Oft-chewed item 31 Defiant response 32 TiVo predecessor 33 Foot that’s part of a meter 35 Four Corners state 38 City on Lake Erie 40 WWII sub 41 Gush on stage 42 Wiped out 43 Ramadan ritual 44 Abu Dhabi dignitary 45 Name on Irish euros 46 Veda reader 47 Resembling 49 Omega rival 52 Capital north of Berlin 54 Like some bagels 55 Pond papa
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106 Bright again Stopped at sea, with “to” 108 White __ Chatters 109 Party spread Terrier on “Frasier” 110 __-Grain: breakfast bar brand Before now 111 Blue eyes, e.g. Fit to be tied 112 Baseball Hall of Famer Koufax Word before or after “mother” 113 Ratio phrase Outcome 114 Adult cygnet Breakfast-on-the-run pickup 115 Herb used in turkey dressing Really feel the heat 117 E’en if Pulitzer-winning Ferber novel 121 “Based __ true story” Work together 122 Retirement spot Present at birth 123 “Moonlight” Oscar winner MaherActress Petty of “Orange Is the New shala __ Black” 125 Comparison words 80 Tusked critter 81 Cal. entry Answer to October’s puzzle, FOR STARTERS 83 Naysayer’s weapon? 84 Highly skilled in 86 Often-seared tuna 87 English Derby town 90 Last element in Pandora’s box 91 Lawn-Boy parent company 94 Menace 98 Texter’s “Oh, and another thing ... ” 99 Geoffrey the Giraffe’s store 101 River racers 103 Stick (to) 104 Carlsbad Caverns dweller 58 59 63 66 67 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 79
AGENDA Da Vinci Art Alliance announces one fully-funded opportunity for a solo exhibition for an underserved artist who demonstrates financial and/or logistical challenges. Open to all Phila.-based artists over 18 that show artistic excellence. The selected artist will receive a $200 stipend and will work alongside DVAA's Exhibition Coordinator, Bryant Girsch, to advise, and install the exhibit. EXHIBITION SCHEDULE: Application Deadline: 11/30 Artist Selection: Late 12/2018 Exhibit: July 7–28 Opening Reception: 7/7, 6–8 davinciartalliance.org jarrod@davinciartalliance.org. CALL TO ARTISTS
ART
THRU 11/15 High Tech/Low Tech, Smart Phone Image Makers. Matthew Beniamino & Jett Ulaner Sarachek. The Baum School of Art, 510 W. Linden St., Allentown, PA. 610-433-0032. Baumschool.org THRU 11/25 Niki Kriese, Organic. Recital Hall, Baker Center for the Arts, Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, PA. Muhlenberg.edu/gallery THRU 12/9 William Wegman, Instant Miami. Lafayette Art Galleries, Easton, PA. 610-330-5361. Galleries.lafayette.edu
THRU 1/2/2019 David Mann, In Focus. Artist talk, 11/ 7, 5-6. Recital Hall, Baker Center for the Arts, Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, PA. Muhlenberg.edu/gallery THRU 1/6/2019 30 Years: Art at the Michener, 1988-2018. James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, PA. 215-340-9800. Michenerartmuseum.org
THRU 1/6/2019 Lace, not Lace: Contemporary Fiber Art from Lacemaking Techniques. Hunterdon Art Museum, 7 Lower Center St., Clinton, NJ. 908-735-8415. Hunterdonartmuseum.org
THRU 1/12/2019 2018 Holiday Show, Bethlehem House Contemporary Art Gallery. Closing reception 1/12/2019, 6-9pm. 459 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-419-6262. Bethlehemhousegallery.com
11/3-12/2 Glenn Harrington, Published Works. A collection of Bucks County-Inspired Illustrations. Receptions 11/3 & 11/4. Silverman Gallery of Bucks County Impressionist Art, 4920 York Rd., Holicong, PA (Buckingham Green, Rte. 202.) 215-794-4300. Silvermangallery.com
11/ 17 & 18 AOY 9th Annual Fine Craft Show. Local artisans, jewelry, pottery, fiber arts, stained glass, apparel, unique eco-art, origami, note cards, Pysanky Ukranian ornaments, applied photography. Meet the makers and enjoy a 2day artisinal experience for holiday shopping in the charming historic Janney farmhouse on Patterson Farm in Yardley. Raffles, door prize and bake sale. 10- 5. AOY Art Center, 949 Mirror Lake Rd, Yardley. artistsofyardley.org 12/2-12/30 Legacy, The Art of Ben Marcune. Collector’s preview 12/1, 1-5pm. Opening reception 12/2, 1-5pm. The Snow Goose Gallery, 470 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-9749099. Thesnowgoosegallery.com DANCE
11/2 Rioult Dance NY, Zoellner Arts Center, 8pm. 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA. Free event parking. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org
11/8-11/10 Moving Stories. Dance works by emerging choreographers. Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, PA. 484-664-3333. Muhlenberg.edu/dance 12/9 Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker, 25th Anniversary. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132. Statetheatre.org
THEATER
11/28 & 11/29 Monty Python’s Spamalot. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132. Statetheatre.org
11/28-12/2 New Voices New Visions, a festival of original & student-directed plays. Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, PA. 484-664-3333. Muhlenberg.edu/dance 11/28-12/9 Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, by Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon. DeSales University, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282-3192. DeSales.edu/act1
11/30 Stomp. Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA. Free event parking. 610-7582787. Zoellnerartscenter.org 12/1 Christmas Wonderland, Holiday Spectacular. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132. Statetheatre.org CONCERTS
11/4 Clipper Erickson, “Ebony and Ivory.” American Classical Music. 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Rd, Ewing, NJ 609-392-6409. 1867sanctuary.org 11/16 Pete + The Stray Dogs, Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA. Free event parking. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org
11/16 Dar Williams. Williams Center for the Arts, 317 Hamilton St., Easton, PA. 610-330-5009. Williamscenter.org
11/17 “Spirit of Vienna. “ Chamber orchestra, soloist Janet Sung, violin and The Camerata Singers. Works by Schubert, Mozart, Ingalls, Beethoven. Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, First Presbyterian Church, 3231 W. Tilghman St., Allentown, PA. 610-434-7811. PASinfonia.org
11/18 Academy of Vocal Arts, A Night of Puccini. Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA. Free event parking. 610-7582787. Zoellnerartscenter.org 11/24 Gloria Galante and Mary Bryson, “Holiday Harp.” 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Rd, Ewing, NJ 609-3926409. 1867sanctuary.org
11/28 Riverview Consort, “To Heal a Broken Heart.” Early music. 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 609-392-6409. 1867sanctuary.org 12/6 Kenny G. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132. Statetheatre.org
12/8 & 12/9 Christmas Concerts. J.S. Bach & Ottorino Respighi. Bach Choir of Bethlehem First Presbyterian Church, 3231 W. Tilghman St., Allentown 610-866-4382. Bach.org
12/15 Handel’s Messiah. Soloists and Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra. Camerata Singers, First Presbyterian Church, 3231 W. Tilghman St., Allentown, PA. 610-434-7811. PACamerataSingers.org
MUSIKFEST CAFÉ 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300 Artsquest.org
NOVEMBER 4 The Wood Brothers 7 Katharine McPhee 9 Richard Thompson Electric Trio 15 Tony Lucca 15 wellRED: From Dixie With Love. Trae Crowder, Drew Morgan and Corey Forrester
DINO’S BACKSTAGE 287 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, PA 215-884-2000 Dinosbackstage.com
NOVEMBER 2 Eddie Bruce 3 Michael Richard Kelly
4 9 10 15-17 23 & 24 Dec. 2
Eddie Bruce Paula Jones #IAMABINGTON Marilyn Maye The Snow Show Sunday Supper with Aunt Mary Pat Dec. 31 NYE 2019 with Marilyn Maye AUTHOR SERIES
11/3 Delish-Eat Like Every Day’s the Weekend, with author Joanna Saltz. Eat your way through a cookbook with the chef, 2-3. Book & Puppet at the Easton Public Market. 325 Northampton St., Easton. Bookandpuppet.com. 11/10 Tasting Italy: A Culinary Journey with the chefs of America’s Test Kitchen. Eat your way through a cookbook with the chefs, 2:30-4. Book & Puppet at the Easton Public Market. 325 North-ampton St., Easton . 610-330-9942. Bookandpuppet.com.
11/17 Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook with author and star chef Dorie Greenspan. 2:30-4. Book & Puppet, Easton Public Market. 325 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-330-9942. Bookandpuppet.com. EVENTS
11/16 Grand Illumination Celebration. Peddler’s Village. Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215-794-4000. Peddlersvillage.com
11/16-11/18 Merchants’ Open House Weekend. Peddler’s Village. Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215-7944000. Peddlersvillage.com
11/16-1/5/2019 Gingerbread Competition & Display. Peddler’s Village. Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215-7944000. Peddlersvillage.com 12/1 & 12/2 Christmas Festival. Peddler’s Village. Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215-794-4000. Peddlersvillage.com n
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