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COVID surge leads to more canceled shows
Richard Duckett
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Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
On Jan. 4, Eric Jacobsen, conductor and co-artistic director of The Knights orchestral ensemble, was looking forward to a January tour with acclaimed guest jazz pianist Aaron Diehl that would bring them to Mechanics Hall on Jan. 14 for a concert presented by Music Worcester.
“As far as I know, it’s going to happen. I’m really hoping,” Jacobsen said during a telephone interview that day about the Worcester concert.
A shadow over the conversation was the geometric rise of cases of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant, leading to concerts getting postponed again nationally and locally.
Even the Grammy Awards, scheduled for Jan. 31, have been postponed for a second year.
However, Jacobsen wanted to keep going with the good feelings and connections he’d been experiencing since returning to the concert stage this past summer.
“These concerts should happen, and we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
Music Worcester said it would also be adding a live stream option for Jan. 14 with the approval of The Knights.
Two days later on Jan. 6 The Knights canceled the concert — understandably not wanting to take on the tour due to the current rise in COVID cases. Music Worcester said it hopes to reschedule.
Meanwhile, Jan. 6 also brought the news that the Jan. 16 date for the national touring percussion show “STOMP” at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts was being postponed due to a breakthrough COVID case within the touring company. That performance will be rescheduled at a date to be announced, The Hanover Theatre said.
Such has been the recent daily drama for concerts, shows and events.
On Nov. 30, the United States designated Omicron as a Variant of Concern. On Dec. 1 the first confirmed U.S. case of Omicron was identified.
On Dec. 8 Amy Lee and Lzzy Hale were excitedly talking on the phone about the upcoming Dec. 18 date at the DCU Center for their respective hard rock heavy metal bands Evanescence and Halestorm.
All had seemed well.
Then five days later on Dec. 13 it was announced that due to multiple COVID-19 cases within the touring party, the DCU Center show has been postponed to Jan. 20.
Lee said in an announcement: “We’ve done everything we could to try and make it work but with multiple positive COVID tests in our touring party it just wouldn’t be right to continue the show schedule as is. All the bands and crew have been so diligent with every precaution to keep this from happening but this virus is a real bitch! We are all vaccinated and nobody’s symptoms are severe,
Pianist Aaron Diehl.
MARIA JARZYNA
Amy Lee of Evanescence, left, and Lzzy Hale of Halestorm.
MARK HUMPHREY/AP
A production of “STOMP” scheduled for The Hanover Theatre Jan. 16 has been postponed.
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we are very grateful for that.”
Other December casualties included Twiddle’s New Year’s Eve show at The Palladium.
The Delta and Omicron COVID variants can both claim responsibility for putting the brakes on shows just as the entertainment scene looked as if it was getting back up on its feet. However, the very infectious nature of Omicron has sounded some very loud alarm bells even if it has apparently less serious outcomes among people infected who are vaccinated.
For host venues such as The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts and the JMAC, it has been a case of working with the presenters of the shows on a “show by show basis.”
“We’re watching and waiting to see how things evolve,” said Troy Siebels, president and CEO of The Hanover Theatre.
The family show “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live! Neighbor Day,” which had originally been on the calendar at The Hanover Theatre for Jan. 21, has been rescheduled to May 10, Siebels said.
“Several events scheduled for January have been postponed at the request of their presenters. We support and work with each presenter who chooses to postpone their engagements due to COVID,” said Olivia Scanlon, managing director of the BrickBox Theater at the JMAC.
Due to some of its candidates contacting COVID, The Miss Worcester County Scholarship Organization said on its Facebook page that it had postponed its competition from Jan. 8 to Feb 13 at the BrickBox.
The Worcester Chamber Music Society said that because of the COVID surge it was postponing its Spotlight Concert at the Brickbox featuring cellist Joshua Gordon and pianist Randall Hodgkinson from Jan. 16 to to March 4.
Similarly, 4th Wall Stage Co. postponed its run of “If I Forget” from Jan. 27 to a new time TBD at the Brickbox.
The Hanover Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol” last month did complete its full run in returning to the stage after a year’s absence. (In 2020, “A Christmas Carol Reimagined” was presented by the new THT Rep and filmed at the BrickBox Theater where it was screened and the show was also available online.)
Attendance for “A Christmas Carol” this year was 20 percent down compared to some other years pre-pandemic, “but I think in this climate I count it a win,” Siebels said.
“It felt successful, particularly with the artistic choices.”
The Hanover Theatre is requiring proof of vaccinations or a negative COVID test and the wearing of masks at the shows it hosts, and all staff are vaccinated.
“I feel we’re in a new normal of being able to keep safe,” Siebels said. “We’re trying to do the most responsible thing.”
Siebels said he doesn’t see a situation “like it’s going to be a blanket closure” of venues again.
On the other hand, “it’s not going to go away,” he said of COVID.
There are several shows and events scheduled for The Hanover Theatre and the JMAC in February.
Adrien C. Finlay, executive director of Music Worcester, said the Polish Baltic Philharmonic scheduled for Feb. 3 in Mechanics Hall “is still on at this time.”
So too was Evanescence and Halestorm at the time of writing this story.
In her announcement, Lee had said, “This tour has been an unforgettable experience that we are so proud of. From the production, to our fantastic crew, to Halestorm and Lilith Czar and PLUSH — and most of all, to you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to you incredible fans for making this dream a reality, and making it mean so much more than we ever imagined it could. Thank you for your understanding. We love you!”
The shows will go on — sooner or later.
Barbara Guertin, who is directing 4th Wall’s “If I Forget,” said that at a recent cast meeting the message was “everyone wants to move forward.”
Stay tuned.
Twiddle had to postpone its New Year's Eve at the Palladium.
DAVE DECRESCENTE
Worcester’s new Youth Poet Laureate Franscisco-Mejia talks his big plans
Veer Mudambi
Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
On Jan. 3, Adael FranciscoMejia gave his first recital as Worcester’s new Youth Poet Laureate for the 2022 City Council, School Committee and Mayoral inauguration at Mechanic’s Hall. Though Francisco-Mejia, 19, was unable to attend in person, his performance recorded earlier that day clearly displayed the energy he will bring to the post over the next two years as an advocate for not only poetry but the arts in general.
“Worcester needs a louder scene,” said Francisco-Mejia, “and I want to collaborate with artists to put us on the map.” His stated goal is to make poetry performances more accessible, creating more avenues for Worcester youth to express themselves creatively, such as open mic nights and talent shows. “Worcester has a lot of gems,” he said, “and they deserve to be seen.”
Juan Matos, who as the current Poet Laureate is on the selection committee for the YPL, agrees that the amount of talent to choose from made for a difficult selection. So much so that he hopes to follow up with the other participants, in collaboration with the Worcester Public Library, to form a youth poetry workshop. “To guarantee that every year we get more and more participants.”
Growing the youth poetry scene naturally falls under the responsibility of the YPL. “I view the role as crucial,” said former YPL Amina Mohammed, who held the post from January 2020 to December 2021. “Being a teenager is hard. You’re pushed into the world without any blueprint or anything, while adjusting to norms because people see you as a young adult,” she said. Creative expression can provide a vital outlet for an often tumultuous time in a young person’s life — “something to fall back on, to release all that stress that is held within.”
Mohammed speaks from experience, explaining that poetry has been and will continue to be a touchstone throughout her life as she finishes college. She is currently majoring in nursing at UMass Lowell. Looking back on her time as YPL, she said, “it’s been a roller coaster but I’m so grateful and enjoyed the opportunity” to advocate for art in Worcester youth.
Art, particularly singing and dancing, has always been a big part of Francisco-Mejia’s life. “Being from Puerto Rico, there was an atmosphere in my family that was like no other when the music was playing,” said Francisco-Mejia. “It was dance music to get you moving.” Those memories influence his poses and stances when performing to this day. His first performance he remembers was a cover of the Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith song, “Never Say Never” at 6 years old. He would go on to study diverse hobbies such as theater, karate, football, dance, musicals, and multiple instruments. “I love the performance,” he said. “I love making people laugh but if I can make you cry, that’s cool too.”
Eighth grade was when he began focusing on poetry and songwriting as his primary medium. “I was going through a lot — moving and just a lot of teenager problems and I needed a voice or outlet,” he said. While sports, specifically football,
POETRY TOWN ‘Pockets’
Tony Brown
Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
I keep dead friends in my pockets: so many people minimized. They pinch my hands when I reach for my keys. They tap out regrets on my thighs when I do not expect it. I stop in mid-stride on busy sidewalks and try to decipher the messages — dear me, so many. Names I’d tried to forget but it’s such a crowd now, worse in winter when they surge into all of my coats and some even hang off my scarves, swinging free in blizzard wind when it blew and covering up when it is still and cold. I wish they were still and cold as well but there they are among gum wrappers saved for the trash, straddling the Swiss Army knife as they wait for my hand to appear. Dead friends, so many, how difficult to hold them at arms’ length when they are there all the time tugging at me, staying warm while I stay cold and wishing they’d stop, leave, go where they have always belonged and stay there. Leave my pockets alone, old chums. Empty them and go. All that’s in there now is your dark mess and I do not wish to carry it for you. Tony Brown is a Worcester poet and the frontman of the Duende Project.
Worcester’s poet laureate, Juan Matos, and now former youth poet laureate Amina Mohammed.
T&G STAFF/RICK CINCLAIR
GETYOURSMILEBACK!DON’TSUFFER FROMBROKEN-DOWNORMISSINGTEETH!
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helped somewhat, “I always liked to express myself mentally more than physically.”
The art scene isn’t the only thing that Francisco-Mejia wants to expand in his city. He hopes to use this position to achieve a platform to effect wider change in Worcester, particularly the school system and the students who sometimes fall through the cracks. “I know a lot of children in alternative schools and in mental health programs that deserve more than what was given to them in the school system,” he said. “There are things that need to be fixed and I want to be that person to fix it.”
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