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Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park Production of TWELFTH NIGHT Opens Revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park

The exuberant gender-bending curtain call of the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT at the reopened, revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

After 23 months and $85 million, the beloved Delacorte Theater has reopened, renewed and revitalized for its 63rd season, but preserving what was always best about the iconic experience of the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park: a sense of excitement, shared joy and community, the delight to be dazzled at the creativity of making something spectacular out of a simple open-air stage, and the enchanting backdrop of the Belvedere Castle on a rocky cliff, framed by trees.

The star-studded Public Theater free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT which will run through Sunday, September 14, is the ideal choice among the Bard’s canon to reopen this New York City cultural icon.

But the performance begins with Shakespeare’s quote “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”- famous lines that are not even from TWELFTH NIGHT but from “As You Like It.” But the quote serves to pay homage to Joseph Papp, the founder of the Public Theater and the Delacorte, who began offering free Shakespeare in the Park from a truck and planted his cultural flag on this pastoral patch to claim the site and the culture for the people.

“This theater belongs to you, the people of New York,” writes Oskar Eustis, the Public Theater’s Artistic Director, in the Playbill.”We hold it in trust for you, to serve you. The culture belongs to all of us….We are, together, celebrating what makes us human.”

The music and song throughout TWELFTH NIGHT – so unexpected, but provides such an atmospheric, ethereal backdrop for the mythic Illyria– is composed by Michael Thurber and performed by “gender-defiant” singer-songwriter Moses Sumney – who has the audience transfixed (photo: Joan Marcus)

TWELFTH NIGHT is the perfect selection with which to return Free Shakespeare in the Park to Central Park, with its theme of immigrants – refugees who escape death after a shipwreck – who have to remake themselves to survive as strangers in a strange land, and its gender-bending plot. The production, brilliantly conceived by the Public’s Associate Artistic Director/Resident Director Saheem Ali, also stays true to Joseph Papp’s racial blindness – race is erased, irrelevant, while the cultural tapestry of New York is for all to enjoy and appreciate. Joseph Papp, the Public Theater and the Delacorte were “woke” before that was a term, and certainly before the crusade to demean, de-legitimize, and eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion from our culture and society, when it took 60 years to make DEI part of our cultural fabric.

“It’s been one year and 11 months since we closed The Delacorte for much needed renovations that have made the most beautiful theater in the world even more beautiful, safer and infinitely more accessible, and more sustainable, more comfortable and more ready than ever to serve the people of New York,” Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director for the Public Theater, writes in the Playbill. “This is a palace for the people, an infinitely precious New York landmark that money can’t buy, that isn’t gated or reserved for the wealthy, that is the common property of the whole city…

“In the time that The Delacorte has been closed, American democracy has undergone perhaps the greatest challenge it has faced in the last 150 years. … the reopening will certainly help the fight to maintain the vision of America I know we all share, an America that belongs to everyone, where our diversity is our strength, where the common good makes all of us better off, where what we share is infinitely more important than what separates us. The Delacorte Theater is not just a stage. It’s a platform for democracy. A gathering place. A commons. A celebration of what public space can be when it’s shaped by values we all share: access, community, inclusion, and joy.”

Patrick Willingham, the Public’s Executive Director, welcomes the audience to the reopening of the revitalized Delacorte Theater, where the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT is running through September 14 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Delacorte has stood as one of New York City’s most iconic and democratic cultural institutions for over 60 years. It was founded on an audacious premise: the richest of cultural jewels presented for free, in a form that New Yorkers’ could identify with and find relevant to their own experience. Since the Delacorte opened in 1962, during JFK’s “Camelot” era, some 6 million people have enjoyed over 160 productions.

A hallmark the Public Theater productions of Shakespeare are the creative ways of preserving the original but making the 400-year old-English plays accessible, relatable and relevant to contemporary society.

“What You Will”, provides the backdrop to TWELFTH NIGHT, with the dramatic Belvedere Castle in the background © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Among the fascinating devices:

“What You Will” – the backdrop of open letters that let you see out and performers walk through – is the subtitle for “TWELFTH NIGHT,” which director Ali has honed in on as the “heart of the show… Shakespeare lands these twins on a strange land” where they have to survive. “That’s an immigrant story. Someone coming from somewhere else and seeking a better life, a different life,” he writes in the Playbill.

The interjection of Swahili spoken by Viola and Sebastian makes very clear and real that Viola and Sebastian are immigrants – refugees – in a strange land with a strange culture, having escaped death during a shipwreck, and having to reinvent themselves in order to survive.

Also, the line “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them,” becomes a kind of mantra.  I always thought the quote was meant to be heroic, but in this context, it serves to mock Malvolio for his self-importance.

The music and song throughout the play – so unexpected, but provides such an atmospheric, ethereal backdrop for the mythic Illyria– is composed by Michael Thurber and performed by “gender-defiant” singer-songwriter Moses Sumney as Feste– who has the audience transfixed.

Junior Nyong’o as Sebastian, Sandra Oh as Olivia, Lupita Nyong’o as Viola and Khris Davis as Orsino descend on the clever lifts from which sets and actors magically appear at the revitalized, modernized Delacorte Theater in Central Park  © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Besides an outstanding cast, brilliantly directed, the creative staging is a marvel – indeed, the most significant improvements to the Delacorte are technical, allowing sets and actors to rise out of the floor, with a kind of sleight of hand that adds to the magic and enchantment – if you look away for a moment or are looking in one place rather than another, all of a sudden the scene is changed.

The flamboyant curtain call is itself a coup d’gras, a final slap to the Trump/MAGA WhiteChristoFascist anti-woke crusade, in which the performers dance out in androgynous costumes worthy of the Met Gala.

Sandra Oh as Olivia in the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Saheem Ali, which has reopened the revitalized Delacorte Theater and runs through September 14 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

People always delight in the stars that grace the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park stage and TWELFTH NIGHT is no exception: The star-studded cast, who clearly are enjoying their roles as much as the audience, includes real-life siblings Lupita and Junior Nyong’o playing the twins, Viola and Sebastian, Sandra Oh (Olivia), Peter Dinklage (Malvolio), John Ellison Conlee (Sir Toby Belch), Khris Davis (Orsino), Peter Dinklage (Malvolio), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Andrew Aguecheek), Daphne RubinVega (Maria), Moses Sumney (Feste), b (Antonio), Joe Tapper (Sea Captain/Priest), and Ariyan Kassam (Curio/Ensemble), and a marvelous ensemble of Dario Alvarez, Jaina Rose Jallow, Valentino Musumeci (Chinna Palmer (Ensemble), Sandra Oh (Olivia), Precious Omigie, Nathan M. Ramsey, Jasmine Sharma, Kapil Talwakar, Julian Tushabe, Adrian Villegas, Ada Westfall, and Mia Wurgaft.

Sandra Oh as Olivia, Lupita Nyong’o as Viola in the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Saheem Ali, which has reopened the revitalized Delacorte Theater and runs through September 14 (photo: Joan Marcus.)

TWELFTH NIGHT is cleverly staged, featuring scenic design by Maruti Evans, phenomenal costume design by Oana Botez, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Kai Harada and Palmer Hefferan, music composition by Michael Thurber, hair, wig, and makeup design by Krystal Balleza, prop management by Claire M. Kavanah, fight direction by Tom Schall, choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie. Karishma Bhagani serves as the Swahili dialect coach. Delacorte Veteran Buzz Cohen serves as the Production Stage Manager and Jessie Moore and Luisa Sánchez Colón serve as the stage managers.

Peter Dinklage (center) as Malvolioand and Daphne Rubin-Vega as Maria in the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Saheem Ali, which has reopened the revitalized Delacorte Theater and runs through September 14 (photo: Joan Marcus)

The renovation of the 1,864-seat amphitheater dramatically improved the accessibility, sustainability and production facilities, and was funded through a mix of public and private support, including $42 million from the City of New York through the Office of the Mayor, New York City Council, and Manhattan Borough President’s Office; and another $1 million allocation from the New York State Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell. 

The $85 million renovation of the Delacorte Theater has made it more accessible, more sustainable, more comfortable, and allowed for even more creative production while remaining true to the essence of Free Shakespeare in the Park and founder Joseph Papp’s vision © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The $85 million spent on the Delacorte renovation was only a part of the $175 million “Forever Public” fund-raising campaign intended to preserve all that the Public Theater does to promote the arts and access to theater and establish a Fund for Free Theater endowment. These free Shakespeare in the Park performances are what the Public Theater is most heralded for, but the Public Theater does much more to promote the arts and access to the arts.

At its six-venue Astor Place home at 425 Lafayette Street, the Public produces world premiere plays and musicals “giving voice to a diverse range of new and established artists, leading and framing the dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day.”

At its six-venue Astor Place home at 425 Lafayette Street, the Public produces world premiere plays and musicals “giving voice to a diverse range of new and established artists, leading and framing the dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In addition to Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte in Central Park, the Public produces theater throughout the boroughs with its Mobile Unit, bringing free performances to correctional facilities, senior and recreation centers, parks with little or no access to the arts;  working with partner organizations around the city, community members participate in workshops and classes, attend performances and join in the creation of participatory theater;  some 700 shows are presented each year at Joe’s Pub at the Public, giving support to thousands of artists; and the emerging Writers Group, BIPOC Critics Lab and multi-year residences provide support for artists at all stages of their career, offering opportunities for development from idea to full production.

The Public has received 64 Tony Awards, 194 Obie Awards, 62 Drama Desk Awards, 64 Lortel Awards, 36 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, 70 AUDELCO Awards, 6 Antonyo Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hell’s Kitchen by Alicia Keys and Kristoffer Diaz. Their programs and productions can also be seen regionally across the country and around the world.

The Public Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT at the newly reopened Delacorte Theater in Central Park through September 14 is a rollicking fun farce, crisply directed by Saheem Ali, and brilliantly performed by a star-studded cast who seem to be enjoying the experience as much as the audience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

TWELFTH NIGHT is on through September 14. There will be two American Sign Language Interpreted performances on Sunday, August 23 and Tuesday, August 26, at 8:00 p.m; an Open Captioned performance in English on Friday, September 5; an Open Captioned performance in Spanish on Saturday, September 6 and, for the first time this summer, Free Shakespeare in the Park will offer a Sensory Adapted performance on Sunday, September 7. The Audio Described performance will be on Friday, September 12.

The Belvedere Castle provides a perfect setting for  picnicking and waiting on line for free tickets to the newly reopened Delacorte Theater where the Public Theater puts on Free Shakespeare in the Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

For all the improvement, it’s what’s the same about Shakespeare in the Park that is most important – the sense of community, the delight (and story) in how the tickets were obtained (who met while waiting on line, picnicking, how won lottery) – albeit in more comfortable seats (and much, much better bathrooms).

There are five ways to access free tickets for TWELFTH NIGHT:

Distribution in Central Park

In-person lottery at The Public Theater

Distribution across all five boroughs

Digital lottery with TodayTix

Standby line in Central Park

Also, you can become a member of the Public Theater with a donation of $600 or more to be able to reserve two seats. (To keep the majority of seats free and available for New Yorkers, only a limited number of seats are available for members to reserve.)

The “Forever Public” campaign to raise $175 million (there’s a sticker with QR code on the back of the seats) is aimed to keep tickets free for the vast majority of audience-goers. “Shakespeare for the city. Free. For all. Forever.”

You can become a Supporter with a gift of $100 or more which provides benefits including early access and discounted, no-fee tickets to the Astor Place season, dedicated customer service, discounted food and drink at Joe’s Pub and The Library. For a limited time, gifts are being matched by the Howard Gilman Foundation

To learn more, or to make a contribution, call 212-967-7555, or visit publictheater.org.

The full performance calendar and complete distribution details can be found at publictheater.org. (The Delacorte Theater in Central Park is accessible by entering at 81st Street and Central Park West or at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.)

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Arts & Entertainment, Attractions, Cultural travel, Culture, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

Anne Frank House Coming to New York City Headlines Fall Culture Calendar

De Boekenkast: bookcase in front of Secret Annex. New Yorkers will have the opportunity to actually tour a re-creation of Anne Frank’s hiding place, never before seen outside Amsterdam (© Anne Frank House, photographer Cris Toala Olivares)

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York is one of the premier cultural capitals of the world and fall is when the culture calendar gets into gear. But here’s a heads-up: the blockbuster exhibit of the year – the opportunity to tour a full-scale re-creation of Anne Frank’s Annex as it stands in Amsterdam – opens January 27, 2025, and tickets are on sale now. Here are highlights of what’s ahead on the culture calendar:

Groundbreaking Full-Scale Re-Creation of Anne Frank’s Annex

Amsterdam and New York – The Anne Frank House, one of the most visited historical sites in Europe, is presenting a pioneering experience: the opportunity to walk through an exact replica of Anne Frank’s hiding place where she wrote her famous diary. Anne Frank The Exhibition opens in New York City on January 27, 2025. Considering that tickets to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam book up three months in advance,  tickets for this exhibit are now available at AnneFrankExhibit.org.

This is the first time the Anne Frank House will present this opportunity for visitors outside of Amsterdam to be immersed in a full-scale recreation of the rooms where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture.

As a nonprofit organization helping to shape global understanding of the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance, including lessons on modern day antisemitism, racism, and discrimination, the Anne Frank House is entrusted with the preservation of the Annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II. This exhibition, presented in New York City in partnership with the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, opens on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2025, to mark the 80th commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz. 

Anne Frank The Exhibition is a first-of-its-kind, full-scale recreation of the complete Annex, furnished as it would have been when Anne and her family were forced into hiding. Moving through the exhibition, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the context that shaped Anne’s life—from her early years in Frankfurt, Germany through the rise of the Nazi regime and the family’s 1934 move to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where Anne lived for ten years until her 1944 arrest and deportation to Westerbork, a large transit camp in the Netherlands, then to Auschwitz-Birkenau, a concentration camp and killing center in Nazi-occupied Poland, and eventually to her death at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany when she was 15 years old. 

Designed for audiences who may not have the opportunity to visit the Netherlands, the new exhibition in New York City is anticipated to draw massive attendance for what will be among the most important presentations of Jewish historical content on view in the United States. Through the recreated Annex; exhibition galleries immersing visitors in place and history through video, sound, photography, and animation; and more than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Anne Frank The Exhibition will provide an opportunity to learn about Anne Frank not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life—as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. This is a story inspired by one of the most translated books in the world.

The New York City exhibition will occupy over 7,500 square feet of gallery space in the heart of Union Square. This marks the first time dozens of artifacts will be seen in the United States—many have never been seen in public. 

Artifacts in the exhibition include: 

  • Anne Frank’s first photo album (1929-1942); 
  • Anne Frank’s typed and handwritten invitation to her friend for a film screening in her home (by 1942, anti-Jewish measures prohibited Jews from attending the cinema); and
  • Handwritten verses by Anne Frank in her friends’ poetry albums. 

“Anne Frank’s words resonate and inspire today, a voice we carry to all corners of the world, nearly eight decades later,” Ronald Leopold, Executive Director of the Anne Frank House, said. “As a custodian of Anne’s legacy, we have an obligation to help world audiences understand the historical roots and evolution of antisemitism, including how it fueled Nazi ideology that led to the Holocaust. Anne’s legacy is remarkable, as represented in the diary she left us, and as one of the 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered at the hands of Nazi officials and their collaborators. Through this exhibition, the Anne Frank House offers insights into how this could have happened and what it means for us today.

“The exhibition provides perspectives, geared toward younger generations, that are certain to deepen our collective understanding of Anne Frank and hopefully provide a better understanding of ourselves. By bringing this exhibition to New York—a place with many ties to Anne’s story— the Anne Frank House is expanding the reach of our work to encourage more people to remember Anne Frank, reflect on her life story, and respond by standing against antisemitism and hatred in their own communities.”

Anne Frank The Exhibition is a limited engagement, scheduled to close on April 30, 2025. Public programming and educational initiatives tied to the exhibition will be announced when the exhibition opens to the public. 

Timed entry individual and family tickets are available at AnneFrankExhibit.org. The exhibition is designed for children (ages 10 and older) and adults. All general admission tickets include the exhibition audio guide. Visitors should plan to spend approximately one hour at the exhibition. Last entry is one hour before closing. 

Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, N.Y. between 5th and 6th Avenues

Edges of Ailey at Whitney Museum of American Art

Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). Courtesy of Whitney Museum of American Art; Photo by Natasha Moustache.

Edges of Ailey at the Whitney Museum of American Art through February 9, 2025, is the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey. This dynamic showcase brings together visual art, live performance, music, a range of archival materials, and a multi-screen video installation drawn from recordings of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) repertory to explore the full range of Ailey’s personal and creative life. Described as an “extravganza” by curator Adrienne Edwards, Edges of Ailey is the must-see event of the NYC fall/winter season. The landmark exhibition is on view only in NYC.

Presented at the Museum in multiple parts, Edges of Ailey consists of an immersive exhibition in the Museum’s 18,000 square-foot fifth-floor galleries that includes artworks by over 80 artists and never-before-seen archival materials. Artists featured in the exhibition include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, Kara Walker, and many others. A recent acquisition of Eldren Bailey and new works by Karon Davis, Jennifer Packer, Mickalene Thomas, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye will be presented for the first time in honor of this landmark exhibition.

Edges of Ailey is part of a ‘Season of Ailey’ in New York City, which includes the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company’s annual engagement at New York City Center, December 4-January 5.

Also at the Whitney:

Opening November 1, Shifting Landscapes explores how evolving political, ecological, and social issues motivate artists’ representations of the world around them. The 120 works by more than 80 artists—including Firelei Báez, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jane Dickson, Gordon Matta-Clark, Amalia Mesa-Bains, andPurvis Young—depict the effects of industrialization on the environment, grapple with the impact of geopolitical borders, and give shape to imagined spaces as a way of destabilizing the concept of a “natural” world.

On view through January 5, 2025, Survival Piece #5: Portable Orchard marks the first standalone museum presentation of the fully realized indoor citrus grove conceived and designed in 1972 by artists Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison. Stretching across the Museum’s eighth-floor gallery, this installation of 18 live citrus trees explores the need for a productive and sustainable food system in an imagined future where natural farming practices are obsolete and cannot be taken for granted.

More information at whitney.org/exhibitions.

Inaugural Perelman Performing Arts Center NYC Icons of Culture Festival 

This fall, the Perelman Performing Arts Center [PAC NYC] is staging its inaugural PAC NYC ICONS OF CULTURE FESTIVAL presented by BNY from Tuesday, October 29 – Saturday, November 2, 2024 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

This fall, the Perelman Performing Arts Center [PAC NYC] is staging its inaugural PAC NYC ICONS OF CULTURE FESTIVAL presented by BNY from Tuesday, October 29 – Saturday, November 2, 2024.  

PAC NYC ICONS OF CULTURE FESTIVAL will bring audiences into the room with trailblazers in art, music, comedy, film, sports, and more to talk about pushing boundaries, making a mark, and elevating the everyday to the iconic.

Icons to appear in conversation at the festival include Misty Copeland, The Dogist, Alex Edelman, Renée Fleming, Michael Imperioli, Baaba Maal, Philippe Petit, Questlove, Marcus Samuelsson, Kathleen Turner, Serena Williams, and Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men Live!  

A calendar of events is available at www.pacnyc.org

Rich Calendar of Cultural Events

The Museum of the City of New York is the premier repository of the city’s 400-plus year story © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection at Museum of the City of New York, East Harlem, through February 17, 2025: Featuring over 250 postcards alongside decorative arts, fashion, and architectural models, the exhibition highlights the role postcards played in popularizing Art Deco landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Center.  

Make Way for Berthe Weill: Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-Garde at Grey Art Museum, Noho, Manhattan, through March 1, 2025: Berthe Weill, the first woman modern art dealer, championed artists like Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani. This survey features around 110 works shown at her gallery in the early 20th century and highlights her work as a gallerist and advocate. 

Pets and the City at The New-York Historical Society, Upper West Side, Manhattan, October 25, 2024—April 20, 2025: Featuring a diverse range of art, objects, memorabilia and media clips, this exhibition highlights pets’ lives in NYC, from early Indigenous cultures to today’s pampered companions. It also examines the growing pet population and addresses topics such as pet adoption and the importance of service animals. Also:

Most people think of Paul Revere solely as a silversmith, but his work as a printer and an artist was key to his role as a patriot seeking to break with Great Britain. His print of the Boston Massacre was significant to organize public opinion against the British. Paul Revere, The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated on King Street, Boston. Hand colored engraving, 1770. American Antiquarian Society. Gift of Nathaniel Paine.

From Paul Revere to Edward Hopper: Treasures from the Leonard L. Milberg Collection of American Prints, Drawings, and Watercolors, through October 27, 2024, showcases more than 140 prints, drawings, and watercolors from one of the most admired collections of historical American works on paper

Scenes of New York City: Selections from the Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection, through October 27, 2024: The inaugural display in the new Hirschfeld Gallery and Hall presents a selection of artworks from an extraordinary promised gift to New-York Historical by prominent philanthropists and art collectors Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld, who have amassed a stunning collection honoring their hometown. The collection features renowned artists—both national and international—and presents vivid snapshots of Gotham and its streetscapes.

Enchanting Imagination: The Objets d’Art of André Chervin and Carvin French Jewelers, through January 5, 2025:  This dazzling exhibition of meticulously created objets d’art is on view to the public for the very first time. André Chervin (born 1927 in Paris), with his New York atelier, Carvin French, is one of the most acclaimed makers of handcrafted fine jewelry in the world.

A Billion Dollar Dream: The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair on its 60th Anniversary at Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, November 3, 2024—March 9, 2025: A Billion Dollar Dream celebrates the 60th anniversary of the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair by examining its legacy through social, political and environmental lenses. Featuring materials from the Queens Museum’s collection, the exhibition highlights the Fair’s promotion of progress and nationhood while reflecting contemporary issues, including civil rights and the women’s liberation movement.  

Solid Gold at The Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, November 16, 2024—July 6, 2025: Solid Gold celebrates the allure of gold, presenting over 500 works that explore the color and material’s significance in art, fashion, film and design throughout history. Opening for the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary, the exhibition features stunning pieces from renowned designers like Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, alongside gold-ground paintings, sculptures and jewelry by notable artists such as Alexander Calder and Bulgari. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is featuring “Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876-Now” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876–Now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, Manhattan, November 17, 2024—February 17, 2025: Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876–Now examines how Black artists and cultural figures have engaged with ancient Egypt through art, literature and performance over nearly 150 years. Featuring 200 works, the exhibition explores themes like the creation of a unifying identity and the contributions of Black scholars. It also includes a dedicated gallery for performance art, featuring live performances on select days.  

Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern at The Museum of Modern Art, Midtown Manhattan, November 17, 2024—March 29, 2025: The Museum of Modern Art will host this exhibition in celebration of one of its founders and her crucial role in promoting modern art in the US. The exhibit marks 90 years since Bliss’s contributions to MoMA and will feature about 40 works. The exhibition will also display archival materials, highlighting her lasting impact on the museum and the acceptance of modern art in America. 

Ceremonies Out of the Air: Ralph Lemon at MoMA PS1, Long Island City, Queens, November 14, 2024—March 25, 2025: Showcasing over 60 works by Ralph Lemon, this exhibition presents dance, sculpture, video and more. Ceremonies Out of the Air will highlight his storytelling through movement and features the central installation Rant redux (2020–24). It will also include a series of live performances that enhance the immersive experience. 

Magazine Fever: Gen X Asian American Periodicals at The Museum of Chinese in America, Nolita, Manhattan, through March 30, 2025: Magazine Fever: Gen X Asian American Periodicals examines the impact of Asian American magazines in shaping identity during the 1980s and ’90s. Featuring over 80 rare issues from notable publications like A. Magazine and Hyphen, the exhibition showcases how these magazines provided a platform for Asian Americans to assert their narratives and portray their identities. 

FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, South Bronx, Through March 30, 2025: FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT is a retrospective of the legendary NYC artist’s career. Running through winter 2025, it showcases five decades of his work, including sculptures, drawings, prints and new installations. The exhibition highlights his signature techniques, science-fiction motifs and the iconic 1980 graffiti piece, Break, which cemented his influence in the art world. 

The cast of New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players with NYGASP Founder Albert Bergeret taking bows at last season’s ‘Mikado.” NYGASP celebrates its 50th anniversary and honors 150 years of Gilbert of Sullivan in its 2024-25 season © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players Celebrates 50th Anniversary Season: New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP), America’s preeminent professional Gilbert & Sullivan repertory company, announces a Golden Jubilee, celebrating its 50th anniversary season and honoring 150 years of the wit and wonder of Gilbert & Sullivan. The celebrated full company and orchestra will perform “Ruddigore” on Nov. 23– 24, 2024; “The Pirates of Penzance” on Jan. 4– 12, 2025; and “Iolanthe” on April 5–6, 2025 at the Gerald Lynch Theatre at John Jay College. Info and tickets at www.nygasp.org. 

And on Long Island:

Billy Joel attends the opening of the first exhibit dedicated exclusively to LIMEHOF Inductee and Legendary Long Island Musician. Due to popular demand, the exhibit is being extended through Spring 2025 © Karen Rubin/going-placesfarandnear.com

‘Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey’ Exhibit at LIMEHOF Extended: The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) has is extending the run of the first ever exhibit dedicated exclusively to LIMEHOF Inductee and Legendary Long Island Musician Billy Joel through spring 2025. Billy Joel- My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey spans Joel’s life and career from growing up in Hicksville to his legendary run at Madison Square Garden. It includes over 50 years of Billy Joel’s most cherished items including rare memorabilia, behind-the-scenes video, dozens of awards, rare audio and video recordings, vintage instruments and historic photos, many donated by Billy Joel himself. Timed entry and VIP tickets and special holiday packages and gift cards are available at www.TheBillyExhibit.com  (LIMEHOF, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook, Long Island, www.limusichalloffame.org).

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© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Arts & Entertainment, Cultural travel, Festivals and Events, New York City travel

Summer in the City: New York Philharmonic Free Concerts in the Parks is Cherished Summer Tradition

The New York Philharmonic is conducted by Thomas Wilkins in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks Presented by Didi and Oscar Schaefer series © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks Presented by Didi and Oscar Schaefer is an extraordinary gift to New Yorkers and visitors. For almost 60 years, this world-famous orchestra has presented these free performances in parks in all five boroughs bringing “priceless music, absolutely free” to communities and reinforcing the bond that exists between New York’s hometown orchestra and its people. In the process, the orchestra brings people together in shared joy.

The New York Philharmonic is conducted by Thomas Wilkins in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series which featured violin soloist Randall Goosby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The world renowned orchestra has offered these free summer concerts in the parks since 1965 – since 2007, presented by Didi and Oscar Schaefer – and over that time, have brought “priceless music, absolutely free” to 15 million music lovers.

This year’s program included Beethoven’s Egmont Overture; Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, featuring Randall Goosby — who made his NY Phil debut on a Young People’s Concert at age 13 — as soloist; Elgar’s Wand of Youth Overture; the New York Premiere of Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol.  

Conductor Thomas Wilkins gives fascinating, folksy notes for the musical selections in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Conductor Thomas Wilkins, who is the principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, introduced the pieces. About Mendelssohn’s exquisite Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64 (1844), with the virtuoso violinist Randall Goosby who so exquisitely brought out the melodic sweetness, Wilkins said, “it is so magical – one of the few where the movements are all connected. At the end of the first, there is one B-Natural hanging in the air – the bassoonist is not done – that says ‘follow me into the second.’ There is more impact between the second and third movements – no break but one note of silence, like a ball in the air that hangs until the soloist enters.”

Violin soloist Randall Goosby, an alum of the Lincoln Center Young People’s Orchestra program, performs the exquisite Mendelssohn Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Wilkins loves to engage with the audience, and makes the music so accessible with his folksy anecdotes that make your ears perk up at key portions with new appreciation. We get to preview Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” (2023), which will be part of the orchestra’s fall repertoire, in the concerts he returns to the NY Phil to conduct, October 17 and 19,and learn how the four dances span Black American heritage – the first, recasting a traditional dance of enslaved Blacks into the voice of the orchestra including shuffling feet and clapping hands; the second, a waltz depicting how young Black girls in the 1930s would have their “coming out” parties, then a tap dance, and finally, we are taken to church for a “holy dance” with the instruments evoking the murmurings and exultations of a church service. And then, we get to meet the composer who comes on stage.

“Four Black American Dances composer Carlos Simon joins Conductor Thomas Wilkins on stage. The piece will also be featured in October © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

For the past several years, the concerts have also provided a platform and a showcase for young composers who absolutely astonish with their talent (most astonishing: they not only compose the piece but do the orchestration). It is like seeing a young Mozart, or Elgar, whose Overture from the Wand of Youth (Music to a Child’s Play) Suite No.1, Op.1a, written when Elgar was just eight years old (he later expanded it), and imagining where these prodigies will be in 20 years.

This year, 16-year old Dalya Shaman’s “Floating in the Stars” and 10-year old David Wright’s “Tarzan’s Rage” dazzled the audience.

16-year old Dalya Shaman’s stunning tone-poem, “Floating in the Stars,” is performed as part of the Young Composers © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Dalya Shaman, a tenth grader at NEST+m High School, has been composing music for six years and plays the cello. She described the inspiration for her tone-poem, “Floating in the Stars” which uses harp and orchestra bells to evoke the whimsy and wonder of star gazing and the sensation of drifting among the stars, as the artwork of VYC students Vivian and Odette Iannetta.

Conductor Thomas Wilkins congratulates 10-year old composer David Wright after performing his “Tarzan’s Rage.”© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

David Wright, a fifth grader at PS 11 in Brooklyn who is also an accomplished baseball player, said his work, “Tarzan’s Rage” also was inspired by the Iannettas art, and seeing a man jumping which he imagined as Tarzan and the contrast of dark and light colors as a war, which is how he came to “Tarzan’s Rage.” The music is thrilling, and one can imagine David composing movie scores.

Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the New York Philharmonic in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Wilkins’ conducting style is very relaxed, with minimal movement and theatrics. He is a joy to watch. He likes the music to be well punctuated, defined, the complex seemingly more simple and elemental than it is, so it is more accessible and can be better appreciated in such an open setting. You immediately appreciate why he is also the Boston Symphony’s artistic adviser for Education and Community Engagement, professor of orchestral conducting at Indiana University, and is actively engaged with the NY Phil’s Young People’s Concerts, begun 100 years ago and popularized by Leonard Bernstein.

Violin soloist Randall Goosby with conductor Thomas Wilkins and concertmaster Frank Huang and the New York Philharmonic performing Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E Minor © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“At this stage of my life,” Wilkins reflects in the festival program, “I just want to invite the orchestra that is in front of me to experience what it means to be in love with music.”

“He remains devout in his belief in assuring access to the infinitely renewable power of music,” Mark Burford reports. ‘Who else deserves to experience beauty for the first time? Who else needs to find wonder?’”

Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the New York Philharmonic in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The evening concludes with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol Op. 34, which flows immediately into Santore’s World Famous Fireworks display, putting just the right crescendo on the evening.

The span and diversity of the pieces is enlightening and exciting, especially with such a focus on Simon’s 2023 composition and the young composers.

The New York Philharmonic is conducted by Thomas Wilkins in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series which featured violin soloist Randall Goosby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic is performing these summer concerts in all five boroughs: Central Park, Cunningham Park concert in Queens, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, and Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Then, musicians from NY Phil perform a free Indoor Concert, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer,on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at 4:00 p.m., at St. George Theatre in Staten Island; the program includes Clarke’s Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale for clarinet and viola; Mozart’s Oboe Quartet; and Prokofiev’s Quintet (tickets need to be reserved). 

“It is a joy to see tens of thousands of New Yorkers turn out to enjoy free concerts under the stars, creating a sense of community and shared experience that is rare and vital,” said New York Philharmonic President & CEO Gary Ginstling. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“The New York Philharmonic’s annual Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, are always a highlight of our year,” New York Philharmonic President & CEO Gary Ginstling said. “It is a joy to see tens of thousands of New Yorkers turn out to enjoy free concerts under the stars, creating a sense of community and shared experience that is rare and vital. We are deeply grateful to Didi and Oscar, the visionary and generous couple whose love of music and of New York City’s parks is essential to making possible the ambitious tour of our hometown.”

Fireworks provide a crescendo to the New York Philharmonic’s concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The free summer concerts provide a wonderful taste of the cultural treasure that awaits at the Philharmonic’s concert venue, Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, that makes you want more.

The New York Philharmonic has announced updates to its 2024–25 season:

Updates to the Orchestra’s concerts:

• Augusta Read Thomas’s new work, commissioned by the NY Phil, is titled Bebop Kaleidoscope — Homage to Duke Ellington. Ken-David Masur, in his NY Phil subscription debut, will conduct its World Premiere on September 19 and 21, 2024, part of the program curated by NY Phil musicians — who serve as the first of the 2024–25 season’s Artistic Partners — that explores the Orchestra’s past and future.

• The Opening Gala concert on September 24, 2024 — conducted by Manfred Honeck — will include Suppé’s Light Cavalry Overture and Puccini’s Turandot Suite, and will feature vocalist Cynthia Erivo making her NY Phil debut in selections from Broadway and the popular songbook.

In October, Thomas Wilkins will conduct NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism when Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” (2003) will be presented © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

• Nathalie Joachim’s new work is titled Had To Be and receives its New York Premiere on October 17 and 18, 2024 — on concerts that are part of the NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism — conducted by Thomas Wilkins, with cellist Seth Parker Woods (NY Phil debut) as soloist. The piece is co-commissioned by the NY Phil, Spoleto Festival USA, Orchestre Métropolitain, and Chautauqua Institution.

• Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten has been added as the opening work in the November 14 and 16, 2024, subscription concerts, conducted by John Adams, one of the 2024–25 season’s Artistic Partners.

• Tenor Kieran White will make his NY Phil debut in Handel’s Messiah, Presented by Gary W. Parr, December 11–14, 2024. Ton Koopman conducts.

In October, Thomas Wilkins will conduct NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism when Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” (2003) will be presented © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

• Baritone Leon Košavić (NY Phil debut) will perform J.S. Bach’s Cantata BWV 56, Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, and soprano Talise Trevigne (NY Phil debut) will perform the same composer’s Cantata BWV 51, Jauchzet Gott in Allen Landen, on the Free Concert at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, January 17, 2025, joining conductor and 2024–25 season Artistic Partner Nathalie Stutzmann and Members of the New York Philharmonic. Additional repertoire will be announced at a later date.

• Justin Jay Hines will co-host the Young People’s Concerts for Schools on February 5–7, 2025, as well as the Young People’s Concert: The Future Is Innovation, on February 8, 2025, alongside Jerry Hou, who also conducts.

• The Lunar New Year Gala concert on February 11, 2025 — conducted by Tianyi Lu (NY Phil debut) — will include Li Huanzhi’s Spring Festival Overture; Unsuk Chin’s The Mad Tea Party, from Alice in Wonderland; Casella’s La donna serpente, Suite No. 1; Chen Yi’s Chinese Folk Dance Suite, featuring violinist Inmo Yang (NY Phil debut) as soloist; and Bizet’s Carmen Suite No. 1.

• The performances of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert, June 11–14, 2025 — part of The Art of the Score — will be conducted by Sarah Hicks (NY Phil conducting debut).

Updates to NY Phil presentations:

• Details of the season’s Kravis Nightcap series — featuring New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck as dancer and choreographer, as well as Musicians from the NY Phil — are announced. In the first, on September 21, 2024, Peck will collaborate with NY Phil Musicians, the first of the season’s Artistic Partners; on January 25, 2025, Peck will be joined by pianist Yuja Wang, the 2024–25 season Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence; and on February 27, 2025, Peck will reunite with violinist Hilary Hahn, with whom she performed on a Kravis Nightcap in January 2024. All three performances will take place at the Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall.

• The season’s six New York Philharmonic Ensembles at Merkin Hall concerts, featuring Musicians from the NY Phil, will take place on September 29, November 3, and November 24, 2024, and January 12, February 16, and May 4, 2025.

In October, Thomas Wilkins will conduct NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism when Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” (2003) will be presented © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

• The Sound On presentation Composing While Black, Volume II, featuring Artistic Partner International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) — part of the NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism — will now take place on October 25, 2024. The location and time will be announced at a later date.

• The Sound On presentation on November 17, 2024 — curated and conducted by Artistic Partner John Adams and featuring Members of the NY Phil — will take place at The Museum of Modern Art, and will include Dylan Mattingly’s Sunt Lacrimae Rerum and Gabriella Smith’s Maré. Additional repertoire will be announced at a later date.

• The season’s series of Very Young People’s Concerts (VYPCs) — titled Philharmonic Playground — will be held in Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, and will take place on February 22, 2025 (“Allegro and Adagio”); March 22, 2025 (“Forte and Piano”); and June 7, 2025 (“Treble and Bass”). The series will feature Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young as host and Musicians from the New York Philharmonic.

New York Philharmonic, David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-6970, 212) 875-5656, www.nyphil.org.

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© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures