92YTribeca Presents 'The Rise and Fall of Nina Simone' & Greenberg and Driver in Performance, 3/26

Upcoming Events at 92Y Tribeca.

Fri, Mar 26, 8 pm, $12

Film | THE RISE AND FALL OF Nina SimonE: MONTREUX, 1976
Long before Lady Gaga erased the line between pop music and performance art, and decades before Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse left crowds shaking their heads in laughter or concern, there was the legendary Nina Simone. On July 3rd 1976, Simone stepped onto the stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival after a two-year hiatus in Africa. Belligerent, beguiling, and admittedly "half high", Simone gave the Swiss audience a searingly vulnerable musical set, liberally spiced with bizarre musings, forgotten lyrics, fits of temper, and querulous shout-outs to her dear (but sadly, absent) friend, David Bowie. The filmed performance has become a cult sensation on DVD, but only when re-created with a live (and preferably, drinking) audience can this goldmine of comedy, tragedy, and musical brilliance be fully appreciated. This two-hour showcase includes bonus video clips, games, historical re-enactments, music and a special tribute performance by Joe's Pub cabaret idol Roslyn Hart (The Shells Show). Curated by Tom Blunt. www.92YTribeca.org/Film

*JUST ADDED* Fri, Mar 26, Doors 8:30 pm, Show 9:00 pm, $15
Music | JULIA GREENBERG SINGS Dory Previn, David Driver SINGS SCOTT WALKER
Dory Previn's extraordinary musical career remains relatively unexamined. After she was famously left for a much younger Mia Farrow and spent time in mental institutions, she reinvented herself as a singer-songwriter and released 7 critically acclaimed albums in 7 years. She sang about scream therapy before John Lennon and sold out Carnegie Hall in a concert that became a cult classic album. Julia Greenberg, an NYC-based songwriter, performer and theater composer, struck up an unusual friendship with the famously reclusive 80-something legend. Here she gathers a menagerie of special guests to help her dig deep into the Previn catalogue. David Driver sings the songs of Scott Walker, easily the most respected and least known artist of his generation. Walker's gritty glam lyrics, passionate crooning and Dada arrangements are late-twentieth-century music's road not taken; the streetwise luster and gravity of Driver's voice make him uniquely qualified to resurrect these urban song-scapes. www.92YTribeca.org/Music

Wed, Mar 31, 9 pm, $12 adv / $15 door
EWALT AND WALKER
Following their sold-out show at Playwrights Horizons, up-and-coming songwriters Kyle Ewalt and Michael Walker bring their music to 92YTribeca. Joining them are some of Broadway's hottest young stars, including Matt Doyle (Spring Awakening, Bye Bye Birdie), Adam Kantor (Rent), Eric Petersen (Shrek, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Kristy Cates (Wicked), Romelda Benjamin (Brooklyn The Musical), Lindsay Mendez (Grease, The Marvelous Wonderettes), Lisa Morabito (Mamma Mia), Kevin Greene (TV's Grease: You're the One that I Want), and cabaret sensations Molly Pope and Jonathan Whitton. Plus hear the world premiere of material from Ewalt and Walker's upcoming musical comedy, Bromance: The Dudesical. Presented by 92YTribeca with Producer Adam J. Rosen. Musical Direction by Ian Shugel. www.92YTribeca.org/Theater