Program updates and additions from Symphony Space
Symphony Space has added new events, screenings and guests to its calendar, and I've listed what's on the horizon through the end of November below.
Get full details here:
Saturday, October 21, 11am
This interactive movie event is for the whole family to enjoy! From “It's a Hard Knock Life” to “Tomorrow,” sing along to the unforgettable songs of this classic film starring Aileen Quinn in the title role with Carol Burnett, Tim Curry, Albert Finney, Geoffrey Holder, Bernadette Peters and Ann Reinking, directed by John Huston.
Tuesday, October 24, 3pm
In the spring of 2023, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam opened its doors to the largest Vermeer exhibition in history. With loans from across the world, this major retrospective brings together Vermeer's most famous masterpieces including Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Geographer, The Milkmaid, The Little Street, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, and Woman Holding a Balance. This new Exhibition on Screen film, directed by David Birkenstaff, invites audiences to a private view of the exhibition, accompanied by the director of the Rijksmuseum and the curator of the show. As well as bringing Vermeer's works together, both the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis in the Hague have conducted research into Vermeer's artistry, his artistic choices and motivations for his compositions, as well as the creative process behind his paintings.
Tuesday, October 24, 7pm and Tuesday, November 28, 7pm
Filmed live on stage in London's West End, this hilarious, award-winning play inspired the BBC's hit TV series Fleabag. Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Killing Eve) and directed by Vicky Jones, Fleabag is a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life. Following a box-office record-breaking run in cinemas in 2019, this one-woman show returns to the big screen for encore screenings.
Friday, October 27, 8pm
Multi-GRAMMY Award-winning mandolin, fiddle, guitar player, and vocalist Sam Bush pushes the boundaries of traditional bluegrass, incorporating improvisation and diverse musical genres into his unforgettable music. His innovative playing style, marked by lightning-fast picking and expressive melodies, captivates audiences worldwide. A rare New York City appearance by a legendary instrumentalist.
Tuesday, October 31, 1pm
Recorded live from London's West End, see Ian McKellen's “extraordinarily moving portrayal” (Independent) of King Lear. Chichester Festival Theatre's production received five-star reviews for its sell-out run, and transfers to the West End for a limited season. Jonathan Munby directs this “nuanced and powerful” (The Times) contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's tender, violent, moving, and shocking play.
Tuesday, October 31, 7pm
Directed by Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle, and written by Nick Dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley, this Frankenstein features Benedict Cumberbatch as the Creature and Jonny Lee Miller as the Doctor. Childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein's bewildered creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror-struck maker. Meeting with cruelty wherever he goes, the increasingly desperate and vengeful Creature determines to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal. Captured live on stage in 2011, this thrilling, sold-out production became an international sensation.
Wednesday, November 1, 7pm
Selected Shorts salutes Ray Bradbury! Host Neil Gaiman (Good Omens) takes the stage with actors who pay tribute to the legendary author's unearthly short fiction and its enduring influence with spellbinding readings by actors Yetide Badaki, Javier Muñoz, and Kirsten Vangsness. On Tuesday, November 21, see François Truffaut's 1966 film adaptation of Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451.
Thursday, November 2, 7pm
The author of bestselling Oprah's Book Club pick, Deacon King Kong, and National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird shares his new novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep them. Infused with his masterful storytelling skills and deep faith in humanity, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store explores how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle to survive. Colum McCann (Apeirogon) leads the conversation and actor Ato Blankson-Wood (Hamlet) performs an excerpt from the novel.
Monday, November 6, 8pm
The star of The Book of Mormon, Falsettos, and Gutenberg comes to Symphony Space for a lively and intimate evening in honor of his newest book. Actress Busy Philipps joins to lead the celebration of Uncle of the Year, a witty, honest, hilarious essay collection that challenges us to take a long look at who we're pretending to be, who we know we are, and who we want to become.
Wednesday, November 8, 7pm and Tuesday, November 21, 2pm
Based on real people aboard the most legendary ship in the world, Titanic: The Musical is a stunning and stirring production focusing on the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of her passengers who each boarded with stories and personal ambitions of their own. All innocently unaware of the fate awaiting them, the Third-Class immigrants dream of a better life in America, the Second Class imagine they too can join the lifestyles of the rich and famous, whilst the millionaire Barons of the First Class anticipate legacies lasting forever. With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone the original Broadway production of Titanic: The Musical won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. This stunning production, captured live on stage for cinema screenings, celebrates the 10th anniversary of its London premiere, where it won sweeping critical acclaim.
Thursday, November 9, 7pm
The legendary Broadway star, TV and screen actor Patti LuPone joins Hillary Clinton for a live installment of You and Me Both, Hillary's candid, in-depth, and sometimes hilarious podcast with people she finds fascinating. Hosted by writer and comedian Amber Ruffin. Brought to you by iHeartPodcasts.
Black Opry is a home for Black artists working in country, Americana, blues, and folk music—genres pioneered by Black artists and being reclaimed by some of the best up-and-coming musicians of today. Black Opry in Residence is a series of unforgettable concerts introducing the voices and sounds of exceptional artists to new audiences through captivating live music and intimate conversations.
Thursday, November 9, 7:30pm
Billboard Blues chart-topper Chris Pierce has performed with everyone from B.B. King to Al Green and Aaron Neville, with a sound deeply rooted in Americana, folk, the blues, and soul.
Friday, November 10, 7:30pm
Kaia Kater's jazz-fueled voice, artful banjo playing, and masterful songwriting—garnering acclaim from NPR and Rolling Stone—are influenced by the sounds of Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia.
Saturday, November 11, 7:30pm
Songwriter Elizabeth Lubin's mesmerizing voice and melodies evoke the ancestral, weaving together folk rhythms with a rootsy homage to the past.
Tuesday, November 14, 1pm
Many know Edvard Munch (1863-1944) as the man who painted The Scream, but his complete works are remarkable and secure his place as one of the greatest artists to have ever lived. With 220 paintings on display, the 2013 celebration of Munch's birth brought together the greatest number of his works in one place. This film goes behind-the-scenes to show the process of putting the exhibition together, as well as provides an in-depth biography of a man who lived from the mid-19th century right through to the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War. Host Tim Marlow speaks to special guests who offer their expert insight on a not-to-be-missed exhibit co-hosted by the National Museum and the Munch Museum. Directed by Ben Harding.
Tuesday, November 14, 7pm
The New York Times–bestselling, National Book Award–winning author of The Friend is joined by Elizabeth Strout (Lucy by the Sea) for an insightful discussion of The Vulnerables, a meditation on our contemporary era that examines what it means to be alive at this complex moment in history.
Friday, November 17, 7:30pm
A joyous evening of African American folk and blues of the 1920s, including ragtime, jazz, songs from New York City's Tin Pan Alley, and original music inspired by the era.
Tuesday, November 21, 7pm
Join us for François Truffaut's 1966 interpretation of the classic Ray Bradbury novel about a brutal totalitarian society in which books are banned. The film, starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie, features an excellent score by Bernard Herrmann.
Thursday, November 30, 7pm
Would you trust Vin Diesel to take your math test or Bill Gates to rescue you from a burning building? This month's comic debate is an age-old battle of geeks against jocks, as the audience decides whether it's best to live in a world of brutes with admirable pecs or Plato-quoting smarties who won't survive the zombie apocalypse.
This installment features Christi Chiello and others!
Uptown Showdown is Symphony Space's popular comedy debate series that invites two teams of funny folks from the worlds of stand-up and late-night television to tackle topics of great importance to pop culture, such as which pet is superior—cats or dogs—and is it better to be comfortable or fashionable? The verbal sparring and all-around absurdity only stop when the audience decides the winner.
Videos