Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its nightly lineup from May 20 - 31, 2015. Visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows, and scroll down for this week's details!
ANN LIV YOUNG: ELEKTRA CABARET
Wednesday, May 20 at 9:30PM
$15
Ann Liv Young uses the story and frame of Sophocle's Elektra to explore ideas of personal and social responsibility, gender and family."Betrayal is everywhere, and the more Ms. Young reveals Elektra's inner monster, the more she shows an independent, outspoken woman. In other words, she's found herself in Greek mythology," said The New York Times of Elektra (cabaret).
Young's creations are a reflection of her life, inspired by her experiences with her dancers, family, collaborators and passerby. The ultra-personal becomes the material she molds for performance. She strives to create work that is honest in its inception, creation and execution. Her work combines text, music and choreography to build scenes that set up ideas, images and relationships and destroy them.
ETHAN LIPTON & HIS ORCHESTRA: RAW MILK ALBUM RELEASE
May 20 & June 27 at 7PM
$20
Dubbed Best Lounge Act of 2009 by New York Magazine, Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra return to celebrate their new album Raw Milk, out onMay 26. With melancholy wit and a cockeyed worldview, sepia-toned Lipton and bandmates Eben Levy (guitar), Ian Riggs (bass) and Vito Dieterle (sax) deliver songs steeped in mixed-message sincerity and soul. The band has appeared at Celebrate Brooklyn, MASS MOCA, Bryant Park, the Camden Opera House, Tangier (LA), Vermont Arts Exchange and has been featured on public radio nationwide.
MARCUS MONROE: IAMFAMOUS
Thursday, May 21 at 7:30pm
$20
Called "the rockstar of jugglers!" by The New York Press, Marcus Monroe performs his theatrical memoir, IAMFAMOUS. In the aftermath of the 2008 economic crash and rise of reality TV celebrities, Monroe began his journey to become the world's first famous juggler. Now, Monroe is more determined than ever and will do whatever it takes to become not only the first famous juggler, but the most famous person in the entire world. "You probably think you have seen some impressive juggling at some stage, unless you have witnessed the genius of Marcus Monroe you can think again," says The London Theater.
THE EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH SHOW W/ CATIE LAZARUS
Thursday, May 21 at 9:30pm
$20 Adv / $25 Doors
Ever wonder what it's like to have a dreamy job? Comedian Catie Lazarus did too, so she created an utterly addictive, candid, fun talk show about work. Come see why The New York Times calls Employee of the Month "beloved," Blackbook calls it comedian Catie Lazarus's "hilarious podcast talk show," and The New Yorker praises her line of inquiry as "decidedly unorthodox." Guests: The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, Veep's Anna Chlumsky, soul singer Lee Fields and Hamilton's Daveed Diggs.
Friday, May 22 at 7:30pm
$18
The New Standards are John Munson of Semisonic fame, Chan Poling, founder of the haute-punk new-wave group The Suburbs, and Steve Roehm, vibraphonist extraordinaire. Their collaboration and 20th century repertoire produces an aesthetic of raw simplicity, communication, and soul. With Poling on piano, Roehm on vibraphone, Munson on double bass, and Chan and John sharing vocals, The New Standards articulate acoustically in an age of digital overkill - simple, elegant and illuminating.
JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND: LOVE IS CRAZY!
May 22-25 at 9:30pm
$25
After sold-out runs in Paris, London, Australia and San Francisco, "Trans-Atlantic Cabaret Messiah" (TimeOut London) Justin Vivian Bondreturns to Joe's with a new show called Love is Crazy!, an evening in celebration of obsession, sex, romance and all their queer and mysterious complications. Accompanied by Nathann Carrera on guitar, Claudia Chopek on violin, and under the musical direction of Matt Ray, Mx Bond displays v's legendarily twisted wit, accompanied by songs from Dendrophile and Silver Wells, and v's many stage and film appearances. Expect the unexpected because, let's face it, LOVE IS CRAZY!!!
Saturday, May 23 at 7pm
$15 Adv / $20 Doors
Acclaimed vocalist, singer/songwriter and guitarist Syd Straw (Golden Palominos) pairs her folk-rock/blues-rock vibe with quintet The Winterpills, whose vibrant chamber-pop has been called "densely packed but hugely evocative, tiny bombs of feeling and meaning... fiendishly melodic" by The Washington Post.
Sunday, May 24 at 7:30pm
SOLD OUT
Hot off the wildly successful off-Broadway run of Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. (Red Tails, Smash, Gotham, Law & Order: SVU, House of Lies and more) shares his honest unadulterated vocal style with a collection of songs that includes both traditional jazz standards and musical theater favorites. Listening to Odom's ultra-smooth tenor, it is easy to understand why he is often likened to a modern day Nat King Cole. Odom's first solo album was released in August 2014. This will be the first New York performance in support of the self-titled release. Of the album,Broadwayworld.com said, "In essence, Leslie Odom Jr. cleverly introduces us to a void that we didn't even know we had. The appetite of listeners are whetted for a second solo album, and we will rapturously listen to these nine tracks on repeat until we get more morsels of vocal brilliance from Leslie Odom Jr."
PENNY ARCADE: LONGING LASTS LONGER
Mondays, May 25, June 1 & 8 at 7:00PM
$20
Penny Arcade and her long-time collaborator Steve Zehentner, continue their development of Longing Lasts Longer, a passionate rumination on love, longing and the loss of New York's cultural identity. Embedded into this rollicking landscape, a live-mixed soundscape of music grooves ranging from Al Green to John Lennon, jump, counterpunch and exalt, charting an emotional pathway for the audience and a new anthem to personal happiness.
SPECIAL GUEST: CYRO BAPTISA
Tuesdays, May 26 - June 9 at 9:30PM
$14
Zion80 explores Jewish music - from Shlomo Carlebach to John Zorn and everything in between - through the lens of the revolutionary Afrobeat funk master, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Led by Jon Madof (Rashanim, Matisyahu), the 11-piece band arranges Jewish melodies using the polyrhythmic intensity of Afrobeat, blended with the madness of the Downtown scene. Spiritual, grooving and endlessly exciting, this is essential Jewish music for the 21st century. Cyro Baptista will guest on May 26.
DAVID J: WHO KILLED MISTER MOONLIGHT?
Tuesday, May 26 at 9:30PM
$18
Who Killed Mister Moonlight? is a candid memoir by David J. Haskins about his tumultuous experiences with the pioneering post-punk/gothic/art band Bauhaus. The author will read from the book and perform a selection of Bauhaus songs accompanied by renowned pianist Paul Wallfisch. Alan Moore describes the book as "fast, compelling and disarmingly honest, this is an invaluable account of a strange and spectral cultural twilight era that we shall almost certainly never see again. Highly recommended."
Thursday, May 27 at 7:00PM
$25
Simon Townshend delivers his personal, yet universally relatable songs with an intense emotional commitment that allows him to forge an instant connection with his audience. Whether he's playing solo acoustic or with his band, Townshend's enthusiasm and passion for sharing his music is undeniable. The London Sunday Express describes his music as, "a fresh, compact sound and style all of its own... there is a restless energy about these songs which is utterly compelling... a genuinely original talent."
Thursday, May 27 at 9:30PM
$25
Stephen Kellogg's music has been described as Americana, Country-Rock, Folk, Singer/Songwriter and pop. Growing up with his father's record collection, from Jim Croce and Cat Stevens to Eagles and the Band, Kellogg fell in love with showmanship and acts that put on great concerts. Sometimes that meant Van Halen, other times it meant the Grateful Dead, and most recently it's probably more to do with John Prine. For what it's worth, Tom Petty is my favorite artist. Although it's been pointed out to me by one quite popular publication that I'm "no Bruce Springsteen", I've decided to continue making music anyway (I'm laughing as I write this in case that's not clear).
BETTY BUCKLEY: DARK BLUE-EYED BLUES
Thursday - Sunday, May 28 - 31 at 7:00PM
Thursday, Friday & Sunday, May 28, 29 & 31 at 9:00PM
$25-75
After her sold out engagement last fall, Betty Buckley returns with a new show tailored just for Joe's Pub called Dark Blue-Eyed Blues. Her new collection of songs will feature Musings of a Chanteuse, standards and songs by contemporary writers for some glamour, torch and comedy. Called "The Voice of Broadway," Buckley is one of theater's most respected and legendary leading ladies. She won a Tony Award for her performance as Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS; a second Tony nomination for Best Actress in a musical for TRIUMPH OF LOVE; and an Olivier Award nomination for her portrayal of Norma Desmond in the London production of Webber's SUNSET BOULEVARD, which garnered raves on Broadway. Buckley was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2012.
Saturday, May 30 at 9:30PM
$15
A few years ago in Mexico, Jacob Garchik first heard the magnificent sound of brass band music from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Living on the edge of Brooklyn's Sunset Park, Jacob was sure that he could find some of this music performed live, as it is in Chicago and Los Angeles. After searching the colorful nightclub posters on Fifth Avenue, one thing was clear: none of the bands pictured had enough players - 14 - to form a genuine acoustic banda. So he and Oscar Noriega called a dozen of their closest friends and formed Banda de los Muertos, a group featuring arrangements of classic Banda tunes of the last three centuries. The Village Voice describes the group as, "Many of New York's edgier slipstream jazzbos-including saxophonist Oscar Noriega, trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, and drummer Jim Black-are among the morphing lineup of this loud and emotional 14-piece group devoted to the heavy-metal, brass-driven banda sound rooted in the Mexican state of Sinaloa."
ADRIENNE TRUSCOTT'S ASKING FOR IT:
A ONE-LADY RAPE ABOUT COMEDY STARRING HER PU--Y AND LITTLE ELSE!
Saturday, May 30 at Midnight
$15
Adrienne Truscott presents her multi-award winning show Asking For It: A One-Lady Rape About Comedy Starring Her Pu--y and Little Else!Dressed only from the waist up and the ankles down, she undoes and does-in the rules and rhetoric about rape and comedy and the brilliant, awful or awkward laughs when the two collide. With commentary and 'appearances' from George Carlin, Louis C. K. and Robert DeNiro, she takes on ducks, pu--y-puppets, mini-skirts, rape whistles, Daniel Tosh, Bill Cosby and enough gin and tonics and bad behavior to get a girl in trouble. Of Truscott's work, The New York Times said, "she is reappropriating the rape joke as a feminist tool, challenging entrenched cultural attitudes surrounding rape and parts of the stand-up scene that have failed to move beyond a misogynistic past."
For tickets, go online at joespub.com, call 10AM-7PM daily at 212-967-7555 or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street, NYC (Opens daily at 2PM).
ABOUT JOE'S PUB AT THE PUBLIC - Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub consistently presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works. Commissioned artists have included Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Bridget Everett, Allen Toussaint and more. In 2011, the Pub received a top-to-bottom renovation, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe'sPub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC THEATER AT ASTOR PLACE - Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public Theater is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to its beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all, new and experimental stagings at The Public at Astor Place, and a range of artist and audience development initiatives including its Public Forum series, which brings together theater artists and professionals from a variety of disciplines for discussions that shed light on social issues explored in Public productions. The Public Theater is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater's year-round activities.
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