VAN GOGH'S EAR, Starring Carter Hudson, Starts Final Shows at ERC

A friendly reminder that The Ensemble for the Romantic Century's acclaimed production of Van Gogh's Ear runs through September 10th only at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between Dyer and 10th Avenues).

Donald T. Sanders directs a cast headed by Carter Hudson along with Renée Tatum, Chad Johnson, and Kevin Spirtas.

Scenic and costume design is by Vanessa James with lighting design by Beverly Emmons, and projection design by David Bengali.

Live chamber music is performed by Henry Wang (violin), Yuval Herz (violin), Chieh-Fan Yiu (viola), Timotheos Petrin (cello), joined by ERC Co-Artistic Director Max Barros (piano) and Renana Gutman (piano).

Written by ERC Executive Artistic Director Eve Wolf, using Van Gogh's own words, Van Gogh's Ear shows us that the vibrancy of Van Gogh's paintings is only half his story. He frantically worked on several paintings at a time, experimenting with color and form. Time became his enemy as violent fits of madness and terrifying hallucinations consumed his being. Wrestling a fractured psyche with his determination to paint the beautiful, fragile world he saw, Van Gogh revealed his struggle to his brother Theo. ERC's Van Gogh's Ear brings the tormented creativity of Van Gogh to life. "If my work is that of a madman ... I should prefer my insanity to the sanity of others" - Van Gogh.

Next up will be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, with performances from December 21st to January 7th, with opening night set for December 27th. The third and final show of the season will be Tchaikovsky: None But the Lonely Heart. Performances will begin May 17th for a limited run through June 17th, with opening night scheduled for May 24th.

The Ensemble for the Romantic Century, now in its 17th Season, has set out to achieve the impossible: Time Travel. ERC was founded by pianist Eve Wolf in 2001 with the intention of creating an engaging and innovative approach to chamber music concerts. ERC's theatrical concerts interweave letters, memoirs, diaries, poems, and other literature with chamber and vocal music; the music's historical context is reinforced through its connections with history, politics, philosophy, psychology, and the other arts to create a compelling new performance experience. These unique productions merge dramatic and fully staged scripts with music, recapturing the past with a sense of immediacy that transports, illuminates, and captivates. The scripts, drawn from historical material that includes letters, diaries, memoirs, newspaper articles, poetry, and literature create an intricate counterpoint to the musical program. The subject matters span across centuries, from Tolstoy to Toscanini, from Verne to Van Gogh, all brought to life through the fusion of drama and music. By illuminating the interplay between literature, biography and music ERC has transformed the concert experience. The Romantic Century was about imagination and experimentation. Elevating the human condition through art: that is the spirit we hope to summon.

ERC has created over 40 original theatrical concerts at such institutions as BAM (Brooklyn Academy Of Music); Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA; The Jewish Museum of New York; the Archivio Fano of Venice, Italy; the Festival de Musique de Chambre Montréal; theMassachusetts International Festival of the Arts/MIFA; the French Institute-Alliance Française/FIAF, New York; the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University; the Italian Cultural Institute of New York; and the City University of New York (CUNY). ERC's programs are distinguished by their artistic excellence, breadth of repertoire, and variety of subject matter. In its relatively short history, the Ensemble for the Romantic Century has enriched the music scene with highly innovative productions that are also historically informed, aesthetically exquisite, and emotionally transporting.

The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature's three distinct playwrights' residencies and foster a cultural community. The Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a Studio Theatre, rehearsal studio, a bookstore, and the Signature Café + Bar, open to the public from noon-midnight Tuesdays - Sundays. For more information on renting the Center, visit www.signaturetheatre.org/rentals.

Performances for Van Gogh's Ear at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between Dyer and 10th Avenues) continue until September 10th only.

Season subscriptions, from $195 offering tickets for all three shows, are still available for purchase at romanticcentury.org. Individual tickets are $40 to $140 and can be purchased online at TicketCentral.com; by phone at 212/279-4200; or in person at 416 West 42nd Street (12 noon to 8pm daily). For more information, visit romanticcentury.org.

Artwork by FRAVER.

To post a comment, you must register and login.