Top offerings for the upcoming weekend include two online concerts and conversations, and a live outdoor solo show at a popular off-off-Broadway venue, so be sure to mark your calendar in advance for these entertaining and enlightening world-premiere works.
Empathy Concert – This week marks one year since the beginning of the Elliott Masie Learning Collaborative’s hour-long video sessions focused on the eponymous theme of human compassion and understanding. To celebrate the anniversary, the 31st edition of the show, which airs on Friday, April 9, from 4- 5 pm, will explore the subject from the perspective of college students and their experiences during this most unusual pandemic year. Hosted by Masie, the webinar will feature theater students Kuppi Jessup and Travis Anderson from the University of Michigan sharing their stories, inspiring messages, and songs. Broadway’s Andréa Burns (In the Heights) will be the special guest for the concert, and stage and screen star and Empathy co-host Telly Leung (Aladdin; Glee) will perform from Michigan, where he is currently directing Godspell. To reserve a complimentary space, visit the site. You can also stream any of the 31 concerts and download and share the newly published 66-page eBook Empathy for the Workplace & Workforce by Masie and Leung, all free of charge.
Obsessed: Heart – In June of 2020, Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee Lena Hall (Hedwig and The Angry Inch; Kinky Boots) began a series of Zoom shows to remain creative and connected to fans. The newest installment of her popular Obsessed series, celebrating the songs of the American rock band Heart, goes live for one night only on Friday, April 9, at 7 pm. Presented by Broadway World, the digital concert’s set list includes “Baracuda,” “What About Love,” “Magic Man,” “Alone,” “ Heartless,” “Even It Up,” and more of the group’s signature hits. VIP tickets for the intimate interactive show also give audience members entry into a private Zoom room with Lena, to participate in polls and games, ask questions, and even request songs, for a more personal social experience. For tickets (priced at $20 and $50), go online.
Tennessee Rising: The Dawn of Tennessee Williams – Written and performed by Jacob Storms (Amazon’s Red Oaks), the 75-minute solo play explores the little-known formative years of the legendary American playwright, from 1939-45, through the highs and lows of his early career and the emergence of his self-referencing characters. A previous incarnation won the award for the Best One-Man Show in NYC’s 2017 United Solo Festival and headlined the 2018 Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis. The current version, directed by multi-award winning actor, humanitarian, and social activist Alan Cumming (Cabaret), makes its debut at the cell theatre (338 West 23rd Street), with performances scheduled for Sundays, April 11- June 27. Performances will be presented open air and strictly limited to an audience of no more than eighteen, with masks and social distancing required. Running time is 75 minutes; click here to purchase tickets.
