Best Winter Events for Adults 2019

Best Winter Events for Adults 2019: Winter is our favorite time to search for local events. Once again this year we find some real gems in places that don’t often get mined at other times of the year. 

January

The Bedford Playhouse Rocks in January! Stop Making Sense, Thurs, 1/10: 7pm: If you have never seen this concert movie of The Talking Heads then save this date! Jonathan Demme captures the iconic madness and frantic energy of David Byrne in a mesmerizing performance that has no match on film. The concert begins with David Byrne alone onstage with an acoustic guitar and by the end, he’s wearing the “Big Suit” accompanied by a cast of nine with four background vocalists. Including “Psycho Killer”, “Life During War Time”, “Take Me to The River” and “Burning Down the House”. Pink Floyd: The Wall, Thurs, 1/31: 7pm: This live action/animated musical drama from Alan Parker follows a rock star’s descent into madness from the physical and social isolation of his rock world milieu. Written by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, this metaphorical and often surreal film, based on the group’s album The Wall, has achieved cult status. It features music from the album including “Another Brick in the Wall”, “Is There Anybody Out There?”  and “Comfortably Numb”. See them both in our area’s cushiest theater with the trendiest cafe. (633 Old Post Rd., Bedford; www.befordplayhouse.org)

Local! The Golden Age of Hollywood, Chappaqua Library, Fri, 1/11 & 1/25: 7pm: Love Is Here To Stay: The Gershwins: Film Historian Philip Harwood presents film clips from five films featuring classic songs by George and Ira Gershwin including Shall We Dance, Girl Crazy, The Barkley’s of Broadway, An American In Paris and Funny Face. Fri 1/11: 7pm. Philip Harwood continues his lecture series on The Golden Age of Hollywood with this discussion and film clips of the era’s greatest Screwball Comedies: Fri, 1/25: 7pm. (195 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.chappaqualibrary.org)

Harvey Presents Sidemen, Long Road to Glory, Walker Center for the Arts, The Harvey School, Fri, 1/11: 7pm: Produceer Tony Grazia and director Scott Rosenbaum introduce their documentary, Sidemen, a celebration of the musicians who backed blues legends Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. The film features rare interviews with Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Robby Krieger of The Doors, and Gregg Allman, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers. Paul Nelson guitarist for Jonny Winter will join the discussion after the screening. (260 Jay Str., Katonah; www.harveyschool.org)

Hot Local Event: Houston Person, Schoolhouse Theatre, Sun, 1/13: 7pm: Tenor sax giant Houston Person’s annual performance at the Schoolhouse is one of the highlights of life in Croton Falls. Person, a Eubie Blake Jazz Award winner, is best known for his soul jazz though he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres. (3 Owens Rd., Croton Falls;www.schoolhousetheater.org)

Local! John Jay Lecture Series: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, Thurs, 1/17: 6:30pm: David Blight discusses his long-awaited definitive biography of Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became one of the leading intellects and political leaders of his era. Blight is the Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, at Yale; author or editor of fourteen books; and winner of multiple awards, including the Bancroft, Lincoln and Frederick Douglass Prizes. (John Jay Homestead, 400 Jay St., Katonah; www.johnjayhomestead.org)

Local! The Last Pair of Earlies, Hudson Stage Company, Fri, 1/18; 7pm: HSC presents a staged reading of Joshua Allen’s new play, set in 1921, about a young shoemaker’s dream of leaving his home in rural Mississippi for the excitement of Chicago, Mr. Allen is a co-executive producer on the Emmy Award-winning Fox TV series Empire. His other plays include Boy in a Blue Tweed Suit, Chrysalis, and The October Storm. (Kent Place, North Castle Public Library, Armonk; www.hudsonstage.com)

Gina Chavez, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 1/19: 8pm: Latin pop sensation, Gina Chavez is a nine-time Austin Music Award winner — including 2015 Musician of the Year and Album of the Year for her sophomore release, Up.Rooted, a collection of bilingual songs traversing cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, reggaeton, and folk. “Gina Chavez’s voice stops you in your tracks the first time you hear it.” –NPR (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Top Local Event! 46th Annual Art Show Bedford, Fellowship Hall, St. Matthew’s Church, Bedford, Fri-Sun, 1/25-27 & 2/1-32: The show kicks off with a preview party on Fri, 1/25: 6:30-9pm with catering from Happiness Is and music from Dogbone and features the works of 38 contemporary artists working in oils, water colors, sculpture and photography, unique jewelry, glass and pottery items. The show, presented by the Women of St. Matthew’s raises funds for local charities. Pictured here: Untitled by Madge Scott. (38 Cantitoe Dr., Bedford; www.artshowbedford.org)

In Paradisium, Fauré’s Requiem, Hudson Chorale at Maryknoll, Sat-Sun, 1/26-27: 3pm:  The Hudson Chorale, the largest mixed voice chorus in Westchester County, accompanied by an orchestra and guest soloists, perform Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, and a collection of motets by Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner and Johannes Brahms.(Queen of the Apostles Chapel at Maryknoll, 55 Ryder Road, Ossining; www.hudsonchorale.org)

Masterpieces from the Museum of Cartoon Art, Bruce Museum, Jan 26-April 20, Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm: This new exhibit showcases more than 100 original works celebrating the history of cartoons in America. Including an early editorial cartoon by Thomas Nast, a spectacular Prince Valiant page by Hal Foster, a witty New Yorker gag by Peter Arno and classic Peanuts, Doonesbury and Calvin and Hobbes strips. (1 Museum Dr., Greenwich, CT; www.brucemuseum.org)

Leading Ladies of Broadway, Emelin Theatre, Sat, 1/26: 8pm: In this concert event, four leading ladies of Broadway recreate their most memorable moments and celebrate their starring roles. Including  Kissy Simmons (The Lion King), Rona Figueroa (Les Miserables, Nine, Miss Saigon), Anika Larsen ( Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and Sara Jean Ford (Phantom, Cats, A Little Night Music). (153 Library Ln. Mamaroneck; www.emelin.org)

Local! Edward Hopper/Robert Indiana, Art Lecture Series, North Castle Public Library, Wed, 1/30: 7pm: LIU Professor Valerie Franco offers weekly art lectures on Wednesday nights at NCPL. Here she presents her take on Edward Hopper, known for his iconic images of America, a realist who worked in oils, watercolors & printmaking. Plus, American born Robert Indiana, the creator of the iconic LOVE poster, stamp & sculpture, who was an American Pop art icon himself. (17 Whippoorwill Rd. E., Armonk)

February

Local! Dancing Lessons, Arc Stages Pleasantville, Fri-Sat, 2/1-16: 8pm & Sun, 2/10: 2pm: The New York Times called it “Two Aloof Neighbors, All the Wrong Moves” in their 2015 review. Set in Manhattan, this two-person play follows a science professor with Aspergers’s Syndrome (Ever) who hires an injured dancer (Senga) to give him dancing lessons. Mark St. Germain’s (Becoming Dr. Ruth) writing deftly moves from Ever’s witty “autism spectrum” repartee to the physical humor of Senga, in full leg cast, teaching him to groove to Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger”. Worth the trip! (147 Wheeler Ave., Pleasantville; www.arcstages.org)

Diavolo: Architecture in Motion, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 2/2: 8pm: For 25 years, Artistic Director Jacques Heim and Diavolo have defied traditional definitions of dance and gravity. Leaping, flying, and falling, this one-of-its-kind contemporary dance company utilizes trust, teamwork, and imagination in large, surreal architectural playgrounds to create metaphors of life through dance and movement. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Local! Twisted Valentines, Axial Theatre Pleasantville – Thurs-Sat, 2/8-10 & 15-17: The Axial Theatre’s Twisted Valentines returns for its third consecutive year with 6 original one-act plays, each with it’s own take on the modern relationship. Including Sleeping Dogs, Dream Lover, The Ninth Circus of Hell and Requiem for a Third Wheel. Expect to laugh and cry. (St. John’s Episcopal Church, 8 Sunnyside Avenue, Pleasantville, 914.286.7680; www.axialtheatre.org)

A Century of Lunar Photography and Beyond, Hudson River Museum, 2/8-12/15, 2019, Wed-Sun, 12-5pm: This exhibit, in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, features a selection of lunar photographs from NASA, the Hastings Historical Society, the Lick Observatory Archive, and private collections.  Items range from 19th-century astronomers John and Henry Draper’s earliest experiments—some never before seen in museums—to massive NASA mapping surveys, to high-definition digital photography from lunar orbit. (511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers; www.hrm.org)

Local! The Golden Age of Hollywood, Chappaqua Library, Fri, 2/8 & 2/22: 7pm: I Wanna Be A Dancing Man: Fred Astaire: Film historian, Philip Harwood continues his lecture series on The Golden Age of Hollywood with this discussion and film clips of Fred Astaire’s dance solos on film. Fri, 2/8: 7pm. Philip Harwood’s Golden Age of Hollywood continues with this lecture and film clips of Mel Brooks titled It’s Good to be the King: Mel Brooks. Fri, 2/22: 7pm. (195 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.chappaqualibrary.org)

French Pastry Alert! A Parisian Picture Gallery, 18th Century French Musical Portraits, Ars-Antiqua, Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Chappaqua, Sat, 2/9: 8pm: Mark Kramer’s (Viola da gamba) period instrument ensemble explores the Parisian Music Rooms where the music of Baroque composers Marais, Leclair, Rameau and Guillemaiin captured tiny moments of daily life and the faces of perfumed society in their ornate styles. French pastries and coffee from Susan Lawrence Gourmet Foods follows the recital.With Nicholas DiEugenio (Baroque violin) and Leon Schelhase (Harpsichord). (191 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.ars-antqua.org)

Local! The Chappaqua Orchestra, 1 Piano, 4 Hands, North Castle Public Library, Sun, 2/10: 3pm: Pianist Svetlana Gorokhovich and Irena Portenko perform piano duets by Bach, Hartl, and Tchaikovsky. Svetlana Gorokhovich, a faculty member of the Music Conservatory of Westchester, is an internationally recognized pianist and recording artist who has appeared in major concert halls around the world including in Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall in NYC. Ms. Gorokhovich performs with Irena Portenko as a piano duo in the U.S. and Germany. (NCPL, 19 Whippoorwill Rd. East, Armonk; www.chappaquaorchestra.org)

Rachel Worby conducts Savion Glover, Performing Arts Center, Sun, 2/10: 3pm: The incomparable Savion Glover, who first gained notice as the Tap Dance Kid, and created and starred in the Broadway smash Bring in Da’ Noise, Bring in Da’ Funk brings his unique artistry for an afternoon of music, and tap dance. Mr. Glover will dance to the music of Copland, Gould and Vivaldi performed by The Westchester Phil and conducted by Rachael Worby. Kids go free, with a paid adult at this Friends & Family Concert with a instrument petting zoo at 2pm. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.westchesterphil.org)

The Awful Truth, Retro Revival at Jacob Burns Film Center, Thurs, 2/14: 5:10 & 7:15pm. In this 1937 Oscar winner from Director Leo McCarey (Duck Soup), Cary Grant (in the role that defined his on-screen persona) and Irene Dunne display affection, charm, and a knack for rapid-fire one-liners as a couple who decide to divorce. But as they try to move on with their lives, he can’t help but try to sabotage her relationship with a stodgy Oklahoma businessman (Ralph Bellamy). (364 Manville Rd. Pleasantville; www.burnsfilmcenter.org)

New York Botanical Garden, The Orchid Show Singapore: Sat, 2/23-Sun, 4/28. The Orchid Show celebrates its 17th year at The New York Botanical Garden. This year’s show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory will feature mesmerizing tropical orchids in displays that pay homage to Singapore’s achievements in orchid cultivation and conservation as well as garden design. On select nights, NYBG offers after-hours viewings of the exhibition featuring cocktails, dance, and music. Open Tues-Sun, 10am-6pm. (New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx; www.nybg.org)

March

Barbara Eden and Hal Linden in A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters, Ridgefield Playhouse, Sat, 3/2: 8pm: Barbara Eden (“I Dream of Jeannie”) and Hal Linden (“Barney Miller”) star in A.R. Gurney’s bittersweet comedy about two friends have exchanged letters for over 50 years. From second grade, through college, and well into adulthood. they have spent a lifetime discussing their hopes and dreams. But after the letters are done, the question remains: Have they made the right choices or is the love of their life only a letter away?  (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Charlotte Posenenske, The Dia Beacon, Opens Fri, 3/8: This new exhibit at The Dia Beacon is the first North American retrospective of the work of German artist Charlotte Posenenske. The exhibit spans her brief, yet remarkable twelve year career in the 1960’s, including her transitional aluminum wall-reliefs, her final modular sculptural projects that embraced industrial fabrication and developed a form of mass-produced Minimalism. See our Bucket List: The Dia Beacon for more about this fabulous museum. (3 Beakman St., Beacon; www.diaart.org)

RHONY Star, Luann De Lesseps: Countess & Friends, Ridgefield Playhouse, Sat, 3/9: 8pm: Fresh off earning rave reviews for her performance at NYC’s Feinstein’s 54 Below, Luann De Lesseps, an original cast member of Bravo’s hit TV show The Real Housewives of New York, brings a night of cabaret to The Playhouse. Her global dance hits include “Money Can’t Buy You Class”, “Chic C’est La Vie” and “Girl Code.” (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

The Fly Fishing Film Tour, Tarrytown Music Hall, Sat, 3/9: 8pm: It’s like the Cannes Film Festival for fly fishing enthusiasts. Now in it’s 13^th year, the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) serves up a compilation of the best film footage, stories and personalities in the world of fly-fishing. This year’s “catch” spans the globe following the best in fly fishing action from Alaska to Florida, South Dakota to French Polynesia, British Columbia to the coast of Australia and more. (13 Main St., Tarrytown, www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

What’s On at The Guggenheim, Art Lecture Series, North Castle Public Library, Wed, 3/13: 7pm:  LIU Professor Valerie Franco offers a sneak peak at the the exhibits at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Venice and Bilbao. Preview NYC exhibits focusing on sculptor Constantin Brancusi, (pictured here) contemporary artists R. H. Quaytman, and Hilga af Klint, from the Guggenheim’s Paintings of the Future. Plus a Giacometti Retrospective on view in Bilbao and a massive retrospective on the 20th century whimsical abstract master Osvaldo Licini on view in the Guggenheim, Venice. (17 Whippoorwill Rd. E., Armonk)

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 3/16: 8pm: Aspen’s bold vision – top global choreographers, distinctive groundbreaking repertoire, and virtuoso dancers – has fostered a jewel of a dance company that reflects the pioneering spirit of the American West. Dedicated to curating new ballets, ASFB brings a European sensibility and an American spirit to the contemporary classical genre. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Local! Channeling The Masters, Peter Serkin, The Sanctuary Series South Salem, Sun, 3/17: 4pm: “Peter Serkin is one of the handful of pianists who not only possess a cerebral understanding of the music of our time but the ability to communicate it with feeling.  In his hands, even the most formidable works are fluid and expressive.“ – The New York Times Here Peter performs Mozart’s Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations and more. (S. Salem Presbyterian Church, 111 Spring St., S. Salem; www.thesanctuaryseries.org)

Local! Schwab Vocal Rising Stars, Love at The Crossroads, Caramoor, Sun, 3/17: 3pm:  Artistic Director Steven Blier selects four young voices and a pianist for a weeklong residency, culminating in this Music Room performance Love at the Crossroads. Here they explore the complexities of love in song from Faure and Schubert to Cole Porter, Vernon Duke and Stephen Sondheim. Assisted by Michael Barrett, Associate Artistic Director of the New York Festival of Song. (149 Girdle ridge Rd., Katonah, www.caramoor.org)

Local! Bedford Chamber Concerts, Vladimir Feltsman (piano),  Wed, 3/20: 8pm: The world-renowned pianist and Bach devotee, Vladimir Feltsman performs Bach: Partita No. 1 and Chopin 4 Nocturnes & Ballade No. 3. Feltsman debuted with the Moscow Philharmonic in 1963 at age 11 and made his US debut in September 1987 in a concert for President Ronald Reagan and debuted at Carnegie Hall later that year. (St, Matthews Church, 382 Cantitoe St., Bedford; www.bedfordchamberconcerts.org)

Editor’s Choice! Portland Cello Project: Homage to Radiohead, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 3/23: 8pm: Portland’s premiere alt-classical group brings a huge, orchestral ensemble – including brass, percussion, and guest vocals by Patti King of The Shins – to perform a night in homage to Radiohead. The first set features unique renditions of classical Radiohead pieces. In the second set PCJ will perform Radiohead’s seminal OK Computer album in its entirety. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Local! REBEL Baroque, A Rococo Extravaganza, Bedford Presbyterian Church, Sun, 3/24: 4pm: One of the most aired period instrument ensembles in America today, and our local fave, REBEL Baroque performs works by Edelmann, Schobert, C.P.E. Bach & J.C. Bach. (44 Village Green, Bedford, www.rebelbaroque.com)

Dick Cavett Presents a Conversation with Blythe Danner, Ridgefield Playhouse, Sat, 3/23: 7:30pm: Emmy Award-winner, Dick Cavett interviews the Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Blythe Danner. Danner is best known for her role as Dina Byrnes in Meet the Parents, and its sequels Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers. She has appeared in three Woody Allen films: Another Woman, Alice, and Husbands and Wives. Her celebrated television roles include “Huff”, “Will & Grace,” “We Were the Mulvaneys” and “Back When We Were Grownups.” She is the mother of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

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