Dans Papers - June 8, 2007 - Summer Shows at Guild Hall

Where is Guild Hall's outstanding summer programming now that the John Drew Theater is undergoing renovation? Out at wonderful locations in East Hampton. The shows begin on Saturday, June 16 with a classical music concert at the historic Woodhouse Playhouse, then dinner and Dear Mr. Sinatra with cabaret/jazz stars John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey at the Maidstone Tennis Club on June 29, and then on to internationally-acclaimed choreographer Karole Armitage's new modern ballet Ligeti Essays at a Huntting Lane estate on July 21, plus two new American Musical Theatre Salutes on August 5 and 26 at East Hampton Studios with KT Sullivan, Eric Michael Gillett, Melissa Errico and George Dvorsky.

The John Drew Theater's artistic director, Josh Gladstone, is producing and directing Steve Martin's comedy, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, at East Hampton Studios from August 14 through September 1 and Playwrights' Theater of East Hampton continues its John Drew summer season with staged readings of Joe Stein's comedy, Enter Laughing (based on Carl Reiner's book), on August 12, and David Mamet's searing drama, Oleanna, on August 19.

The Guild Hall Museum has two major shows at its home base. "Dan Flavin: An Intimate View" is a retrospective of the minimalist sculptor's work on view June 16 through July 29. Portrait artist Billy Sullivan's work is featured in a major exhibition running from August 11 through October 21. East Hampton's lush estate gardens will be feted in a two-day "Garden as Art Tour" on August 24 and 25.

First up on June 16 is the Playhouse Project concert with young Russian pianist Gleb Ivanov and classical Arabic music composer/conductor/performer Bassam Saba. They will perform in the unique Tudor-style playhouse created by East Hampton philanthropist Mrs. Lorenzo Woodhouse and architect F. Burall Hoffman in 1916. Owned by the Brockman family since 1958, the Playhouse continues as a special performing arts venue. The program is underwritten by the Brockman family, the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation and Guild Hall.

The Playhouse Project gives grants to young, local and gifted musicians. The June 16 concert and reception begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Playhouse, located at 64 Huntting Lane, East Hampton. Tickets are $75. Reserve by calling Guild Hall at (631) 324-0806 or e-mail jmgoleas@optonline.com.

The big Guild Hall benefit this year - dedicated to the John Drew Theater renovation - is the cocktail party, dinner and show starring guitarist/singer/songwriter John Pizzarelli and his cabaret star/Broadway vocalist wife Jessica Molaskey on June 29. Pizzarelli, the son of legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, grew up listening to iconic popular music interpreters Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra plus the music of classic American songbook composers Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen and others. He has recorded many best-selling CDs including Dear Mr. Sinatra, Live at Birdland, Knowing You and Bossa Nova. A top-draw cabaret and Broadway performer, John was featured in the recent PBS series Legends of Jazz and you can hear his joyous voice on Foxwoods Casino's television ad theme song "The Wonder of It All."

Jessica Molaskey received rave reviews for the cabaret show with husband John this past winter ("a musical marriage made in heaven" according to The New York Times). She is also a songwriter and veteran of a dozen Broadway shows. Her singing voice has been compared to Peggy Lee and k.d. lang. Ms. Molaskey co-hosts the nationally-syndicated radio program "Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli" and will make her solo debut at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room this coming winter.

The duo will perform their favorite Sinatra songs after cocktails and dinner at the Maidstone Tennis Club on June 29. Benefit tickets are $350 and $500 and are available by calling Guild Hall at (631) 324-0806 or online at www.guildhall.org.

The next big Guild Hall event is the Armitage Gone! Dance Company's performance July 21 of the "Ligeti Essays" suite, which has just premiered to great acclaim. Based on Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti's music, the suite has two sections. The first is a cycle of songs written to the poetry of Sandor Weores. The second part is danced to Ligeti's last major composition, Hamburg Concerto, for horns. The ballet closes with his Musica Ricercata for solo piano.

Choreographer Karole Armitage is an American born in Lawrence, Kansas, who first studied with New York City Ballet alumna Tomi Worthan, and then Ballet West in Aspen and NYCB's School of American Ballet in New York. She graduated from the notable North Carolina School of the Arts and danced with Balanchine's Geneva Ballet and then Merce Cunningham's modern dance company. She began to freelance choreograph modern ballets and was invited by Rudolph Nureyev to choreograph for the Paris Opera Ballet. She built a successful career in Europe and returned to the U.S. in 2005 to form the New York-based Armitage Gone! Dance Company.

The troupe will be dancing in the gardens of an East Hampton estate on Saturday, July 21. There is a limited-admission cocktail party at 4 p.m. ($100) and the estate grounds open at 5 p.m. for general admission ($30, no charge for children 12 and under). Tickets to "Ligeti Essays" are available at the Guild Hall box office (631-324-4050) or online at boxoffice@guildhall.org.

The American Musical Theatre Salute on August 5 is "The Warmth and Wit of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart." Singers KT Sullivan, Eric Michael Gillett, music director James Followell and host Lee Davis present the show at 7:30 p.m. at East Hampton Studios in Wainscott. The August 26 salute is "Irving Berlin in Hollywood" with Lee Davis, James Followell, and singers Melissa Errico and George Dvorsky. Tickets to each show are $50 ($45 for members) at the Guild Hall box office, and a reception follows the show.

Theater performances at East Hampton Studios begin on August 12 with Broadway star Lewis J. Stadlen directing a staged reading of Joe Stein's comedy, Enter Laughing (tickets $18-20). A full production of Steve Martin's comedy, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, is onstage from August 14 through September 1 (tickets $28-30). A staged reading of David Mamet's dramatic Oleanna is August 19, when Picasso takes a night off. Read about Guild Hall's summer programs each week in Dan's Papers' "Take Five" column.