ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS' "SHOWCASE" AT THE CELL, 3/26/2013

“Arriving at the AWoW Showcase with winter still chilling my bones, I was met by the high spirit of the Celtic fiddle and the warmth of Italian opera, proof that AWoW is becoming the United Nations of the cultural scene here in New York City,” said member Jim Rodgers.

 

fMRNF0A4EXj2REOXloJQubv3KrtHDygfHPosH2SdzVw-1The Celtic fiddler Jim referred to is German born, classically trained, Annettte Homann.  Annette opened the show with an original blues tune for voice and violin. The audience responded instantly to her witty delivery, as evidenced by collective outbreaks of enthusiastic laughter. Her second piece called “The Fiddle Set” started lyrically and ended with a rhythmic, virtuosic burst of playing. Shouts of “bravo,” “brava,” and “bravissimo” rang out.

 

“A young Anita Pallenburg meets Jimi Hendrix.” Billy Barrett. 

 

Michele Cetera supplied the evening’s wit and charm reading from a collection of monologues, Pieces of Me. Macy Grant’s life is in shambles: divorce, wild kids and mob threats. When she finally finds sanity and comfort in a new relationship she opens her journal and writes HAPPY, but soon, things change. It’s a break up. She’s been here before and doesn’t want to feel the hurt, but her ”foolish heart “ learns she can still hear the music without him.  A passionate and compelling reading.

 

cBIXcrm3I3AO8xgGhR-ArzC2--Bs7I1q7_-7RzR68ogTokyo born, Yoko Inagi, now a librarian at CUNY, performed on a traditional Japanese instrument called the Taisho goto or Japanese harp. Evoking the spirit of her grandmother, Yoko knelt in front of her harp and performed  a short, sweet song called “Sakura.” (Cherry Blossom)  A beautiful change of pace in an evening filled with rousing performances. 

 

“I’m going to be at the Showcase tonight,” Honor Finnegan wrote. “I guess I’m too late to play a few tunes.” But timing is everything and Honor got her chance when a classical pianist canceled earlier in the day. Bringing her great voice, songwriting talents and ukulele to the stage, Honor sang two songs from her CD, The Tiny Life. She followed by putting down her instrument and finishing with a rousing rendition of Jack Hardy’s “Ain’t I A Woman.”

 

High school students Bianca Love and Agenis Castillo Jr., opened the second half of the Showcase. Bianca sang “Fool That I Am” by Adele and an excerpt from an original piece called “Mira Mi Corazon,” both with Agenis’s fine guitar accompaniment. “The crowd was amazing,” said seventeen-year-old Bianca. “They were so warm and welcoming. It was an amazing experience. I can’t wait to do it again!”

 

s9tTvBbRWg5tnWTHZygqnwqJdRoAjjccC741BW-CQBIMoley and Owen O Suilleabhain followed and announced that this was the perfect opportunity to sing two English language songs from their forthcoming Folk Songs album. The first song was a nineteenth century folk tune called ‘The Young May Moon Is Beaming’, the second the traditional Scottish song ‘Red Is The Rose’. “We love The Cell as a venue and the site as a workshop space. We’re looking forward to the Lehman College gig with spoken—word—artist Koro.” In Feburary, Koro, a grad student at Hofstra University, and a native of Lagos Nigeria, wowed the crowd with poems of her native land. The uniting of the O Suilleabhains, master of Gregorian chants, drone and Sean Nos, with Koro’s brilliant stylizing of her poems is a highly anticipated event.

 

hheaigHZn6b5YTQiRC-0QqQTl2CpHz-_h51D1TH_UCw-1First time presenter Noel Lawlor presented the opening prologue of Shakespeare’s Henry 5th. Noel, a regular at Showcases, had not presented his acting skills in front of a Showcase audience before Tuesday. But the wait was worth it as Noel gave a beautifully paced and compelling reading from Shakespeare’s play, which focuses on events during the Hundred Years’ War.  

 

Classical vocalist Ellen Scarsella closed out the show singing the playful aria “Vedrai Carino” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, followed by a smoldering rendition of the jazz standard “Nature Boy.”

 

The next Artists Without Walls will be at Lehman College on April 25th. For more information contact info@artistswithoutwalls.com

 

 

 

 

A MULTICULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA: TONIGHT'S AWoW SHOWCASE AT THE CELL

0SkehHkt1TaS4SBrLJO-LWKC64nJfKcNfpFDwo7nJ_cIf you’re looking for diversity in the arts and culture the place to be tonight is The Cell Theater in New York City. Here are some of the folks who will be there: an Iranian pianist playing French classical, an Irishman reading Shakespeare, a Japanese woman playing the Taisho goto harp, a German violinist fiddling, a couple of Irish guys singing love tunes,  a Brooklyn gal reading about what else, Brooklyn, an aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni and a NYC Performing Arts’ high school student showing off her talents.

 

imagesJoin the artists and a great bunch of folks tonight for a lively time at The Cell Theater, 7PM, 338 W. 23rd St., New York City. Look forward to seeing you there, but if you can’t make it come back here Thursday for Cat Dwyer’s wonderful photos and again Friday for a wrap up of the evening’s performances.  

AWoW FRIENDS AND MEMBERS' UPCOMING EVENTS

 

 

Jack O'Connell
Jack O’Connell

March 24, 6PM at The Cell Theatre, 338 W23rd St., NYC.Pat Fenton’s Stoopdreamer starring Jack O’Connell.  Free event

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March 26, 7PM at The Cell Theatre, 338 W23rd St., NYC. Artists Without Walls’ Showcase. Free event

 

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Niamh Hyland
Niamh Hyland

April 9, 7PM, opening night of Brendan Connellan’s Pompa Pompa! starring Niamh Hyland and Moley O Suilleabhain. Theatre Row – The Studio, 410 W. 42nd St. ,New York City.  AWoW discount available. Tickets for Pompa Pompa, $21.25. 

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Maria Deasy
Maria Deasy

April 12, 8PM, opening night of  What’s In a Name with Maria Deasy.  The Chain Theatre, 21-28th Road, 45th Road. Tickets$18. AWoW discount available.  Tickets for “What’s In a Name”

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Antoinette Montague
Antoinette Montague

April 13, 2013, 8PM, 137-35, Northern Blvd, Flushing, Queens, NYC. Jazz Appreciation Month–A Tribute to Ladies Who Swing with Antoinette Montague. Tickets $10-$15. Click here for ticket info: Antoinette Montague at Flushing Town Hall