Bard’s Beloved Spiegeltent Returns for SummerScape 2010

Annandale-on-Hudson, NY – The opening of the 2010 Bard SummerScape festival on Thursday, July 8, signals the return of the authentic, one-of-a-kind Belgian Spiegeltent, the luxurious “tent of mirrors” that has proved such a sensation since 2006, when its introduction to Bard marked the first time one of these fabled old-world structures appeared in America; the New York Times pronounced it “agreeably funky,” while the Village Voice praised its “wooden floors, mirrored walls, stained-glass panels, and red velvet ceiling.”  Conveniently situated near the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center, the Spiegeltent affords a sumptuous and magical environment to enjoy cutting-edge cabaret and musical performances – almost all of which sold out last year, plus family fare, late-night dancing, and tasty refreshments, throughout the seven-week festival (July 8 – August 22).

Back for its fifth SummerScape season, Bard’s glittering “Mirror Tent” was originally from Europe, where such tents and the special entertainment they host have been a beloved tradition for the past century.  The Spiegeltent is a marvel of engineering, comprising 3,000 detachable parts, with a spellbinding interior of carved wood surfaces, parquet floor, beveled mirrors, stained-glass windows, and splendid velvet canopies.  On weekend afternoons and evenings all summer long, the theater-in-the-round – encircled by audience members seated at booths and tables – is the stage for a variety of performers, from cabaret acts and musicians to dancers and jugglers.  Before and after performances, the Spiegeltent provides the ideal setting to enjoy light fare, meals, and drinks chosen from the best offerings of the Hudson Valley’s rich array of farms, orchards, dairies, wineries, and breweries.

Friday and Saturday nights are for adults only, with Evening Cabaret featuring colorful entertainment with a downtown edge, for hip audiences. Returning this year is the award-winning John Kelly, with his “worshipful and lovingly devastating” (New York Times) homage to Joni Mitchell; the seductive slapstick of the Wau Wau Sisters; and the ever-popular Bindlestiff Family Cirkus.  The majority of Evening Cabaret shows sold out last summer, so early booking is advised!

Friday and Saturday nights continue with the SpiegelClub, which offers a late-night bar and dance floor with New York City and local Hudson Valley DJs spinning a variety of tunes on a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system.  It’s an exhilarating summer setting where audiences and artists gather under the disco ball to enjoy a range of dance music from pop to hip-hop, funk, and jazz, as well as the occasional theme night (swing, 80s, and more).  Drinks and snacks are available throughout the evening.

Thursday nights in the Spiegeltent are devoted to Thursday Night Live, an eclectic range of live music by performers from the Hudson Valley and beyond, hosted by Raissa St. Pierre, DJ of WKZE’s Radio Archaeology and Associate Director of the Bard Music Festival.

Bard’s weekend Afternoon Family Fare offers entertainment of every stripe for audiences of all ages, by singers, dancers, puppeteers, magicians, and more – including Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, whose presentations this year include a showcase of variety performers under the age of 21.

Before and after each performance, patrons can enjoy Dining at the Spiegeltent – indoors or outside in the beautiful gardens – with casual summer fare served at lunchtime on Saturdays and Sundays and dinnertime on Thursdays through Sundays.

Program details for all Spiegeltent offerings follow below.

Evening Cabaret

Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30pm, July 9 – August 21

Tickets: $25 (over 18s only)

Our Lady J (July 9)

New York-based singer-songwriter and pianist extraordinaire Our Lady J wowed Spiegeltent audiences last summer when she accompanied her good friend Justin Bond. In this summer’s command performance, she promises to blow the roof off the tent with her visionary, post-religious gospel music. A favorite at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan and London’s Southbank Centre, the Lady is joined by two other musicians, back-up singers, and an eight-member gospel choir. “Our Lady J knows how to rock the house,” declares the Village Voice; as celebrity blogger Perez Hilton confirms, she is one “fierce diva!”

John Kelly: Paved Paradise Redux (July 16 and 17)

Two-time Obie Award-winning multimedia artist John Kelly’s reverent homage to Joni Mitchell is a true retrospective. Kelly did two sold-out shows at the Spiegeltent in 2007, since when he has refashioned his show as “Paved Paradise Redux” to span the folk-rock diva’s career from “Just Like Me,” the first song she ever wrote (and never recorded) to cuts from “Shine,” her most recent album. Kelly’s spot-on original-key recreation of the smoky

soprano’s vocals is uncanny, offering “transformation through spiritual osmosis,” which the New York Times pronounced “magnificent!”

Wau Wau Sisters (July 23 and 24)

The Spiegeltent nearly split its seams last summer when the bawdy, trapeze-twisting, guitar-strumming Wau Wau Sisters returned with their “irreverent, sacrilegious, foul-mouthed, and uninhibited” (New York Times) vaudeville act. As the Village Voice explains, “The duo’s command over the large crowd is no surprise. They are, after all, two scantily clad young ladies crooning dirty songs. They are also, however, highly skilled circus performers and aerialists who unleash their lewd material with great cheer and singular archness.” With TV credits including the Isaac Mizrahi Show with Rosie Perez, the Sharon Osbourne Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and awards including Edinburgh Fringe Report’s Best Cabaret, the Wau Wau Sisters return this year for two nights. Early booking is recommended!

Weimar New York (July 30 and 31)

Tony-nominee Justin Bond returns to the Spiegeltent as emcee for the alt-cabaret extravaganza that Time Out dubbed “subversive, sexed-up, slashingly political – the kind of material the Nazis called ‘degenerate art’.” Presented by downtown impresario and self-proclaimed “social change activist” Earl Dax, the show features a live band, dirty dancing from the notorious Pixie Harlots, and performers culled from the worlds of contemporary music, burlesque, performance art, and traditional Kabarett.

Kim Smith (August 6)

Singing in English, German, and French, Australian vocalist Kim Smith reinterprets the works of composers and songwriters from Weill to the Supremes, and Harold Arlen to the Divinyls, with “consummate artistry” (Roy Sander), resulting in “cabaret at its best and most interesting” (Cabaret Scenes magazine). In true cabaret style, Smith casts a spell over his audience with what he calls his “glittering parade of dreams, illusions, and little white lies.”

Noche Porteña: The Sensuous Music and Dance of Buenos Aires (August 7)

For one night only, festivalgoers can learn how the tango is danced in Buenos Aires, birthplace of the most sensual of dances. The Spiegeltent hosts an Introduction to Argentine Tango class at 8:30pm, courtesy of Woodstock Tango, followed an hour later by live music from some of Argentina’s best musicians, complemented by DJ sets of exquisite recordings from the golden age of tango. (No partner necessary.)

Jackie Hoffman (August 13)

Actress, singer, and comedian Jackie Hoffman takes the night off from her role as Grandma in Broadway’s The Addams Family to bring SummerScape audiences her unique brand of music and comedy.  A veteran of film (Kissing Jessica Stein, Legally Blonde 2), television (Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, Ed), and Broadway (Hairspray and Xanadu besides The Addams Family), and the winner of both an Obie and a Jeff award, Hoffman’s signature blend of singing and kvetching is guaranteed to delight and offend.

Eric Walton’s Esoterica (August 14)

Actor, magician, and sleight-of-hand master Eric Walton premieres at the Spiegeltent with Esoterica, a dazzling one-man foray into the realms of philosophy and metaphysics as seen through the lens of conjuring and stagecraft. Armed with little more than a regulation deck of 52 playing cards and a razor-sharp wit, master showman Walton deftly navigates such perennial philosophical questions as “Are you in control of your own destiny?” and “Is this your card?” As Variety exclaims: “Walton is a charming mountebank – his parade of card tricks is a delight!”

Albanian Folk Music with Merita Halili and the Raif Hyseni Orchestra (August 20)

Merita Halili is renowned in her native Albania for her stunning voice, prodigious range, and exquisite vocal technique.  Raif Hyseni, originally from the Republic of Kosovo (which recently proclaimed its independence from Serbia), leads the most sought-after Albanian music ensemble in the United States.  Together, they thrill audiences with their masterful interpretations of instrumentals and urban folk songs; after one such performance, the New York Times reported: “Merita Halili raised her radiant soprano in buoyant wedding songs, punctuated by speed-demon accordion from her husband and bandleader, Raif Hyseni.”

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus (August 21)

Hudson’s favorite first family of circus and a perennial Spiegeltent sensation, the Bindlestiffs are back with their frisky sword-swallowing, pie-throwing, plate-twirling neovaudeville fun, offering an evening of cheeky takes on circus tradition, spiced with a dollop of burlesque and topped with a twist of unique Cirkus sensibility that is not for the faint of heart! Their various high-profile appearances include HBO’s Real Sex, Late Night With David Letterman, The Today Show, and England’s Glastonbury Festival; as the New York Times would have it, their act is “fantastic.  There are certain things that make New York City so incredibly special.  And this is one of them.”

Thursday Night Live

Thursdays at 8:30pm, July 15 – August 19

Tickets: $10 (PG13)

The Sweet Clementines (July 15)

Bringing indie, folk rock, popular sounds, and pretty harmonies from nearby New Paltz, New York, The Sweet Clementines conjure up solo John, Paul, and George and, sometimes, early Kinks and country-sounding Byrds.  Songs like “Steve McQueen” and “NYYSMA” are “juicy and bright: lyrically driven, folky, with sonorous pop moments against a rollicking background” (Ulster Publishing Almanac); all told, the Clementines are “highly entertaining and musically smart” (New Paltz Times).

Chris Cochrane Trio (July 22)

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Chris Cochrane’s trio comes to the Spiegeltent this summer after recent performances at the Knitting Factory, Zebulon, and Dixon Place.  Cochrane has been improvising and making art rock in New York City for the past 20 years, with some of the best and most respected downtown musicians: Zeena Parkins, John Zorn, Fred Frith, Mark Ribot, and Eszter Balint, to name but a few.  His music features monstrously innovative rhythms, and his voice is captivating; as Option magazine reports, his work has led “guitarist Marc Ribot to proclaim Cochrane, along with James Blood Ulmer, among his favorite guitar players.” Cochrane’s co-trio members are Hanna Fox (of Babe the Blue Ox) on drums and Mike Duclos on bass and vocals.

The Minivans (July 29)

The Minivans present old-school country and western music – one song swings, the next one rocks.  Hailing from Hillsdale, New York, the group comprises Kiki and Binky, the fabulous Dufault sisters; Jim Krewson on bass and high, lonesome vocals; Sauerkraut Seth, wielding guitar and, once in a while, crooning some downright rockabilly; fiddler Lukas Schwartz; Pete Adams on steel guitar; and Rick Leab on the plywood box.

Brian Dewan (August 5)

Composer, musician, singer, and instrument-maker extraordinaire Brian Dewan plays autoharp and accordion and sings songs with historical and geographical themes, touching on scientific breakthroughs, natural disasters, and society at large.  The versatile musician also appears as half of the double-act Dewanatron, which inspired this from the Los Angeles Times: “At full roar, the Dewanatron experience howled and warbled with demented mid-1960s fervor, all simple rhythms laced up with complex and freakish electronic wails, a retrofuturistic journey to the reinvention of the synthesizer. … What more do you want from a Sunday night?”

Bard Music Festival Program Eight:

“You Can’t Be Serious! Viennese Popular Music and Operetta” (August 19)

Described by the Los Angeles Times as “uniquely stimulating,” the world-renowned Bard Music Festival returns for its 21^st annual season with an exploration of “Berg and His World.” Weekend Two—“Berg the European”—takes stock of the diversity of music between the wars, with light relief provided by Program Eight: “You Can’t be Serious! Viennese Popular Music and Operetta”. With piano accompaniment, singers perform extracts from chamber operas and cabaret songs by such varied exponents of the art as Johann Strauss II, Arthur Sullivan, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Franz Léhar, Franz Schreker, and Alban Berg himself. The performance is complemented by commentary from Professor Derek B. Scott, author of such publications as The Singing Bourgeois, and whose fields of expertise include music-hall songs and drawing-room ballads.

Afternoon Family Fare

Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30pm, beginning on July 17

Tickets: $15 (children aged three and up: $5)

Cirque Voilà’s Mini Cirque (July 17 and 18)

Three master clowns – Paul Wildbaum, Brian Foley, and Matthew Duncan – offer a fun-filled hour of hilarious, wholesome entertainment, comprising comedy, mime, clowning, juggling, magic, and music, which draws on the American vaudeville tradition.  “We use high-end circus performers from all over the world,” explains producer Brian McNelis. “Our motto is ‘Circus in the palm of your hand,’ because we’re so close to the audience and put the audience right in the show.” The three expert physical comedians, including Wildbaum – “a riot,” according to McNelis – have performed from New York to China and back again.

Princess Moxie (July 24 and 25)

With beautiful hand-sewn puppets and original music, puppeteer Jennifer Levine tells the story of a hip young princess’s search for a true friend amid a trio of crazy suitors, including Prince Perfectus and the Kickin’ Cowboy.  Audience participation is encouraged, and enthusiasm is tracked with a “Silly-O-Meter”!  Followed by a puppet workshop, the show is aimed at three- to seven-year-olds.  As the San Francisco Examiner observes, “Moms dig the empowered message and the stroller set is mesmerized by the show’s sheer fun.”

Dog on Fleas (July 31 and August 1)

Dog on Fleas cooks up its own recipe of rambunctious, joyous music for children and their families.  With bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, horns, and spirited vocals, the Fleas never fail to get children dancing and singing along – and their silly friend Mr. Tippy joins in the fun with his own offbeat humor. “Like all great bands for kids, the music of Dog on Fleas works for all ages,” explains WXPN’s Kathy O’Connell.  “When this outstanding band takes its place among the great names of kids’ music, you’ll be proud to say ‘I knew them when…’”

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Productions presents Cavalcade of Youth (August 7 and 8)

The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus presents a special showcase of young variety performers, ranging from debuting amateurs to world-class professionals.  Juvenile jugglers, diminutive dancers, adolescent acrobats, and a host of other moppets and mummers present a full show of fresh-faced vaudeville – and all performers are under the age of 21.

The Magical World of Manfred Winthrop (August 14 and 15)

Manfred Winthrop was a terribly precocious child.  The world of his imagination was much more fascinating than anything he saw on the playground.  Now that he is an adult, Manfred wishes to share his imagination – a place full of illusion and magic – with the children of the Hudson Valley, whether they’re precocious or not.

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus (August 21 and 22)

As in previous years, the Bindlestiffs provide not only sophisticated adult entertainment but family-friendly fun, bringing together elements of circus, sideshow, vaudeville, and cabaret to provide a stage for some of the most talented performing artists in the world. Jugglers, clowns, acrobats, and trapeze artists share the stage with musicians, magicians, dancers, daredevils, and more. As New York Cool reports, “simply nothing, but nothing, will deter them in their quest to bring the circus arts to new levels of skill and ever-expanding audiences.”

SpiegelClub

Fridays and Saturdays from 10 pm to 1 am, July 9 – August 21

$5 admission at the door, waived for SummerScape ticket holders (over 21s only)

DJ updates will be available on Bard’s web site.

Dining at the Spiegeltent

Dining at the Spiegeltent is a matter of casual summer fare, à la carte – burgers from the grill, fresh salads, gourmet ice cream, microbrewed beer, local wine, and more, sourced locally whenever possible.  Patrons can dine indoors or alfresco in the lovely garden, with drinks and snacks available throughout the evening. Lunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 3pm, from July 11 to August 15; dinner is on Thursdays through Sundays from 5:30pm to 8pm, from July 8 to August 22. (The Spiegeltent will be closed for dining on July 10 and August 13.) Dinner reservations may be made through the box office, on (845) 758-7900.

Chronological listing of events in the Spiegeltent, Bard SummerScape 2010

Thursday, July 8

5:30–8pm: Dinner

Friday, July 9

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Our Lady J ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Saturday, July 10

The Spiegeltent will be closed for the SummerScape Gala.

Sunday, July 11

1–3pm: Lunch

5:30–8pm: Dinner

Thursday, July 15

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: The Sweet Clementines ($10; PG13)

Friday, July 16

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: John Kelly: Paved Paradise Redux ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Saturday, July 17

1–3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Cirque Voilà’s Mini Cirque ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: John Kelly: Paved Paradise Redux ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Sunday, July 18

1–3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Cirque Voilà’s Mini Cirque ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

Thursday, July 22

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Chris Cochrane Trio ($10; PG13)

Friday, July 23

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Wau Wau Sisters ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Saturday, July 24

1–3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Princess Moxie ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Wau Wau Sisters ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Sunday, July 25

1–3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Princess Moxie ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

Thursday, July 29

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: The Minivans ($10; PG13)

Friday, July 30

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Weimar New York ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Saturday, July 31

1–3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Dog on Fleas ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Weimar New York ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Sunday, August 1

1–3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Dog on Fleas ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

Thursday, August 5

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Brian Dewan ($10; PG13)

Friday, August 6

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Kim Smith ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Saturday, August 7

1–3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Bindlestiff presents Cavalcade of Youth ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Noche Porteña: Music & Dance of Buenos Aires ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Sunday, August 8

1–3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Bindlestiff presents Cavalcade of Youth ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

Thursday, August 12

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: tbk ($10; PG13)

Friday, August 13

8:30pm: Jackie Hoffman ($25; over 18s only)

The Spiegeltent will be closed for dining.

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Saturday, August 14

1-3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Magical World of Manfred Winthrop ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Eric Walton’s Esoterica ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Sunday, August 15

1-3pm: Lunch

3:30pm: Magical World of Manfred Winthrop ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

Thursday, August 19

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: “You Can’t Be Serious! Viennese Popular Music & Operetta” ($10; PG13)

Friday, August 20

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Albanian Folk Music with Merita Halili etc. ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Saturday, August 21

The Spiegeltent will be closed for lunch.

3:30pm: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

8:30pm: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus ($25; over 18s only)

10pm–1am: SpiegelClub ($5; over 21s only)

Sunday, August 22

The Spiegeltent will be closed for lunch.

3:30pm: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus ($15; children aged three and up: $5)

5:30–8pm: Dinner

Bard SummerScape Ticket Information

The Bard SummerScape Festival is made possible through the generous support of the Advisory Boards of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and the Bard Music Festival, and the Friends of the Fisher Center.

For tickets and further information on all SummerScape events, call the Fisher Center box office at 845-758-7900 or visit www.fishercenter.bard.edu.

Bard SummerScape: fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape

Bard Music Festival: fishercenter.bard.edu/bmf/2010/

Tickets: [email protected]; or by phone at 845-758-7900

Updates: Bard’s “e-members” get all the news in regular updates. Click here to sign up.

All program information is subject to change.

To download high resolution images go to

http://www.fishercenter.bard.edu/press/photos

# # #

June 2010

This event was last updated on 06-28-2010

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