Rokko and the Hat at ARTS NEST - Sunday Sept 8, 7pm
Rokko and the Hat - Sunday Sept 8, 2024, 7-9pm
Doors open 6pm
Admission $20 - Tickets at the door
Alaric Rokko Jans and Annie Hat made the Bulls (nightclub) their home base and held the Sunday night slot during the 1970s. With roots in the Chicago theater scene they were a favorite with actors and all who loved the inimitable vocal stylings of Annie and the band’s eclectic brand of cabaret rock, featuring original songs by Jans and Elliott Delman.”
Wired magazine author Hugh Hart reminisces on his discovery of Rokko and the Hat:
“At the Bulls, I became entranced with Rokko and the Hat, an elegant trio featuring Annie Hat, Django Reinhardt-channeling guitarist Elliott Delman, and the act’s wry pianist/ringmaster Alaric ‘Rokko’ Jans (who) later composed the score for David Mamet’s ‘House of Games’ movie and shared a 2008 Tony Award as a member of Chicago Shakespeare Theater.”
Local celebrity, Annie Hat, and her longtime friend and collaborator, Rokko Jans, have been entertaining audiences since the 1970’s and still play regularly in Chicago. Now Sullivan County can enjoy their talents and unique styles as they perform original works and a selection of American Songbook classics.
Cliff Westfall at ARTS NEST - Sat Sept 7, 2024 at 7pm
Cliff Westfall - Sept 7, 2024, 7-9pm
Doors open 6pm
Admission $20 - Buy Now on My River
New York-based country songwriter Cliff Westfall writes songs about heartache, loss, addiction… you know, funny songs. Or he can turn on a dime and dive headlong into a sentimental weeper. The Kentucky native delivers with a mixture of wit and bravado that, for Westfall, is central to what country music is all about. On his album, Baby You Win, he’s assembled a crew of some of New York’s best musicians to explore a new idea of Americana, drawing inspiration from sources often forgotten by the current country scene.
“I feel like the humor of people like Roger Miller, Don Gibson, and Del Reeves is neglected nowadays,” Westfall says. “A lot of current country music makes you want to ask, ‘Hey, does anybody remember laughter?’ And you know, it’s not really anything against what anyone else is doing, it’s just that the ability to laugh at your troubles seems to have gotten lost.” The songs on Baby You Win are bitingly acerbic, dependent on the twisty puns, bittersweet humor, and turns of phrase that used to define country music. Westfall’s a true son of Kentucky and an honest student of the genre, but refuses to be constrained by its definitions. He cites Chuck Berry as his favorite lyricist, arguing that some of Berry’s songs were much closer to their country cousins than lines of race and genre might have suggested. This is Americana outside the box, made by an artist gleefully rifling through the dusty record bins of American roots music and converting them into something new.
Oh Susannah! by Jonathan Charles Fox for The River Reporter
By JONATHAN CHARLES FOX
“Susannah” is an opera in two acts by the American composer Carlisle Floyd, who wrote the libretto and music while a member of the piano faculty at Florida State University.
Floyd adapted the story from the Apocryphal tale of “Susannah and the Elders,” though the latter story has a more positive ending.
The opera’s story focuses on 18-year-old Susannah Polk, an innocent girl who is targeted as a sinner in the small mountain town of New Hope Valley, in the southern state of Tennessee.
The opera was awarded the New York Music Critics Circle Award for Best New Opera in 1956 and was chosen to represent American music and culture at the World’s Fair in Brussels in 1958. And now, “Susannah” has made its way to The Delaware Valley Opera Center in beautiful Lake Huntington, NY.
As for the opera’s inspiration, “Susanna and the Elders” is a narrative included in the Book of Daniel by the Catholic and Orthodox churches. It is one of the additions to Daniel, placed in the Apocrypha by Protestants; Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists regard it as non-canonical (not sanctioned) but “useful for purposes of edification” according to Wikipedia.
Spoiler Alert: A brief synopsis of the original story provided by Wikipedia informs that “lecherous voyeurs falsely accused a fair Hebrew wife named Susanna. As she bathes privately in her locked and walled garden, a few elders spy on her bathing. The men realize that they lust for Susanna and when she makes her way back to the house, they accost her, demanding she have ‘relations’ with them. When she refuses, they have her arrested, claiming that the reason she sent her maids away was to be alone as she was having ‘relations’ with a young man under a tree.”
The reason for my attaching the synopsis is simple. Many people immediately shut down upon hearing the word “opera,” and the fine folks at the DVO would love to see that change. Gone are the days of a fat lady named Brunnhilde sporting a Viking helmet and inspiring old men to nap. Gone are the days of lovely ladies in sparkling gowns arriving in limos with men wearing tuxes and bow ties.
Gone, but not forgotten, as audiences in the Upper Delaware River region are invited to adopt a come-as-you-are dress code, sip an adult beverage at intermission and hear an American opera sung in English for all to understand.
Not only did I see “Susannah” last weekend, but I was blown away. The score, written by Floyd, is a wow, and as performed by Jessica Sandidge (Susannah), Jonathan Stinson (Blitch), Daniel Kamalic (Sam) and Ramon Tenefrancia (Little Bat) a double-wow. The singers are more than simply “in fine form,” but are incredibly skilled, wildly talented and just plain impressive, helping to make opera more accessible, simply by being amazing.
Supporting players Andrew Wannigman, Robert Flora, Marcus Huber and Christopher Fistonich are also impressive, and a layered, thoughtful standout performance from Suzanne Dvorken (Mrs. McLean) helps drive the story home.
Rounding out the cast are too many players to name here, but each adds nice touches and flair to a stylish production. It boasts a very cool, simple-yet-effective set design and construction courtesy of Barclay Lottimer, Keith Eisenstark, Steve Marisky and Dan Brinkerhoff. The costumes add to the overall production by effectively illustrating time and place.
2024 Susannah by Carlisle Floyd
Susannah is an opera in two acts by the American composer Carlisle Floyd, who wrote the libretto and music while a member of the piano faculty at Florida State University. Floyd adapted the story from the Apocryphal tale of Susannah and the Elders, though the latter story has a more positive ending. The story focuses on 18-year-old Susannah Polk, an innocent girl who is targeted as a sinner in the small mountain town of New Hope Valley, in the Southern American state of Tennessee.
The Delaware Valley Opera is a member of Opera American and presents high quality professional performances. Carol Castel is the artistic and staging director for the company. Her directing career has included over 55 opera productions in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Opera can pull you into the story with the action, the music and the singing like nothing else. If you haven't seen a DVO production, treat yourself.
Susannah opens on Saturday August 24 at 7pm and Sunday August 25 at 2pm. The final performances are Saturday August 31 at 7pm and Sunday September 1 at 2pm.
The Delaware Valley Opera Center is located at 6692 St. Rte. 52, Lake Huntington, New York 12752-0124.
CAST
Starring Jessica Sandidge and Jonathan Stinson
with Daniel Kamalic, Ramon Tenefrancia, Robert Flora, Marcus Huber, Christopher Fistonich, Suzann Dvorken, Rebekah Creshkoff, Alexis Mariski, and Meredith Huveneers.
Orchestra Conductor: Martin Yazdzik
Pianist: Christopher Zander,
Stage Director: Carol Castel
Page 1 of 4