Dance music, cabaret, literary celebrations, jazz and Broadway stars – it may be Labor Day weekend, and cookouts may be first on the menu – but there are still plenty of reasons to get out and about in our region this weekend.
The curtain comes down on the 2015 summer season at Tanglewood in Lenox with back-to-back performances by jazz icon and movie star Harry Connick, Jr., tonight, and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra on Saturday night.
Connick is a multitalented musician, pianist, singer, songwriter and American Idol judge. His concert will feature music from Connick’s vast musical catalog, including songs from his most recent albums, “Smokey Mary” and “Every Man Should Know.” To date, Connick has released 29 albums, won three Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, and garnered sales of 28 million albums. Broadway and TV star Kristin Chenoweth — widely known for defining the role of Glinda in the hit musical “Wicked” — will join the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra for a program of music from the Broadway stage. The concert will be followed by a fireworks display over the Stockbridge Bowl, bringing the 2015 Tanglewood season to a close.
Singer, songwriter, multimedia artist and producer JD Samson, best known as a member of the legendary electro-feminist-punk project Le Tigre, headlines a live concert and a DJ dance set at MASS MoCA in North Adams on Saturday starting at 8pm. An eloquent activist, feminist, writer, and performer, Samson was raised in a Cleveland suburb by two artists. Coming out at the age of 15, Samson overcame hardships to become a strong activist for feminist and LGBT rights. She pursued her passion in film by attending Sarah Lawrence College, where she landed a job managing projections for the electro-feminist group Le Tigre – an all-female band with roots in dance, punk, and pop music. Shortly thereafter, in 2000, Samson became a contributing member of the band. As a part of Le Tigre, Samson channeled her personal life into producing electrifying, upbeat music with strong sociopolitical and LGBT ties. When the band took a break in 2006, Samson formed a new project, MEN, with Le Tigre’s Johanna Fateman.
Karen Akers, star of stage, screen, and cabaret, will perform a special benefit concert for the Music & More series at the the Meeting House in New Marlborough, Massachusetts, on Saturday at 4:30pm. Akers has appeared in many prestigious venues worldwide from Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, New York's Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and London's Pizza on the Park. Her career also includes three performances at the White House. Her multifaceted career encompasses theater, television, film, and numerous recordings. Akers will be accompanied on piano by Don Rebic, for an evening of music from the French and English songbooks.
Spencertown Academy Arts Center’s 10th annual Festival of Books – featuring a giant used book sale, two days of readings and book signings by nationally known and local authors including Simon Winchester and Ruth Reichl - and a children’s program takes place over Labor Day weekend, Friday-Monday. Featured authors this year include Simon Winchester, Luke Barr, Wesley Brown, Jamie Cat Callan, Talia Carner, David R. Gillham, Ann Hood, Daphne Kalotay, Alex Kershaw, Jonathan Mingle, Ruth Reichl, and James Scott.
Award-winning songwriter Joe Iconis returns to Barrington Stage Company with his popular cabaret, Joe Iconis & Family: Outcast Superstars, for three performances Friday through Sunday, at 8pm, at Mr. Finn’s Cabaret. The popular Joe Iconis won over audiences as the composer and lyricist of the musical “The Black Suits,” which ran at Barrington Stage several years ago, and his previous sold-out cabarets.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of Berkshire Daily and the Rogovoy Report, available online at rogovoyreport.com