Before I give my weekly roundup of upcoming cultural events, I’m going to run down some of my favorite performances from the past year. On stage, I saw Lanford Wilson’s “Burn This!” starring Adam Driver and Keri Russell on Broadway. Driver in particular dominated that show and demonstrated that his theatrical chops are at least the equal of his movie chops, which of course stood out this year in Jim Jarmusch’s zombie flick, “The Dead Don’t Die” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story.” Apparently, Adam Driver also starred in some kind of outer space sci-fi caper film recently, but I know nothing about that. The other Broadway performance that stood out was a British revival of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal,” starring the phenomenal Zawe Ashton and an actor named Tom Hiddleston, who apparently everyone knows from his role in a series of superhero movies called “The Avengers.” I’ll just have to take your word for that.
Over at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Mass., the phenomenal standout of the summer was “The Day,” a multimedia event starring cellist Maya Beiser and dancer Wendy Whelan, with music by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lang and choreography by Lucinda Childs. An amazing amalgamation of talent.
The standout concert of the year was by the Pretenders at MASS MoCA, in which the phenomenal Chrissie Hynde demonstrated how at age 68 she hasn’t lost a step or a note.
I watched way too many movies and TV shows this past year, so much so that some of them I don’t even remember. But looking over my list, movie standouts included “Happy as Lazarro,” “Border,” “Echo in the Canyon” with Jakob Dylan, “The Rolling Thunder Revue” by Martin Scorsese, who also made “The Irishman” with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, and “Dolemite” with Eddie Murphy. The best TV series I saw included “Russian Doll,” “Shtisel,” “After Life” with Ricky Gervais, “Succession,” “The Kominsky Method,” and “The Forest,” a French answer to Twin Peaks.
And of the 50 odd books I read this past year, the one that amazed me the most on every page was Patti Smith’s experimental memoir, “The Year of the Monkey.”
And now, a look at what is happening in our region:
On Saturday at 8:30 p.m., the Towne Crier Café in Beacon, N.Y., hosts a tribute to the late, great Rick Danko, bassist and vocalist of The Band, featuring Professor Louie & The Crowmatix with the Woodstock Horns & special guests.
Authors Lynne Sachs, Amy Rigby, Hallie Goodman, and Lee Ann Brown are featured in the free Volume Reading Series at Spotty Dog Books & Ale in Hudson on Saturday, January 11, at 7 p.m.
Acclaimed sister folk-pop duo The Nields are at Spencertown Academy in Spencertown, N.Y., in its Roots & Shoots Concert series on Saturday, January 18 at 8 p.m. Nerissa and Katryna are known for their hook-heavy folk-pop tunes and their close sisterly harmonies.
The Williams College Department of Music presents I/O Fest '20, it free, annual, four-day festival of new music, from Thursday, Jan. 16 through Sunday, Jan. 19 at various venues in Williamstown.
And finally, electronic artist and drummer Ian Chang collaborates with visual duo Endless Endless to create a mesmerizing world of integrated sound, light, and projection in Club B10 at MASS MoCA in North Adams on Saturday, January 18 at 8 p.m.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of Berkishire Daily and the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.com