Bard’s Beloved Spiegeltent Returns with Host Justin Vivian Bond for 10th Anniversary SummerScape Season: Alan Cumming Headlines Star-Studded Cabaret, Plus Live Music, Dancing, Dining and More
“Enter the Spiegeltent – the tent of dreams – and you will never be the same again.”
– Edinburgh Fringe magazine
“The greatest cabaret artist of this generation.”
– New Yorker on Justin Vivian Bond
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY: The opening of the 2015 SummerScape festival on Thursday, June 25 marks the 10th anniversary of Bard’s authentic Belgian Spiegeltent. This luxurious “tent of mirrors” has proved a sensation since 2006, when its introduction to Bard’s glorious Hudson Valley campus represented the first time one of these fabled old-world structures appeared in America, impressing the Village Voice with its “wooden floors, mirrored walls, stained-glass panels, and red velvet ceiling.” Conveniently situated near the striking Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center, the Spiegeltent affords a sumptuous and magical environment in which to enjoy cutting-edge cabaret and world-class live music, plus dancing, dining, and more throughout the eight-week festival (June 25–August 15). Legendary cabaret artist, Tony-nominated performer, and longtime Spiegeltent favorite Justin Vivian Bond returns for a second season as host, MC, and guest curator, welcoming festival patrons into a realm of sophistication, spectacle, and glamour.
Bard’s glittering “Mirror Tent” comes 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 interlocking parts, with a spellbinding interior of carved wood surfaces, parquet floor, beveled mirrors, stained-glass windows, and splendid velvet canopies. Flanked by table and booth seating, the tent’s stage hosts a dazzling selection of entertainers on Thursday and Friday evenings and weekends all summer long. Before and after any SummerScape performance, the Spiegeltent provides the ideal setting in which to enjoy the best offerings from the Hudson Valley’s rich array of farms, orchards, dairies, wineries, and breweries, including an extensive selection of produce from Bard’s own farm.
On Friday and Saturday nights, Spiegeltent Cabaret offers sophisticated entertainment with an adventurous edge. Stage and screen star Alan Cumming, Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt, and Kate Pierson of the B-52’s are among those making their SummerScape debuts, while returning acts include Orange Is the New Black’s Lea DeLaria, folk icon Martha Wainwright, the burlesque Wau Wau Sisters, and the political and irreverent variety show Weimar New York. The majority of Spiegeltent Cabaret shows have sold out in previous summers, and given this year’s stellar lineup, the tradition looks set to continue.
On Thursday evenings, the Catskill Jazz Factory brings Harlem to the Hudson in three nights of world-class jazz; Bard’s midsummer dancing returns with exhilarating tango and swing, complete with live music and pre-performance dance instruction from the professionals; Argentina’s Leo Genovese performs contemporary Latin jazz in a benefit for La Voz magazine; and distinguished authors Francine Prose and Michael Cunningham take part in a special benefit for Conjunctions, Bard’s literary journal.
Friday and Saturday nights continue with After Hours With Justin And Friends, when the finest guest DJs (including JD Samson and Andrew Andrew) spin the decks. Patrons can dance in the company of Justin Vivian Bond and other SummerScape artists, while taking advantage of the after hours menu and late-night bar.
Before and after each performance, patrons can enjoy Dining at the Spiegeltent – indoors or outside in the beautiful gardens – with a menu of locally sourced seasonal fare served at selected lunchtimes and dinnertimes on Thursdays through Sundays (see detailed dining calendar here). A full bar offering complements the dinner menu.
Program details for all Spiegeltent offerings follow below.
Spiegeltent Cabaret
Fridays and Saturdays, July 3–August 15
All performances start at 8:30pm
Dinner and drinks will be available during the performances.
Tickets: $25–$65
Performances may contain nudity, and are for mature audiences only. No one under 18 admitted without a parent or guardian.
Alan Cumming: I Bought a Blue Car Today (sold out)
Friday, July 3 (performances at 6 and 8:30pm)
To kick off the cabaret season, Alan Cumming – the beloved, ferocious, Tony Award-winning star of stage and screen (Cabaret, The Good Wife, X-Men) – makes his Spiegeltent debut. The “first and foremost fabulous” (LA Times) Scottish actor shares an evening of story and song chronicling his decision to become an American. Featuring a slew of iconic songs led by his Emmy Award-winning music director Lance Horn with Eleanor Norton on cello, this sold-out special evening heralds a summer to remember.
Martha Wainwright
Saturday, July 4
This promises to be an unforgettable Independence Day celebration, with vocal fireworks provided by two-time Grammy Award-nominee Martha Wainwright. Returning home to the Hudson Valley after last summer’s sensational sold-out concert in the Spiegeltent, Wainwright performs pared-down folk-rock with a voice that blends honey and grit. The singer-songwriter member of a musical dynasty, she “roughs up life’s smooth spots, then digs her fingertips into the cracks that form” (NPR).
The Wau Wau Sisters
Friday, July 10
New York City’s bravest and bawdiest burlesque duo returns to the Spiegeltent to seduce and scandalize with their kamikaze costuming and cantankerous comic timing. Straddling the hilarious gap between seduction and slapstick, the Wau Wau Sisters – anarchic, astute and adorable – careen through a show full of surprises. Truly “irreverent, sacrilegious, lascivious” (New York Times), they boast TV credits including the Isaac Mizrahi Show, Sharon Osbourne Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, plus awards like Edinburgh Fringe Report’s Best Cabaret.
Spencer Day
Saturday, July 11
“Dreamy crooner” (Time Out NY) Spencer Day has been compared to Harry Connick Jr. and Paul Simon for his seamless fusion of classic jazz, pop, soul, and folk. Day has released five acclaimed solo albums (including 2014’s Daybreak) and earned raves at jazz festivals and venues all over the world. Making his Spiegeltent debut, this white-hot singer-songwriter draws audiences in with his sophisticated music and the raw, fiery emotion under its surface.
Weimar New York
Friday, July 17 & Saturday, July 18
Patrons are invited to pop a cork and throw on their vintage best to celebrate the sixth edition of Weimar New York at the Spiegeltent. Australian cabaret icon Paul Capsis hosts a theatrical cabaret that takes Weimar-era Germany as the inspiration for a fabulous gathering of burlesque, cabaret, comedy, drag, and East Village-scene performance artists. “Keeping the Weimar-era spirit of cultural resistance alive” (Village Voice), this collection of downtown stars infuses the cabaret tradition with a new political edge.
Stephin Merritt (of the Magnetic Fields)
Friday, July 24
Front man of the Magnetic Fields (69 Love Songs) and resident of Hudson, Stephin Merritt is known for his deep voice and dry wit, juxtaposing bouncy, electro-dance pop with his signature poetic lyrics. Marking his Spiegeltent debut, this is a can’t-miss intimate evening with one of indie music’s great songwriters, the “Cole Porter of his generation” (Time Out NY).
Lea DeLaria: House of David
Saturday, July 25
Lea DeLaria lends her voice, wit, and high-octane energy to the songs of David Bowie in this full-on jazz concert. The multitalented singer, comedian, actress, and star of Orange Is the New Black returns to the Spiegeltent for soulful renditions of “Fame,” the swinging “Let’s Dance,” and the acid jazz funk fusion of “Jean Genie.” It’s all Bowie’s best-loved hits sung by “the butch that belts.”
Eisa Davis
Friday, July 31
Celebrated in Broadway’s Passing Strange, singer-songwriter Eisa Davis makes her Spiegeltent debut with a program pairing her original, infectious songs with audience favorites from the American catalogue. A two-time Obie winner and Pulitzer Prize-finalist, her music has a “stripped-down soul, with flecks of Joni Mitchell” (New York Times).
The Julie Ruin
Saturday, August 1
Feminist punk icon and original riot girl Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre) returns to “her rightful place leading a noisy bunch of smart pleasure seekers” (NPR) with her band The Julie Ruin. Flowing between guitar-based punk and spunky synths, theirs is loud, playful, intelligent dance-floor music for a modern age. Filling out The Julie Ruin’s sound are Hanna’s former Bikini Kill bandmate Kathi Wilcox, Kenny Mellman (Kiki and Herb), Carmine Covelli, and Sara Landeau.
Kate Pierson
Saturday, August 8
From “Love Shack” to “Rock Lobster,” the B-52s defined the new wave sound of the ’70s and ’80s. This year group vocalist and founding member Kate Pierson released her first solo album, Guitars and Microphones; the Los Angeles Times hailed it as “overflowing with spirit and energy,” and Pitchfork called it “impressive, contemporary and vital.” Now Pierson brings her characteristic mix of soaring anthems and party rock to the Spiegeltent.
Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music: The 1990s
Friday, August 14
“Fabulousness can come in many forms, and Taylor Mac seems intent on assuming every one of them,” declares the New York Times. Equal parts bedazzled shaman, subversive historian, social critic, and radical angel, Taylor Mac continues his most ambitious project to date: a subjective history of the last 240 years of American history, told through popular songs. Returning to the Spiegeltent after a sold-out New York City run, Mac imbues the music of the 1990s with his lyrical beauty, disarming vulnerability, and soaring spirit.
Justin Vivian Bond: Love is Crazy
Saturday, August 15
Our beloved Spiegeltent host Justin Vivian Bond draws the summer to a bittersweet close with a sublime and seductive evening of songs and stories about love. The Hudson Valley meets Parisian elegance in this celebration of obsession, sex, and romance, originally commissioned for a Valentine’s Day performance in Paris. Bond’s numerous accolades include Obie, Bessie, and Ethyl awards, as well as a Tony nomination; as Time Out London marvels, Bond is “a transatlantic cabaret messiah.”
Thursday Night Live
Thursdays, July 2–August 13
Performances start at 8pm, except where noted
Tickets: $25, except where noted
Summertime Swing with Eight to the Bar
Thursday, July 2
Doors open at 6pm, performance and instruction begin at 6:30pm, dancing until 11pm
Spiegeltent favorites Linda and Chester Freeman of Got2Lindy Dance Studios start the Independence Day weekend with a bang, returning for a night of swing dancing to the music of Eight to the Bar. Known for its colorful mix of ’40s jazz and swing, and ’50s jump blues, the roots-influenced band is guaranteed to have patrons up and dancing.
Leo Genovese and the Legal Aliens, a La Voz Cultural Celebration
Thursday, July 9
Composer and pianist Leo Genovese is a product of 1970s Argentina and the psychedelic sound of his generation. Embracing pop and jazz, and effortlessly shifting between the melodic and the chromatic, he successfully “brings opposing forces into harmony” (New York Times). In partnership with La Voz, Bard’s Spanish-language publication covering Hispanic culture and news in the Hudson Valley, Genovese brings his prolific brand of contemporary Latin Jazz for a festive evening to benefit the magazine.
Catskill Jazz Factory Presents Harlem on the Hudson:
Etienne Charles and Creole Soul
Thursday, July 16
Launching the Catskill Jazz Factory’s “Harlem on the Hudson” series is the Trinidadian trumpet player Etienne Charles, “a daring improviser who delivers with heart-wrenching lyricism” (Jazz Times), in a night of rhythm, groove, and soul. Charles’s Creole Soul project, which made waves on the iTunes, Jazzweek and Billboard jazz charts, explores musical connections between Afro-Caribbean, Creole, New Orleans, and American traditions.
Conjunctions: Francine Prose, Michael Cunningham, and Bradford Morrow celebrate Bard’s legendary literary journal
Thursday, July 23
Premium seating: $50
Premium seating and author meet-and-greet: $100
Preeminent writers Francine Prose (Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932) and Michael Cunningham (The Hours) join Bradford Morrow, novelist and editor of the literary journal Conjunctions, for a special evening of readings celebrating and benefitting the 25th anniversary of the partnership between the journal and Bard College.
Catskill Jazz Factory Presents Harlem on the Hudson:
Heatin’ up the Hudson with Chris Washburne and SYOTOS
Thursday, July 30
Trombonist Chris Washburne and his acclaimed group SYOTOS return to Bard with special guest, Brazilian pianist André Mehmari. SYOTOS pushes the boundaries of Latin jazz, combining Afro-Cuban, funk, jazz, gospel, and contemporary classical music (think Tito Puente meets James Brown meets Charles Ives!). The sounds of North and South America meet as these musicians come together in a night of sizzling hot Afro-Latin jazz in the Catskill Jazz Factory’s “Harlem on the Hudson” series.
Total Tango in the Spiegeltent
An Evening of Dance & Performance with Maestros Gustavo Naveira and Giselle Anne
Thursday, August 6
Doors open at 6pm, performance and instruction begin at 6:30pm, dancing from 8–11pm
In a special event held in tandem with the Bard Music Festival’s exploration of 20th-century music from Latin America, the Spiegeltent welcomes two of the world’s most respected tango maestros, Gustavo Naveira and Giselle Anne. Artists at the heart of the global revival of Argentine Tango, Gustavo and Giselle demonstrate its historical and cultural reach, and guide those unfamiliar with the practice. Later, the Spiegeltent transforms into its own summery milonga, when DJ Ilene Marder celebrates the richness and beauty of Argentina’s golden age tango music.
Special support for this program is provided by Chungin Goodstein.
Catskill Jazz Factory Presents Harlem on the Hudson:
Steven Feifke and the Catskill Jazz Factory All Star Big Band
Thursday, August 13
New York-based pianist, composer, and arranger Steven Feifke brings the swing with his Big Band of Catskill Jazz Factory alumni and all-stars. The final night of the Catskill Jazz Factory’s “Harlem on the Hudson” series features compositions by select members of the group and a special guest vocalist. Talented beyond his years, Feifke has been called “a virtuoso and a highly communicative and creative musician” by Grammy Award–winning trumpeter Brian Lynch.
After Hours With Justin And Friends
Fridays and Saturdays, June 26–August 15
All performances start at 10pm and end at 12:30am
Tickets: $12 (or free with ticket to any same-day SummerScape event)
No one under 18 will be admitted to After Hours.
DJ Musty Chiffon
Friday, June 26
Back by popular demand, local legend Musty Chiffon (formerly of the cult New Wave band Human Sexual Response) returns to the Spiegeltent.
DJ T-Bone
Saturday, June 27
DJ Sveta
Friday, July 3 & Saturday, July 4
From Sydney’s fiercest club nights to the underground parties that line New York City’s sub-cultures, DJ Sveta has kept audiences dancing for almost two decades.
DJ Andrew Andrew
Friday, July 10 & Saturday, July 11
DJs, designers, interior decorators, and social commentators, AndrewAndrew are “as twin-like as you can get without sharing DNA” (New York Times) – they dress alike, live together, and spin out-of-this-world sets on the dance floor.
DJ Jonjon Battles
Friday, July 17 & Saturday, July 18
Electro pop expert and “DJ to the stars” (Daily Motion) Jonjon Battles keeps the dance cards loaded.
DJ Musty Chiffon
Friday, July 24 & Saturday, July 25
(See June 26)
DJ JD Samson
Friday, July 31 & Saturday, August 1
From Le Tigre to her new project MEN, indie icon JD Samson returns to the Spiegeltent, laying down music designed to charge up the dance floor.
TBA
Friday, August 7 & Saturday, August 8
DJ Sammy Jo
Friday, August 14 & Saturday, August 15
A professional tune-slinger heard everywhere from basement clubs to sold-out arenas with the Scissor Sisters, DJ Sammy Jo spins a legendary end to the Spiegeltent season.
Dining at the Spiegeltent
Thursdays–Sundays, June 25–August 15 (see detailed dining calendar here)
The Spiegeltent is the SummerScape festival’s hub, a place to enjoy local food and drink before and after performances, while the lovely outdoor garden provides the perfect spot to relax in the company of friends and festival artists long after the curtain comes down. Dinner reservations are recommended and may be made by calling the box office at 845-758-7900 or at opentable.com, giving the restaurant’s name as “Richard B. Fisher Center Spiegeltent.” A special menu will also be provided after hours.
SummerScape 2015: other key performance dates by genre
MUSIC
Bard Music Festival, Weekend One: “The Musical Voice of Mexico” (Aug 7–9)
Bard Music Festival, Weekend Two: “Mexico, Latin America, and Modernism” (Aug 13–16)
OPERA
Ethel Smyth: The Wreckers
Sosnoff Theater
July 24* & 31 at 7:30 pm
July 26*, 29 & Aug 2* at 2 pm
Tickets start at $25
THEATER
Rodgers and Hammerstein: Oklahoma!
LUMA Theater
June 25, 26, 27, July 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18 & 19 at 7:30 pm
June 28*, July 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12*, 15, 18 & 19* at 2 pm
Tickets start at $25
PERFORMANCE-INSTALLATION
Fernando Rubio: Everything by my side
Fisher Center lawn
July 9, 10, 11 & 12 at 5 pm
July 10 at 2 pm
July 11 & 12 at 12 pm
Tickets: $5 (not discounted in subscription packages)
DANCE
Pam Tanowitz Dance & FLUX Quartet
June 27 at 8 pm
June 28* at 3 pm
Sosnoff Theater
Tickets start at $25
FILM SERIES
“Reinventing Mexico”
Saturday, July 11 to Sunday, Aug 2
Ottaway Film Center
Tickets: $10
Venues:
SummerScape opera, theater, and dance performances and most Bard Music Festival programs are held in the Sosnoff Theater or LUMA Theater in Bard’s Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, designed by Frank Gehry and celebrated since its opening as a major architectural landmark in the region. Some chamber programs and other BMF events are in Olin Hall, Oklahoma! is in LUMA Theater, and Everything by my side takes place out of doors. The Spiegeltent has its own schedule of events, in addition to serving as a restaurant, café, and bar before and after performances. Film Series screenings are at the Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center in the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Center.
New York City Round-Trip Coach Transportation:
To make a reservation on the round-trip SummerScape coach provided exclusively to ticket holders for specific performances indicated by * in the listings above, call the box office at 845-758-7900 or select this option when purchasing tickets. The round-trip fare is $40 and reservations are required. The coach departs from behind Lincoln Center, on Amsterdam Avenue between 64th and 65th Street. Find additional details at: fishercenter.bard.edu/transportation.
Bard SummerScape Ticket Information
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. Fisher Center members receive priority access to the best seats in advance, and those who join the Center’s email list receive advance booking opportunities as well as regular news and updates. For further information, visit fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape.
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© 21C Media Group, June 2015