Buffalo Rising

Runtime: 2 hours including one intermission THE BASICS: The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus, and soloists conducted by Grand Island native Malcolm Merriweather present two powerful works concerning African-American history: “Sanctuary Road” with music by Buffalo native Paul Moravec and lyrics by Mark Campbell based on the detailed first-hand accounts in the 1872 book “The Underground Railroad” by William Still, an African-American living in Philadelphia who helped some 800 enslaved people to freedom.? Also on the bill is African-American composer Margaret Bonds’ “The Montgomery Variations,” all at Kleinhans Music Hall, Saturday night, March 29 at 7:30 and also Sunday, March 30 at 2:30.? Call (716) 885-5000, visit?bpo.org (https://bpo.org/)?or buy tickets at the box office (Porter Avenue side). THE CONCERT: ?The audience was tuned in on Saturday night, swelled by the attendance of at least two high school groups, one from Depew and the other from Springville, whose orchestra provided the pre-concert program across the lobby in the Mary Seaton room.? Young people in the hall always bring energy.? And everyone was primed for a real superstar in the world of choral conducting, Malcolm Merriweather, who, among other activities, serves as the Director of the New York Philharmonic Chorus.?? And it was a homecoming of sorts, Dr.

THE BASICS: LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, opera by Gaetano Donizetti, starring Jessie Downs as Lucia, Friday 3/28 at 7:00 & Sunday 3/30 at 5:00, presented by Sotto Voce Opera Company at 1st Presbyterian Church, 1 Symphony Circle (think Kleinhans Music Hall) ?For tickets visit?https://lnkd.in/e76jsrms (https://lnkd.in/evCvjFft) RUNTIME: A little under 3 hours, including 2 intermissions THE PLOT: ACT I Set in 17th-century Scotland, Lucia di Lammermoor is reminiscent of Shakespearean tragedies, with warring families and star-crossed lovers, much like “Romeo and Juliet,” as well as “Macbeth”-style ghosts and apparitions, all coupled with unbridled ambition.? The opera opens with Enrico Ashton (sung by Stephen Walley) lamenting to the chaplain Raimondo (Tim Flynn) that his family’s political and financial fortunes are in danger and that only the marriage of his sister, Lucia Ashton (Jessie Downs), to Arturo (David Freidas) can save him.? Although the chaplain reminds Enrico that Lucia is still mourning the death of her mother, when Enrico’s captain of the guard, Normanno (Tyler Huk), reports that Lucia is concealing a great love for Edgardo (Jax Hassler), the Ashton family’s sworn enemy, Enrico is furious. In the next scene, at a fountain, waiting on the arrival of Edgardo, in a foreshadowing scene, Lucia tells her companion and confidante, Alisa (Beth White), that she has seen the ghost of a girl who was stabbed by a jealous lover.

THE BASICS:? DIAL M FOR MURDER, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, from the original play by Frederick Knott (perhaps best known for Hitchcock’s 1954 film adaptation) directed by Robyn Lee, starring Kate LoConti Alcocer, Steve Copps, Todd Benzin, Adam Yellen, Kristen Tripp Kelley. 3/27 – 4/13 Thu-Fri 7:30, Sat 8:00, Sun 2:00, produced by Road Less Traveled Productions, on stage at Shea’s 710 Theatre (710 Main Street at Tupper). 716-847-0850?https://lnkd.in/ecWNiEZJ (https://lnkd.in/euthFcav) RUNTIME: 2 hours 10 minutes including one intermission THUMBNAIL SKETCH: A stylish, well-executed thriller with modern twists, Jeffrey Hatcher’s update of Frederick Knott’s tale of jealousy, deception, and homicide, which inspired Hitchcock, totally delivers.? Tony is convinced that his wife Margot has been cheating on him.? Now, it seems that the affair is over, but in his jealousy, Tony plots out a revenge that is meticulous in its attention to detail and should unfold like clockwork, but will it??? THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: ?Excellent, but first off, this is not a “murder mystery.”? Mysteries are whodunnits and in this we know exactly who planned it and who dunnit, pretty soon into Act I.? No, this is a thriller, a cat-and-mouse game, as we wait to see how the mastermind will get away with it.? So Tony Wendice (played by Steve Copps) has been jealous because his wife Margo Wendice (Kate LoConti Alcocer) has been having an affair with another woman, a crime novelist, Maxine Hadley (Kristen Tripp Kelley), and now, to get rid of his wife and collect on her sizable inhertance, he blackmails an old college acquaintance, Lesgate (Adam Yellen) to commit the murder.? In the second act, we meet Inspector Hubbard (Todd Benzin) who, with help from Maxine, finally figures it all out. Regarding the update, the setting still evokes 1952 (set design by Dyan Burlingame), and maintaining the 1950s setting is crucial, as the rotary phone plays a pivotal role (Diane Almeter Jones, Properties Master).? But for 21st-century audiences, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher now has Mrs.

In November of 2024, I posted (https://lnkd.in/enayT2rG) about the opening of a co-working outfit on Chandler Street called Spaces, which is part of the?IWG (https://lnkd.in/dbs9tsRQ)?(International Workplace Group)?network (https://lnkd.in/ebeuRn4T) that originated in Brussels, Belgium in 1989 by Mark Dixon. At the time, I met up with Michele Jetty, Area Sales Manager for Spaces (https://lnkd.in/dquAQWA), and Jason Rothschild, Vice President Signature Development (building owner).

Fast Eats Cool Treats Losing Mister Sizzle’s on Connecticut Street was a big blow to Buffalo. After resolving partnership problems, two out of three of the original owners – Casey Casas (CEO) and Chris Casas (Director of Culinary) have announced that they will be making a bigger and better return to their beloved West Side location.

Buffalo Society of Artists (https://lnkd.in/e2Ybd_MD) has announced the muralists that will be painting significant section of wall at the Buffalo Convention Center. Cassandra Ott along with Chuck Tingley have been selected to embark upon the project that is part of the Erie County’s Arts in Public Places program. “Our mural design covers the majority of the proposed Buffalo Convention Center wall and is inspired by Buffalo’s beloved blue and red.

Buffalo is getting family-friendlier by the minute. With new playground facilities being installed at the Outer Harbor, a new a pollinator-themed Playspace at the Botanical Gardens, and the new Explore & More Children’s Museum at the Inner Harbor, along with the new solar powered Buffalo Heritage Carousel, kids have got it made these days.

Black Bag?★★1/2 (out of 4 stars) Colonel Mustard Did It With director Steven Soderbergh (“Sex, Lies, and Videotape,” 1985) at the helm, and Cate Blanchett (Kathryn St. Jean) and Michael Fassbender as power couple spies, one might anticipate a complex, sophisticated thriller of a film, packed with international intrigue and showcasing the sexual attraction of two of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

The Buffalo collaborations continue to impress. This time, 42 North Brewing Company and Watson’s Chocolates have come together to create a delicious 5.5% abv raspberry creme gose beer, called Velvet Dreams.

Irish Classical Theatre Company (https://lnkd.in/eYQh9nru) (ICTC) proudly presents the North American premiere of DORIAN (https://lnkd.in/eYKyeWzb), a bold and provocative adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Phoebe Eclair-Powell and Owen Horsley. In this production, Victorian London collides with the underground ballrooms of 1970s New York—a world where beauty is currency, youth is power, and the spotlight never fades.