This week, the Hudson Valley cultural scene serves up events ranging from a concert by Mandy Patinkin to comedy by Wanda Sykes, a musical called “Urinetown,” and more.
“Eclipse at the Ellipse”
April 8 at The Egg
Built between 1966 and 1978, the sleek performing arts venue the Egg in Albany is iconic to the capital city’s skyline and cultural life, regularly presenting national and international artists across genres. Under new ED Diane Eber, the center is broadening its programming purview with innovative events. A prime example the April 8 “Eclipse at the Ellipse” event, which uses the total solar eclipse as a theme and conceptual departure point for an afternoon of multimedia art from projections to music and movie screenings.
Mandy Patinkin
April 12 at Paramount Hudson Valley
On April 12, Emmy-winning TV star, a Tony-winning Broadway legend, and acclaimed movie actor Mandy Patankin drops into the Paramount Hudson Valley for his first-ever show at the venue. He brings his latest concert “Being Alive” to the Peekskill stage, accompanied by Adam Ben-David on piano. His repertory ranges from Rufus Wainwright to Sondheim, offering a broad-ranging experience for show-goers.
10 Films That Changed America
April 12 at the Woodstock Playhouse
Bard film prof Joseph Luzzi leads a multimedia presentation of notable films that have profoundly impacted the nation’s culture, history, and politics from Casablanca to Rebel Without a Cause to Jaws to Barbie. (We’re not sure anyone we’ll be talking about Barbie in 20 years but we’ll leave the deep thinking to the movie scholar.) Proceeds benefit the Woodstock Film Festival. 7pm. $40.
“Urinetown: The Musical”
April 12-14 at Bard College
April 12-21 at SUNY New Paltz
In one of the stranger bits of coincidence we’ve encountered of late (or is it synchronicity?), the theater departments of both SUNY New Paltz and Bard College are mounting productions of “Urinetown” this month. If you’re not familiar with the musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2001, it centers around a water shortage that causes private toilets to be outlawed and satirizes corporate greed and municipal politics. An ambitious theatergoer could take in both productions in a single weekend. Showtimes and ticket prices vary.
Wanda Sykes
April 13 at UPAC in Kingston
Wanda Sykes is coming off an amazing multi-year run. After being nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Moms Mabley in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in 2020 the veteran stand-up performer received two Primetime Emmy nods in 2023 for her Netflix special “Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer.” Her sharp wit, keen observational humor, and fearless approach to addressing social and political issues has led Entertainment Weekly to dub her one of the “25 Funniest People in America.”
The Dressing Room Diaries with Hilarie Burton Morgan
April 14 at the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck
Rhinebeck’s biggest celebrity (Paul Rudd doesn’t count as he’s hardly ever there) appears live for an intimate discussion of her career. Attendees will get a backstage tour and chance for one-on-one meet-and-greet and selfie with Hilarie Burton Morgan in her dressing room before the talk and Q&A. The event is a fundraiser for the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck. 1pm. $200.
This article appears in April 2024.
