Seductive songs
Looking for a truly romantic way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Plan to spend the evening with Jane Monheit at The Egg in Albany. A Long Island native, Monheit has been making a name for herself as a jazz and adult contemporary vocalist, specializing in romantic selections from the Great American Songbook. Since arriving on the concert scene in 2000, she’s garnered two Grammy nominations, and collaborated with the likes of Spyro Gyra and Michael Bublé. And the New York Times has praised the “sensuality” of Monheit’s “cool, seductive voice.” Sounds like a perfect date to us. Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. $28. Empire State Plaza, Albany. 518-473-1845 or www.theegg.org
Play time
See it before the rest of the theater world: In advance of its Off-Broadway premiere, a sneak preview of Rehearsing Consciousness, a new solo work by actor/writer Martin Moran, is on tap at the Emelin Theatre this month. A veteran of the boards (his Broadway credits include Spamalot and Cabaret), Moran’s latest effort concerns a theater hoofer who’s hit with a mid-life crisis and finds himself “losing it” in various inconvenient places. The show is directed by Seth Barrish (Sleepwalk with Me); actor and director last teamed up on the Obie Award-winning The Tricky Part. Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. $25. 153 Library Ln., Mamaroneck. 914-698-0098 or www.emelin.org
Word processors
“Romancing the Writers” is the theme for this month’s Woodstock Writers Festival, a literary love-fest taking place on Valentine’s Day weekend. The four-day schedule is jam-packed with workshops, readings, panel discussions, and parties featuring writers like Susan Orlean (The Orchid Thief), Susan Richards (Chosen by a Horse), and other well-known scribes. On the 14th, Julie Powell — author of the memoir Julie & Julia, the basis for the eponymous Meryl Streep hit movie — reads from her works, signs copies, and answers questions. Feb. 12-15; events take place at several venues around Woodstock. For full schedule and list of participating authors, visit www.woodstockwritersfestival.com
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Image makers
Survey more than 150 years of American photographic art in Seeing Ourselves: Masterpieces of American Photography from the George Eastman House Collection, a traveling exhibit opening this month at the New York State Museum. Masterworks by Ansel Adams, Mathew Brady, Dorothea Lange, Alfred Stieglitz, and many other lensmen (and women) are arranged into five categories — such as “America at War” and “American Families” — and document both significant and everyday moments in our nation’s history. Feb. 12-May 9. Daily 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Empire State Plaza, Albany. 518-474-5877 or www.nysm.nysed.gov
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Jukebox heroes
Unless you’ve been living as a hermit for the past 30 years, you’ve no doubt heard the hard-driving music of the rock band Foreigner. Their smash hits — “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “I Want to Know What Love Is” — are ubiquitous on classic rock radio stations (and helped push their album sales into the stratosphere). The group’s latest release, Can’t Slow Down, is a three-disc collection of remixed favorites, live concert footage, and 13 new tracks. Although original lead singer Lou Gramm is no longer with the band, reviewers say that current vocalist Kelly Hansen more than makes up for his absence. Catch Foreigner at the Ulster Performing Arts Center on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. $45-$150 (VIP package includes meet and greet with the band). 601 Broadway, Kingston. 845-339-6088 or www.upac.org
