Pickin’ and grinnin’
Besides being “wild and crazy” (as those familiar with the salad days of Saturday Night Live will recall), Steve Martin is also a multitalented guy. A well-known comedian, actor, and published author, Martin is also a banjo player. And apparently a very good one — his recently released album, The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, was nominated for six awards by the International Bluegrass Music Association. Martin and his banjo band are on tour this fall, and make a stop at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. $65-$110. 30 Second St., Troy. 518-273-0038 or www.troymusichall.org
Black and blue
Has the sluggish economy and political tomfoolery got you down? Then Lewis Black is your man. The curmudgeonly comedian — who made a name for himself on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — has turned his love/hate relationship with America into an art form, ranting and raving against the absurdities of the world. Catch his act at the Ulster Performing Arts Center (Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. $50-$75). Other don’t-miss shows at UPAC this month include the Shaolin Warriors, who give a theatrical performance of their high-energy style of martial arts (Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. $25-$37); and a live HD transmission of Verdi’s Aida from New York’s Metropolitan Opera (Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. $15-$22). 601 Broadway, Kingston. 845-339-6088 or www.upac.org
Dance fever
Broadway quality, closer to home: 42nd Street, the toe-tapping musical smash about a naive chorus girl who becomes an overnight star, owes much of its success — it won the Tony for Best Musical in 1980 — to its famed choreographer, Gower Champion. This fall’s Westchester Broadway Theatre production of the show is being directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner, one of Champion’s assistants at the time. Skinner also choreographed the recent Broadway reprise of the hit, which snagged its own Tony for Best Revival in 2001. Sept. 24-Nov. 29, and Jan. 7-Feb. 6, 2010. Call for exact schedule and ticket prices. 1 Broadway Plaza, Elmsford. 914-592-2268 or www.broadwaytheatre.com
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Far out: One of photographer Dennis Stock’s images from the 1960s, on view in Woodstock |
Flower children
Much has been made of this year’s 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. The Center for Photography at Woodstock takes a look beyond the concert with Woodstock Generation, a solo exhibit of works by photographer Dennis Stock. Stock spent all of 1969 visiting communes and other “alternative communities” in Colorado, New Mexico, and California; his images portray young Americans trying to create a utopian social system by getting closer to nature. The hippies were denigrated by the media at the time, but Stock’s photos show their uniquely American pioneering spirit. Wed.-Sun. 12-5 p.m. through Oct. 25. 59 Tinker St., Woodstock. 845-679-9957 or www.cpw.org
