Special Events
Feb 8: Hudson Valley Rail Trail Winterfest (new date)
Come to this historic depot for an afternoon of midwinter snacks like chestnuts, family-friendly games, hayrides, and a chili cook-off to stave off the cold.
Hudson Valley Rail Trail Depot, Highland, 845.691.6313, www.ulstercountyalive.com
Jan 25: Hudson Valley Wingfest
The region’s premiere fowl fest returns to Poughkeepsie for its 13th installment, bringing over 30 dedicated wing places, restaurants, and stands, as well as sauces, live music, and more.
Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, www.baptickets.com
Music
Jan 3: Adam Ezra Group
No one does the folk-rock sound better than this hard-touring group of crackpot musicians, all of them arrayed behind lead singer-songwriter Adam Ezra, who will perform songs from 2019’s Find A Way, among other releases.
Towne Crier Café, Beacon, 845.855.1300, www.townecrier.com
Jan 9: Louis Prima Jr.
The trumpeter and famous bandleader’s namesake puts his own spin on jazz, swing, big band, and more, for a sure-to-be-rollicking time aimed at the slightly groovier set.
Colony, Woodstock, 845.679.7625; www.colonywoodstock.com
Jan 11: Music Under the Dome: Freddy Mercury in Retrograde
This special audio-visual performance pairs the music of Mercury and Queen with the planetarium’s wildest, spaciest imagery. Costumes encouraged.
Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, 914.963.4550, www.hrm.org
Jan 12: Mitchell’s Mellow Madness
This local group will play upbeat standards in jazz, swing, and Latin styles. Free, but registration is required.
New City Library, New City, 845.634.4997 ext. 139, www.newcitylibrary.org
Jan 17: Thalia Zedek and Hazel Atlas
Zedek has long had one of the most fascinating voices in indie rock, somewhere between a croon and a gut punch, and put it to powerful use in underground groups like Come. She will play her classics and more during this stop at the newly-opened Kingston venue.
Tubby’s, Kingston, www.tubbyskingston.com
Jan 19: China Crisis
A New Wave group that made its mark in the ’80s through a series of UK hits like “King in a Catholic Style” and “Wishful Thinking.” Though older — and with shorter hair — the group continues to tour, and will play the hits, as well as songs from 2015’s Autumn in the Neighborhood.
Daryl’s House Club, Pawling, 845.289.0185, www.darylshouseclub.com
Jan 22: Mail the Horse and Guests
These hipster cowpokes play a boozily ironic take on country rock. If that’s your thing, check out 2019’s self-titled album, their first in over three years. With support from The Pink Stones and Georgia Dish Boys.
Tubby’s, Kingston, www.tubbyskingston.com
Jan 23: Shamarr Allen
This trumpeter, who bills himself as “The Definition of New Orleans,” melds jazz with hip-hop, rock, funk, dirty blues, and more with his backing band The Underdawgs, and he has collaborated with artists as wide-ranging as Patty LaBelle and Lenny Kravitz.
Colony, Woodstock, 845.679.7625; www.colonywoodstock.com
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Jan 24: Buffalo Stack
This Hudson group jams, writes, and records in frontman Andy Stack’s home studio, resulting in tight musical chemistry and a carefully-honed Americana sound.
Towne Crier Café, Beacon, 845.855.1300, www.townecrier.com
Jan 25: Hannah Cohen
This Woodstock songwriter who wrote her third album, Welcome Home, at, well, home, collaborates with her partner Sam Owens on work that spans folk-rock, power pop, R&B, and more.
BSP, Kingston, 845.481.5158, www.bspkingston.com
Jan 28: Richard Thompson
English folk revival legend and former Fairport Convention frontman Thompson will highlight his vast discography at this special, intimate solo acoustic show. Thompson will also perform at the Egg on January 29.
Daryl’s House Club, Pawling, 845.289.0185, www.darylshouseclub.com
Jan 28: Mat Kearney
Kearney is a fan of all things soft and comforting, turning his amps way down and blending folk-rock and hip-hop on the ‘smooth’ setting. He will perform songs from 2018’s Crazytalk and 2011’s ubiquitous coffee shop soundtrack
Young Love. The Egg, Albany, 518.473.1845, www.theegg.org
Jan 29: Greensky Bluegrass This hard-touring — they played Albany all of one calendar year ago — group plays high-energy string music with a high-octane kick, pumping up canonical folk tunes and originals with the muscle of rock and roll.
The Egg, Albany, 518.473.1845, www.theegg.org
Theater, Dance, & Comedy
Jan 3-5: Tricks of the Trade
Magician Andy Weintraub performs a one-man show covering the overlap between his life and his craft, mixing humor, memorization routines, monologues, and tricks — sorry, illusions. For all ages.
Center for the Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, 845.876.3080, www.centerforperformingarts.org
Jan 15: Dancing With the Stars: Live!
Fan-favorite routines and dancers — though without too many of the stars — come to Albany as part of this touring performance. Come for the iconic dance numbers, stay for all-new performances, and leave relieved that any politically suspect rehabilitations have been left in the TV studio.
Palace Theatre, Albany, 518.465.4663, www.palacealbany.org
Jan 18: The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
Despite what its name implies, Bindlestiff is very not for families, pitching its cabaret, sideshow, vaudeville, and circus routines in a distinctly bawdy — read: explicit — key, fine for anyone with an open mind, but limited to those 21 and over. The Cirkus’s residency lasts all winter, with performances through April.
Club Helsinki, Hudson, 518.828.4800, www.helsinkihudson.com
Jan 28: Life is a Bowl of Cherries
Elmwood Playhouse producer Gail Fleur presents a special one-woman show adapted from the writings of Nora Ephron, Jerry Seinfeld, Erma Bombeck, and more.
New City Library, New City, 845.634.4997 ext. 139, www.newcitylibrary.org
Art
Jan 22-Apr 5: Totally Dedicated: Leonard Contino, 1943-2017
Contino was a self-taught abstract painter, experimenting across his 50-year career with geometric patterns, collages, sculptures, reliefs, and more. The 70 works collected at the Dorsky represent the largest-ever exhibition of Contino’s “totally dedicated” approach to his work.
Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, 845.257.3844, www.newpaltz.edu/dorskymuseum
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Through Feb 23: Thomas Cole’s Refrain: The Paintings of Catskill Creek
After an acclaimed run at Catskill’s Thomas Cole Historic Site, this exhibition of Cole’s closest-to-home work, documenting the nearby Catskill Creek, comes to Yonkers.
Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, 914.963.4550, www.hrm.org
Film
Jan 7: The Verdict
Sidney Lumet directed this David Mamet script about a down-and-out attorney, played by Paul Newman, who decides to stand up for what is right when he gets involved with a hot-button medical negligence case.
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, 914.773.7663, www.burnsfilmcenter.org
Jan 13: Flash Gordon
Flash! You can already hear the bombast of Queen’s iconic glam rock score for this campiest-of-all-camp 1980 reimagining of the classic science fiction radio serial. Bright colors, bold choruses, and Max Von Sydow’s potentially-problematic performance as Ming the Merciless round out a movie that delights in its inherent trashiness.
Palace Theatre, Albany, 518.465.4663, www.palacealbany.org
Jan 31: Groundhog Day
Bill Murray’s beloved tale of a TV weatherman trapped during a single day for all eternity is at once a bitterly-ironic take on 1980s bootstrapping ideology and a sweet love story with co-star Andie Macdowell, mixed in with some of comedy’s most iconic performances and bits.
Bardavon, Poughkeepsie, 845.473.2072, www.bardavon.org
Family
Jan 11: Balto
Beloved by a generation of youngsters who grew up with access to cable and video stores, Balto tells the (somewhat) true story of a wolfdog who led the sled-dog team which delivered diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska, the desperate trek that inspired today’s Iditarod race. Come for the heartwarming friendship, stay for a cast that includes Kevin Bacon, Bob Hoskins, Bridget Fonda, and, well, Phil Collins.
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, 914.773.7663, www.burnsfilmcenter.org
Jan 18: Rosie Revere, Engineer
The Rosie Revere books are popular with the younger set, extolling the virtues of hard work, ingenuity, and STEM education. This original musical focuses on Rosie and her two friends Iggy Peck and Ada Twist, who must save a class field trip through their own ingenuity. For ages 5-9.
Emelin Theatre, Mamaroneck, 914.698.0098, www.emelin.org
Jan 20: Best of the 2019 New York International Children’s Film Festival, Part One
An encore presentation of shorts from as far afield as South Africa, Switzerland, Guatemala, Australia, Russia, and the UK, ranging between 48 seconds and 7 minutes. Children under 13 receive discounted admission.
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, 914.773.7663, www.burnsfilmcenter.org
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Workshops/Classes/Lectures
Jan 11-12: Open Auditions
Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., aspiring thespians are asked to prepare to read a two- to three-minute monologue, and will be asked to read sides from upcoming shows. Headshots and a theater resume are requested, but not required, and no reservation is necessary.
Goshen Music Hall, Goshen, 917.478.8352, www.cornerstonetheatrearts.org
Jan 12: William L. Coleman on Thomas Cole
Olana Historic Site’s director of collections and exhibitions presents this special Sunday Talk entitled “The Recursive Landscape: Thomas Cole and Beyond.”
Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, 914.963.4550, www.hrm.org
Jan 12: Sketch Club
Artist Carol Coogan will lead a special program, providing guidance and advice while participants sketch from the museum’s phenomenal collection of American art, including a number of Hudson River School paintings. $15 for members, $20 for non-members, student-grade sketchbook included.
Albany Institute, Albany, 518.463.4478, www.albanyinstitute.org
Jan 15: Creative Arts Therapy
Anyone with a loved one suffering from addiction are invited to this free and anonymous weekly support group, which incorporates various forms of art therapy into a traditional support group environment. RSVP is recommended, as space is limited.
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, 866.781.2922, www.bethelwoodscenter.org/events
Jan 19: Plein Air Workshop with James McElhinney
In connection with his ongoing Discover the Hudson Anew exhibition, esteemed watercolorist James McElhinney leads a special workshop and talk that will delve both into the techniques and history of expeditionary plein-air painting. Tickets are $15, and include admission to the museum.
Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, 914.963.4550 ext. 216, www.hrm.org
