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ISLA, at New York City's WP Theater, by the acclaimed HIT THE LIGHTS! THEATER COMPANY
Off Broadway
Edward A Kliszus

ISLA: Conjures Cuba at the WP Theater

ISLA is a bilingual miracle of shadow puppetry, live guitar, and three-part harmony — the true story of three sisters who fled Cuba on the 1969 Freedom Flights, told through their own recorded voices by Hit the Lights! at WP Theater. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and healing, it transforms one family’s escape into every family’s inheritance. Bring your mother, your children, and your memories. Go home and record your own family’s stories. Tickets are vanishing — go.

Cosi fan Tutte. Artwork by Marta Guitart and Francesco Pensabene
Music
Edward A Kliszus

Love is Not a Verdict: Teatro Grattacielo’s Così fan tutte at La MaMa

Rarely does a comedy leave you laughing and quietly undone at once. Teatro Grattacielo’s Così fan tutte did exactly that — Mozart made intimate, human, and wickedly alive. Do not let the story end here: explore the company’s upcoming season, from The Tempest to free opera in the park, and let this fearless troupe astonish you again very soon.

Romeo & Juliet: The Symphonic Experience, Massapequa Philharmonic & Eglevsky Ballet, David Bernard, Music Director and Conductor, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
Dance
Edward A Kliszus

When the Orchestra Fell in Love: The Symphonic Experience at Tilles Center

Rarely does an afternoon of music leave you both heartbroken and hopeful. The Massapequa Philharmonic’s Romeo & Juliet did exactly that — Shakespeare, dance, and three immortal scores braided into one unforgettable experience. Do not let the story end here: discover the Philharmonic’s upcoming concerts, gather the people you love, and let this remarkable orchestra move you deeply again this season.

Bryce Edward and Mike Davis' Hot Combinations at Birdland Jazz Club, NYC. Courtesy @birdlandjazz on Instagram
Cabaret
Edward A Kliszus

Hot Combination at Birdland: Bryce Edwards and Mike Davis Resurrect the Jazz Age

Bryce Edwards and Mike Davis have created something rare at Birdland. Their centennial tribute is part history, part dance party, and part love letter. With virtuosos onstage and a cache of nearly forgotten songs, Hot Combination shows that the Jazz Age still bubbles with humor, beauty, and youthful defiance. Don’t let the next one slip by. Check Birdland’s calendar, follow these artists, and step in. The 1920s are still roaring.

Sweet Smell of Success by MasterVoices led by Ted Sperling at the Frederick Rose Theater in NYC. Courtesy MasterVoices.org
Music
Edward A Kliszus

Triumphant Resurrection: MasterVoices Breathes New Life Into “Sweet Smell of Success”

MasterVoices has given New York a gift with this “Sweet Smell of Success”—a production that argues forcefully for the work’s inclusion in the canon of great American musicals. For those seeking intelligent, adult musical theater that doesn’t sacrifice entertainment for enlightenment, this production provides a template for excellence. The ghost of Marvin Hamlisch surely smiles.

American Classical Orchestra heralds the Season with Virtuosi Violini at the Madison Avenue Presbterian Church in New York City. Courtesy aconyc.org
Chamber Music
Edward A Kliszus

Virtuosi Violini and the American Classical Orchestra

The American Classical Orchestra’s masterful period instrument performances, guided by Thomas Crawford’s scholarly wit, create transformative experiences transporting audiences across centuries. Their superlative artistry and authentic approach make every concert absolutely essential. Experience the ACO’s 2025-26 season, where Baroque and Classical masterworks come alive with unprecedented passion, precision, and authenticity.

A Letter To Lyndon B. Johnson or God. Photo by Morgan McDowell Courtesysohoplayhouse.com
Off Broadway
Edward A Kliszus

When Boys Become Men Too Soon: The Heartbreaking Genius of A Letter To Lyndon B. Johnson

Some evenings in the theater change you. They reach inside your chest and rearrange something fundamental about how you see the world. “A Letter To Lyndon B. Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First” is such an evening—a production where technical artistry and human storytelling fuse so seamlessly that you forget you’re witnessing craft and surrender completely to emotional truth. But perhaps most remarkably, Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland have created a theatrical experience that transforms dramatically depending on where you choose to witness it, creating two distinct yet equally powerful journeys through the same devastating story. This isn’t just theater. This is witnessing, elevated by staging choices that make every audience member complicit in different ways.

American Symphony Orchestra, Cast, and Bard Festival Chorale with Conductor Leon Botstein in a performance of Richard Strauss's Guntram on stage in Carnegie Hall. Photo: Credit Matt-Dine
Choral Music
Edward A Kliszus

American Symphony Orchestra Delivers a Triumphant Guntram at Carnegie Hall

Friday night’s performance of Gurtram was a remarkable unveiling of a rarely performed but powerful work by Richard Strauss. From the onset, Strauss’s mastery of rich symphonic intones was evident with its roaring motifs and orchestra colors, just as those that excite listeners like Till Eulenspiegel or Ein Heldenleben.

ISLA: Conjures Cuba at the WP Theater

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