Arts & Entertainment

Parker Reilly, Irvington High School ’79, remembers that feeling as clearly today as when he first experienced it in the fifth grade. It happened one afternoon at the Middle School on Main Street. On stage was a band made up of fifth or sixth graders. When they started playing he looked around and found everyone in rapt attention, with the exception of a few girls who had started dancing. At that moment, he said to himself, “I have to get a piece of that. That was so fun. And then he added “I play in a band right now with one of the 6th graders who was up there then, Chris Merola.”  more »

March is a perfect month to enjoy music and song without having to travel very far. The Tarrytown Music Hall is offering concerts for lovers of rock, country and blues, classic soul, and Latin jazz, along with a performance by the Westchester Symphonic Winds; the legendary singer Jack Jones will turn back time at the Westchester Broadway Theatre on March 1, and the Castle in Tarrytown will continue its Cabaret at the Castle series on March 28 with an appearance by Broadway’s Ragtime star Quentin Darrington.
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When Maria Muldaur steps onto the stage of the Tarrytown Music Hall for the Sisters in Soul show on March 18, she’ll be bringing a host of great American roots musicians with her. You won’t see them, of course, but you’ll hear them as soon she starts to perform.

Muldaur, who was born and raised in Greenwich Village and came of age during the formative years of the folk boom, has known them all, sung with them all, learned from them all, and passes that wisdom on with every note she sings. She’ll be joined by Marcia Ball and Bettye Lavette, in what promises to be an evening of raw, sophisticated and rootsy American music.  more »

The works of three local, African American artists are on display this month at the Warner Library in Tarrytown as part of its annual celebration of Black History Month. At a well attended reception recently at the Library, each of the artists works, watercolors by Martha Evans, masks by Ron Brown and photographs by Donald Whitely, were represented. In this video, Walter Evans describes his mother Martha's artistry, Ron Brown his masks, and Whitely his photos.  more »

On a bare stage with only a mic, a spotlight and a karaoke CD, they auditioned in front of three professional judges seated in the back of a darkened, empty theatre. Grace Clary, a Tarrytown resident and a recent graduate of Sleepy Hollow High School, was one of them.

That’s the way it started for each of the 126 contestants, ages 13-18, who paid $35 to vie for the crown of the next Westchester Teen Idol. This is the fifth season for the contest which serves as a fund-raiser for PMT Productions, a non-profit theatre, founded in 1947 and based in Pleasantville.  more »

There is an abundance of sweet choices for couples to consider for a night out on the town on Valentine’s Day.

“For Lovers Only” will fill the Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford with 100 charming and sentimental classical tunes organized into musical vignettes during an extended Valentine’s Day weekend (February 11 through 14).  more »

A stunning mural of the Hudson River, Palisades Skyline and the Tappan Zee Bridge will soon be permanently installed in the lobby of the Stonehouse, part of the Hudson Harbor development.

Painted by Tarrytown artist Cathi Locati, the mural, entitled “Working Water,” shows the river working, full of life and color. The painting, commissioned by the developers of Hudson Harbor, was specifically designed in size and color to fit the space.

“The painting literally depicts the view you see when you walk out the building, but the colors were selected to match the buildings and their décor,” Locati said.  more »

Those not familiar with the rivertowns area of Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson and Irvington may think they would have to travel to New York City to experience live dance, theater, music ,or witness the visual arts or see hard to find films.

They would be wrong.  more »

Nine different bands will make one-night appearances at Pete’s Saloon in Elmsford during January 2010, playing on every Friday and Saturday night, except for New Year’s Day.

“One-night performances are typically what we schedule,” said owner Pete Riekstins, explaining his restaurant and club prefers to showcase Westchester musical talent one evening at a time rather than book groups for long runs. He pointed out that as new bands come along this policy provides the flexibility needed to accommodate promising newcomers, along with established crowd favorites.  more »

With its composer sitting in the audience, a musical composition, entitled “A Half Moon Journey,” celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River, made its world premier at the Sleepy Hollow High School’s Holiday Concert. The program, on December 15, brought together six performing groups, each playing four songs.  more »

The very special sights and sounds that express the joyous confluence of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are vividly demonstrated throughout December in Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Irvington and the surrounding area. And, over it all, the Nutcracker is the Master of Ceremonies. As you can tell, he may be overworked, but each performance has an imprint special to the particular company and its director.

The following is a sampling of the wonderful holiday activities available throughout the area and nearby.

Irvington Town Hall Theater  more »

Curiosity killed the cat.

Or, in Sleepy Hollow resident and filmmaker Camilla Calamandrei’s case, led her to study folks who keep “big” cats, namely tigers, as pets. That is the focus of Calamandrei’s film documentary, The Tiger Next Door, which will be showing at the Margaret Mead Film Festival on Friday, November 13 at 8 p.m. at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History.

“My work on this film started in 2003, when I read that the state of New Jersey was about to confiscate 24 tigers from a woman in New Jersey. I was curious about it because the situation seemed so unusual,” Calamandrei said.  more »

Westchester Broadway Dinner Theater co-owner/executive director Bob Funking remembers 40 years ago when the Elmsford venue was almost called the “Rodgers & Hammerstein Dinner Theater” but Mrs. Rodgers felt the kitchen was too small.

So, Bill Stutler and Funking set about opening their own dinner theater, bringing their brand of high quality professional theater to Westchester. It took them a few years to get the necessary backing, and then, in 1974, Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me Kate” opened An Evening Dinner Theater in Elmsford. That was the beginning of a 35-year history of continuous operation, making it the longest-running Equity theater in New York State.  more »

A British ghost hunter named Dean Maynard concluded, in 2005, that Sleepy Hollow and its surroundings were the most haunted places in the world. He may have been right. Various historians and journalists have described sightings and encounters with unholy spirits in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown since Washington Irving first introduced ghosts, goblins and the supernatural to American literature.  more »

“Hey, it wasn’t just me. I’m just one person talking for everyone on the Commission. I came up with the idea but we all worked together to make it real!”

She is Laurie Chock, a member of The Irvington Town Hall Theater Commission. And, the idea, now a reality, is The “Best Of” Film Series at The Best Little Theater In Westchester. The project took over a year to complete, but the excitement is still there.

Members of the Commission are appointed by the Irvington Trustees to oversee the physical nuts and bolts of the theater, as well as production content, Chock explained. Anything that appears on stage is run through them. That includes the resident Clocktower Players productions, the children’s troupes, musicals, and outside rental presentations.  more »

How often do you get the chance to meet more than 50 of your favorite children’s book authors and illustrators? At Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, a historic site open to the public, it actually happens once a year.

Celebrate Children’s Book Day is taking place on Sunday, September 27 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Besides meeting authors and illustrators – some of whom are from our very own backyard -- young readers, families, and friends can enjoy music, magic, and buy signed books.  more »

Approximately 15,000 attendees and 300 exhibitors will take part in the 25th annual “Crafts at Lyndhurst” show on September 11-13 at the grounds of the Tarrytown estate, once the home of railroad baron Jay Gould.

Merchandise on display will include jewelry, pottery, clothing, sculpture, glassware, woodwork, framed photography and collectibles. As in the past, about one-half of the exhibitors will display their wares inside a mammoth,weather-protected tent. New exhibitors to the show occupy about 20 percent of the booths and include Angelica Cammarota, a 22-karat-gold jewelry designer from Sleepy Hollow whose work reflects Egyptian and Roman influences. Twenty-five food and beverage providers will also participate.  more »

During the weekend of September 12-13, street and music fairs will be held in Sleepy Hollow, Dobbs Ferry and Hastings-on-Hudson, providing food, fun, entertainment and ample opportunity for souvenir and merchandise shopping.  more »

When Alan Menken writes a song, the world is likely to take notice. The composer of such Disney classics as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast has taken home a mind-boggling eight Academy Awards for his work, out of an even-more-stunning 18 nominations. He’s responsible for such hits as “A Whole New World,” “Under the Sea,” “Colors of the World,” “Kiss the Girl,” and a dozen others. He wrote the music for the much loved musical Little Shop of Horrors, among many other Broadway scores, and his work is often simultaneously playing on Broadway, in London’s West End, in Asia and on local movie screens. If you got on an airplane to prove the point to yourself, you’d probably find Menken’s tunes flowing out of your headset.  more »

Warm and festive, the first Second Sunday, sponsored by the Sleepy Hollow Downtown Revitalization Corporation, at the Morse Elementary School July 12 was deemed a success. Many residents came out to enjoy the richness of the Portuguese culture, the first of many cultures to host Second Sunday.
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Although Shakespeare in the Park is an eagerly-awaited event in Tarrytown’s Patriot’s Park, director Peter Royston recalls a time when the prospect of having elementary-school-age children perform, let alone be interested in Shakespeare, invited serious skepticism.

“There was a lot of doubt whether kids that young could do Shakespeare and whether they’d enjoy it,” Royston said, looking back on his efforts to corral enough students to stage his first production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  more »

Eight-time Academy Award winning composer Alan Menken is scheduled to appear at the Tarrytown Music Hall on Sunday, September 13 at a benefit show for Premier Performing Arts, a non-profit professional theater company in Westchester County.

Menken is best known for his work with Walt Disney Pictures scoring numerous films, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” and “Pocahontas.” In addition to his Oscars, Menken has won six Grammys and seven Golden Globes.

“We are thrilled that Alan Menken has agreed to be our special guest artist for this event,” said Producing Artistic Director Dennis Edenfield, who heads Premier Performing Arts. “It’s expected to be a wonderful and fully entertaining evening.”  more »

Walkable Westchester is the definitive and invaluable guide to hiking, walking and enjoying Westchester County’s many beautiful trails, parks and historic sites. In it, the reader will find out which parks are handicapped or public transportation accessible, where there are birding or horse-back riding opportunities, and places to walk your dog or legally ride a mountain bike. Former estates, wildlife sanctuaries, railbeds, quarries and nature centers contain many more miles of walkable trails, and are featured as well.  more »

With unemployment levels and gas prices on the rise, the faltering economy has nearly everyone keeping a tighter grip on their wallets. As a result, traditional vacations to locations such as Fiji, Bahamas and Disney are being snubbed for exciting, and often overlooked, day trips. This season, Stay-cations are in vogue.

“We are seeing more tank-full of gas trips,” said Eric Scheffel, spokesperson for I Love New York, the official tourism website for the state. “These day trips are a reflection of people’s changing work schedules and most certainly a result of the economy.”

When asked where people are turning their focus, Scheffel explained the Catskills has experienced a significant increase in visitors.  more »