Music As Food...A Picnic In Central Park

"If music be the food of love, play on!" And so we do. The "we" is of course The New York Shakespeare Festival, under the auspices of The New York Public Theater. For the last two months, since my return from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, I have been rehearsing, and now performing the original music of neo-trad band, HEM, with the NYSF production of Twelfth Night for "Shakespeare In The Park". Central Park's, Delacort Theater, here in Manhattan is a wonderful, bucolic setting beneath Belvedere Castle. For the Public Theater, it is the most celebrated (read: biggest) of its venues all year. The reviews are in and with a scant 10 performances left, I am happy to say that we were well-received. In addition to playing Uilleann Pipes, Scottish Smallpipes, Whistle, and Six-Key Flute, I wrote the Funeral Dirge, and contributed/arranged the trad tunes for the little onstage band. (HEM is releasing a CD of the show music with Anne Hathaway, Audra Macdonald, David Pittu and Raul Esparza singing the songs. I "guested" on the CD and again, contributed a few things. HEM is a fine bunch of talented folks: I would be happy to collaborate with them in the future.) Come see us if you can: Just look on-line for the various ways of obtaining free tix! Here is the Times review by Charles Isherwood<jump>. Next entry: Memories and Roots in Quebec!