Don't sleep this weekend - laugh
Comedy junkies, this weekend is for you; do-gooders, you too. The Improv Asylum is hosting "No Rest for the Wicked Funny," a 24-hour comedy marathon and charity event, sure to make your sides split and kids smile. Starting at midnight on Saturday, Nov. 18 and going until midnight Sunday, the show will feature comedians, actors, bands and local celebrities. Let's just say, the stage will never be empty.
Located in the North End of Boston, the Improv Asylum is one of the city's best comedy theaters. You can see the critically-acclaimed improv and sketch comedy house team perform there six days a week, as well as local and touring stand-up comics.
All proceeds from "No Rest for the Wicked" go to Globe Santa, a charitable organization which purchases holiday gifts for local families in need. In addition, there will be both silent and live auctions with items up for bid including Celtics tickets and dinners at four-star restaurants.
Tickets for "No Rest for the Wicked Funny" are $10 and allow you to come and go as many times as you would like throughout the event. To purchase, call Improv Asylum's box office at 617-263-NUTS.
Classical music abounds in Boston this weekend
This weekend will feature the work of the most renowned and more obscure names in Classical music with performances from both the Boston Classical Orchestra and the Boston Chamber Music Society.
The BCO's "Bravo Beethoven!" program, taking place at Faneuil Hall on Friday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m., is composed of the "Zapfenstreich" (or "Thunderbolt") March, the Triple Concerto and the Fourth Symphony, and features the Boston Trio: Irina Muresanu playing the violin, Allison Eldredge on the cello and Heng-Jin Park at the piano. Musical Director Steven Lipsitt will lead both performances. Tickets can be purchases online or by calling the BCO box office 617-423-3883.
The BCMS' repertoire focuses on a few lesser known composers in a concert entitled, "Folklore Metamorphosis," which will include works from Zoltan Kodaly, John Harbison and Anton?n Dvorak. Performances will take place on both Nov. 17 at the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 19 at Sanders Theater in Cambridge, also at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the BCMS' Web site up to six hours before a performance; for purchases closer to the start of a concert, call 617-349-0086 or buy tickets at the door.
Tufts Symphony Orchestra serenades Boston
The Tufts Symphony Orchestra (TSO) heads to Fanueil Hall Saturday evening for its annual concert with an unusual program in store. Conducted by Malka Sverdlov Yaacobi, TSO will perform a contemporary, atonal piece by Betty Olivero, as well as pieces by Dvorak and Moussorgsky.
"We don't usually play contemporary pieces," said TSO president, senior Bryan Boyce. "I'm really excited about it. I really like new classical music."
Olivero's "Achot Ketana (In Memoriam)" is an Israeli piece that involves atonal elements and featured solo. Said Boyce, "It's not like what you're used to hearing ... It's pretty freely composed."
Next on the slate, Moussorgsky's "Night on Bold Mountain" rounds out the concert. A feature of the orchestra's children's concert earlier this semester, "it's a little less orthodox than somebody like Dvorzak," said Boyce. "He was a little freer, a little wilder."
Dvorak's "Symphony No. 8 in G Major," from the late romantic period, is a more customary piece for the group. "It's standard repertoire, but always worth listening to," said Boyce.
Promising an evening of variety, TSO performs at 8 p.m. Admission is $2 for students and $10 for adults.
- compiled by Tom McMillan, Kelly Rizzetta and Stephanie Vallejo
