Staff Picks No. 106
Missives from the Hell Mouth : Val Ramirez
Dixon Place
Thursday July 17th 2025
Val Ramirez is a multihyphenate, multidisciplinary artist whose work both daunts and beckons its audience closer, and that is exactly what I’m always on the hunt for. Described as a “mass hallucination,” Missives From The Hellmouth looks like a staticky rush of fluorescence straight to the brain. Love!
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
Bonny Light Horseman : Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, Josh Kaufman
92NY
Thursday July 24th 2025
A band led by Hadestown's Anaïs Mitchell, Fruitbat's Eric D. Johnson, and multi-instrumentalist Josh Kaufman: sign me up. A one-night concert with elements of Americana, indie rock, and music of the British Isles, this is sure to be a special evening.
Staffer: Billy McEntee
Lincoln Center's Summer for the City: Brazil Week : Os Mutantes
Damrosch Park
Thursday July 17th 2025
Ok this is SO far out of my usual selections, but Os Mutantes, avant-garde Tropicália superstars, are coming back to the United States for a concert in Damrosch Park. One night only! Free! You must see the musical stylings of one of the most interesting, form-shattering, exciting musical artists you will ever experience! I am (in)famously sober, but you should smoke a lil' beforehand, trust me.
Staffer : Reuven Glezer
Night Keeper : Aaron Landsman, Jehan O Young, Norman Westberg, Janine Renee Cunningham, Jess Barbagallo, Jon de Gaetano, Jeanette Yew, Alexandra Dheming-Vasquez, Will Scott
Mabou Mines
Wednesday July 23rd 2025
This is another show that gets shouted out in my interview with Tamás/Tanya Marquardt that will be shared tomorrow! (Yay!) (We talk about so many things, but artists that we love is a nice little chunk of it) Get yourselves to Mabou Mines for this one next Wednesday, especially if you missed the iteration at Chocolate Factory. You are being given another chance! That does not happen all the time! As a person who has insomnia, I am particularly curious and will be grabbing the album today right here.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
Can I Be Frank? : Morgan Bassichis, Sam Pinkleton
Soho Playhouse
July 24th-September 13th 2025
Reader, I must confess, I usually hate solo work. This is not that. This is Morgan Bassichis channeling the energy, mind, and spirit of the late Frank Maya in a work that is something beyond standup, monodrama, or the dreaded season-filler that solo work sometimes entails. Morgan is a comedian and writer of a different calibre and this show comes to us at a time when we need artistry again. Directed by Sam Pinkleton to boot!
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
Cemetery Soup : Jess Barbagallo, Mitchell Polonsky, Zack Tinkelman, Adult Film
The Brick Theater
July 31st-August 9th 2025
Who doesn't adore Jess's singular mind and talents and groovy cowboy-light style? Manifest Destiny did horrific things to this country, but in its wake American do have a rich idiosyncrasy: cross-country travel. A literal journey used to showcase countless metaphorical ones, it is a mode I so so adore (#Geraldine). They are mythical voyages! As the blurb says, "It sounds philosophical. It should be funny."
Staffer: Billy McEntee
Soooo, I am sharing an interview tomorrow on the Staff Picks site in which me and Tamás/Tanya Marquardt absolutely go off about how this is THE show to check out and how Jess Barbagallo rules and how he is such a great writer and we are so glad this show is happening. But I also want to take up space right here and mention that you should absolutely go check out this show. The title makes me jealous. Jess really has a way of crafting worlds that speak to me (but also others I am pretty sure). The Brick is eternally the best place to run into a friend and/or icon and/or interesting stranger. The vibes are strong.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
CATCH : laialeah, Melissa Wu, Kite (Catskill), Matthew Antoci, Brian McCorkle (Hurley), Jodi Melnick (Staatsburg), Jillian Sweeney (Beacon), Ben Holbrook and Nate Weida, Tara Aisha Willis (EMPAC / Troy), Rebecca Brooks (Clinton Corners), 600 Highwaymen (Rensselaerville), Ivy Baldwin Dance (Putnam Valley), Aaron Landsman/ThinAar Studio (Athens)
PS21
Saturday July 26th 2025
Ok. It is CATCH. It has some of my all time favorites presenting. It is in a really cool space where I have seen one show and it was very special. It is worth the trip if you can make the trip, which I can say, even as a non-driver. I mean… it almost feels to obvious.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister