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By Shavana Abruzzo
Brooklyn Daily
The U-shaped building at the end of the IRT line in Flatbush — where Frank Serpico, Lil’ Kim, and Marty Markowitz went to school — is tuning up for an anniversary season of incredible music, breathtaking dance, and colorful family performances.
The Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College celebrates its 60th anniversary with a dazzling line-up for the 2014–15 season beginning Nov. 1, bringing performers from Jamaica, Russia, Canada, South Africa, China, and across the United States to the Walt Whitman Theatre in a nod to the borough’s diversity. The boards will rock with Flamenco, ballet, Latin jazz, a capella, classical drama, and musicals, and usher in a new era, said the director.
“We will take our audiences on an adventure that celebrates our past and looks toward our bright future,” said Jon Yanofsky.
Here are our top picks to look forward to:
Bobby McFerrin 60th-Anniversary Season Opener
Saturday Nov. 1 at 8 pm, $36–$60.
Chances are you saw Robin Williams goofing off in a house dress while doing a silly jig in the musical video of McFerrin’s 1980s chart-topper, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” The pulsating croon became an inter-generational anthem and redefined the role of the human voice in contemporary music while earning new cred on “The Simpsons,” “That ’70s Show,” “Cocktail,” “Dawn of the Dead,” and even a Huggies commercial. Bach and The Beatles have made it into McFerrin’s inventive collaborations, and his partnerships with Yo-Yo Ma and Sesame Street pushed the envelope even further.
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, The Soul of Flamenco
Friday Nov. 14 at 8 pm, $30–$45.
The premier ensemble celebrates its 30th year with a passionate new show embodying the purity of traditional flamenco and classical Spanish dance. Angel Munoz’s new piece, “A Solas” is impressive. Small wonder the finicky Grey Lady called it an “infectiously joyful celebration of music and dance.” We agree.
The Snow Maiden
Sunday Dec. 21 at 4 pm, $35–$50. Performed in Russian with English sub-titles, recommended for ages six and up.
A worthy young girl is transformed by Grandfather Frost (the Russian Santa Claus) into the beautiful snow maiden in this magical Russian-language musical. The delightful children’s extravaganza incorporates traditional Russian songs, dances, and elaborate costumes to create a winter wonderland. Zazdarovje!
The Klezmatics, Woody Guthrie’s Wonder Wheel Tour
Sunday March 8, 2015, at 3 pm, $30.
Flash back to 1940s Coney Island, where Woody Guthrie and his wife settled into the raucous life on Mermaid Avenue. Inspired by his Jewish family and their community, Guthrie wrote hundreds of lyrics rich with spirituality, tenderness, and a passionate belief in the human fight for peace and justice. His poetry is given new life by the Grammy-winning Klezmatics, infusing his words with Eastern European, klezmer, Celtic, Afro-Caribbean, and folk flavors in a lively dialogue about the healing and unifying power of music.
Montana Repertory Theatre, The Great Gatsby
Sunday April 12, 2015, at 3 pm, $30.
The parties at Jay Gatsby’s Long Island mansion were notoriously glamorous affairs, but a burning, unquenchable emptiness throbbed beneath the celebrity and excess. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s epic tale of beautiful, sad people chasing the American Dream, Montana Rep’s adaptation captures the idealism and darkness of the Jazz Age.
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College 2014–15 Anniversary Season, Nov. 1, 2014, to May 17, 2015 [2900 Campus Rd. between Bedford and Nostrand avenues in Flatbush, (718) 951–4600]. Tickets available at BrooklynCenter.org/buy-tickets/calendar-of-events or call the box office at (718) 951–4500, Tuesday–Saturday, 1 pm–6 pm.