Alt-Fest

Downtown supper club Pangea shines the spotlight on the unusual ways Pangea performers are combining genres — including theatre, music, dance, comedy and performance – during its third annual “Winter Alt-Fest.” The nine-day “2020 Pangea Winter Alt-Fest” runs from Friday January 10 to Saturday January 18, 2020. 

The tantalizing mix of shows includes special encores of acclaimed productions seen in recent months, and several signature Pangea artists with new shows.  These include the Festival opener — the alternative folk-rock trio Vicki Kristina Barcelona; rock-cabaret sensation Raquel Cion, who begins a theatrical run of her Pangea-incubated nightclub ode to David Bowie, “Me & Mr. Jones;” theater darlings Barbara Bleierand Austin Pendleton; and treasured member of New York’s acting elite Betsy Parrish.  Among the artists making their Pangea debuts are the singer-songwriter David Clementreclaiming his East Village roots, and the Texas-born Gen Y new-folk balladeer Matilde Bernabei.  Returning to the fold are the multi-genre singer-composer Hannah Reimann with an updating of her Joni Mitchell celebration “Both Sides Now;” cabaret iconoclast Susanne Mackwith an encore of “Where I Belong,” and the tap sensation Felipe Galgannikicking off a new show.

Since it began programming music in January 2015, Pangea has been redefining what a sophisticated nightclub act can be. It has emerged a leader of the burgeoning alt-cabaret movement, harboring a growing faction of New York performing artists who feel emboldened by current conditions to reclaim the counter-cultural advantage.

1/ The girl-power folk-rock trio Vicki Kristina Barcelona (consisting of Rachelle Garniez, Amanda Homi, and Terry Radigan) specializes in re-imagining the songs of Tom Waits via gorgeous three-part harmonies and other Waits-worthy flourishes.  Their methods are quite mad, as they employ a treasure trove of instruments including banjos, bottles and bells to get the point across.  You didn’t know Waits had a feminine side?  With VKB, we learn he actually has three feminine sides!
Vicki Kristina Barcelona – Fri Jan 10 (opening night), at 7pm.  Cover $20

2/ Hannah Reimann begins a 4-month residency as she reprises her on-going celebration of Joni Mitchell, “Both Sides Now: The Music of Joni Mitchell 1966 – 1974.” This evolving work, incorporating her own compositions, features Pere Ubu band member Michele Temple as guest instrumentalist and back-up vocalist in March and April.  A singer, filmmaker, actress, and theatre/film composer, Reimann (playing piano and dulcimer) has been called, “an uncanny interpreter of Mitchell’s canon” by the New Yorker.
Hannah Reimann – Fri Jan 10, at 9:30pm, followed by Wed Feb 12, Wed Mar 11, Wed Apr 8, all at 8pm   Cover $25

3/ The veteran stage actress and beloved teacher Elizabeth “Betsy” Parrish appeals to both Uptown and Downtown sensabilities with her sharply observed show about her life in the theatre dating back to the wild ‘70s. In “Every Soul’s a Cabaret” — with music director Mark Fifer on the piano and directed by Paola Styron – Betsy exquisitely spins her yarns and sings her favorites.  And though the Stella Adler teacher, Broadway vet and a founding member of the Harold Clurman Laboratory Theatre has seen plenty, we all know that a great biography doesn’t cut it; a great storyteller and performer does.  After breaking out in the summer at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, she played sell-out nights at Pangea in August, with encore dates in October. We’re delighted she’s back!
Besty Parrish in “Every Soul’s a Cabaret” – Sun Jan 12, 7pm  Cover $25

4/ Indie innovator David Clement returns to his ‘90s-era East Village stomping grounds in his Pangea debut with a show that is a whirlwind hybrid of alt-styles, from rock to folk to country to cabaret.  With a cameo by the Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Marylouise Burke, Clement has assembled a sterling band featuring virtuoso rock guitarist Rob Bailey, cellist Erin Hall, keyboardist Gabe Shuford, and singers Hanna Cheek and Adam Enright. Clement is currently developing a musical about The Weather Underground at La Jolla Playhouse with the Tony winners Doug Wright and Christopher Ashley.
David Clement – Fri Jan 10, at 9:30pm.  Cover $25

5/ They’re at it again!  On three consecutive Tuesdays, the adored and adorable duo, Barbara Bleier and Austin Pendleton, brings us “Bits and Pieces,” an all-new show filled with shards of stories and songs ranging from the oddly familiar to the just plain odd.  Joined by special guest Richard Maltby Jr. this new Bleier-Pendleton raid on their collective storehouse of rare saloon songs, showbiz anecdotes, and witty repartee is directed by Barbara Maier Gustern, with music direction by Paul Greenwood.
Barbara Bleier & Austin Pendleton in “Bits and Pieces” — Tuesdays Jan 7, 14, and 21, all at 7pm. Cover just $25.

6/ Tender in years, deep in thought, Texas transplant Matilde Bernabei is taking New York by storm as she brings a full-throated ‘60s folk activism to bear on a deeply divided America.  Offering healing, humor, hope and guidance to pull back from the precipice of civil discord, this millennial singer-songwriter is a balladeer for the times.  Joined by Tommy Mandel on keys, Daniel Ori on bass and Mikiya Ito on percussion, Bernabei, on vocals and guitar, releases her new double EP “Sing”/”Forever Hold Your Peace” in this hotly anticipated Pangea premiere.
Matilde Bernabei EP release concert – Wed Jan 15, at 7pm.  Cover $15

7/ The rock-cabaret sensationRaquel Cion opens a 6-show theatrical run of her highly praised David Bowie tribute, “Me and Mr. Jones: My Intimate Relationship with David Bowie.”  Written and performed by Cion, directed by Cynthia Cahill, with music director Karl Saint Lucy on piano leading a four-piece combo, this time and dimension-traveling evening is propelled by a lifetime of “soul love” between the Brooklyn-based performer and David Jones.  With stardust-infused feeling and humor Cion explores deep cuts of Bowie’s diverse catalog as she rides out her destiny, fathoming mid-life, cancer and beyond. 
Raquel Cion in “Me and Mr. Jones”, Thur Jan 16 at 7pm; Fri Jan 17 at 9:30pm; Fri/Sat Feb 21 & 22; Fri/Sat Mar 13 & 14, all at 9:30pm.  Cover $25

8/ In her fourth Pangea engagement, continental chanteuse Susanne Mackreturns with an encore of the sold-out “Where I Belong,” her confessional look at the challenges and changes of the immigrant suspended between two worlds.  Co-directed by Barb Jungr and Tanya Moberly, with music direction by Paul Greenwood, Mack migrates across cultures and musical styles as she faces dislocation, alienation, longing for home and finding one’s way in the 21^st century wilderness.  A United Solo Festival alum and cabaret fellow at The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Mack is now a welcome presence at Pangea.
Susanne Mack in “Where I Belong” – Fri Jan 17, at 7pm.  Cover $25

9/ A standout in our 1^st annual Pangea Jazz Fest in August, the Brazilian tap wizard Felipe Galganni returns to Pangea for his new evening-length set, “Forget About Me,” a daring subversion of tap traditions, fusing American jazz-tap with Brazilian styles from samba to bossa nova.  Playing an underappreciated instrument called the feet, Galganni has been a guest soloist at Jacob’s Pillow; at Birdland (with the Duke Ellington Center Big Band); and, coming up, at Dizzy’s with Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage.  Backed tonight by a nifty band and singing his heart out too, there’s no doubt the Tap City festival star and Joffrey Ballet School faculty member will trip the light fantastically!
Felipe Galganni in “Forget About Me” — Sat Jan 18, 9:30pm. Cover $20

The Ultimate in Alt, Pangea has been called “a bohemian oasis not unlike the fabled Max’s Kansas City from days gone by” by The NY Times.  From January 10 to 18 it’s the “2020 Winter Alt-Fest,” Pangea’s 3^rd annual.  There is a $20 food and drink minimum for all shows. To purchase tickets use links on top of the page, or for info call 212/995-0900. Pangea is located at 178 Second Avenue (between 11^th & 12^th Streets).