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1. English Handbell Festival and Concert: Eileen Laurence, guest conductor, will direct 100 handbell ringers from Mass., NY and Virginia performing compositions from around the world..
First thought. Owe! Second though, "guest conductor"? Doesn't that imply that Riverside Church has a permanent conductor of English Handbells? That is a specialized field!
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2. Shlemiel Crooks. The new passover musical might have what you'd consider and unreliable narrator - it's Jerry, the family dog - but it holds plenty of holiday cheer as it combines elements of the Jewish History with a contemporary setting. In the plot within the plot, the ghost of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh schemes to sabotage Passover by engineering the theft of all the wine from Reb Elias's kosher wine store.
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First thought, I don't like singing dogs. I watched the Grinch who stole Christmas and it was another musical narrated by a singing dog. I don't think singing dogs should narrate holiday stories. Snoopy. That was a good dog. No singing, just dancing.
Second thought, the ghost of the ancient pharaoh is going to sabotage Passover by stealing wine from 1 store? Seems like a remarkably restrained response to Jehovah killing every single first born Egyptian male, because Yul Brenner was stubborn. That is either a ghost just working to put up appearances, or a dumb dumb ghost.
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I think the ghost of the pharaoh could plot to ruining Passover by sending hundreds of handbell ringers to various synagogues with a musical dog - but that is just me.
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Happy Sunday, Happy Sleep In Late or Happy Passover all (depending on your religious affiliation).