STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

More

Share and Enjoy [?]

Another season, another Philharmonic lineup. It's too early to buy tickets, unless you can afford to subscribe, but still, there's a lot to look at. Some of it pretty impressive.

In the category of get-in-line-at-the-box-office-now: Sopranos Denyce Graves (March 11) and Deborah Voigt (April 20) are among the creme de la creme of operatic voices. Would it have been even better if they'd been featured in actual productions? Sure, but I'd buy tickets of them singing TV theme songs if it meant I got to hear those delicious voices.

On the subject of great voices, Liza Minelli (Feb. 26) might or might not come up. She was a terrific belter with a surprising sensitivity for nuance — much in the vein of her famous mama. But time hasn't been kind to Liza with a Z and it's not clear how well her voice has fared in the weathering. And at $105 a seat, I'm not sure that curiosity about this once stellar talent is worth the risk of my hard earned cash.

It's not the amazing original cast, but the Naples appearance of the Broadway hit "Spamalot" (Feb. 6-11) will certainly be the hottest ticket of the transplanted Broadway season. It wasn't loved by a lot of critics, but it's no-contest fabulous when put up against the other Phil theater offerings: the tired "On Golden Pond" and Riverdance, "Wonderful Town," which was panned when it played the Great White Way, or the all-too familiar "Hairspray," which was the big splash at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall last year. And how exactly are we getting "Spamalot"? Apparently Myra Janco Daniels has strings to pull: At this point, only Washington, D.C., and Toronto are listed as touring locations.

As usual, it smells like nostalgia this season — from Paul Anka to Neil Sedaka to the Four Seasons and Marie Osmond. That's business as usual for most small-to-mid-level markets. But Eartha Kitt (April 30) was living large long before anyone had even coined the term — as much with a damn-the-torpedoes attitude as talent. She's not the greatest singer ever, but I'd wager that she can tell some stories. Hopefully, the evening will allow it.

Diavolo (April 16) isn't likely Cirque du Soleil, but then, Naples isn't Las Vegas. But it promises to be flashy and fun and a vision of dance in its most tangible (and least-threatening) of forms: gymnastics. And if you can't make this date, the Phil is also offering Diavolo Lite, "The Peking Acrobats" (Feb. 16) and "AntiGravity: The Tour"(April 1). Just hum along.

The new speaker series Voices of Distinction takes a giant leap forward this season with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee (Jan. 22), NPR radio god Garrison Keillor (Feb. 12) and comic genius Carl Reiner (March 12). Legends all. Keillor and Reiner are naturals in the lecture format, but the curmudgeonly Albee? Time will tell. Perhaps it's a warm-up for his Princeton University teaching fellowship, the first of its kind there, in fall of 2007.

Do you really need to say more than these five words? Woody Allen's New Orleans Jazz Band (Dec. 27). All right, just two words: Woody Allen. The reclusive director is well-known for his weekly jam sessions and the thought of sitting in, so far away from the Carlyle Hotel, is a guilty treat. I love jazz, but would I go if Allen wasn't in attendance? Nope. Does that make me shallow and contemptible? Probably.

T.D. Mobley-Martinez can be reached at tmmartinez@naplesnews.com.