A 2016 musical biography tributing composer Astor Piazzolla is coming to Joe’s Pub in early August.
“That’s Not Tango – Astor Piazzolla, A Life In Music” was written by Lesley Karsten and Stephen Wadsworth and is unique not only in its premises, but in its casting as well. Piazzolla, whose life the story depicts and celebrates, is played by a woman. Karsten is cast in the role, and she plays a compelling and fierce Piazzolla, giving audiences a deeper look into the composer’s life.
The show, which originally ran last summer at SubCulture, returns this summer at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater on August 5 and 6. It offers a narrative on Piazzolla’s life, beginning with his childhood on the Lower East Side and all the way up to his death in Argentina in 1992.
“I hope people develop a personal relationship with the music and understand what it meant to him,” Karsten has said. “I want audiences to experience the man behind its urgency and power.”
The story is a depiction of Piazzolla’s life and the revolution of the tango with music and storytelling throughout. His music is performed in the show by JP Jofre on bandoneon, Brandt Fredriksen on piano and Nick Danielson on violin.
Tickets are $30 and available online at the Public Theater box office, located at 425 Lafayette St, or on their website.
Photos courtesy of Joe’s Pub and BR Public Relations
