Symphony Space Presents EXIT, STAGE LEFT Tonight, 10/13

Tonight, Saturday, October 13 (7:30 pm), Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia hosts Parallel Exit in EXIT, STAGE LEFT, the story of a theatre performance that just can't seem to go right. Combining the very best of physical comedy with Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Three Stooges-influenced mayhem, the show blends theatre, dance, and music to create a world reliving the very best of comedy from a lost age. With this performance, Exit, Stage Left makes its NYC public premiere.

Parallel Exit was formed by Artistic Director Mark Lonergan in 1997 to create original and innovative works of physical theatre. Their work has explored a wide range of physical forms, from dance to live-action silent film to tap. It has been presented in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia, and recieved a 2008 Drama Desk nomination for Unique Theatrical Experience. The group is devoted to a process of pure collaboration from the ground up. They create through improvisation, and over a long period refine, edit, and shape the material into a full production. Tickets are priced at $30 for general admission, $25 for member, and $15 for under 30.

Thursday, October 25 marks the return of THALIA FOLLIES, NYC's only political cabaret series, coming back for its ninth season of songs, sketches, and satire on all the issues New Yorkers hold dear. Always funny, definitely pointed, and often moving, these original evenings created by Symphony Space's founding Artistic Director Isaiah Sheffer and Martin Sage are guaranteed to get you talking and laughing.

Titled THALIA FOLLIES: JUDGMENT DAY, this month's installment asks the questions: Which way will America be going? Will we be red or blue? Will there be Groupon vouchers for Medicare? Will a dancing horse take up residency in the West Wing? Will you have to bring your family tree in order to vote? Join the Follies cast for a pre-Election Day look at what's in store. With special guests at every performance, The Thalia Follies troupe of performers includes Ivy Austin, Mary Brienza, David Buskin, Lisa Flanagan, Robert Fowler, Michael J. Lutton, Kathryn Markey, and Fred Rose. With special appearances at select performances by Dick Cavett (Friday at 8:30), Katie Goodman, Katie Halper, Jay Leonhart, Patricia Marx, Calvin Trillin (Thursday), and Eugenia Zuckerman. Musical Direction by Beth Ertz, choreography by Regina Larkin, and cartoons by Mort Gerberg.

THALIA FOLLIES performances are Thursday, October 25 (7:30 pm); Friday, October 26 (5:30 pm and 8:30 pm); and Saturday, October 27 (5:30 and 8:30 pm). Tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for members and $15 for under 30.

Symphony Space traces its beginnings to a free marathon concert, Wall to Wall Bach, held in 1978 and organized by co-founders Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller. The music marathon then drew thousands of visitors and has since become one of the organization's signature events. Today Symphony Space presents more than 600 events each season, including music, dance, theater, film, and literary readings. Some of its best known programs include Selected Shorts, a reading of short stories by stars of stage and screen, and one of the most popular series on public radio; the Thalia Film Club, a trendy film club hosted by Marshall Fine featuring pre-release screenings and behind-the-scenes conversations with film stars; Just Kidding, one of the most talked about family destinations around town; and, more recently, The Music of Now, presenting an eclectic range of music in all styles and sensibilities, focusing on emerging artists and unusual work. Uptown/ Showdown has been called "New York's best comedy series" by New York Magazine. For more information, visit www.symphonyspace.org.

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