A Poisonous Affair

Confessions of a Royal Mistress starring Brooke Bloom

Hailed by The New York Times for her "delicate, white-knuckled composure" Brooke Bloom plays Louis XIV's favorite mistress and has something very important to tell us. Madame de Montespan bares her soul (or does she?) in a new theatrical production, bringing glamour, gossip, and palace intrigue into her gripping tale. Is she a murderous villain or an innocent victim of public frenzy? Only you can be the judge, as actress Brooke Bloom stars in a never before seen one-woman play by Gonzalo X. Ruiz and based on Montespan's published memoirs, offering intimate glimpses of Versailles under Louis XIV's reign and set to the magical music of Marin Marais. Françoise Athenais Rochechouart de Montemart, Marquise de Montespan, was one of the most fascinating personalities at the court. A famously beautiful, intelligent and witty woman, she bore several children to the king as his official mistress, while setting court fashion as the leading lady of the pageant that was Versailles. Her fall from grace was equally spectacular, likely as a result of accusations against her in the most infamous court scandal of the time, accusations which were never revealed to her. Modern scholars are split on the question of her guilt or innocence. "A Poisonous Affair" imagines Montespan after leaving the court being privately told of the allegations that brought about her downfall, and reassessing her relationship to Louis XIV.

Brooke Bloom has an accomplished career in film, television and theatre. A veteran of the New York stage, Brooke won an Obie Award for Best Actress, and garnered a Best Actress Drama Desk nomination for her work in Clare Barron's Off-Broadway play You Got Older. In the TV sphere, she's had memorable turns on FX's Atlanta, FX's Kindred, Amazon's Sam Esmail series Homecoming opposite Julia Roberts and Shea Whigham, the critically acclaimed third season of The Sinner opposite Matt Bomer and Bill Pullman, and series regular stints on HBO's Gypsy, Amazon's Alpha House, and Amazon's I Know What You Did Last Summer. On the feature front, Brooke can be seen in the critically acclaimed Jeremy Hersh indie The Surrogate (SXSW), Eric Steel's Minyan which premiered at Berlin Film Festival, Anja Marquardt's She's Lost Control (two Indie Spirit Award nominations), and Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story. She can currently be seen in Noah Baumbach's White Noise. Other theatre credits include Atlantic Theater Company's Cloud Nine, David Greenspan's I'm Looking for Helen of Twelvetrees, and Signature Theatre's Everybody. Brooke resides in New York City and is repped by TalentWorks and Circle of Confusion.

Friday, March 22, 2024 at 7:30 pm
The Lounge at Hudson View Gardens, 128 Pinehurst Avenue, Manhattan
Tickets: 
Online: $35 general admission, $30 seniors, $15 students
At the door: $45/$40/$20
Purchase tickets for 3/22

Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 7:30 pm
NEW VENUE! The Rockefeller Lounge at Riverside Church, 91 Claremont Avenue, 9th Floor, Manhattan
Tickets:
Prime Seating* ~ $75 ($85 at the door)
General Admission ~ $50 ($60 at the door)
Rear Seating ~ $25
Purchase tickets for 3/23

* Prime tickets include front-section seating, a “Meet and Greet” with House of Time musicians and actress Brooke Bloom, a glass of champagne and some small bites after the show.

House of Time on the Uptown Arts Stroll

Celebrate the end of season 10 with House of Time's favorite works by Bach, Handel, and Rameau on The Uptown Arts Stroll! Come early for a stroll around the Rose Garden and stay late to toast Season 10! The Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) in collaboration with local artists, businesses, community leaders and institutions, has produced the Uptown Arts Stroll since 2008. Each year the Uptown Arts Stroll will feature open studios, art exhibitions, concerts, literary events, and performances during the month of June throughout Northern Manhattan from West 135th Street to West 220th Street.

Tickets: 
Online: $35 general admission, $30 seniors, $15 students
At the door: $45/$40/$20

Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 7:30 pm
The Lounge at Hudson View Gardens, 128 Pinehurst Avenue, Manhattan
Purchase tickets

PAST EVENTS THIS SEASON

Vivaldi Concerto Festival

The Four Seasons and beyond!

Vivaldi's Four Seasons with guests Elizabeth Blumenstock, Ravenna Lipchik, Shelby Yamin

Don't miss the acclaimed chamber ensemble House of Time in their annual Vivaldi Concerto Fest! This season opener includes the Red Priest's endlessly inventive Four Seasons played by a star-studded cast including three fabulous guest soloists: Elizabeth Blumenstock, longtime concertmaster of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and one of America's premier Baroque violinists, as well as two up and coming young stars, Ravenna Lipchik, and Shelby Yamin. House of Time stellar players round out this thrilling program with showpieces for oboe and cello.

Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 5 pm
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3 West 65th Street, Manhattan

Tickets: $55 general admission, $45 seniors, $15 students

Classical Zeitgeist: Mozart and Haydn go traveling

The two greatest composers of the late 18th century had mutual admiration for one another and found their greatest success while traveling, making them pioneers of music freelancing. Haydn's London Trios were written during his second trip to England where he was received as a veritable superstar, while Mozart's radical Oboe Quartet was tailor-made in Munich for his friend, the oboe virtuoso Ramm.

Tickets: $35 general admission, $30 seniors, $15 students

Friday, October 6, 2023 at 7:30 pm
The Lounge at Hudson View Gardens, 128 Pinehurst Avenue, Manhattan

Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Holy Trinity Lutheran, Church 3 West 65th Street, Manhattan

The Big Bang
Rameau's Zais and Handel's Fireworks

The daring, impressionistic overture of Zaïs depicts the creation of the world, proceeding from chaos to order, while the dances that follow present the kaleidoscopic world of 18th century ballet music through the lens of Rameau’s colorful wit. Then sparks fly as House of Time takes you to Baroque London with its version of Handel's Fireworks Music. Handel's paean to peace is transformed into exciting and elegant chamber music in Gonzalo X. Ruiz's arrangement.

Tickets:
Online: $35 general admission, $30 seniors, $15 students
At the door: $45/$40/$20

Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 7:30 pm
The Lounge at Hudson View Gardens, 128 Pinehurst Avenue, Manhattan

Friday, November 10, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Holy Trinity Lutheran, Church 3 West 65th Street, Manhattan

Bach by Candlelight
Sonatas and Trios performed under candlelight

What better way to warm up a cold winter night than with the kaleidoscopic mastery of J.S. Bach performed under soothing candlelight? Join House of Time for its specialty of Bach's solos and trios and guest baritone Paul Max Tipton who will perform the rarely performed canata “Amore Traditore”.

Tickets: 
Online: $35 general admission, $30 seniors, $15 students
At the door: $45/$40/$20

Friday, February 16, 2024 at 7:30 pm
The Lounge at Hudson View Gardens, 128 Pinehurst Avenue, Manhattan

Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 7:30 pm (THIS PERFORMANCE IS SOLD OUT!)
Holy Trinity Lutheran, Church 3 West 65th Street, Manhattan