The show must, but simply cannot, go on

Usually we’re fans of irony, but this is just too much: A show designed to take a bite out of the psychological turmoil of this cold, heartless winter — the hottest ticket in town, by the way — has been canceled because of ... well, because of the cold, heartless winter: Natalie Zhu, a  pianist who is known for hot, emotional pyrotechnics, was supposed to play “The Romantic Piano,” a program that would have included Chopin’s Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major, Rachmaninoff preludes, including “The Bells of Moscow,” and Liszt’s B minor Sonata, one of the titanic pieces for the instrument, at the Carriage House this Saturday,  Feb. 5. Instead, she will be shoveling snow from  the roof of her Philadelphia home. Well, OK, maybe we’re making that up. But the 500th storm of the season has forced the folks from the Newburyport Chamber Music Festival to postpone the show until what we used to call the cruelest month, as mean old Mother Nature prepares to dump another foot of what old Dick Albert used to call “the white stuff” and what we call .... well, never mind about that, on us. Word is the show will be April 23, but that’s unofficial. And, considering what a rhymes-with-witch MN has been, perhaps optimistic. We’re anticipating a mid-May thaw. Check out the NCMF web for real details. And, note to Mother Nature, nobody’s trying to fool you, so don’t get yourself into full vengeful mode.