-
Tue, Jul 31, 2018, 8:30 PM – Sun, Aug 5, 2018, 4:00 PM
- HERE
- 145 6th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10012
- United States
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 31 - AUGUST 5 (continuing through SEPTEMBER 2)
8:30 PM TUESDAY - SATURDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Basil Twist: Symphonie Fantastique
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
$35-$100
http://here.org/shows/detail/1934/
Not to put too fine a point to it, this piece -- premiered at this venue 20 years ago -- is one of the best things I've ever seen. A miracle of puppetry creates perfectly calibrated first-part-of-Fantasia-style visual effects to Berlioz's unhinged visionary masterpiece. It's just so apt, so unexpected -- and so much fun -- you can't believe it. If you haven't seen it, you MUST. If you've already seen it, you'll want to see it again. Piano reduction of the score played live by the redoubtable Christoper O'Riley. While I usually prefer live musical accompaniments on general principle, I actually liked it better when they used to do this piece to an orchestral recording: so much of the appeal of this weird musical masterpiece stems from Berlioz's tangy, unique, unprecedented orchestration. But don't let that keep you away! This is GREAT!!!!!!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can't have too many restaurants featuring the food of Emilia-Romagna, the best in Italy. (Well, probably you could -- but we're not close yet.) So the opening of a new one -- right near HERE, no less -- is certainly something to be happy about. Meet Nonna Beppa.
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Tuesday, July 31, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Areté Gallery & Venue
- 67 West Street #103
- Brooklyn, NY, 11222
- United States
MUSIC
TUESDAY, JULY 31
8:00 PM
Zeena Parkins & Dawn Kasper
Areté Gallery & Venue
67 West Street #103, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
$20
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/5049-at-arete-featuring-zeena-parkins-tickets-48181562350
Downtown's favorite harpist, Zeena Parkins, is seemingly incapable of having a conventional or uninteresting musical thought. Here she performs along with the artist Dawn Kasper on tapes and drums. There will be 45 minutes of music and then, unfortunately, 45 minutes of discussion.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: People are talking about Oxomoco, the new pan-Mexican grill/oven-oriented project from the team behind the popular Speedy Romeo pizzerias. (I guess they figured their expertise with pizzas would extend to tacos.) Drinks by Eben Klemm -- which is not nothing.
-
Tuesday, July 31, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Elsewhere
- 599 Johnson Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11237
- United States
MUSIC
TUESDAY, JULY 31
8:00 PM
Television
Elsewhere
599 Johnson Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn
$35 advance; $36 door
https://www.elsewherebrooklyn.com/events/2018-07-31-television/
Television would be the greatest post-punk band if it weren't for the rather inconvenient fact that it emerged at the absolute outset of the New York punk movement. It was never clear exactly where Television fit into the CBGB scene of which it was a part, what with its extended solos, lack of pop influences, and utter lack of camp or irony. What was clear was that Television was one of the greatest rock bands not only of its time, but of all time. Great songwriting, great playing, great live performances -- including extended solos that (OF COURSE) aren't on the exalted level of Coltrane, but have something of his questing soul-searching nature -- Television had it all. They were utterly transfixing then, and I'm betting they'll be utterly transfixing now.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Before the show, classic ramen at the Brooklyn branch of the Japanese chain Ichiran. After the show (or before, for that matter), of-the-moment Nicaraguan at Chicha, which does indeed seem to be having its Moment. During the show, usual drill: get drinks at Elsewhere's upstairs (indoor) cocktail lounge, where they're much better than at the bars in the music rooms. The Elsewhere rooftop is worth a visit for the fresh air (for Bushwick) and the views, but the drinks up there are basic. (There's barbecue to be had up there as well.)
-
Tue, Jul 31, 2018, 7:30 PM – Sun, Aug 5, 2018, 7:30 PM
- Soho Rep.
- 46 Walker Street
- New York, NY, 10013
- United States
THEATER
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 21 - AUGUST 5 (continuing through AUGUST 12)
7:30 PM TUESDAY - SUNDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
Jackie Sibblies Drury: Fairview
Soho Rep.
46 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
$35-$65
http://sohorep.org/fairview
They may call this a "family drama". But what it really is, is an extremely canny -- and scathing -- and funny (to a point) -- exploration of race in America. At least if you're Caucasian, don't go to this exciting production of an explosive work if you prefer to leave the theater comforted and uplifted. But in that case, you probably shouldn't be reading this List in the first place.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tweaked-up bistro Frenchette is the best new restaurant in New York. Period.
-
Mon, Jul 30, 2018, 5:00 PM – Tue, Jul 31, 2018, 5:30 AM
- Olmsted
- 659 Vanderbilt Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11238
- United States
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, JULY 30
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Edouardo Jordan: JuneBaby Pop-Up
Olmsted
659 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Costs what it costs
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/olmsted-pop-dinner-junebaby-edouardo-jordan
This list focuses on performing arts, with the food stuff being just incidental. But I don't have any live performance recommendations tonight, and this one-night special-event dinner is kind of major. Edouardo Jordan, whose riffs on African-American Southern cooking at JuneBaby in Seattle (cuz where else would you go for African-American Southern cooking?) have received universal adulation, is doing a one-night guest-chef stint at Olmsted in Brooklyn. No reservations taken: strictly walk-in. It's going to be an absolute clusterfuck, with limited availability and long waits all night -- but it'll still be easier than taking a plane to the other side of the continent (and it isn't all that easy to get into JuneBaby once you're in Seattle, either). Totally worth the trouble.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tooker Alley is perhaps the most underappreciated great cocktail bar in New York (although, to be honest, there's more variation between bartenders there than you'd expect at a first-rate cocktail bar). Live jazz on Mondays, too.
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Sunday, July 29, 2018, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Fulton Ferry Landing
- 1 Water Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11201
- United States
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JULY 29
4:00 PM
Ursula Oppens: Schubert
Bargemusic
1 Water Street, Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn
$40/$35 seniors/$20 students & children
http://bargemusic.org/calendar.html#july
This List isn't usually in the business of recommending recitals consisting entirely of standard repertoire. But (a) Ursula Oppens has had a long and admirable career as a tireless advocate of New Music (and has also shown she has many provocative things to say about the standard rep); (b) if truth be known, there is no music Your Compiler loves more deeply than Schubert's; and (c) as already noted this week, listening to music on this barge off the Fulton Ferry Landing, facing onto a truly awe-inspiring view of the Lower Manhattan skyline, is its own reward.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pizza in New York City is complicated. Consider the tale of Patsy Gramaldi. A scion of a leading New York City pizza family that originated the legendary Patsy's Pizza in East Harlem, he was debarred from calling his own Brooklyn pizzeria Patsy's because after the death of his uncle, the original Patsy, his aunt sold the "Patsy's" name to outsiders, who proceeded to turn the business into a chain (while permitting longtime employees to continue to operate the original East Harlem locationindependently under the "Patsy's" name). So Grimaldi changed the name of the pizzeria he operated independently in Brooklyn, near the Fulton Ferry Landing, from Patsy's to Grimaldi's following a lawsuit by the rights owners. Eventually, Grimaldi decided to sell the business and retire -- including the "Grimaldi's" name. His purchasers opened a new Grimaldi's up the street (abandoning the coal pizza oven in the original location). So when Patsy decided to come out of retirement and reopen a pizzeria in his old space, he couldn't call it "Patsy's" or "Grimaldi's". Instead he he named it Juliana's, after his mother (the original Patsy's sister). The important thing is that this place is MUCH better than the current Grimaldi's (for one thing, this place -- unlike current Grimaldi's -- has a coal oven) (for another, it has Patsy Grimaldi). In the wake of the Neapolitan pizza revolution in New York over the last several years, it has become fashionable to dis Patsy Grimaldi's pies. But really, even if not as great as the very top neo-Neapolitans, they're quite quite good -- especially if you grew up on the kind of New York-style pizza at which Patsy Grimaldi excels.
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Saturday, July 28, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Spectrum
- 70 Flushing Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11205
- United States
MUSIC
SATURDAY, JULY 28*
8:00 PM
Jenny Q Chai: Sonorous Brushes
Spectrum
70 Flushing Avenue, Garage A, Fort Greene, Brooklyn
$15; $10 students/seniors
http://www.spectrumnyc.com/site/calendar.php
Wow. In this show, pianist Jenny Q Chai uses AI technology developed at IRCAM in Paris to create synesthetic color effects simultaneously generated on the basis of her playing. Now of course, when you talk about synesthesia the first composer who comes to mind is Messiaen, and he's on Chai's program, along with such other echt-French composers as Ravel and Debussy. There'll always be a France, and the program also includes an homage to Ravel by one of those contemporary French composers who, however much they diverge from common practice, still sound identifiably French (a certain plangent pungency in the sound, I'd say), Frederic Durieux. And, not surprisingly, Chai favorite Jaroslaw Kapuściński, who specializes in "intermedia" sound-and-image compositions. This will be an eye-opening (sorry!) performance.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Every neighborhood should have a neighborhood spot as good as LaRina Pastificio & Vino. If only.
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Sat, Jul 28, 2018, 12:00 PM – Sun, Jul 29, 2018, 5:00 PM
- Nolan Park House 8B
- Governors Island, NY, 11231
- United States
THEATER
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JULY 28 & 29 (continuing through August 5)
12:00 - 5:00 PM
Erin Bregman: This Is Not a Torture or an Engine
Dysfunctional Collective
Nolan Park House 8B, Governors Island, Manhattan
Free
https://govisland.com/things-to-do/programs/2018-dysfunctional-collective
I've been dissing immersive theater a lot lately, but this show looks pretty good. It purports to involve the (offensively misogynist) Prometheus and Pandora myths (which this production will no doubt critique), kidnapping, bureaucratic systems, and torture by snowball.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Usual drill: lots of stands and food trucks (and a beer garden) on Governors Island. For the inevitable (at least for me) cocktail after you've returned to the bigger islands on the ferry, Dead Rabbit has now reopened near the Manhattan landing; The Long Island Bar near the Brooklyn.
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Friday, July 27, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Fulton Ferry Landing
- 1 Water Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11201
- United States
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JULY 27
8:00 PM
Endangered Heart Quartet
Bargemusic
1 Water Street, Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn
$40/$35 seniors/$20 students & children
http://bargemusic.org/calendar.html#july
The story behind this rather improbable sax/trombone/violin/double bass ensemble is that New York fake-jazz great Roy Nathanson started playing (on sax) with Ditmas Park homie Tim Kiah, a bassist, in a local cafe. Seeking to round out an ensemble, they each invited a friend. Nathanson brought in his old bandmate from the Jazz Passengers, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes -- merely one of the best players in New York. Kiah brought in violinist Jesse Mills, late of the FLUX Quartet (and their epic traversals of Morton Feldman's String Quartet No. 2). Now they cheerfully play their own material (and believe me, Nathanson can really write) and arrangements of pop, classical, and folk tunes. And of course, listening to music on a barge off the Fulton Ferry Landing, looking out at the Lower Manhattan skyline, is its own reward.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Yes, the River Cafe is expensive; and yes, it's stodgy; and yes, you have to dress up. But before or after an evening listening to music on a barge off the Fulton Ferry Landing with spectacular Downtown views, there's nothing better than . . . eating dinner on a barge off the Fulton Ferry Landing with spectacular Downtown views. Moreover, while this dining-room-with-a-view has no need whatsoever to serve good food, it nevertheless does. Treat yourself.
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Thursday, July 26, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Russ & Daughters Cafe
- 127 Orchard Street
- New York, NY, 10002
- United States
-
Wednesday, July 25, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- Damrosch Park
- 60 Lincoln Center Plaza
- New York, NY, 10023
- United States
-
Wednesday, July 25, 2018, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Bryant Park
- New York, NY
- United States
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25
5:30 PM
Decoda
Bryant Park, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2018/07/25/Carnegie-Hall-Citywide-Decoda-0530PM
The New Music group Decoda presents a set of arrangements for mixed ensemble of pieces by Barber, Bartók, Bach, Beatles, Messiaen, Morricone,Rimsky, and Piazzolla. In other words, perfect for a Summer evening: light but not mindless.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Go to Keens Chophouse (I refuse to go along with the name change to "Steakhouse"). Go to the bar and gape at the painting of the naked lady: you don't need to get a table in any of the dining rooms. It's Summer, so maybe you feel the famous "mutton" chop would be a bit much. Order the roast beef hash: one of the pure pleasures of living in New York. In the Summer, I usually drink Martinis when I'm at a bar that specializes in the classics -- but this bar serves some of the best Manhattans in the City, so let's forget the season and go with that. And maybe it'll have cooled down enough outside by the end of your meal to justify a snifter of scotch (their selection is legendary) for dessert.
-
Tue, Jul 24, 2018, 8:30 PM – Sun, Jul 29, 2018, 9:30 PM
- HERE
- 145 6th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10012
- United States
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 24 - 29 (continuing through SEPTEMBER 2)
8:30 PM TUESDAY - SATURDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Basil Twist: Symphonie Fantastique
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
$35-$100
http://here.org/shows/detail/1934/
Not to put too fine a point to it, this piece -- premiered at this venue 20 years ago -- is one of the best things I've ever seen. A miracle of puppetry creates perfectly calibrated first-part-of-Fantasia-style visual effects to Berlioz's unhinged visionary masterpiece. It's just so apt, so unexpected -- and so much fun -- you can't believe it. If you haven't seen it, you MUST. If you've already seen it, you'll want to see it again. Piano reduction of the score played live by the redoubtable Christoper O'Riley. While I usually prefer live musical accompaniments on general principle, I actually liked it better when they used to do this piece to an orchestral recording: so much of the appeal of this weird musical masterpiece stems from Berlioz's tangy, unique, unprecedented orchestration. But don't let that keep you away! This is GREAT!!!!!!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chef Floyd Cardoz is kind of a Big Deal. He ran the Indian fusion restaurant Tabla for many years; then, after some other ventures, he opened a straighter Indian restaurant, Paowalla, in Soho. But that place never took off: something about the vibe seemed off. Cardoz has now reconfigured it to be livelier, more colorful -- more fun: The Bombay Bread Bar. Should be just right after this show.
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Tue, Jul 24, 2018, 8:30 PM – Sat, Jul 28, 2018, 9:30 PM
- Glass Box Theater, The New School
- 55 West 13th Street
- New York, NY, 10011
- United States
MUSIC
TUESDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 24 - 28
8:30 PM
Annie Gosfield Residency
The Stone
Glass Box Theater, The New School
55 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
$20
http://thestonenyc.com/calendar.php
A week-long (more or less) residency by this sonic explorer whose music is visceral as well as intellectually stimulating. Every show looks good, but given the leanings of this List I have to give a special shout-out to the final program Saturday night, a "21st-Century Dance Crazes" collection of dance tunes, Annie Gosfield-style.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It's not like the nice, homey Da Andrea is the greatest Italian (Emilia-Romagnan, basically) restaurant in New York -- or even the twentieth greatest. But I'll tell you what: you won't be sad you ate there. Not remotely.
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Tue, Jul 24, 2018, 7:30 PM – Sun, Jul 29, 2018, 8:30 PM
- Soho Rep
- 46 Walker Street
- New York, NY, 10013
- United States
THEATER
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 24 - 29 (continuing through AUGUST 12)
7:30 PM TUESDAY - SUNDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
Jackie Sibblies Drury: Fairview
Soho Rep.
46 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
$35-$65
http://sohorep.org/fairview
They may call this a "family drama". But what it really is, is an extremely canny -- and scathing -- and funny (to a point) -- exploration of race in America. At least if you're Caucasian, don't go to this exciting production of an explosive work if you prefer to leave the theater comforted and uplifted. But in that case, you probably shouldn't be reading this List in the first place.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tweaked-up bistro Frenchette is the best new restaurant in New York. Period.
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Tue, Jul 24, 2018, 7:30 PM – Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 8:30 PM
- David H. Koch Theater
- 20 Lincoln Center Plaza
- New York, NY, 10023
- United States
THEATER
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, JULY 24 & 25
7:30 PM
NINAGAWA Macbeth
Mostly Mozart Festival
David H. Koch Theater
20 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side, Manhattan
Remaining tickets $55
http://www.lincolncenter.org/mostly-mozart-festival/show/ninagawa-macbeth
There is no question that the late Yukio Ninagawa was one of the titans of world theater. When I saw his production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at BAM in 1990 (he brought an excellent revised production there in 2002, but this one sounds closer to that first), I felt like I had been punched in the stomach -- but also that I had experienced something of deep and haunting beauty. Ninagawa had just overseen this revival when he died two years ago. You should by no account miss it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Since a friend just remarked to me how much she likes Boulud Sud, I guess I'll send you there again. Non-clichéd pan-Mediterranean food (if you can imagine such a thing).
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Monday, July 23, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Pioneer Works
- 159 Pioneer Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11231
- United States
MUSIC
MONDAY, JULY 23*
8:00 PM
This Is Not This Heat
Pioneer Works
159 Pioneer Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn
$30 advance; $35 door
https://pioneerworks.org/programs/this-is-not-this-heat/
Wait long enough and anything will happen. This is the reunion of at least the surviving two thirds (along with some like-minded associates) of This Heat, a legendary mid-'70s-early-'80s English band, too musically out-there for any and all of the prog, punk, or post-punk movements with which they coincided. Last week ONO, this week This Heat. Who'll come back next week, Liberace?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brooklyn Ice House looks like a dive, has a very good (Old Skoolish) beer menu -- and, surprisingly, serves pretty good barbecue.
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Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 7:30 PM – Sat, Jul 28, 2018, 8:30 PM
- Ivo van Hove: The Damned
- 643 Park Avenue
- New York, NY, 10065
- United States
THEATER
MONDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 23 - 28
7:30 PM MONDAY - THURSDAY
8:00 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Ivo van Hove: The Damned
Comédie-Française
Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
$35-$175
http://armoryonpark.org/programs_events/detail/the_damned
When the greatest theater director in the world mounts a production in New York, you don't have to think too hard about whether to go. In this one, van Hove reinterprets the screenplay of Luchino Visconti's great, twisted (but controversial) film about a decadent culture capitulating to Nazism (no contemporary relevance there!). (What with the recent showing of the director's cut of another of Visconti's so-called "German" films, the absolutely bonkers Ludwig, we seem to be having a Visconti Moment here in New York.) It's difficult to wait to see what van Hove will do both with this material and with the soaring Drill Hall space. (Holy fuck! Did you see that van Hove and the greatest choreographer in the world are collaborating on a Broadway revival of West Side Story next year? I don't know about you, but I may die of overanticipation.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: After more than two hours of grinding decadence and degradation, you deserve something nice: JoJo.
-
Sunday, July 22, 2018, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- The Glove
- 885 Lexington Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11221
- United States
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JULY 22*
9:00 PM
ONO
The Glove
885 Lexington Avenue, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
$12
https://www.facebook.com/events/378083059349553/
ONO is an experimental rock band from 1980s Chicago, multi-racial, differing levels of gender fluidity, that broke up 30 years ago and now has, miraculously, reassembled. They call their music "industrial/avant-gospel" -- and damned if they don't live up to that. And more. And, they care about visuals.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Before the show, you just know I'm going to send you to L'Antagoniste, with the advice that you call ahead to reserve a Sunday-special Canard à la Presse. And afterward, I'm going to send you to The Wilky for good beer.
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Sunday, July 22, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Murmrr Ballroom
- 17 Eastern Parkway
- Brooklyn, NY, 11238
- United States
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JULY 22
8:00 PM
Faust
Murmrr Ballroom
17 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
$20 advance; $25 door
https://www.murmrr.com/event/1636762-faust-brooklyn/
If any rock sub-genre has aged well, it's Krautrock, that extreme prog variation from early-'70s Germany that sounds better now than it did then. What's interesting is that while British prog bands of the period claimed classical influence by aping long-dead 19th Century Romantic tropes, Krautrock -- without much talking about it -- incorporated elements of then-contemporary classical forms: drone, Minimalism, even Cage (which puts them in a line with the sainted Velvet Underground; Faust even recorded an album with Tony Conrad taking off from the music he made in the mid-'60s with The Dream Syndicate, an avant-garde classical ensemble that was a direct precursor of the Velvets). Since the Krautrock bands were actually in conversation with living music (rather than trying to steal prestige from dead music), their music retains its relevance now, just as Terry Riley's or La Monte Young's does. Faust may not have been the single best Krautrock band, perhaps (most people would probably choose Can; my vote goes to Neu!) -- but it was a really good one.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Gold Star Beer Counter should still be open after the show. Great beer. Edible food.
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Friday, July 20, 2018, 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
- National Sawdust
- 80 North 6th Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11249
- United States
-
Fri, Jul 20, 2018, 8:00 PM – Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 9:00 PM
- ISSUE Project Room
- 22 Boerum Place
- Brooklyn, NY, 11201
- United States
MUSIC
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JULY 20 & 21
8:00 PM
Sonic Arts Union
ISSUE Project Room
22 Boerum Place, Downtown, Brooklyn
$25
https://issueprojectroom.org/events
The Sonic Arts Union was a legendary collective of experimental composer/musicians, each a major figure in himself, who were involved with the fertile 1960s Ann Arbor New Music scene -- the scene from whose fringes Iggy Pop, surprisingly to some, emerged. The three surviving members -- David Behrman, Alvin Lucier, and Gordon Mumma -- reassemble for a two-night celebration (the fourth member, the great and much-missed Robert Ashley, is no longer available). On Saturday, they will be joined by a crew of colleagues and acolytes.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: No matter what I might have said about other places in the past, the Clover Club is really the best cocktail bar in Brooklyn. The current 10-year retrospective menu, with drawings of many of the galaxy of star bartenders who've worked there, drives home what a hotbed of cocktailian excellence this place has been. And you know what? The food really is good, especially for a spot that concentrates on beverages.
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Thu, Jul 19, 2018, 8:00 PM – Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 9:00 PM
- Chocolate Factory
- 5-49 49th Avenue
- Queens, NY, 11101
- United States
-
Thursday, July 19, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- St. Lydia's
- 304 Bond Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11231
- United States
MUSIC/PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, JULY 19
8:00 PM
Brackish # 20
St. Lydia's
304 Bond Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn
$10-$20 suggested donation
https://www.facebook.com/events/192174151510880/
Brackish -- Music & Art is a performance series curated by the avant-jazz (she'd say she's also pop) saxophonist Angela Morris -- and features exactly the the type of musicians, poets, dancers, and visual artists you'd expect to be programmed by someone who can be described like that. Which is not to say it's predictable. I don't know anything about any of the people on this bill. But on a nice summer night, why not go down by the water (even if it's that water) and take a flier on something new?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Over the canal and around the corner to Freek's Mill, with its sparkling farm-to-tableish food and an absolutely delightful all-Beaujolais-and-Loire-Chenin-Blanc-and-Georgian-qvevri wine list.
-
Thursday, July 19, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Elsewhere
- 599 Johnson Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11237
- United States
-
Thursday, July 19, 2018, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
- MoMA
- 11 West 53rd Street
- New York, NY, 10019
- United States
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JULY 19
6:30 PM
Deradoorian
MoMA
11 West 53rd Street, Midtown, Manhattan
$25; $18 seniors; $14 students; free children16 and under (includes museum entry)
https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/4488
Deradoorian is a singer on the Brooklyn indie scene, probably best known for her stint in Dirty Projectors. She's established a fruitful solo career, though -- although it must be said that the transition from the beguiling Middle Eastern-tinged, classically inflected psych-pop of her first album to the New Age musings of her second album was a bit distressing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's go to New York's best yakitori, Tori Shin -- and eat (absolutely delicious!) chicken parts we'd rather not think about.
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Thursday, July 19, 2018, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
- Metrotech Commons
- 304 Bridge Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11201
- United States
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JULY 19*
12:00 PM
Jupiter & Okwess
Metrotech Commons
304 Bridge Street, Downtown, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bam.org/music/2018/jupiter-okwess
Many of us know Congolese pop music. But these guys do it with a difference: they expressly avoid the rumba-influenced styles that have gained world renown, instead incorporating other local musics and rhythms into their songs. And they are hot! And exuberant! And bitingly political! (And don't worry: there's still plenty of guitar!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Well, make a lunchtime of it. Good soup dumplings and other Shanghainese street food at Yaso Tangbao.
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Thu, Jul 19, 2018, 7:30 AM – Fri, Jul 20, 2018, 8:30 AM
- Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall
- 10 Columbus Avenue
- New York, NY, 10023
- United States
OPERA
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, JULY 19 & 20*
7:30 PM
Haydn: The Creation
La Fura dels Baus
Mostly Mozart Festival
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall
10 Columbus Circle, Upper West Side, Manhattan
$35-$125
http://www.lincolncenter.org/mostly-mozart-festival/show/the-creation
Haydn's oratorio The Creation is (I'm not joking) one of the very peaks of Western culture: it's probably the least-known great Classical work relative to its quality in the whole corpus. But that isn't the only reason to go to this show. This will be a staged version of this account of the creation/Adam and Eve myth, conceived and performed by La Fura dels Baus, a Catalan company whose work is fantastic in all senses of the word, flamboyantly incorporating techniques from video to slapstick. And the chorus -- very important in this work -- is accentus, a world-beating French outfit that performs here much too rarely (accompanied in these performances by their associated period-instrument orchestra, Insula). This should not be missed. (BTW, I categorized this as "Opera" because what else do you call a staged oratorio?)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I throw up my hands and send you back to Guantanamera. Might as well celebrate the creation of the world with a Cuban party.
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Wednesday, July 18, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Elsewhere
- 599 Johnson Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11237
- United States
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18
8:00 PM
Macy Rodman
Elsewhere
599 Johnson Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn
$10 advance; $12 door
https://www.elsewherebrooklyn.com/events/2018-07-18-macy-rodman/
Listen to singles like "Lazy Girl" or "Strawberry Margarita" and tell me you can resist trans-girl poptart Macy Rodman. I sure can't.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Usual reminder to drink inside the Elsewhere venue at the upstairs cocktail lounge, where the cocktails are much better than at the bars in the music rooms.* Before and after, the drinks are better still at Chicha, and the hipster Nicaraguan food is fine.
-
Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 8:30 PM – Sun, Jul 22, 2018, 4:00 PM
- HERE
- 145 6th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10012
- United States
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 17 - 22 (continuing through SEPTEMBER 2)
8:30 PM TUESDAY - SATURDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Basil Twist: Symphonie Fantastique
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
$35-$100
http://here.org/shows/detail/1934/
Not to put too fine a point to it, this piece -- premiered at this venue 20 years ago -- is one of the best things I've ever seen. A miracle of puppetry creates perfectly calibrated first-part-of-Fantasia-style visual effects to Berlioz's unhinged visionary masterpiece. It's just so apt, so unexpected -- and so much fun -- you can't believe it. If you haven't seen it, you MUST. If you've already seen it, you'll want to see it again. Piano reduction of the score played live by the redoubtable Christoper O'Riley. While I usually prefer live musical accompaniments on general principle, I actually liked it better when they used to do this piece to an orchestral recording: so much of the appeal of this weird musical masterpiece stems from Berlioz's tangy, unique, unprecedented orchestration. But don't let that keep you away! This is GREAT!!!!!!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chef Floyd Cardoz is kind of a Big Deal. He ran the Indian fusion restaurant Tabla for many years; then, after some other ventures, he opened a straighter Indian restaurant, Paowalla, in Soho. But that place never took off: something about the vibe seemed off. Cardoz has now reconfigured it to be livelier, more colorful -- more fun: The Bombay Bread Bar. Should be just right after this show.
-
Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 7:30 PM – Sat, Jul 21, 2018, 8:30 PM
- Park Avenue Armory
- 643 Park Avenue
- New York, NY, 10065
- United States
THEATER
TUESDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 21 (continuing through JULY 28)*
7:30 PM TUESDAY - THURSDAY
8:00 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Ivo van Hove: The Damned
Comédie-Française
Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
$35-$175
http://armoryonpark.org/programs_events/detail/the_damned
When the greatest theater director in the world mounts a production in New York, you don't have to think too hard about whether to go. In this one, van Hove reinterprets the screenplay of Luchino Visconti's great, twisted (butcontroversial) film about a decadent culture capitulating to Nazism (no contemporary relevance there!). (What with the recent showing of the director's cut of another of Visconti's so-called "German" films, the absolutely bonkers Ludwig, we seem to be having a Visconti Moment here in New York.) It's difficult to wait to see what van Hove will do both with this material and with the soaring Drill Hall space. (Holy fuck! Did you see that van Hove andthe greatest choreographer in the world are collaborating on a Broadway revival of West Side Story next year? I don't know about you, but I may die of overanticipation.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: After more than two hours of grinding decadence and degradation, you deserve something nice: JoJo.
-
Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 7:30 PM – Wed, Jul 18, 2018, 7:00 PM
- David Geffen Hall
- 10 Lincoln Center Plaza
- New York, NY, 10023
- United States
MUSIC
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, JULY 17 & 18
7:30 PM
Bernstein: MASS
Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra
David Geffen Hall
10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side, Manhattan
$35-$100
http://www.lincolncenter.org/mostly-mozart-festival/show/bernstein-mass
There are essentially two views of Leonard Bernstein's MASS, with little middle ground: that it's a concededly flawed masterpiece that incorporates all of Bernstein's disparate characteristics, or an utter piece of shit. I'm with the POS guys: MASS's rock moves sound like something you'd hear in the lounge on a cruise ship; its street moves are like something you'd see on The Mod Squad; and its text is as insipid as you'd expect from the lyricist of Godspell (when you get to the couplet contributed by Paul Simon -- see if you can spot it -- you can just feel the intelligence level suddenly rise, if only for a minute). Nevertheless, I'm willing to give this fully-staged version a shot; sure, staging might bring out everything that's worst about the piece -- but who knows, it might put the piece in a context in which it makes sense. This show may (or may not) be annoying -- but it won't be boring.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I'ma be boring, though, and send you to Boulud Sud -- whose pan-Mediterranean food isn't (boring, that is).
-
Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 7:30 PM – Sun, Jul 22, 2018, 7:30 PM
- Soho Rep.
- 46 Walker Street
- New York, NY, 10013
- United States
THEATER
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 17 - 22 (continuing through AUGUST 12)
7:30 PM TUESDAY - SUNDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
Jackie Sibblies Drury: Fairview
Soho Rep.
46 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
$35-$65
http://sohorep.org/fairview
They may call this a "family drama". But what it really is, is an extremely canny -- and scathing -- and funny (to a point) -- exploration of race in America. At least if you're Caucasian, don't go to this exciting production of an explosive work if you prefer to leave the theater comforted and uplifted. But in that case, you probably shouldn't be reading this List in the first place.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tweaked-up bistro Frenchette is the best new restaurant in New York. Period.
-
Tuesday, July 17, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
-
Monday, July 16, 2018, 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
- The Joyce Theater
- 175 8th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10011
- United States
DANCE
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 17 - 22
7:30 PM TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY
8:00 PM THURSDAY - SATURDAY
2:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Ohad Naharin: Naharin's Virus
Batsheva -- The Young Ensemble
The Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Avenue, Chelsea, Manhattan
$56-$81
https://www.joyce.org/performances/batsheva-young-ensemble
The junior division of Israel's Batsheva Dance Company -- certainly one of the best and most distinctive in the world -- revives a classic piece by the company's recently departed (from the company, not this mortal coil) artistic director, Ohad Naharin -- certainly one of the best and most distinctive (and charismatic!) choreographers in the world. Naharin's Virus (inspired by a playby Peter Handke) was just great -- fascinating, absorbing, thought-provoking -- when Batsheva's principal company did it at BAM several years ago; if you didn't see it then, it would be well worth your while to catch up with it now.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You know what's wrong with the paella at Socarrat? Absolutely nothing.
-
Monday, July 16, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Abrons Arts Center
- 466 Grand Street
- New York, NY, 10002
- United States
MUSIC
MONDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 16 - 22
1:00, 4:00 & 8:00 PM
New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival
Abrons Arts Center
466 Grand Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
$20 per show; $35 day pass
http://www.abronsartscenter.org/on-stage/shows/2018-electroacoustic-festival/
This annual festival brings to New York compositions from all over the world in this genre that intriguingly combines electronic and acoustic instruments. Expect to hear things you never heard before -- and things you've heard before in ways you've never heard them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I'm sending you to the open-all-day Wu's Wonton King, because whatever show you go to, it will be open -- and serving supernal Cantonese food -- before and after.
-
Sunday, July 15, 2018, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- HERE
- 145 6th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10012
- United States
PERFORMANCE
SUNDAY, JULY 15 (also AUGUST 19)
7:00 PM
Christopher O'Riley/Basil Twist: Cabaret Fantastique
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
$15
http://here.org/shows/detail/2002/
That excellent pianist Christopher O'Riley does his Cristopher O'Riley thing --Radiohead transcriptions, maybe some Nick Drake transcriptions, maybe some scraps of New Music, some classics, whatever -- while Basil Twist's wonderful band of puppeteers cause the Symphonie Fantastique puppets to accompany him in the tank behind. A friend who saw a previous performance was enchanted -- and who wouldn't be?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you haven't seen Symphonie Fantastique yet -- and you MUST! -- you might consider going to today's matinée before this evening's cabaret. Whether you get some food and beverages before, between, or after the show(s), all-day Italian Café Altro Paradiso seems an obvious choice.
-
Sunday, July 15, 2018, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- (Le) Poisson Rouge
- 158 Bleecker Street
- New York, NY, 10012
- United States
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JULY 15
6:00 PM
En Órbita Festival
(Le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
$45
https://lpr.com/lpr_events/en-orbita-july-15th-2018/
This festival -- which as far as I can tell originated in Chile -- presents an evening of psychedelic music. Headlining are the remnants of the great '60s psychedelic Brazilian band, Os Mutantes -- one of those bands that present the "Ship of Theseus" problem: having lost almost all its original members (it's now down to one), it makes you wonder whether it's still the band itself or just a tribute band. Lee Ranaldo, who hasn't put a foot wrong since Sonic Youth broke up, obviously is still the real item, better maybe than ever (FULL DISCLOSURE: college friend). I'm pretty excited to see the Chilean (resident in Boston) space electropop band Breaking Forms. And, of course, ace guitarist Jonatan Gat. And much much more!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The only safe recommendation for after a Sunday-night show that will go on past midnight is West Village late-night French fave Buvette. (Not that going to as utterly delightful a place as Buvette is any kind of sacrifice.) If, however, Existing Conditions, a brand new avant-garde cocktail bar (with an intriguing food program) you'll be hearing a lot about from me over the next several weeks, stays open this late on Sundays -- they haven't disclosed their hours yet -- then that definitely becomes the play for after tonight's show. And maybe a burger at J.G. Melon beforehand?
-
Saturday, July 14, 2018, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
- The Stone
- 55 West 13th Street
- New York, NY, 10011
- United States
MUSIC
SATURDAY, JULY 14
8:30 PM
Iva Bittová/Gjan Riley
The Stone
Glass Box Theater, The New School
55 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
$20
http://thestonenyc.com/calendar.php
Master experimental guitarist (and son of founding Minimalist Terry) Gjan Riley is doing a residency at The Stone this week. This show is the pick of the bunch. Riley collaborates here with an artist who shares both his broad range and his evident desire to engage his audience: the Czech avant-garde violinist/vocalist Iva Bittová, a riveting live performer whose music fetchingly combines elements of prog/alternative rock, East European folk, and new classical. And speaking of people who have fathers, playing with Riley and Bittová will be pianist/electronics guy Tony Fajt, son of the leading Czech prog musician Pavel Fajt, whose early collaborations with Bittová pretty much put her on the map.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Babu Ji, in its original iteration, started the trendlet of hip new Indian places -- and carries on in its (relatively) new digs.
-
Saturday, July 14, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- Elsewhere
- 599 Johnson Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11237
- United States
MUSIC
SATURDAY, JULY 14
7:30 PM
The Octopus Project
Elsewhere
599 Johnson Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn
$12
https://www.elsewherebrooklyn.com/events/2018-07-14-the-octopus-project/
The Octopus Project is a good little electropop/rock band from Austin. Not a world-beater or anything -- but nice to listen to (and live audiences love them). Good for a hot Summer night.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: First thing, inside the venue, remember to get drinks in the upstairs cocktail lounge rather than at the bars in the music rooms: the drinks are much better upstairs. Before or after the show, hipster Nicaraguan food (and infinitely better drinks than even at the venue cocktail lounge) at Chicha.
-
Saturday, July 14, 2018, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
THEATER
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JULY 14 & 15
12:00 - 5:00 PM
William Shakespeare: The Tempest
Dysfunctional Collective
Nolan Park House 8B, Governors Island, Manhattan
Free
https://govisland.com/things-to-do/programs/2018-dysfunctional-collective
An immersive production of this greatest of plays, in which each storyline is performed separately, simultaneously in different rooms; you can stay in one room to see one story, follow a particular character from room/storyline to room/storyline to see the character's complete arc, or wander among rooms at random. Finally, after about 40 minutes, all the viewers converge in Prospero's cell in the basement for a finale weaving all the threads together. Frankly, I'm kind of fed up with this type of immersive theater: I feel the underlying work gets butchered; it seems to me to be theater for people with too little sitzfleisch for real theater. But if you're not over this stuff yet, this is definitely worth a try.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: There are plenty of food trucks and stands -- and a beer garden -- on Governors Island. If you want a drink and maybe a snack after the ferry ride back to the bigger islands -- and at least as far as the drink goes, I can't imagine why you wouldn't -- there's The Long Island Bar near the Brooklyn landing. The nearest excellent cocktail bar to the Manhattan landing, Dead Rabbit, had a fire and is closed till July 19; their Cuban-themed sister bar, BlackTail, is a little bit farther walk from the ferry landing -- but to tell you the truth, I like it even better than its celebrated world-famous sibling.
-
Friday, July 13, 2018, 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
- National Sawdust
- 80 North 6th Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11249
- United States
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JULY 13*
10:30 PM
Elysia Crampton
National Sawdust
80 North 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
$13
https://nationalsawdust.org/event/adhoc-presents-elysia-crampton/
You don't have to be Amerindian, Latinx, or queer to like Elysia Crampton's music. You just have to like first-rate electronic stuff. Her music has tremendous sweep without coming over as overbearingly epic. I don't know how she does that.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: My advice is that you also go to Sinkane's early show in this venue tonight and then walk over to the wonderful Delaware & Hudson Tavern for food and drinks in between.
-
Friday, July 13, 2018, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- National Sawdust
- 80 North 6th Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11249
- United States
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JULY 13*
7:00 PM
Sinkane: Caparundi
National Sawdust
80 North 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
$25
https://nationalsawdust.org/event/sinkane-presents-caparundi/
This show is somewhat mysterious. Sinkane is a tough-to-characterize musician, originally from Sudan but now living here in Brooklyn, whose music is an intriguing and compulsively listenable cocktail of prog, jazz, Krautrock, funk, and a dollop of Sudanese pop. "Caparundi" was a very good song on a very good album he put out in 2012. Now, he's apparently expanded it into a concert-length concept: Caparundi is, he says, "a magical and colorful place where Africa, North America, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean blend together to create a new identity", where "[a]ll music and all peoples are welcome." Expect it to all sound intriguing and compulsively listenable.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: There's a late show here tonight that's very much worth attending. So what I say you should do is go to both -- and in between, walk over to the Delaware & Hudson Tavern* for wonderful beer, cocktails, and Mid-Atlantic food (either unbelievably good pub grub from the bar menu or more composed plates from the dining room menu).
-
Thursday, July 12, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- ISSUE Project Room
- 22 Boerum Place
- Brooklyn, NY, 11201
- United States
MUSIC/PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, JULY 12*
8:00 PM
Julia Santoli: Siren Sore: "Burning Body of Love"
ISSUE Project Room
22 Boerum Place, Downtown, Brooklyn
Free ($10 suggested donation)
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/julia-santolis-siren-sore-burning-body-love-zach-rowden
Julia Santoli makes experimental multi-media works, with extended vocal techniques, body-generated feedback, gesture, site sonics, and visuals -- that yet respect song form (yay!). Here she performs within a sculptural landscape, accompanied by double bassist Zach Rowden.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The cocktails at the Mexican-themed cocktail bar Leyenda are fabulous. The food isn't bad, either.
-
Thursday, July 12, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- The Glove
- 885 Lexington Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11221
- United States
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JULY 12*
8:00 PM
Neighbor Lady/Future Heart
The Glove
885 Lexington Avenue, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
Ticket price unavailable
https://www.facebook.com/events/2063671553849614/
Neighbor Lady is a country-tinged rock band from Atlanta that's just a touch too sweet for me (but maybe not for you). More to my taste is Brooklyn psych-pop band Future Heart, whose songs keep getting better and better. Nice venue, nice night.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Before the show: snacky Filipino (have you noticed Filipino food is having a moment here?) at Tamà. After: good beer at The Wilky.
-
Thursday, July 12, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall
- 10 Columbus Avenue
- New York, NY, 10023
- United States
DANCE
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, JULY 12 & 13*
7:30 PM
Lucinda Childs: Available Light
Mostly Mozart Festival
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall
10 Columbus Circle, Upper West Side, Manhattan
$35-$115
https://joyce.org/performances/barak-ballet
Available Light was first mounted in New York in an early Next Wave Festival, when BAM was in what you might call its "Justice League of America" phase, assembling all-star teams of Big Names to create Big Works. So, here: Lucinda Childs! John Adams! Frank Gehry! My response to that original production was something along the lines of, "wow." That might not be the deepest nor most satisfying response to a piece -- but it's something.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: In 1984, people complained about having to go to Brooklyn to see this piece. Now, they'll complain about having to go to Manhattan. Make the best of it by eating, drinking, and all-around partying at festive Cuban spot Guantanamera.
-
Thursday, July 12, 2018, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Spectrum
- 70 Flushing Avenue, Garage A
- Brooklyn, NY, 11205
- United States
-
Thursday, July 12, 2018, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
- Metrotech Commons
- 304 Bridge Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11201
- United States
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JULY 12
12:00 PM
Kris Davis/Terri Lynne Carrington/Val Jeanty: Amalgarhythm
Metrotech Commons
304 Bridge Street, Downtown, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bam.org/music/2018/amalgarhythm
A great, questing modernist jazz pianist; a great drummer; and a great (Haitian-American, cuz it matters to her music) electronics/turntablist. And it's FREE. If you can get to Metrotech around lunchtime, what are you waiting for?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Well, make a lunchtime of it. Good soup dumplingsand other Shanghainese street food at Yaso Tangbao.
-
Tuesday, July 10, 2018, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
- HERE
- 145 6th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10012
- United States
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 10 - 15 (continuing through SEPTEMBER 2)*
8:30 PM TUESDAY - SATURDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Basil Twist: Symphonie Fantastique
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
$35-$100
http://here.org/shows/detail/1934/
Not to put too fine a point to it, this piece -- premiered at this venue 20 years ago -- is one of the best things I've ever seen. A miracle of puppetry creates perfectly calibrated first-part-of-Fantasia-style visual effects to Berlioz's unhinged visionary masterpiece. It's just so apt, so unexpected -- and so much fun -- you can't believe it. If you haven't seen it, you MUST. If you've already seen it, you'll want to see it again. Piano reduction of the score played live by the redoubtable Christoper O'Riley. While I usually prefer live musical accompaniments on general principle, I actually liked it better when they used to do this piece to an orchestral recording: so much of the appeal of this weird musical masterpiece stems from Berlioz's tangy, unique, unprecedented orchestration. But don't let that keep you away! This is GREAT!!!!!!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chef Floyd Cardoz is kind of a Big Deal. He ran the Indian fusion restaurant Tabla for many years; then, after some other ventures, he opened a straighter Indian restaurant, Paowalla, in Soho. But that place never took off: something about the vibe seemed off. Cardoz has now reconfigured it to be livelier, more colorful -- more fun: The Bombay Bread Bar. Should be just right after this show.
-
Tuesday, July 10, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- National Sawdust
- 80 North 6th Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11249
- United States
MUSIC
TUESDAY, JULY 10
8:00 PM
Orquesta Akokán
National Sawdust
80 North 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
$20
https://nationalsawdust.org/event/orquesta-akokan/
Orquesta Akokán is an all-star neo-Mambo band mostly from Havana (the leader lives in New Jersey) (not that there's anything wrong with that). I just listened to their album -- and boy is it good! One can only imagine how galvanic they'll be live.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Hot out. Beer. (And wurst.) Radegast.
-
Tuesday, July 10, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- The Joyce Theater
- 175 8th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10011
- United States
DANCE
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 10 - 15 (continuing through JULY 22)
7:30 PM TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY
8:00 PM THURSDAY - SATURDAY
2:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Ohad Naharin: Naharin's Virus
Batsheva -- The Young Ensemble
The Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Avenue, Chelsea, Manhattan
$56-$81
https://www.joyce.org/performances/batsheva-young-ensemble
The junior division of Israel's Batsheva Dance Company -- certainly one of the best and most distinctive in the world -- revives a classic piece by the company's recently departed (from the company, not this mortal coil) artistic director, Ohad Naharin -- certainly one of the best and most distinctive (and charismatic!) choreographers in the world. Naharin's Virus (inspired by a play by Peter Handke) was just great -- fascinating, absorbing, thought-provoking -- when Batsheva's principal company did it at BAM several years ago; if you didn't see it then, it would be well worth your while to catch up with it now.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You know what's wrong with the paella at Socarrat? Absolutely nothing.
-
Tuesday, July 10, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- Naumberg Bandshell
- Terrace Drive & 72nd Street
- New York, NY
- United States
-
Tuesday, July 10, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- Soho Rep.
- 46 Walker Street
- New York, NY, 10013
- United States
THEATER
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 10 - 15 (continuing through AUGUST 12)*
7:30 PM TUESDAY - SUNDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
Jackie Sibblies Drury: Fairview
Soho Rep.
46 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
$35-$65
http://sohorep.org/fairview
They may call this a "family drama". But what it really is, is an extremely canny -- and scathing -- and funny (to a point) -- exploration of race in America. At least if you're Caucasian, don't go to this exciting production of an explosive work if you prefer to leave the theater comforted and uplifted. But in that case, you probably shouldn't be reading this List in the first place. (Note that the run has been extended another three weeks: this is your chance to get tickets.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tweaked-up bistro Frenchette is the best new restaurant in New York. Period.
-
Saturday, July 7, 2018, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Elsewhere
- 599 Johnson Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11237
- United States
-
Saturday, July 7, 2018, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
MUSIC
SATURDAY, JULY 7
1:00 & 3:00 PM
Dither
Rite of Summer Music Festival
Colonels Row, Governors Island, Manhattan
Free
https://www.riteofsummer.com/festival/dither-quartet/
Dither is an electric guitar quartet playing New Music. The sonorities are fascinating and compelling (at least if you grew up on rock music). This program features, among other things, compositions by the quartet's members (one of whom happens to be Terry Riley's son) and by List fave Eve Beglarian, a composer whose work manages to be both immediately engaging and rewarding of close attention.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT:* Note that there's also a recommended production of The Tempest on the island today: why not make it a double-header while you're out there? There are plenty of food trucks and stands -- and a beer garden -- on Governors Island. If you want a drink and maybe a snack after the ferry ride back to the bigger islands, there's Dead Rabbit near the Manhattan landing and The Long Island Bar near the Brooklyn one (indeed, I can't remember the last time I went to Governors Island without stopping at one or the other afterward).
-
Saturday, July 7, 2018, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
THEATER
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JULY 7 & 8 (continuing through JULY 15)*
12:00 - 5:00 PM
William Shakespeare: The Tempest
Dysfunctional Collective
Nolan Park House 8B, Governors Island, Manhattan
Free
https://govisland.com/things-to-do/programs/2018-dysfunctional-collective
An immersive production of this greatest of plays, in which each storyline is performed separately, simultaneously in different rooms; you can stay in one room to see one story, follow a particular character from room/storyline to room/storyline to see the character's complete arc, or wander among rooms at random. Finally, after about 40 minutes, all the viewers converge in Prospero's cell in the basement for a finale weaving all the threads together. Frankly, I'm kind of fed up with this type of immersive theater: I feel the underlying work gets butchered; it seems to me to be theater for people with too little sitzfleischfor real theater. But if you're not over this stuff yet, this is definitely worth a try.
Note that there's also a recommended production ofThe Tempest on the island today: why not make it a double-header while you're out there? There are plenty of food trucks and stands -- and a beer garden -- on Governors Island. If you want a drink and maybe a snack after the ferry ride back to the bigger islands, there's Dead Rabbit near the Manhattan landing and The Long Island Bar near the Brooklyn one (indeed, I can't remember the last time I went to Governors Island without stopping at one or the other afterward).
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Friday, July 6, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- The Joyce Theater
- 175 8th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10011
- United States
DANCE
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JULY 6 & 7
8:00 PM
Barak Ballet
The Joyce Theater
175 8th Avenue, Chelsea, Manhattan
$26-$46
https://joyce.org/performances/barak-ballet
This looks really good. LA dancer/choreographer Melissa Barak's program centers on a piece called E/SPACE, featuring digital effects that look to be, um, psychedelic.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Venezuelan food is no longer as unrepresented in New York as it was when El Cocotero first opened. But you still don't see it coming and going, and as this place shows, it can be extremely tasty (and quite quite filling!).
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Friday, July 6, 2018, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Elsewhere
- 599 Johnson Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11237
- United States
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JULY 6
7:00 PM
DFA Summer Hot Dog
Elsewhere
599 Johnson Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn
$25-$35
https://www.elsewherebrooklyn.com/events/2018-07-06-dfa-summer-hot-dog/
Fifteen years ago it seemed like DFA Records's DOR revival was going to take over the world (or at least New York City). Now, it's as much an object of nostalgia as DOR was back then. The highlight of this DFA night is the New York live debut of CCFX, a dream pop group with a noteworthy singer. The rest of the long night will feature DJ sets by various DFA luminaries.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: First thing, inside the venue, remember to get drinks in the upstairs cocktail lounge rather than at the bars in the music rooms: the drinks are much better upstairs. Before or after the show, hipster Nicaraguan food (and infinitely better drinks than even at the venue cocktail lounge) at Chicha.
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Wednesday, July 4, 2018, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
- Wonders of Nature
- 131 Grand Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11249
- United States
OPERA
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4*
6:00 PM
thingNY: Jeff Young and Paul Pinto, Patriots, Run for Public Office on a Platform of Swift and Righteous Immigration Reform, Lots of Jobs, and a Healthy Environment
Wonders of Nature
131 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
$7-$10
http://www.thingny.com/events
A bevy of New York's best D.I.Y. opera people converge for an Independence Day celebration by way of a new opera about . . . well, you can tell what it's about.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Snacks will be available at the show. Afterwards, you can walk down to Grand Ferry Park to watch the fireworks. After that, if you're lucky Fresh Kills Bar -- one of the best cocktail bars in Brooklyn -- will be open.
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Tuesday, July 3, 2018, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
- HERE
- 145 6th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10013
- United States
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & THURSDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 3 & 5 - 8 (continuing through SEPTEMBER 2)
8:30 PM TUESDAY & THURSDAY - SATURDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Basil Twist: Symphonie Fantastique
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
$35-$100
http://here.org/shows/detail/1934/
Not to put too fine a point to it, this piece -- premiered at this venue 20 years ago -- is one of the best things I've ever seen. A miracle of puppetry creates perfectly calibrated first-part-of-Fantasia-style visual effects to Berlioz's unhinged visionary masterpiece. It's just so apt, so unexpected -- and so much fun -- you can't believe it. If you haven't seen it, you MUST. If you've already seen it, you'll want to see it again. Piano reduction of the score played live by the redoubtable Christoper O'Reilly. While I usually prefer live musical accompaniments on general principle, I actually liked it better when they used to do this piece to an orchestral recording: so much of the appeal of this weird musical masterpiece stems from Berlioz's tangy, unique, unprecedented orchestration. But don't let that keep you away! This is GREAT!!!!!!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chef Floyd Cardoz is kind of a Big Deal. He ran the Indian fusion restaurant Tabla for many years; then, after some other ventures, he opened a straighter Indian restaurant, Paowalla, in Soho. But that place never took off: something about the vibe seemed off. Cardoz has now reconfigured it to be livelier, more colorful -- more fun: The Bombay Bread Bar. Should be just right after this show.
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Tuesday, July 3, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- (Le) Poisson Rouge
- 158 Bleecker Street
- New York, NY, 10012
- United States
MUSIC
TUESDAY, JULY 3
7:30 PM
Philip Glass: Dracula
(Le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
$15-$20 advance; $20-$25 door
https://lpr.com/lpr_events/lpr-x-michael-riesman-piano-dracula-july-3rd-2018/
Twenty years ago, Philip Glass composed a gripping string-quartet score for Tod Browning's horror classic Dracula. Around ten years later, longtime Glass collaborator Michael Riesman arranged the score for solo piano (an arrangement he and Glass thought enough of to have Riesman record it). Tonight, Riesman plays his piano arrangement of Glass's score, accompanying Browning's great movie. Hard to think of what you could do tonight that would be better than this.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Excellent burgers and competent martinis at the downtown J.G. Melon. (Tonight, order the burger blood rare.)
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Monday, July 2, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- (Le) Poisson Rouge
- 158 Bleecker Street
- New York, NY, 10012
- United States
MUSIC
MONDAY, JULY 2
8:00 PM
Carolina Eyck/Theo Bleckmann
(Le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
$20-$25 advance; $25-$30 door
http://lpr.com/lpr_events/lpr-x-carolina-eyck-july-2nd-2018/
Two vocalists -- both of whom happen to be German-born -- who place themselves in both the jazz and New Music camps. Carolina Eyck will perform with her voice, loops, and a theremin. Theo Bleckmann will perform with his voice, loops, and toys. I guess you can say it'll be a loopy night.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: 4 Charles Prime Rib: excellent roast beef, excellent burger, excellent cocktails, excellent setting.
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Monday, July 2, 2018, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Secret Project Robot
- 1186 Broadway
- Brooklyn, NY, 11221
- United States
-
Monday, July 2, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- The Joyce Theater
- 175 8th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10011
- United States
DANCE
MONDAY, TUESDAY & THURSDAY, JULY 2, 3 & 5
7:30 PM MONDAY & TUESDAY
8:00 PM THURSDAY
Ashley Bouder Project
The Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Avenue, Chelsea, Manhattan
$31-$56
https://joyce.org/performances/ashley-bouder-project
The City Ballet's Ashley Bouder is a fiercely athletic but highly artistic dancer. Here she and her occasional outside company present an evening of dance pieces by mostly women choreographers (including Bouder herself), set to music by entirely women composers. It should be interesting to watch this highly accomplished dancer stretch herself.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Momofuku Nishi for Italian that's now only a little tricked up.
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Monday, July 2, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- American Ballet Theater
- 30 Lincoln Center Plaza
- New York, NY, 10023
- United States
DANCE
MONDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 2 - 7*
7:30 PM MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY & FRIDAY
8:00 PM SATURDAY
2:00 PM WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Alexei Ratmansky: Whipped Cream
American Ballet Theater
Metropolitan Opera House
30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side, Manhattan
$22-$235
https://www.abt.org/events/whipped-cream/
A reader questioned why I keep recommending these Ratmansky-recreates-the-style-of-classic-ballet pieces, when they're so reactionary as to seem at war with this List's aesthetic. But it's interesting: if these pieces only had a smidgen of irony, they'd be post-modern. But they don't: they are exactly what they celebrate (and don't at all mock). And this one, at least, is GREAT: a clever, witty, endlessly entertaining spectacle -- what those classic story ballets would be if they were a little bit smarter. I would hate to meet a person who didn't enjoy it. (FWIW, the Monday night/Saturday matinée cast looks the best to me -- but don't not go on other days on that account.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: How I wish the Eclair were still open on 72nd Street: a good Viennese pastry shop is what you'll want after this ballet devoted to Viennese pastry. But alas, no. If you go to a matinée, Épicerie Boulud should hit the spot (even if the pastries trend French rather than Mitteleuropean). Evening performances, I guess Bar Boulud.
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Monday, July 2, 2018, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- Soho Rep
- 46 Walker Street
- New York, NY, 10013
- United States
THEATER
TUESDAY & THURSDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 3 & 5 - 8 (continuing through JULY 22)*
7:30 PM TUESDAY & THURSDAY - SUNDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
Jackie Sibblies Drury: Fairview
Soho Rep.
46 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
$35-$65; 99¢ first-come first-served tickets SUNDAY
http://sohorep.org/fairview
They may call this a "family drama". But what it really is, is an extremely canny -- and scathing -- and funny (to a point) -- exploration of race in America. At least if you're Caucasian, don't go to this exciting production of an explosive work if you prefer to leave the theater comforted and uplifted. But in that case, you probably shouldn't be reading this List in the first place. (Tickets for the SUNDAY performance are only 99¢, on a first-come first-served basis; you can't reserve them but have to show up early and wait for them.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tweaked-up bistro Frenchette is the best new restaurant in New York. Period.
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Sunday, July 1, 2018, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Spectrum
- 70 Flushing Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY, 11205
- United States
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JULY 1
4:00 PM
Modern Piano (+) Festival
Spectrum
70 Flushing Avenue, Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Ticket price unavailable
http://www.spectrumnyc.com/site/calendar.php
The young Boulez's Second Piano Sonata is a very great, indeed undeniable, work -- but it's devilishly hard to play. Don't worry: I've heard the estimable Taka Kigawa play it -- and he surmounts any difficulties.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Sunday night is perfect for the eminently homey Vinegar Hill House. If the food sometimes underachieves, the beverages and the ambiance never fail to overperform.
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Sat, Jun 30, 2018, 7:00 PM – Sun, Jul 1, 2018, 8:00 PM
MUSIC
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JUNE 30 & JULY 1
7:00 PM SATURDAY
8:00 PM SUNDAY
(Le) Poisson Rouge (SATURDAY)
158 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
Murmrr Theater (SUNDAY)
17 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
$35 advance; $45 door (SATURDAY)
http://lpr.com/lpr_events/olafur-arnalds-june-30th-2018/
$40 advance; $55 ticket exchange; $45 door (SUNDAY)
https://www.murmrr.com/event/1672436-olafur-arnalds-brooklyn/
Ólafur Arnalds is an ambient-electronica-into-pop-but-really-it-isn't-that-far-from contemporary-classical composer/performer from Iceland. Here, he'll play with a string quartet, a percussionist (and not just any one: Manu Delago!), and his own electronic and acoustic keyboards. (These shows are sold out, but the Murmrr show, at least, has a ticket exchange by which you can apply to purchase tickets whose holders no longer want them.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: On a Saturday night in the Village, a neighorhood spot like Georgian standby Old Tbilisi Garden is your best bet for someplace that won't be a madhouse. For Sunday in Brooklyn, Gold Star Beer Counter has a truly awe-inspiring beer selection. The snacky food is fine for what it is -- but you're not there for the food.
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Tue, Jun 26, 2018, 8:30 PM – Sun, Jul 1, 2018, 9:30 PM
- HERE
- 145 6th Avenue
- New York, NY, 10013
- United States
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JUNE 26 - JULY 1 (continuing through SEPTEMBER 2)
8:30 PM TUESDAY - SATURDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
$35-$100
http://here.org/shows/detail/1934/
Not to put too fine a point to it, this piece -- premiered at this venue 20 years ago -- is one of the best things I've ever seen. A miracle of puppetry creates perfectly calibrated first-part-of-Fantasia-style visual effects to Berlioz's unhinged visionary masterpiece. It's just so apt, so unexpected -- and so much fun -- you can't believe it. If you haven't seen it, you MUST. If you've already seen it, you'll want to see it again. (One possible caveat: the past performances I've seen were performed to an orchestral recording. Now it's being done to a live piano reduction -- played by the redoubtable Christoper O'Reilly, no less. While I usually prefer live musical accompaniments on general principle, however, so much of the appeal of this weird musical masterpiece stems from Berlioz's tangy, unique, unprecedented orchestration that I'm not sure I can see how a piano reduction would be nearly as effective. Shouldn't the music be as colorful as the visuals?) (But GO anyway!!!!! This is GREAT!!!!!!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chef Floyd Cardoz is kind of a Big Deal. He ran the Indian fusion restaurant Tabla for many years; then, after some other ventures, he opened a straighter Indian restaurant, Paowalla, in Soho. But that place never took off: something about the vibe seemed off. Cardoz has now reconfigured it to be livelier, more colorful -- more fun: The Bombay Bread Bar. Should be just right after this show.
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Tue, Jun 26, 2018, 7:30 PM – Sun, Jul 1, 2018, 8:30 PM
- St. Ann's Warehouse
- 45 Water Street
- Brooklyn, NY, 11201
- United States
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JUNE 26 - JULY 1
7:30 PM TUESDAY - SUNDAY
3:00 PM SUNDAY
St. Ann's Warehouse
45 Water Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn
$21 each for Programs A&B; $40 Combo Pack for both programs
http://stannswarehouse.org/show/labapalooza-2018/
Every year, St. Ann's puts on a series of puppet theater pieces-in-progress as developed over the year in its Puppet Lab. There are two programs. Hard to know what to expect -- but quality is generally high.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Definitely Celestine -- for the spectacular river view, but also for the Mediterranean food, better than at any of the other new spectacular-view spots on the DUMBO riverfront (but see the River Cafe -- which is far from new).
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Tue, Jun 26, 2018, 7:30 PM – Sun, Jul 1, 2018, 8:30 PM
THEATER
TUESDAY - SUNDAY, JUNE 26 - JULY 1 (continuing through JULY 22)*
7:30 PM TUESDAY - SUNDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
Soho Rep.
46 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
$35-$65; 99¢ first-come first-served tickets SUNDAY
http://sohorep.org/fairview
They may call this a "family drama". But what it really is, is an extremely canny -- and scathing -- and funny (to a point) -- exploration of race in America. At least if you're Caucasian, don't go to this first-rate production of an explosive work if you prefer to leave the theater comforted and uplifted. But in that case, you probably shouldn't be reading this List in the first place. (Tickets for the SUNDAY performance are only 99¢, on a first-come first-served basis; you can't reserve them but have to show up early and wait for them.) (Note also that the run has been extended another three weeks.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tweaked-up bistro Frenchette is the best new restaurant in New York. Period.
