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Sunday, Sep 07, 2008
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New York City: Theatre, dining, film, poetry, jazz, Gay bars, and the best New Year's blowouts |
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| New York City: Theatre, dining, film, poetry, jazz, Gay bars, and the best New Year's blowouts | ||
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Part one; part two, next week
by E. Joyce Glasgow -
SGN A&E Writer Have you been thinking about a trip to New York in the winter, to see the holiday decorations, spend a romantic New Year, and find better availability of theatre tickets, hotels and airfares in January and February? New York can be quite magical in a snowstorm, when everything is covered in snow and the evening streets take on an uncustomary, novel silence. You feel as though you are the only person on earth, with one or two occasional taxicabs making an appearance. Then you enter a steamy-windowed, warm and welcoming music club and hear the animated chatter of a packed house, all cozy together and out of the cold, gathered to hear their favorite jazz or cabaret artist. It's a great feeling! When I travel to New York City, I like to look for those places frequented by New Yorkers and I try to bypass the artificial tourist glitz. I enjoy seeing the different communities of people that are drawn to different paths and interests. Following is a description of places I've visited this year in New York City and in nearby areas of Connecticut that I thought readers would like to know about and visit on their next trip: For New Year's Eve, you can find a hundred loud and trendy clubs on the internet, telling you the exact same thing: "frequented by supermodels, movie stars and financiers" and promising "hip" or "affluent" "20- to 30-somethings" "the time of their lives." Can you tell that they all have the same public relations firm promoting them? OK, you can fall for this hype (if you are 20-30 something) or, no matter what your age, you can really have a beautiful, romantic, memorable, graceful and unique, arts-related and real New Year - at a very fair price - by attending the annual New Year's Eve celebration at the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, on E. 20th Street across from Gramercy Park (between Park Avenue South and Irving Place). This elegant soiree features a sumptuous dinner buffet, top-shelf liquors, a dessert buffet and a jazzy, live orchestra for dancing, all taking place in a 19th-century mansion, which is on both the New York and National Historic Registry. Gays and straights are all welcome here. The rooms are filled with paintings, drawings and sculptures by members and incredible antique stained glass, furniture and grand fireplaces. I've spent two of the past three New Year's Eves here. The party is primarily frequented by members, but is one of the only formal events that non-members may attend. During the year there are a number of informal theatrical events, lectures, etc., that are open to the public. You are sure to meet a number of fascinating, eclectic, artistic individuals, who are the foundation and movers and shakers of the New York arts scene. (Members have included everyone from President Theodore Roosevelt to Whoopi Goldberg.) Tickets for New Year's Eve are $150.00 for non-members, taxes and gratuity included. Visit www.thenationalartsclub.org for more information. Advanced, paid reservations required. Sleep in and wake up late on New Year's Day and head down to St. Mark's Church, 131 E. 10th St. (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), in the East Village, for the Poetry Project's 34th Annual New Year's Day Marathon Reading, a casual event which starts at the civilized hour of 2:00 p.m. and goes on and on for hours into the night featuring dozens of artists, including Phillip Glass, Patti Smith, Eric Bogosian, Elliott Sharp, Judith Malina, Dael Orlandersmith, Penny Arcade, Avram Fefer and the iconic poetry denizen of the East Village scene and former Andy Warhol cohort, octogenarian Taylor Mead. Come and go as you like throughout the day. Visit www.poetryproject.com for more information. "The Poetry Project burns like red hot coal in New York's snow." - Allen Ginsberg If you feel like an extravagant banquet to bring in the first day of the New Year, get reservations for the amazing, one-of-a-kind buffet brunch at the historic Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 301 Park Avenue (between E. 49th and E. 50th Streets), at which over 100 gourmet dishes are served, with live piano accompiament. This buffet is also served regularly every Sunday. Visit www.waldorfastoria.hilton.com to learn more. Or, if you happen to be graciously invited by a member of the National Arts Club to return on New Year's Day for the late afternoon champagne reception and dinner, you will find that this quiet, relaxed event for members and their guests gives one a chance to converse with the other attendees in a leisurely fashion. Commune with nature for the New Year by taking a long, bracing, winter walk through Central Park, followed by a well deserved hot chocolate in a cozy, warm café. Following are some thing to do and places to go during the rest of your winter trip to New York: An interesting venue for year-round artistic events is the French Institute/ Alliance Francaise (FIAF), at 22 E. 60th St (between Park and Madison Avenues). This is a wonderful find where there are plenty of fun activities, including French film tributes, music and theatre, presented in their 400-seat auditorium, and year-round French classes. The Institute boasts the largest private French library in the U.S. I attended a delightful Eric Satie piano concert here, followed by a showing of Entr'acte, the surreal, Dada influenced 1924 film, which was part of the Rene Clair film retrospective. The showing was accompanied by a live piano score, written by Eric Satie especially for this silent film. That was a real treat! The FIAF is housed in an elegant Beaux Arts building. Visit www.fiaf.org for more information. At 59 East 59th St. between Madison and Park Avenues, is a fascinating and fairly new live theatre center entitled simply, 59 E 59th. There are multiple theatre spaces here and the styles of theatre featured veer towards the innovative and experimental. I saw a well-acted sexual comedy with fine British actors as part of the "Brits off Broadway" series. 59 E 59th hosts unusual theatre/performance art pieces all year. Visit www.59e59.org for more information. One of the best times to be in New York for arts mavens is during the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference (APAP), held every January. This year's dates are January 11-15, 2008. It is during and around this time that you can, as a member of the public, purchase reasonably-priced tickets to all sorts of unusual arts events of every discipline including theatre, dance, cabaret, jazz, comedy, chamber music, etc., around New York theatres and music clubs as artists from around the world perform their showcases for attendees of the conference (who are their potential employers). To learn more about APAP, visit www.artspresenters.org. The Under the Radar Festival is an international theatrical showcase held on dates to correspond with the APAP Conference, in venues around N.Y.C., including its central venue, the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street (South of E. 8th Street and Astor Place, in the East Village). This year's dates are January 9-20, 2008. The styles of performances that are featured at Under the Radar are eclectic, innovative, sometimes multi-disciplinary, and may be the sort that might be presented at a venue like On the Boards in Seattle, to give you an idea of its more experimental nature. This year features performances by Seattle-based actor/singer/comedian Reggie Watts and former Seattleite monologist Mike Daisey, as well as theater pieces from Ireland, Belarus and around the U.S. Tickets are inexpensive and sell out fast. For the complete schedule visit www.publictheater.org. Check out Joe's Pub, at the Public Theater, for a jam-packed variety of eclectic musical performances nightly, in this intimate club. Visit: www.joespub.com. The Public Theater presents innovative productions all year long. In the summertime, the free Shakespeare in the Park series has become a tradition well loved by New Yorkers and visitors alike. Set next to a pond in picturesque Central Park, the amphitheater has a lovely view of trees framing the stage. I saw a dynamic production of Romeo and Juliet this past June, with a minimalist, modern, see-through set, which allowed me a view all the way to the pond from my seat. It was breathtaking when, at dusk, just as Romeo was addressing Juliet below her balcony, all the frogs around the pond began to croak and the crickets began singing loudly. They provided an outrageous, magical and awe-inspiring natural soundscape for the play for about twenty minutes until dark. Another terrific, one-of-a-kind musical event scheduled at APAP Conference time is the globalFEST World Music festival, which this year features 12 international musical artists on three stages in one evening at Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St., on January 13, 2008. There are exciting performers from all over the world. I am particularly intrigued to hear smoldering, sensual Italian crooner Vinicio Caposella; Lo Cor de lo Plana, ancient sounding folk music singers from Marseilles; joyful, romantic Argentinean master accordionist Chango Spaciak, and Puerto Plato, the breezy, 84-year-old Dominican Son maestro. Visit www.rockpaperscissors.biz for music samples of all the performers, information and tickets. This evening sells out quickly, so don't wait to buy tickets if you want to attend this once a year event. The Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street (between Broadway and Church Street), will also be presenting Winter Jazzfest 2008, for one night on January 12, during APAP Conference time, featuring twenty jazz groups. There are many fine musicians performing who like to try fresh, new things and explore stretching themselves and playing in a more experimental jazz vein. Visit www.knittingfactory.com or www.winterjazzfest.com for a complete lineup of the evening's performers, which include; Dave Douglas, Wayne Horvitz (who resides in Seattle), Don Byron, David Murray, Mark Feldman, Iva Bittova, Brad Shepik (former Seattle resident), Ben Allison, Nasheet Waits, Andrew Cyrille and Ray Drummond. The Chamber Music America 30th Anniversary Conference is taking place January 4-7, 2008 at the Westin New York Hotel in Times Square. This wonderful organization supports and nurtures musical exploration by commissioning numerous chamber and jazz musicians to create original compositions each year. Although most of the showcase performances are for Conference attendees, several virtuosic performances each year are open to interested members of the public. Contact them to learn more about these possibilities at www.chamber-music.org. I love the cabaret scene in New York. The singers are generally warm, generous of spirit, very individual in their approaches, with polished and unique deliveries. In June, I heard three great singers at the wonderful Metropolitan Room, 34 W. 22nd St., which was celebrating its one-year anniversary. Iconic New York cabaret singer Julie Wilson has been charming her audiences for over fifty years and at 82 - having recovered from two strokes - continues to radiate grace and inspiration on the cabaret stage. Her body is willowy, her hair always pulled back sleekly into a bun, with a trademark flower to one side and a dramatic feather boa trailing down onto the floor. She embraces her audience with her warmth. Sophisticated, award-winning vocalist Barbara Fasano has a deceptively cool approach, while underneath she is reaching you on an emotional level that you weren't expecting. Christine Pedi is an incredibly funny chanteuse and impersonator who changes from one diva to another with lightning speed. In June 2007, she finished a successful run in Talk Broadway on Broadway. If you have a chance to see Baby Jane Dexter, here at the Met. or anywhere, you really must. She is an incredible performer and a total entertainer! I can't say enough good things about the Metropolitan Room and its gracious staff. It has really become a major asset to the New York cabaret scene. Visit www.metropolitanroom.com for their winter 2008 schedule of numerous and varied performers. Don't Tell Mama Cabaret and Piano Bar, 343 W. 46th St. (on "Restaurant Row," between 8th and 9th Avenues), has been one of the mainstays of the N.Y. cabaret world for many years. It's also a very gregarious and comfortable Gay destination. I saw stage and television actress Elaine Joyce presenting her first ever cabaret act, written by her and her award-winning Broadway playwright husband, Neil Simon. As a storyteller, she had an easy and casual rapport with her first night audience and used her natural acting skills to transcend her opening night jitters. German chanteuse Micaela Leon is a regular performer here, with her tribute to the women of the Weimar Berlin Cabaret, Tiger, Muses and Jasmine. Visit www.donttellmamanyc.com for their full schedule. One of the most fun things to do later in the evening on a Friday or Saturday night is to go down to Marie's Crisis, 59 Grove St., for the group Broadway sing. A hundred or so people squeeze around the piano in this tiny basement haunt in the West Village and sing joy-filled medleys from Broadway musicals together at the tops of their lungs. It is quite a cathartic and exhilarating experience. This bar has been one of the Gay community's major social gathering places for years. Don't miss going to the opera open singers' nights at the cozy Caffé Taci on Friday and Saturday nights, where you can hear some great opera voices and enjoy a festive atmosphere while indulging in some very tasty Italian food and wine. Visit www.caffetaci.com and watch the trailer from a new German television documentary about Caffe Taci. One of the most exciting finds by far is Jim Caruso's "Cast Party." This entertainment-filled evening is held every Monday night at 10 p.m. at the top-notch jazz club, Birdland (315 W. 44th St., between 8th and 9th Avenues). Caruso is a great singer and funny man and each week he hosts this open microphone for all kinds of singers - pros or semi-pros mostly - who get there early to sign up to sing a song. Bring your sheet music. A pianist and bass player are provided. One of the nights I was there I had the chance to sing one of my original, funny blues songs with playful call-and-response singing from the audience. I was floating on a cloud for two days from all the love and support I received. Birdland has some of the best sound, lighting and layout of New York jazz clubs and I felt like I was singing in Heaven! Everyone shows up, from Broadway musical performers on their night off, to jazz, cabaret, folk and singer/ songwriters. Max Crumm and Laura Osnes of Grease sang on one of the Mondays I attended, as did long standing folk singer/ songwriter, Christine Lavin and Stephanie J. Block, the lead in the now closed Broadway musical, Pirate Queen. Be forewarned; do not bring a ballad to sing; ballads are strictly prohibited in this fast and fun-loving environment. Bring an upbeat and/or funny song to sing or just come to listen, for some exciting performances and a delicious dinner. This is a happening place with lots of surprises. Visit www.birdlandjazz.com. Joyce Glasgow's comprehensive New York events review will continue in next week's SGN with more jazz coverage, guides to the area's best museums, and a look at the famous - and familiar - faces performing in Fairfield and Westport. |
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