Ticket Alert of the Week
12.21.05
1. Springtime for BAM with Cate Blanchett, Mark Morris, and Lynn Redgrave
2. Redon, Murray, safety, Pixar, new photography, and Chinese cinema at MoMA
3. Vincent, Milne, French drawings from Britain, Christmas, and the occult at the Met
Volume 5, Number 29
December 21, 2005 — January 4, 2006
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Site Design/Subway Photo:
Fred Gates Design, New York.
PEER GYNT photo: Lesley Leslie-Spinks
— Jethro Tull, “First Snow on Brooklyn”
Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (HG)
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
BAM Harvey Theater (HT)
651 Fulton Street between Ashland Pl. & Rockwell Pl.
January 21 — May 28
Save twenty percent when you buy tickets for four shows or more
718-636-4100
http://bam.org/events/springseason.aspx
Fresh off another successful Next Wave Festival, BAM springs right back into action with the spring season, which begins in that most springlike time of year, late January. Three days of Rhythm & BAM open things up, with performances by Arrested Development, Morris Day & the Time, and twi-ny faves Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, among others. Stars come into town in the form of Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving in the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Ibsen’s HEDDA GABLER and Lynn Redgrave as Lady Bracknell in Peter Hall’s Theatre Royal Bath presentation of Oscar Wilde’s THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. BAM regular Robert Wilson returns with a unique version of Ibsen’s PEER GYNT, while another BAM regular, Mark Morris, celebrates his dance company’s twenty-fifth anniversary season with a series of special events. There’s also Les Arts Florissants’ take on Handel’s HERCULES opera, Sir Jonathan Miller’s conduction of Bach’s ST. MATTHEW PASSION, and choreographer William Forsythe’s experimental dance piece KAMMER/KAMMER before the season ends with the traditional Memorial Day weekend of African dance.
Saturday, January 21 Rhythm & BAM: Alvin Slaughter, with the Greater Allen Cathedral Mass Choir & Band, HG, $20-$25, 7:30
Friday, January 27 Rhythm & BAM: Arrested Development, with the Urban Word Teen Poetry Slam Champions and M1 of Dead Prez, HG, $20-$25, 7:30
Saturday, January 28 Rhythm & BAM: Morris Day & the Time, with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, HG, $20-$35, 7:30
Tuesday, February 14
through
Sunday, February 19 HERCULES, with Les Arts Florissants, HG, $35-$150
Tuesday, February 28
through
Sunday, March 26 HEDDA GABLER, Sydney Theatre Company with Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving, HT, $30-$85
Wednesday, March 8
through
Saturday, March 25 Mark Morris Dance Group Twenty-fifth Anniversary Season, HG, $20-$70
Saturday, April 8
through
Saturday, April 15 ST. MATTHEW PASSION, conducted by Paul Goodwin, HT, $30-$90
Tuesday, April 11
through
Sunday, April 16 PEER GYNT, directed, lighting, and stage design by Robert Wilson, music by Michael Galasso, HG, $25-$80
Tuesday, April 18
through
Sunday, May 14 THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, Theatre Royal Bath / Peter Hall Company, starring Lynn Redgrave, HT, $30-$85
Tuesday, May 2
through
Saturday, May 6 KAMMER/KAMMER, by William Forsythe, HG, $20-$70
Friday, May 26
through
Sunday, May 28 DanceAfrica 2006 — Legacy: African Dance in Our World, HG, $20-$45
Gift of the Ian Woodner Family Collection, 2000
Odilon Redon, "The Teeth"
Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves.
Through January 23, 2006
Admission: $20 (includes $10 movie ticket within thirty days)
Free Fridays from 4:00 to 8:00
212-708-9400
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2005/odilon_redon.html
French artist Odilon Redon’s (1840-1916) dark world of the fantastic, featuring figures that Gauguin referred to as "imaginary beings" and not "monsters," will be inhabiting MoMA for another month, offering holiday cheer to those seeking respite from shopping crowds everywhere. The bulk of this exciting retrospective of the Decadent Symbolist is his bizarre drawings, "noirs" that feature lonely figures amid bleak landscapes. A large severed head is carried on a platter in "Descent into Hell." In "Eye-Balloon," an enormous eyeball in the shape of a hot-air balloon floats through gray skies, its only passenger a head on a plate. A child’s face looms in the shaft of a dark well in "The Well." Look closely at the figure’s fingers and feet in "The Convict." The minute hand in the ominous "The Masque of the Red Death" is a feather brushing away time. Get up close to "The Teeth" to see how Redon scraped the canvas to create the halo of light around the chattering dentoids. It wasn’t until the turn of the century that Redon began brightening his works, using pastels, watercolors, and colored wove paper. He continued his techniques of wiping, stumping, incising, erasing, and smudging to create such abstract drawings as "Roger and Angelica" as well as the quasi-religious "The Window," the garishly purple "Woman with Flower Corsage," and the spectacular still-life "Vase of Flowers."
Gift of The Ian Woodner Family Collection, 2000
Odilon Redon, "Wildflowers in a Long-Neck Vase"
The earliest painting on view is 1872’s "Landscape at Daybreak," a postapocalyptic image of desolation. In "The Black Sun," two faceless people walk through the desert, a sun with a gloomy face looking down from above. "Green Death" spins out of a coiled snake. The canvas itself becomes a character in "Underwater Vision." The exhibition also features fabulous prints, many of which Redon did for illustrated books. Among our favorites are "The Misshapen Polyp Floated on the Shores, a Sort of Smiling and Hideous Cyclops" from THE ORIGINS, the six lithographs that comprise HOMAGE TO GOYA, the skeletal "The Dream Is Finished by Death" from THE JUROR, the tortured "Saint Anthony…Beneath Her Long Hair, Which Covered Her Face, I Thought I Recognized Ammonaria" from TO GUSTAVE FLAUBERT, "Everywhere Eyeballs Are Ablaze" from the first of several series on THE TEMPTATION OF SAINT ANTHONY, and the sideshow-esque "And He Had in His Right Hand Seven Stars: and Out of His Mouth Went a Sharp Two-edged Sword" from THE APOCALYPSE OF SAINT JOHN as well as such cool one-offs as "The Egg," "The Spider," "The Haunting," and "The Reader"; in the latter, the light seeping through the window forms a kind of spiderweb. Dark but not disturbing, this welcome Redon tribute will bring out the Goth in you.
© 2005 Elizabeth Murray
Elizabeth Murray, "Painters Progress"
— Elizabeth Murray, 1998, to Greg Masters, from the Artchive
Museum of Modern Art
Sixth Floor Special Exhibitions
Focus: Prints and Illustrated Books Galleries, Second Floor
Through January 9, 2006
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2005/murray.html
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2005/focus_EM.html
This career retrospective is one fun, bright, exhilarating exhibition, a fabulous counterpart to Odilon Redon’s dark, grim world a few floors down. Chicago-born and —trained artist Elizabeth Murray, who has been based in New York City for many years, isn’t afraid to let her influences show — and then soar off into her own imagination. Mixing Cubism, Surrealism, Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism, Impressionism, and Pop Art, Murray has created a unique, cartoonlike universe that is as involving as it is charming and funny. We last raved about Murray’s work as part of 2002-3’s "Art Inside Out" at the Children’s Museum, and we’re ready to do it again. You’ll have a good idea what you’re in store for by the three large pieces waiting for you by the entrance: "Yikes," "Quake Shoe," and "Dis Pair," which toy with language and form, especially the latter, playing off the word "despair" as well as New York-ese for "this pair," offering museumgoers a different kind of fairy-tale shoe house, which awaits you inside.
eeva-inkeri, © 2005 Elizabeth Murray
Elizabeth Murray, "Join"
The exhibit builds its way through Murray’s charcoal and colored pencil drawings, including studies and pages from her sketchbooks, before graduating to such inventive oil paintings as the collage "A Mirror" and "Madame Cézanne in Rocking Chair," which plays out like a comic book. In "Join," two red and green figures — or a torn-apart heart — are just out of reach of each other. Continuing her exploration of the artistic process, Murray’s "Painters Progress" is broken up into nineteen panels depicting three brushes and an artist’s palette, announcing both deconstruction and reconstruction at the same time, yet the jigsaw-puzzle work is not quite put together properly, with holes and sharp edges throughout. The four panels of "Fly By" overlap each other, yet the strokes are continuous. The corners of "Don’t Be Cruel" twist and turn toward and away from the wall, as if trying to reach out at the viewer. Get up close to "Things to Come" to see how Murray staples her canvases to the wood. "Unlock" is its own manic cartoon. Murray’s work becomes even more jigsaw-puzzle-like with "The Lowdown." Murray has compared making and hanging her paintings to being a kid in a playroom; be prepared to have a lot of fun. (And be sure to visit the second floor’s "Focus" exhibit, which includes many of Murray’s prints.)
Photo by Cameron McNall
Cameron McNall and Damon Seeley of Electroland, prototype, Urban Nomad Shelter inflatable homeless shelter
Museum of Modern Art, sixth floor
Through January 2, 2006
NEW PHOTOGRAPHY ’05: CARLOS GARAICOA, BERTIEN VAN MANEN, PHILLIP PISCIOTTA, ROBIN RHODE
Museum of Modern Art, third floor
Through January 16, 2006
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2005/safe
http://moma.org/exhibitions/2005/new_photog.html
In this post-9/11 world, people are more concerned than ever with safety, whether it be from international terrorists seeking death and destruction or thieves on the subway looking for iPods. Divided into "Shelter," "Armor," "Property," "Everyday," "Emergency," and "Awareness," this exhibit reveals how form and function have combined to create unique designs that purport to offer us protection from the known and the unknown in many curious, compelling, and confusing ways. Look out for the following ultracool objects, as well as many others: the Urban Nomad Shelter, the Karryfront Screamer Bag, a Help Point Intercom for the New York City Subway, the Treetent, the Panoptical Bath Curtain, the Securitree Receiver, the Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard, the Lido Condom Protection Box Cell-Phone Charm, the Spider Book Antipersonnel Mine Foot Protection System, the FIU-810 Puppy Fingerprint Identity Token, Mr. Smish & Madame Buttly Razor Wire, the Oldcastle Glass Blast Mitigation System, a Blizzard Survival Bag, the Swiss Fondue Earthquake Safety Table, the Drink Spike Detector, the Priscilla Huggable Atomic Mushroom, the Fresh Kiss Breath Checker, and the Shag Bag Intimacy Kit.
Courtesy the artist and Perry Rubenstein Gallery, © 2005 Robin Rhode
Robin Rhode, "Stone Flag"
This year’s "New Photography" display features Phillip Pisciotta’s portraits of odd people in their homes, Bertien van Manen’s shots of repositioned family photos in a new context, Carlo Garaicoa’s fab architectural landscapes of buildings enhanced by three-dimensional extensions of pins and thread, and Robin Rhode’s gimmicky but cool series that form their own moving narrative with graffiti and lens.
© Disney/Pixar
Geefwee Boedoe, "Sullivan and Boo," MONSTERS INC.
MoMA Film
Museum of Modern Art
Tickets: $10, in person only, may be applied to museum admission within thirty days, same-day screenings free with museum admission, available at Film and Media Desk
http://moma.org/events/film/index.html
Although many people aren’t thrilled with MoMA’s $20 admission fee, not everyone realizes that you can apply half of it to cover a ticket to one of their excellent film programs. Among the ongoing series are "Artist’s Choice: Stephen Sondheim," "Bright Stars, Big City: Chinese Cinema’s First Golden Era, 1922-1937," and "Maysles Films: Five Decades" in addition to the new "Pixar: 20 Years of Animation." The latter is a complement to the new exhibit in the Film and Media Gallery devoted to the history of Pixar Animation Studios, with more than five hundred pieces of cinematic paraphernalia and effluvia that went into the making of such hits as TOY STORY, A BUG’S LIFE, FINDING NEMO, THE INCREDIBLES, the upcoming CARS, and many more.
Wednesday, December 21 Artist’s Choice: DEAD OF NIGHT (Cavalcanti, Crichton, Dearden, and Hamer, 1945), 6:00
Wednesday, December 21 Artist’s Choice: ELEPHANT (Gus Van Sant, 2003), 8:15
Thursday, December 22 Bright Stars, Big City: SWORDSMAN OF HUANGJIANG, VI (Chen, Shangguan, 1931), 8:30
Friday, December 23 Pixar: THE ADVENTURES OF ANDRÉ & WALLY B. (Smith, 1984), LUXO JR. (Lasseter, 1986), RED’S DREAM (Lasseter, 1987), and TOY STORY (Lasseter, 1995), 6:00
Saturday, December 24 Artist’s Choice: CHARACTER (Van Diem, 1997), 1:30
Also available on DVD
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/character
Told in flashback, CHARACTER, which won the 1998 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, is a bleak, compelling story of class conflict, good and evil, and poverty and wealth set in early-twentieth-century Rotterdam. Fedja van Huet stars as Katadreuffe, a troubled young man who can’t break away from the treacherous grasp of Dreverhaven (Jan Decleir), a powerful bailiff who seems hell-bent on destroying the boy and his struggling mother (Betty Schuurman). Even as Katadreuffe begins working in a law firm for Stroomkoning (Bernhard Droog, who has one of the most memorable faces you’ll ever see) and falls in love with sweet and innocent Lorna (Tamar van den Dop), the ominous presence of Dreverhaven is lurking around every corner. CHARACTER is a tense, dramatic, and emotional character study that deserves to be more well known than it is.
Monday, December 26 Maysles Films: UMBRELLAS (Corra, Weinbren, A. Maysles, 1995), 8:30
Wednesday, December 28 Artist’s Choice: THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Berger & Powell, 1940), 8:15
Thursday, December 29 SALESMAN (Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin, 1969), 5:15
Also available on DVD
http://www.mayslesfilms.com/company_pages/maysles_distribution/Films/Salesman.html
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=122
This is a rare opportunity to see the Maysles brothers’ (GIMME SHELTER) real-life story of traveling door-to-door Bible salesmen on the big screen. This outstanding documentary was deservedly added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1992, as it is a fascinating piece of Americana. The shots of Paul Brennan singing "If I Were a Rich Man" in the snow are priceless, but the end will haunt you. Without SALESMAN, there never would have been a GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (James Foley, 1992).
Friday, December 30 Artist’s Choice: HIGH AND LOW (Akira Kurosawa, 1962), 8:00
Saturday, December 31 Pixar: TIN TOY (Lasseter, 1988), KNICK KNACK (Lasseter, 1989), and A BUG’S LIFE (Lasseter, 1998), 2:00
Sunday, January 1 Artist’s Choice: HENRY FOOL (Hal Hartley, 1997), 5:00
Monday, January 2 Artist’s Choice: FIRES ON THE PLAIN (Kon Ichikawa, 1959), 8:00
twi-ny/dana hayward
Connolly’s is still a beacon of Irish culture by MoMA
43 West 54th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
212-489-0271
When the new MoMA was beginning construction and started tearing down some of the buildings around it, we feared for what would become of this friendly, traditional Irish pub. There are several Connolly’s in the city, but we didn’t want to lose a single one. Somehow, this Midtown Connolly’s continued to stand tall amid all the havoc, serving Guinness and pub grub until it was a lonely, narrow building all by itself, seemingly devoid of friends — and a future. Well, we’re happy to say that they have merely moved across the street into the old Sushi Kato restaurant, and the owners have actually decided to make the new place a little more upscale (but not too much). We don’t know how long the old Connolly’s building will be there, but we get a kick out of knowing that it has survived nonetheless.
twi-ny/mdr
Sony Atrium welcomes in the holidays in big and little ways
Sony Atrium
56th St. at Madison Ave.
Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am — 5:00 pm
Sunday, 12 noon — 5:00
Closed Monday
Admission: free
212-833-8100
http://www.sonywondertechlab.com
Inside the Sony atrium you’ll be greeted by b.b. wonderbot, a six-foot-four, 275-pound robot who was born on November 12, 1996. Pick up a free ticket and your magnetic swipe card, then take the glass elevator up to the fourth floor. First you’ll record your name, picture, and voice, and then you’ll head out on an adventure through the history of communication, from early photographs, radio, kinetoscopes, and movies through bluescreen television images and robotics. Along the way you’ll learn how video cameras work, be able to send a Johnny Cash song into space, handle an emergency crisis, have sand rain over you in the Shadow Garden, play video games and unique instruments, watch a short film in the high-definition theater, and even direct your own TV show. At the end of your journey, be sure to pick up your Certificate of Achievement, which will include your name and photo and all the programs you successfully completed. (We made it as computer artists and robotics engineers.) Also in the Sony atrium is a huge Spider-Man climbing the wall, live music during lunchtime, and, for the holiday season, a large metallic Christmas tree and a tiny menorah. Reservations are recommended for the free Wonder Tech Lab high-def screenings listed below.
Thursday, December 22 ELMO’S WORLD: HAPPY HOLIDAYS, 2:00
Friday, December 23 CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (Joe Roth, 2004), 2:00
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Vincent van Gogh, "Self-Portraits," 1887
Special Exhibition Galleries, the Tisch Galleries, second floor
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St.
Through December 31
Recommended admission: $15
Audio Guide: $6
212-535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={0F524B4E-87C8-47B4-BC8E-84F7A494E84B}
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Van_Gogh/index.asp
http://www.vggallery.com/misc/exhibitions/drawings_exhibition.htm
We’re all busy these days, but do whatever you can to make it over to the Met before this spectacular exhibition closes at the end of the year. Be prepared for heavy, slow-moving crowds as you make your way through this chronological collection of drawings by Dutch artist extraordinaire Vincent van Gogh, starting with his time in Etten in 1881 and following his path through The Hague, Drenthe, and Nuenen (1882-85), Antwerp and Paris (1885-88), Arles (1888-89), Saint-Rémy (1889-90), and Auvers (1890), where he ultimately committed suicide shortly before his work began to receive important recognition. The show comprises more than one hundred pieces, many of which have rarely been seen by the public before because of their sensitivity to light, in addition to some of van Gogh’s tools and many of the letters (there’s even one in English) he sent to fellow artists Émile Bernard and John Russell as well as to his brother, Theo. Not only do the letters include van Gogh’s evolving artistic philosophy but they also come with unique drawings for each recipient, based on van Gogh’s recently completed paintings.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Vincent van Gogh, "Harvest in Provence"
Van Gogh’s dedication to art is evident from the very beginning, with "A Marsh," in which he employs exquisite control of cross-hatching. He plays with perspective and figures in "Carpenter’s Yard and Laundry" and with line in the wonderful "Sorrowing Woman." Light is peering through the clouds in the calming "Landscape in Drenthe." Five works from March 1884 of surrounding gardens in winter form a fascinating narrative. A trio of chalk drawings of people at work casts the less abstract "Peasant Woman Gleaning" against the more abstract "Woodcutter." The charming watercolors "Gate in the Paris Ramparts" and "Entrance to the Moulin de la Galette" are a splendid change of pace. The striking "Path Through a Field with Pollard Willows" reveals van Gogh’s love of Japanese line. "View of Arles with Irises in the Foreground" is an impressive example of van Gogh’s use of the reed pen. The sun illuminates an open space at the end of "Street in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer," one of several pieces of the same street done in different styles. Three successive versions of "Boats at Sea, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer" show magnificently how van Gogh altered his style for Bernard, Russell, and Theo, as do three pen-and-ink drawings of "Wheat Fields."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Vincent van Gogh, "Corridor in the Asylum"
One of the many highlights of the exhibit is a letter in English that Vincent sent to Theo, which includes a drawing of "The Sower." You can practically hear the wind gusting in "Olive Trees, Montmajour." You’ll want to grab a seat at the "Café Terrace at the Place du Forum" or step inside "The Yellow House" watercolor, but you probably won’t want to dip your feet in "Fountain in the Garden of the Asylum." Van Gogh’s drawings from his days under psychiatric care are captivating, each one breathing with a chillingly beautiful and engaging vibrancy, including both a drawing and an oil painting of "Cypresses" and "Wheat Field with Cypresses." A sense of foreboding inhabits the earth-toned watercolor "Corridor in the Asylum"; the stairway barely seen in the lower right corner leads to van Gogh’s room. The last three works, from May and June of 1890, shortly before van Gogh’s death, have surprising splashes of bright blue. The Met’s Web site has a free audio download of Kevin Bacon reading excerpts from van Gogh’s letters, mostly about art; the above van Gogh Gallery site includes a reproduction of every piece in the exhibit.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Gallery
Through January 8
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Van_Gogh/drawings_more.asp#2
After seeing the van Gogh exhibit, no matter how tired you are of battling the crowds, make sure you see this small but essential collection of works by artists who influenced and were influenced by van Gogh. Among the artists represented on both sides of this hallway gallery — which most people just hurry through on their way elsewhere — are Georges Seurat, Jacob van Ruisdael, Katsushika Hokusai, Camille Corot, Eugène Delacroix, Utagawa Hiroshige, Camille Pissarro, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Klee, Edvard Munch, Paul Signac, Paul Cézanne, Honoré Daumier, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Jean-François Millet, and, most sensationally, Rembrandt van Rijn. Each work is accompanied by a tag describing its relationship to van Gogh.
© The Trustees of the British Museum (2005)
Honoré Daumier, "Clown Playing a Drum"
Special Exhibition Galleries, first floor
Through January 29
Closed Monday except December 26 and January 2
212-535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={4B9FE5EF-E4E9-4FD5-9644-58B4F8250312}
Nearly a hundred of the British Museum’s vast collection of French drawings, many of which are rarely displayed because of their sensitivity to light, are on view in this fine accompaniment to the van Gogh shows. Also running chronologically, "Clouet to Seurat" begins in the sixteenth century, including splendid works by the relatively unknown Francesco Primaticcio ("A Seated River God with a Nymph, Two Dogs, and the Banished Callisto"), Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues ("Oak and Dragonfly"), and Pierre Dumonstier II ("Right Hand of Artemisia Gentileschi Holding a Brush"). Nicolas Poussin’s "The Holy Family with St. Elizabeth, the Infant St. John and Putti" is one of the highlights of the seventeenth-century gallery, as well as Claude Lorrain’s "St. Peter’s Basilica Seen from the Doria-Pamphili Gardens" and "Coast View with Perseus and the Origin of Coral." Several pieces by Antoine Watteau represent the Rococco style of the early eighteenth century, in addition to pieces by François Le Moyne and François Boucher. We love Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s "Return from the Wet Nurse." The early nineteenth century brought neoclassicism and works by Jacques-Louis David, Camille Corot, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Théodore Géricault, and Pierre-Paul Prud’hon (the marvelous chalk drawing "Standing Female Nude").
© The Trustees of the British Museum (2005). All rights reserved
Victor Hugo, "Landscape with a Castle on a Cliff"
Realism took hold after the 1848 revolution, exemplified by Victor Hugo’s "Landscape with a Castle on a Cliff," Honoré Daumier’s "Clown Playing a Drum," and Gustave Courbet’s "Self-Portrait" of the artist revealing a knowing glance. Impressionism followed, with Edgar Degas’s very green "Dancers at the Barre," Georges Seurat’s studies for "La Grande Jatte," Odilon Redon’s mysterious "Christ Crowned with Thorns," and Paul Cézanne’s "The Apotheosis of Delacroix," which features Degas, Pissarro, Monet, and Cézanne himself.
Collection Gérard Lévy, Paris
Eugène Thiébault, "Henri Robin and a Specter"
The Harriette and Noel Levine Gallery and the Howard Gilman Gallery
Through December 31
Closed Monday except December 26
212-535-7710
We guess part of us wanted this exhibition to reveal the truth we’ve all been searching for — proof that ghosts exist. Well, even if they do, you won’t find any expert documentation here. But what you will come upon is a silly, bizarre, ridiculous, yet entertaining collection of approximately 120 photographs taken of what was purported to be paranormal phenomena. The display is divided into three sections — Spirits, Mediums, and Fluids — that include photos of seances, ghostly apparitions, levitation, ectoplasm, and, supposedly, thoughts and dreams. Even though the pictures are (mostly?) fakes, it is cool to see how these early photographers and mediums tinkered with the relatively new photographic medium to accomplish their primary goal — increasing their client base of people seeking to contact their dearly departed loved ones. Follow the detail that went into William H. Mumler’s photos of Ella Bonner’s spirit. Even after Édouard Isidore Buguet admitted he was a fraud, people continued to believe in his work. Don’t get frightened by the hovering apparition in Theodor Prinz’s "[Ghost]." Staveley Bulford managed to get the spirit of dead pets in his shots. Heads line up in Ada Emma Deane’s snap of Caxton Hall on Armistice Day. Deane was defended by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a true believer who somehow shows up in William Hope’s gelatin silver print taken after the Sherlock Holmes creator’s funeral. Young Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright claimed to have photographed fairies in 1917. Albert von Schrenck-Notzing’s "[Emission and Reabsorption of an Ectoplasmic Substance Through the Mouth of Medium Stanislawa P.]" is not very appetizing. Conan Doyle seems to have emerged out of Mary M.’s nose in Thomas Glendenning Hamilton’s 1932 photo. And Ted Serios’s 1960s black-and-white prints reputedly came from his mental projection of images onto Polaroid film.
twi-ny/mdr
Neapolitan characters and followers of the Magi (detail), eighteenth century; Neapolitan
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Medieval Art Sculpture Hall, first floor
Through January 8
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={390226DE-80DE-11D3-9367-00902786BF44}
Once again the Met’s annual Christmas tree has risen in front of a 1763 Choir Screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid. The twenty-foot blue spruce is surrounded by eighteenth-century cherubs, angels, and miniature Neapolitan handmade figures acting out the Nativity (or crèche), some created by such well-respected sculptors as Giuseppe Sammartino, Salvatore di Franco, Giuseppe Gori, and Angelo Viva. Be sure to walk all around the tree to see all the little scenes that are going on around the bustling town.
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, © 2005 Estate of David Milne
David Milne, "Reflections, Bishop’s Pond," from "David Milne Watercolors: ‘Painting Toward the Light,’" through January 29
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St.
Free with museum admission unless otherwise noted
212-535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/calendar
Wednesday, December 21 Christmas in the Medieval Hall: the Riverside Church Inspirational Choir, Medieval Sculpture Hall, $40, 212-570-3949, 6:30 & 8:30
Friday, December 23 Gallery Talk: Feasts and Festivals in the Middle Ages, Gallery Talk Stanchion, Great Hall, 11:00 am
Friday, December 23 Gallery Talk: Images of Mary in Art, Gallery Talk Stanchion, Great Hall, 7:00
Monday, December 26 Met Holiday Monday: the Met is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Wednesday, December 28 Gallery Talk: "David Milne Watercolors: ‘Painting Toward the Light,’" Gallery Talk Stanchion, Great Hall, 11:00 am
Thursday, December 29 Gallery Talk: Celebrations and Ceremonies in Asian Art, Gallery Talk Stanchion, Great Hall, 3:00
twi-ny/mdr
Isamu Noguchi’s sculpture gets a coating of snow next to the Met
Fifth Ave. at 80th St.
http://www.noguchi.org/pp_location.html
On the south side of the Met stands a black basalt statue, right by the parking lot entrance, done by the great Isamu Noguchi. "Unidentified Object" is one of those simple pieces that we all walk past time and time again without realizing what it really is.
Available at E.A.T.
1064 Madison Ave. between 80th & 81st Sts.
212-772-0022
http://www.elismanhattan.com/eat.html
We were recently blown away by this amazing brick of "chocolat noir pour connaisseurs." Cote d’Or calls it "extra high quality," and is it ever. It’s officially only 59% cocoa (we usually prefer our dark chocolate in the 60s and 70s), but that’s just a number. These dense, thick pieces will thrill you from the first bite to the last, leaving a sweetly bittersweet memory in your mouth. We were spoiled after buying a whole bunch of this exquisite delight in an airport duty-free shop, so we’re not sure we’re prepared yet to pay E.A.T.’s lofty prices, but if any chocolate bar is worth it, it’s this one. E.A.T. has several other styles of Cote d’or available as well, but we’ll be sticking with this one for quite a while.
twi-ny/mdr
1011 Madison Ave. between 78th & 79th Sts.
212-249-8250
Of course, everything in the Upper East Side neighborhood around the Met is expensive, so we were happy to recently come upon this welcoming diner. It’s actually not new — it’s just the first time we decided to duck in for a bite. Don’t worry that the coleslaw is disappointing; the seven-ounce burgers themselves are very, very good. Ours arrived steaming hot and fresh, surprisingly juicy considering we ordered it medium well, which it was. We could have used just a little bit more cheese, but there was plenty of crisp bacon as well as crispy fries. Sure, it’ll run you more than eleven bucks including tax and tip, but have fun trying to find something cheaper — or better — in this high-priced area.
Vengeance has quite a price in Steven Spielberg’s thriller MUNICH
Opens December 23
We remember watching in horror as the Israeli team was taken hostage and then murdered during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Steven Spielberg’s compelling espionage thriller begins with those real events, including footage from ABC reporters Jim McKay, Peter Jennings, and Howard Cosell, and then imagines what might have happened in the aftermath of the crisis. Eric (THE HULK) Bana stars as Avner, a relatively inexperienced Mossad agent put in charge of a small team assigned to assassinate eleven of the terrorists behind the cold-blooded executions. Leaving behind his pregnant wife (Ayelet Zurer), Avner circles the globe with ammo expert Steve (Bond-to-be Daniel Craig), explosive toymaker Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), document forger Carl (Ciarán Hinds), and cleanup man Hans (Hanns Zischler); his only "unofficial" contact to Israel and Mossad is through the very direct Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush). Given virtually unlimited resources, Avner buys information from some very shady characters, including Louis (Mathieu Amalric, who was so good in KINGS AND QUEEN) and his father, Papa (Michael Lonsdale, who was so good as Hugo Drax in MOONRAKER), not knowing what or whom to believe. As the body count rises, so does the possibility of betrayal. Like Marco Bellocchio’s recently released BUONGIORNO, NOTTE, which imagined what might have happened surrounding the kidnapping of Italian president Aldo Moro in 1978, Spielberg’s MUNICH takes many liberties with the facts, but this is not meant to be a documentary. It merely takes its inspiration from this critical event in the struggle for power in the Middle East, and from there it delves into the souls of men and women who are willing to sacrifice so much for their country — and at some very serious prices. Although it is manipulative at times (heck, it is Spielberg, after all, so watch for the girl in the red sweater), it is still a gripping, violent, and harrowing film. The screenplay was written by Tony (ANGELS IN AMERICA) Kushner, based on George Jonas’s book VENGEANCE.
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal fall for each other in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
In theaters now
http://www.brokebackmountain.com
In the summer of 1963, two cowboys head up Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming to watch over a herd of sheep. Ennis Del Mar (an outstanding Heath Ledger as a different kind of Casanova) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) have never met before, but it doesn’t take long for them to jump into each other’s arms when it gets mighty cold up there. Their brief but powerful affair haunts them when they each return to their regular lives — Ennis marries his fiancee, Alma (Michelle Williams), and starts a family, while Jack settles down with Lureen (Anne Hathaway) in a clearly loveless relationship. As time moves on, their desperate need to be together only grows stronger — and more dangerous. Based on Annie Proulx’s New Yorker story and directed by Ang Lee (HULK, THE ICE STORM, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON), BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is an emotional stale of forbidden love that will break your heart. However, it’s not quite as great as you’ve heard; Ennis and Jack’s physical relationship starts way too soon, without enough buildup, and Lee doesn’t quite know how to end it (it’s at least twenty minutes too long). But he gets one heckuva wrenching performance from Ledger as a tough man afraid to let go of traditional values and follow his deepest desires.
ImaginAsian Theater
239 E. 59th St. between Second & Third Aves.
December 30 - January 5
Tickets: $10
212-989-1422
http://www.theimaginasian.com/nowplaying/index.php
http://hk.initialdthemovie.com/index_en.html
The directing duo of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak follow up their awesome INFERNAL AFFAIRS trilogy with this clichéd street-racing film based on the popular manga / anime / video game. Jay Chou stars as Takumi, a shy, quiet high school senior who just happens to be an amazing driver, trained by his often drunk (and former champion street driver) father (Anthony Wong) to speed-deliver tofu up and down treacherous Mt. Akina. As Takumi’s legend grows, professionals Ryousuke (Edison Chen), Kyouichi (Jordan Chan), and Takeshi (Shawn Yue) want to take him and his seemingly ridiculous white Toyota AE86 on. All the while, Takumi keeps pumping gas at Yuuichi’s (Kenny Bee) station, where he works with his goofy best friend, Yuuichi’s son Itsuki (Chapman To), who longs to be rich and popular but is too much of a spoiled doofus; Takeshi also dreams about Natsuki (Anne Suzuki), his girlfriend, who is harboring a potentially devastating secret. Chou makes a great protagonist; you never know what he’s going to do next. Unfortunately, you pretty much know just about everything else that is going to happen. Add a star if plot and character development takes a backseat to fast cars and hot babes in your cinematic worldview.
Steve Carell getting waxed is the funniest scene so far of this short century
Now available on DVD
http://www.the40yearoldvirgin.com
Steve Carell, a DAILY SHOW graduate who plays the lead role in NBC’s THE OFFICE, is just right as the title character in this funny flick from Judd Apatow, the mad genius who brought us the great and much-missed FREAKS AND GEEKS. Carell is Andy Stitzer, an electronics store clerk who collects action figures instead of notches on his belt. When his fellow workers (Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, and FREAKS alumnus Seth Rogen) find out about this, they do all they can to help get him laid, with some hysterically unsuccessful results. As Andy begins to give in to the real possibility that he might actually be on the cusp of losing his chastity, he falls for Trish (Catherine Keener), a single mother (a few times over) who runs a very-hard-to-explain eBay-related store. The chest-waxing scene is already deservedly a classic, and the condom scene is not too far behind. Even the music is a blast, with memorable songs from Asia, Lionel Richie, Corey Hart, Flock of Seagulls, and Michael McDonald over and over and over again — as well as the theme from THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO. The DVD includes seventeen minutes of added footage, deleted scenes, a gag reel, dating games, the complete "You Know How I Know You’re Gay?" routine, and featurettes on "Andy’s Fantasies" and the unforgettable waxing scene.
Owen Wilson & Vince Vaughn play a pair of cads in CRASHERS
Now available on DVD
http://www.theweddingcrashers.com
John (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) are a pair of somewhat sleazy divorce mediators who crash weddings to get laid in this hit comedy that is not quite as good as you’ve heard but still worth a gander if you’re in the mood for silly sexist humor and ridiculously clichéd closure. When John meets Claire (Rachel McAdams), the daughter of the Secretary of the Treasury (Christopher Walken), he decides that she’s the one he’s been dreaming of, and he considers stopping his childish antics in favor of true love. Unfortunately, his change of heart is being seriously impacted by Claire’s narcissistic lout of a fiancée (Bradley Cooper), her very sexy sex-starved mother (a very hot Jane Seymour), her artistic gay brother (Keir O’Donnell), and her sexpot sister (Isla Fisher), whose crazed fling with Jeremy threatens to end John and Jeremy’s friendship. Wilson and Vaughn make a great team, but the film tries too hard to be more than it really is, resulting in a mediocre movie with some very funny moments and an awful ending. Various different DVD editions include deleted scenes, audio commentary from Wilson and Vaughn, additional unrated footage, featurettes, a music video, and an interactive game.
Who’s the circumcised private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks?
Available on DVD
Adam Goldberg (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, A BEAUTIFUL MIND) stars in this riotous low-budget laugh-fest that is as hysterically politically incorrect as possible. Goldberg is Mordechai Jefferson Carver, a "circumcised dick" who is hired by the Jewish Justice League, headed by Bloomenbergensteinthal (Peter Coyote), to save Chanukah, which Damian Claus (Andy Dick), Santa’s evil spawn, wants to destroy forever. The Semitic Stud gets help from Mohammad Ali Paula Abdul Rahim (Mario Van Peebles), head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front, and Bloomenbergensteinthal’s sexy daughter, Esther (Judy Greer), who is a "nice piece of tuchus." This is one funny self-described Jewxploitation flick that will bring knowing chuckles and guffaws to anyone who has ever attended Hebrew school or has an overbearing mother.
Will Ferrell is a big elf in search of Christmas in New York City
Available on DVD
Will Ferrell is a hoot in this somewhat overrated Christmas movie that starts out with such promise before descending into sappy melodrama and seasonal cliché hell. Ferrell stars as Buddy the elf, a human orphan who crawls inside Santa’s bag one Xmas Eve and grows up to become an unusually big worker in the North Pole. When he finally realizes he’s different from everyone around him, he sets out to New York City to find his birth father, who turns out to be a tough, ruthless publisher (James Caan) who neglects his family. It’s hard not to laugh nearly every time you see the gleam in Ferrell’s eye, the curls in his hair, or the hysterical outfit he’s wearing as he makes his way through Gimbels (Macy’s), the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink, the Empire State Building, Central Park, and other local landmarks. Teaming Ed (Lou Grant) Asner and Bob (Bob Hartley) Newhart, who used to be on CBS back to back on Saturday nights, is a nice touch. And the scene with Peter Dinklage as a mega-successful but rather diminutive children’s book writer is awesome, even if the movie has no idea how kids’ books are really made. It’s too bad this sharp-edged comedy had to turn all warm and fuzzy in the end.
Now available on two-disc special edition DVD
http://www2.warnerbros.com/achristmasstory
How do we love thee? We lost count long ago. By far our favorite Christmas movie ever, A CHRISTMAS STORY, directed by Bob (PORKY’S) Clark and narrated by Jean Shepherd (based on his stories), is just awesome, from light-up leg lamps to Christmas at a Chinese restaurant to fffffffffff-udge to boys licking cold metal poles to Ralphie’s brother trying to walk in his winter coat to — well, we won’t go on, but trust us; if you’ve never seen and loved this film, then you don’t know Christmas. The DVD includes making-of featurettes, commentary, and readings by Shepherd. Oh, and by the way, those rumors are true; little Scotty Schwartz, who plays the character who gets his tongue stuck on the cold pole, did indeed become a porn star, appearing in such naughty romps as NEW WAVE HOOKERS 5, DIRTY BOB’S XCELLENT ADVENTURES 35 & 36, and STILL INSATIABLE.
Thankfully not available on VHS or DVD
At first this holiday flick is just plain lame, but as Christmas approaches, it becomes positively insidious. Young child star Margaret O’Brien stars as Flavia, an annoying know-it-all kid who believes all the tall tales adults tell her, including her mother (Phyllis Thaxter), her aunt Susan (Angela Lansbury), the blind newsstand dealer (Rhys Williams), and good-hearted Steve (George Murphy), who happens to be an ex-con. Steve is sweet on Susan but thinks he no longer deserves her, so his boss at the taxi company, Al (Barry Nelson), starts making a play for her as well. Then there’s all this stuff about mice turning into money, cows kneeling on Christmas Eve, and, well, actually, you don’t need to know any more than that. Just be thankful this ludicrous and ultimately insulting piece of holiday horror isn’t available on DVD or video; just do all you can to avoid it when it shows up on Turner Classic Movies, ’cause it sure ain’t no classic movie. Tenth Avenue should be embarrassed that this flick exists at all.
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Light
125 East 54th St. between Park & Lexington Aves.
646-505-5708
Wednesday, December 21 Annual Chanukah soiree with drink, dance, and latkes, $36, 8:00
World Financial Center Winter Garden
225 Vesey St.
Admission: free
212-945-2600
http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/calendar
Wednesday, December 21 Odetta, A CONCERT FOR THE HOLIDAYS, 12:30
Friday, December 23 The Accidentals, a cappella holiday carols, 12 noon
Wednesday, December 28 Metropolitan Klezmer, Chanukah songs, 12:30
Bowery Ballroom
6 Delancey St. at Bowery
212-533-2111
Wednesday, December 21 A John Waters Christmas, with the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Kimya Dawson, and more, $40, 8:00
Monday, December 26 Jewltide III: Featuring the LeeVees, Vanessa Hidary, and Yuri Lane, part of the Festival of Rights, $15, 8:00
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve: Patti Smith & Her Band, $55, 9:00
Lips Restaurant
2 Bank St.
212-675-7710
Thursday, December 22
through
Saturday, December 24 Ultimate Drag Time Christmas Spectacular, 7:00 & 9:30
Saturday, December 31 A New Year’s Eve to Remember, hosted by Gusty Winds, $35 first seating, $65 second seating
Sunday, January 1 New Year’s Day Brunch, 11:30 am — 5:00 pm
315 Bowery between First and Second Sts. at the base of Bleecker St.
212-982-4052
Thursday, December 22 Christmas at CBGB, with Fixer & Friends: Acquiesce, Wicked Little Dolls, the Penny Royals, Hate in the Box, Temporary Grave, and Karma Cycle, $10
Friday, December 23 Ho Ho Ho, featuring No Redeeming Social Value, Joe Coffee, Run Like Hell, Norman Bates & the Showerheads, and Losers Sometimes Win, $10, 7:00
Saturday, December 31 The End of Day New Year’s Bash, with End of October, Butterspy, Crewman Number Six, High Speed Chase, Black Market Radio, and Vestascension, $20, 8:00
145 Brooklyn Ave. at St. Marks Ave.
Free with museum admission of $4
718-735-4400
http://www.bchildmus.org/happening/index.asp
Thursday, December 22 Miracle of Light, 3:00
Wednesday, December 28 A Kwanzaa Celebration, 1:30 & 3:00
Thursday, December 29 Jazzy Brass for Christmas, 2:30
Thursday, December 29 First Fruits of Kwanzaa, 3:00
Friday, December 30 IMAGINE A JOYOUS WORLD film followed by mural painting, 1:00
Friday, December 30 New Year’s Dance Party, 2:30
Southpaw
125 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn
718-230-0236
Saturday, December 24 Balkan Beat Box and special guests, part of the Festival of Rights, $15 in advance, $20 day of show, 8:00
Community Church
81-10 35th Ave., Jackson Heights
Admission: free
718-446-0690
Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Living Nativity family show, 5:00
Saturday, December 24 Service presented in English, Spanish, Telugu, and Mandarin, with live music, 8:00
Avalon & Spider Club
660 Sixth Ave. at 20th St.
The Park
118 Tenth Ave. between 17th & 18th Sts.
Hiro
371 West 16th St. between Eighth & Ninth Aves.
http://nyc.letmypeoplego.com/jewish-singles.html
Saturday, December 24 Jewniversal Pass buys you entry into four parties with free limousine service between venues, featuring seven DJs, six dance floors, five lounges, a heated outdoor garden, a penthouse, and more, for Jewish singles, $25 in advance, $30 at the door, 8:00 pm — 4:00 am
The Cutting Room
19 West 24th St. between Sixth Ave. & Broadway
Food or drink minimum: $10
212-691-1900
http://www.nicejewishgirlsgonebad.com
http://www.thecuttingroomnyc.com
Saturday, December 24 Comedy, music, burlesque, and variety show, with HeBrew Beer, $15 in advance, $20 at the door, 8:00 & 10:00
74 Leonard St. between Broadway & Church St.
212-219-3006
http://www.knittingfactory.com
Saturday, December 24 What I Like About Jew, with Sean Altman and Rob Tannenbaum hosting Elon Gold, Cindy Kaplan, and Tammy Faye Starlite, $18 in advance, $22 day of show, 7:00 & 9:00
Sunday, December 25 What I Like About Jew, with Sean Altman and Rob Tannenbaum hosting Jackie Hoffman, Todd Barry, and Cindy Kaplan, $18 in advance, $22 day of show, 6:00 & 8:00
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve Two-Floor Event: Radio 4 Tussle, Vic Thrill & the Saturn Missile, Tim Fite, roxy pain with katie from young people, DJ Tony Fletcher, DJ McCutcheon, $20 in advance, $25 day of show, 9:45
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Tickets: $10
718-784-4520
http://www.ammi.org/site/screenings/index.html
Saturday, December 24, 31 BABES IN TOYLAND (Gus Meins, 1934), 2:00
Friday, December 30 THE WARRIORS (Walter Hill, 1979), with a limited-edition arcade WARRIORS game on display, 7:30
Also available as the Ultimate Director’s Cut DVD http://homevideo.paramount.com/Catalog?cmd=display_product_page&release_id=4450
http://warriorsgame.co.uk/movie
At a huge gang meeting in the Bronx (actually shot in Riverside Park), the Warriors are wrongly accused of having killed Cyrus (Roger Hill), an outspoken leader trying to band all the warring factions together to form one huge force that can take over the New York City borough by borough. The Warriors then must make it back to their home turf, Coney Island, with every gang in New York lying in wait for them to pass through their territory. This iconic New York City gang movie is based on Sol Yurick’s novel, which in turn is loosely based on Xenophon’s ANABASIS, which told of the ancient Greeks’ retreat from Persia. Michael Beck stars as Swan, who becomes the de-facto leader of the Warriors after Cleon (Dorsey Wright) gets taken down early. Battling Swan for control is Ajax (SEX AND THE CITY’s James Remar) and tough-talking Mercy (TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT’s Deborah Van Valkenburgh). Serving as a Greek chorus is Lynne (LAW & ORDER) Thigpen as a radio DJ, and, yes, that young woman out too late in Central Park is eventual Oscar winner Mercedes Ruehl. Among the cartoony gangs of New York who try to stop the Warriors are the roller-skating Punks, the pathetic Orphans, the militaristic Gramercy Riffs, the all-girl Lizzies, the ragtag Rogues, and the inimitable Baseball Furies. Another main character is the New York City subway system.
490 Riverside Dr. between 120th & 122nd Sts.
212-870-6784
http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/events
Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols, with the Riverside Choir, the Riverside Ringers, and the Riverside Chamber Singers, nave, free, 7:00
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve Watch Night Service, featuring a carillon recital, an organ recital, and a service of worship, nave, free, 10:00
425 Lafayette St. between East Fourth St. & Astor Pl.
212-539-8778
Saturday, December 24 Jackie Hoffman: Chanukah at Joe’s Pub, $25, 7:30 & 9:30
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve at Joe’s: Sandra Bernhard, two-drink or twelve-dollar food minimum, $85 at 7:30, $125 at 10:30
B.B. King Blue Club & Grill
237 West 42nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
212-997-4144
http://bbkingblues.com/schedule/index.shtml
Saturday, December 24 Hannukah Party with Soulfarm, the Moshav Band, and Blue Fringe, $22, 7:00
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve Matinee Motown Brunch, with Dr. K’s Motown Revue, $35 for buffet and show (including tax and tip), 11:30 am
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve with James Brown, $85 standing room at bar, $150 general admission seating, $175 reserved booth seating (for four or more), 8:00
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve with James Brown, $95 standing room at bar, $175 general admission seating, $200 reserved booth seating (for four or more), 10:00
669 Eighth Ave. at 42nd St.
212-656-1336
Saturday, December 24 Matzah Party, $20-$30, 7:30 & 10:00
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve Comedy Bash, $35-$55, 8:00
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve Count Down Comedy Bash, $55-$75, 10:30
Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Pl.
Tickets: $35 for both, $18 performance only
646-437-4202
http://www.mjhnyc.org/visit_safra_hall4.htm
Sunday, December 25 Brunch at 1:00, performance by Joshua Nelson and his Kosher Gospel Choir at 2:30
The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.
Free with museum admission of $10 adults, children under twelve free
212-423-3200
http://www.jewishmuseum.org/site/pages/event.php?id=348
Sunday, December 25 Featuring Metropolitan Klezmer, Buffo the Clown, animated films (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, REALLY ROSIE, CHICKEN SOUP WITH RICE, LIGHTS), a Hanukkah menorah hat workshop, hot chocolate, and more, 11:30 am — 4:00 pm
Chabad of Rego Park, Queens Jewish Center
66-05 108th St., Forest Hills
Admission: $5
718-393-3085
Sunday, December 25 Olive oil workshop, games, a Chanuka movie, and menorah lighting ceremony at Federoff Square at 67th Rd., 5:30
Eldridge Street Synagogue
12 Eldridge St. between Canal & Division Sts.
RSVP to hgriff@eldridgestreet.org
212-219-0888
http://www.eldridgestreet.org/programs_c.htm
Sunday, December 25 Klez for Kids, including a mock shtetl wedding, storytelling, songs, and more, with Greg Wall’s Klezfest, $12 adults, $10 children, 12:30 & 2:30
Grand Army Plaza at 59th St. & Fifth Ave.
Monday — Thursday at 5:30, Friday at 3:45, Saturday at 8:30
Admission: free
718-778-6000
Sunday, December 25
through
Sunday, January 1 Nightly lighting of thirty-two-foot-high menorah
The Two Boots Pioneer Theater
155 East Third St. at Ave. A
212-254-3300
http://www.twoboots.com/pioneer
Sunday, December 25 Lights! Camera! Jews!: FUNNY GIRL (William Wyler, 1968), with Chinese food buffet, $20, 4:00
Saturday, December 31 End of the World, End of the Year Double Feature: DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (Stanley Kubrick, 1964), 7:30, and ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK (Fred F. Sears, 1956), 9:15, $10-$13
Sunday, January 1 Family and Homecoming: THE LITTLE FOXES (William Wyler, 1942), 5:00, and THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (William Wyler, 1946), 7:15, $10-$13
Steinhardt Building
35 West 67th St. between Amsterdam & Columbus Aves.
Admission: $25 before October 27, $30 day of event
212-601-1000
Sunday, December 25 Chinese Food and a Movie: SOME LIKE IT HOT (Billy Wilder, 1959), THE APARTMENT (Billy Wilder, 1960), YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Mel Brooks, 1974), or SILVER STREAK (Arthur Hiller, 1976), and an all-day Chinese buffet, $35, 1:00 — 5:30 & 7:30 — 12 midnight
Saturday, December 31 New Year’s Eve: Set the New Year on Fire, featuring Aaron Alexander’s Midrash Mish Mosh (9:00), Slamukah (9:00), WHITE HEAT (Raoul Walsh, 1949) (9:15), two-hour open beer-and-wine bar (10:00), Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars (10:00), a klezmer jam session (10:45), the Boys of Balagan Boogaloo (11:30), and a midnight Champagne toast, $65 ($100 for two)
Dahesh Museum of Art
580 Madison Ave. at 57th St.
Free with museum admission of $10 adults, children under twelve free
212-759-0606
http://www.daheshmuseum.org/publicprograms_events/calendar.php
Tuesday, December 27
through
Thursday, December 29 Family Program: Toy-making workshop, 1:00 — 3:00
Madison Square Garden
31st to 33rd Sts. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
212-255-4223
Tuesday, December 27
and
Wednesday, December 28 Panasonic Holiday Festival featuring St. Peter’s, UMass, Columbia, and St. John’s, with a hoops clinic presented by the Rock, $19.50-$59.50, 6:30
Friday, December 30 Holladay Jam: We Ain’t Done Yet, with Bow Wow, Omarion, Ciara, Marques Houston, and Chris Brown, $39.75-$54.75, 7:00
Saturday, December 31 The Black Crowes: Fifteen Years of Cosmic Rock, with special guests Trey Anastasio and North Mississippi All Stars, $45, 8:00
Bryant Park Lawn
Between 40th & 42nd Sts. and Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Admission: free
Skate rental $7.50, locker rental $4 (with lock $5), helmet rental $1
Private lessons: $25 for twenty minutes
866-221-5157
http://www.bryantpark.org/amenities/thepond.php
http://www.newyorkrangers.com/fanzone/thePond.asp
Wednesday, December 28 MSG Network’s Holiday and Skate Party, featuring Rangers-Islanders game on a giant screen, children’s activities, Rangers alumni, and special prizes, 7:00 - 9:30
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West & 79th St.
Free with museum admission of $14 adults, $8 children two to twelve
212-769-5315
http://www.amnh.org/programs/specials/kwanzaa
Thursday, December 29
through
Saturday, December 31 Featuring candle lightings, live music and dance, traditional storytelling, workshops, percussion ensembles, a special marketplace and food court, and more, 1:00 — 5:00
Historic Richmond Town
441 Clarke Ave., Staten Island
Tickets: $8 children, $4 adults, prepaid reservations required
718-351-1611 ext281
http://www.historicrichmondtown.org/cgi-bin/events.cgi
Friday, December 30 Featuring storytelling, refreshments, special activities; bring your own doll or bear, 1:30
Continental
25 Third Ave. between St. Marks Pl & Ninth St.
Cover charge: $2
212-529-6924
Friday, December 30 Featuring the Ramoones, Dean Dean & the Sex Machies, Guns on High Street, Lady Unluck, Furious George, Heap, Mickey Leigh’s New Yorkestra, the Bulleighs, the Bullys, Cyclones, Jones Crusher, Charm School, the Basicks, Sucker Punch, Blackout Shoppers, and Johnny Black, 9:15 pm — 2:00 am
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th St.
212-316-7540
http://www.stjohndivine.org/news_performances.html
Saturday, December 31 Featuring soprano Lauren Flanigan, actor Hinton Battle, activist and singer Judy Collins, and conductor Glen Barton Cortese, hosted by Harry Smith, $55, 7:30
66 North Sixth St. between Kent & Wythe Aves.
718-599-5103
Saturday, December 31 They Might Be Giants, $20, 7:30 (11:30 show sold out)
National Comedy Theatre
347 West 36th St.
Tickets: $69
212-629-5202
http://www.manhattancomedy.com/nctPerf.html
Saturday, December 31 The New York City National Comedy Theatre special year-end show, 9:30
Providence
311 West 57th St. between Eighth & Ninth Aves.
Tickets: $150
212-307-0062
http://www.nyballdrop.com/providence
Friday, December 31 Featuring five-hour premium open bar, two hours of hors d’oeuvres, live DJ, and more, 9:30 pm – 4:00 am
New York Philharmonic
Avery Fisher Hall
10 Lincoln Center Plaza between 62nd & 63rd Sts. on Broadway
Tickets: $80-$235
212-875-5717
http://newyorkphilharmonic.org
Saturday, December 31 Featuring works by Rossini and Verdi, with soprano Angela Gheroghiu, conducted by Lorin Maazel, 8:00
Symphony Space
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
212-864-5400
Saturday, December 31 Annual gala featuring the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, including audience requests and challenges, $55-$75, 8:00
Chicago City Limits at the Improv
318 West 53rd St.
212-888-5233
http://www.chicagocitylimits.com/news.html
Saturday, December 31 Special New Year’s Eve shows featuring Linda Gelman, Paul Zuckerman, Joe De Gise, Rob Schiffmann, and Kimmy Gatewood, two-drink minimum, 8:00 ($35) & 10:30 ($45)
Beacon Theatre
2124 Broadway at 74th St.
212-496-7070
Saturday, December 31 Gov’t Mule, three sets with the Holloway Horns and special guests, $53.50-$73.50, 9:00
Pianos
158 Ludlow St. at Stanton St.
212-505-3733
Saturday, December 31 Classic rock with Southern Frost, dance party with Funkcamp DJs and the Mud Flap Girls, air guitar contest, and more, $30 before 10:00
Mercury Lounge
217 East Houston St. at Ave. A
212-260-4700
http://www.mercuryloungenyc.com
Saturday, December 31 Ambulance LTD, Levy, the Big Sleep, and Surefire, $25, 8:00
Hammerstein Ballroom
311 West 34th St. between Eighth & Ninth Aves.
http://www.mcstudios.com/newsite/hammersteinBallroom.asp
Saturday, December 31 $50 in advance, $57 day of show, 10:00
Strata
21st St. at Broadway
Admission: $125
http://www.nyballdrop.com/strata
Friday, December 31 Featuring five-hour premium open bar, two hours of hors d’oeuvres, live DJ, and more, 9:30 pm – 4:00 am
Webster Hall
125 East Eleventh St. between Third & Fourth Aves.
http://websterhall.com/nightclub/splash/?splash=nye2006
Saturday, December 31 Five-hour premium top-shelf open bar, live broadcast of Times Square ball drop on plasma screens, DJ Moody, live performances, flying trapeze, continental breakfast, party favors, and more, $129-$1,000
Rothko
116 Suffolk St. at Rivington St.
Admission: $25
Open Bar: An additional $50
Friday, December 31 Featuring Pete Rock and Hip Hop Karaoke, full open bar, $65 in advance, $85 at the door, 10:00 pm — 2:00 am
OM Yoga
826 Broadway at 13th St., sixth floor
Admission: $35, advance reservations strongly suggested
212-254-9642
Saturday, December 31 Cyndi, David, and Ethan lead class for beginners and experts, with a Dharma talk, meditation practice, live music, and more, benefiting El Puente School in Williamsburg, 6:00 — 9:00 pm
Galapagos Art Space
70 North Sixth St. between Wythe and Kent, Williamsburg
718-782-5188
http://www.galapagosartspace.com/newyear.html
Saturday, December 31 Featuring Veronika Sweet, Taylor Mac, DJ Boy Racer, and other burlesque entertainers, hosted by the World Famous BOB, $25, 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 31 Late Night Amp Up with DJ Tikka Masala, the Dansettes, the Flanks, Cheese on Bread, and more, $10, 1:00 am
Cipriani 42
110 East 42nd St. between Lexington & Park Aves.
General admission: $200
212-201-1317
http://www.clubplanet.com/newyearseve
Friday, December 31 Featuring six-hour top-shelf open bar, two hours of hors d’oeuvres, DJ Reach and DJ Exacta, and more, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, 10:00 pm – 4:00 am
Central Park Bandshell
72nd St. Transverse
Admission to party: free
Race entry fee: $30 in advance, $35 day of event if available
212-860-4455
http://www.nyrr.org/race/2005/r1231x00.php
Saturday, December 31 DJ music and dancing, 10:00; costume parade and contest, 11:00; fireworks and four-mile race, 12 midnight
Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza
Flatbush Ave, Eastern Parkway, and Prospect Park West
Admission: free
718-965-8999
http://www.prospectpark.org/event/main.cfm?target=firework
Saturday, December 31 Twenty-fourth annual fireworks show presented by the Zambelli Fireworks Manufacturing Company, with Deja Blue and Marty Markowitz, 12 midnight
Laughing Lotus Yoga Center
59 West 19th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves., third floor
Free tarot card reading from 9:00 to 10:00
212-414-2903
Saturday, December 31 Favorite tunes, favorite poses, and the joy of breath and movement, with Edward, $22, 10:00 — 12 midnight
St. Bartholomew’s Church
109 East 50th St. at Park Ave.
212-378-0248
Saturday, December 31 BachWorks presents the Brandenburg Concerti, $35-$100, 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 31 Fanfares, Fugues and Finales: A Concert to Usher in the New Year, with organist William K. Trafka, free, 11:00
Ball drops between Broadway and Seventh Ave. and 42nd & 43rd Sts.
Admission: free
212-768-1560
http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye.html
Saturday, December 31 Revelers begin arriving late afternoon; please note that many streets will be blocked off, no alcohol is allowed, and there are no public rest rooms
Meet outside Blimpie’s at 38 Park Row between Spruce & Beekman Sts.
Fee: $25
888-377-4455
Saturday, December 31 Eleventh annual guided walking tour with free posters and other gifts and view of fireworks, 11:00
Skylight
275 Hudson St. at Spring St.
212-201-1317
Saturday, December 31 With Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and DJ Doug Grayson, $150-$250, 9:00 pm – 4:00 am
Gallery inside the Gershwin Hotel
7 East 27th St. between Fifth & Madison Aves.
888-201-4091
Saturday, December 31 With complimentary hor d’ouevres and Champagne, $30 in advance
Josephs by Citarella
1240 Sixth Ave. at 49th St.
Tickets: $165
212-332-1515
Saturday, December 31 Premium open bar, carving station, dessert at midnight, 9:30 pm to 1:30 am419 West 13th St. between Ninth Ave. and Washington
212-414-4245
Saturday, December 31 Four hours of open bar and light hors d’oeuvres, with DJs Rich Medina, Peanut Butter Wolf, Chris Annibell, Waajeed, Sacuey, and Chairman Mao, $100, doors open at 10:00
Washington Square Park Arch at Fifth Ave.
Admission: free
http://www.times-up.org/newyears.php
Saturday, December 31 Eighth annual bike ride from Washington Square Park (10:30 pm) to Madison Square Park (10:50) to the General Sherman statue by the Plaza Hotel (11:15) to Belvedere Castle in Central Park for live music and fireworks
Spirit
530 West 27th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
212-268-9477
Saturday, December 31 Featuring music by DJs Clue and Goldfinger, hosted by Damian Fahey and Vanessa, $60 (VIP $250), 8:30
Poetry Project
St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery
Second Ave. and Tenth St.
212-674-0910
http://www.poetryproject.com/calendar.html
Sunday, January 1 With Penny Arcade, Eric Bogosian, Steve Cannon, Steve Earle, Philip Glass, Lenny Kaye, Taylor Mead, Marc Ribot, Elliott Sharp, Jackie Sheeler, Patti Smith, Edwin Torres, Anne Waldman, and many more, $8, 3:00 pm — 1:00 am