twi-ny recommended events

URS FISCHER

Urs Fischer’s “last supper” inaugurates new Gagosian uptown space (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

LAST SUPPER
Gagosian Gallery, Park & 75
821 Park Ave. at 75th St.
Tuesday – Sunday through May 8, free, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
www.gagosian.com
twi-ny online slideshow

Last year at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, in conjunction with a major career survey, Swiss-born, New York City–based artist Urs Fischer created the sprawling sculptural installation “YES,” working with 1,500 volunteers for three weeks on-site to turn 308 tons of clay into all kinds of representational and abstract shapes and figures of their own choosing. Fischer has now taken select parts of the unfired final product, warts and all, and cast them in unpatinated and gilded bronze. The centerpiece of the project is a large-scale “last supper,” a life-size version of Jesus leading a seder that inaugurates Gagosian’s airy new small space, Park & 75. The clay food on the table includes McDonald’s French fries, fruit, cans of beer and “malt licker,” a hot dog in a bun, a slice of pizza, and a chicken. The apostles are joined by miniature people, a boxy smiley face, a rat crawling on a head, a wad of cash, and some playing cards, among other items that probably weren’t part of the actual dinner in which Jesus revealed that he was about to be betrayed. Fischer leaves in every crack and fissure, every hand- and footprint used to mold the work, which still appears to be made out of malleable clay. It is meant to be an outdoor piece, where the weather can further change it over time, but it currently sits perpendicular to Park Ave. in Gagosian’s windowed room, where curious passersby stop in for a look.

Urs Fischer has placed a host of objects and figures throughout former bank on Delancey St. (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

MERMAID / PIG / BRO W/ HAT
104 Delancey St.
821 Park Ave. at 75th St.
Tuesday – Sunday through May 23, free, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
www.gagosian.com
twi-ny online slideshow

Meanwhile, Fischer and Gagosian have populated an abandoned downtown bank with dozens of other cast-bronze pieces from the original “YES” installation, carefully — and often humorously — placing them throughout the various rooms. A miniature bed resides in front of a vault; a one-legged boy relaxes across a chair; a chained lion sits in a corner; a wildly mustached Napoleon bust stands behind a counter, as if about to take care of a customer; train tracks emerge from a fireplace; a mermaid dribbles water into a fountain; and a giant, disembodied foot waits in the back. Perhaps most relevant is a gold sculpture of a man having sexual relations with a pig; this was a bank, after all.

You can reflect on Fischer’s mirrored boxes at Lever House (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

UNTITLED
Lever House Art Collection
390 Park Ave. at 54th St.
Through May 30, free
www.leverhouseartcollection.com
twi-ny online slideshow

In addition to the uptown and downtown Gagosian shows, nine of Fischer’s mirrored-boxes-on-pedestals aggregrations can be found at Lever House, across the street from where his giant lamp bear sat back in the fall of 2011. Fischer has silkscreened photographic images on four sides and the top of mirrored cubes of varying dimensions and placed them on white plinths; most of the images do not completely cover the surfaces, so the plants, traffic on Park Ave., and other elements are reflected on many sides, giving them a surreal, Magritte-like quality. The images include a pencil, chess pieces, a bottle of soy sauce, a banana, an alarm clock, a level, a box of mints, a camera, and a twenty-dollar bill. Virtually everything about the show is random, from the shapes and sizes to the positioning and organization to which objects were photographed and how. Much like the downtown Gagosian show equates an art gallery with a bank, this collection turns the gallery into a kind of very clean, austere store, which also evokes the Lever Brothers themselves, who made their fortune in soap.

If all of that’s not quite enough Urs Fischer for you, then you can catch two free documentaries May 19-21 at the SVA Theatre as part of the Zürich Meets New York festival, Iwan Schumacher’s Urs Fischer, about the artist’s 2009-10 solo show at the New Museum, and Feuer und Flamme (The Art Foundry), in which Schumacher reveals the working process of Fischer as well as Katharina Fritsch, Peter Fischli, and David Weiss at Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen.

HARLEM JAZZ SHRINES FESTIVAL 2014

The Vijay Iyer Trio will perform a free show as part of Harlem

The Vijay Iyer Trio will perform free show at Harlem Stage Gatehouse as part of Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival

Multiple locations in Harlem
Through May 10, free – $45
www.harlemjazzshrines.org

This year’s annual Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival continues through May 10 with great events at historic locations, celebrating the theme “The Prestige of the Past with the Pulse of the Present.” As Columbia professor Robert G. O’Meally writes in “Harlem Shrines”: “One of the mysteries in the music made famous in these Harlem Jazz Shrines is that it has never been enough for musicians who would capture the spirit of Harlem music merely to re-create — however lovingly – the styles of yesteryear’s great ones. For what makes the term ‘shrine’ so appropriate here is that this music at its best is fluently improvised — and thus truer to its particular moment than to any other time; it is music created devotedly ‘in the moment,’ as the musicians say. Further, artists in this tradition are ever in search of their own ways of playing, their own voices in music.” Among those musicians sharing their voices while honoring tradition are Aruán Ortiz and Manuel Valera in a Latin double bill at Harlem Stage Gatehouse (May 7, $10, 7:30), Kimberly Thompson at Showman’s Jazz Club (May 7, two-drink minimum, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30), T. K. Blue at Ginny’s Supper Club as part of the Jazzmobile’s New Legends on the Bandstand series ($10, food & drink minimum, 10:00 & 11:30), the Christian aTunde Adjuah Double Quartet at Harlem Stage Gatehouse performing “Stretch Music in Tribute to Clark Monroe’s Uptown House” (May 8, $10, 7:30, followed by a Q&A), Jazmyn at Showman’s (May 8, two-drink minimum, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30), the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band at the Apollo Theater as part of Apollo School Day Live (May 9, $7, 11:30 am), the Vijay Iyer Trio featuring Stephen Crump and Marcus Gilmore at the Marian Anderson Theater at Aaron Davis Hall (May 9, free with advance RSVP, 7:30, followed by a reception), Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra at the Apollo (May 10, $10-$45, 8:00), and the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra at MIST Harlem for the finale, “Jazzmobile Celebrates Frankie Manning’s 100th: Lindy Hopping at the Savoy” (May 10, $10-$20, 10:00).

TICKET GIVEAWAY: THE ANTHEM

THE ANTHEM
Culture Project, Lynn Redgrave Theater
49 Bleecker St. near Lafayette St.
Thursday – Tuesday, May 20 – July 5, $33-$99
866-811-4111
www.anthemthemusical.com

“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil,” begins Ayn Rand’s 1938 novella about a bleak dystopian future following the Great Rebirth. “It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws.” It’s hardly the stuff of musical theater, but who ever thought Les Misérables would keep packing them in on Broadway? Indeed, The Anthem is headed to the stage in a “radical new musical,” complete with circus acrobatics, at the Lynn Redgrave Theater. In a near future overrun with social media, Prometheus fights the system, headed by Tiberius, battling for individuality. The Anthem features a book by Gary Morgenstein (Right on Target, Ponzi Man), music by Jonnie Rockwell (Brave New World and grandson of Leoš Janáček), and lyrics by Erik Ransom (Coming: A Rock Musical of Biblical Proportions), with Rachel Klein (Symphony of Shadows, The Tragedy of Maria Macabre) serving as director, designer, and choreographer. Jason Gotay (Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark) stars as Prometheus, with the Village People’s Randy Jones playing Tiberius.

TICKET GIVEAWAY: The Anthem — not to be confused with Drew Robert Puzia and Katherine Toussaint’s Anthem the Musical, which was also inspired by Rand’s novella — begins previews May 20 at the Lynn Redgrave Theater at the Culture Project on Bleecker St. prior to a May 29 opening, and twi-ny has three pairs of tickets to give away for free. Just send your name, daytime phone number, and favorite play or book about a dystopian future to contest@twi-ny.com by Friday, May 9, at 12 noon to be eligible. All entrants must be twenty-one years of age or older; three winners will be selected at random.

THE REALISTIC JONESES

John Jones (Michael C. Hall) says farewell to a dead squirrel as Jennifer (Toni Collette) and Bob Jones (Tracy Letts) look on (photo by Joan Marcus)

Lyceum Theatre
149 West 45th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Through July 13, $29- $135
www.therealisticjoneses.com

In his first Broadway play, The Realistic Joneses, Will Eno is as much choreographer as writer, his words twirling, spinning, lifting, throwing, bouncing, and ricocheting among the four characters, performing an intoxicating dance of language. As in his previous two works, Title and Deed and The Open House, a kind of existential absurdity hovers over the proceedings, which delve into the deeply psychological natures of home and family. The Joneses live a rather isolated life up in the mountains, Bob (Tracy Letts) a curmudgeon suffering from a mysterious disease, Jennifer (Toni Collette) taking care of him while trying to deal with his sudden mood shifts. Their peaceful tranquility is somewhat shattered when a cheerful, energetic couple also named the Joneses move into the house down the way, John (Michael C. Hall) a repairman, Pony (Marisa Tomei) a sort of ditzy ingénue. Over the course of a few days, the four characters interact in different groupings, sharing their views on love and marriage, home and health while debating the meaning of language and communication in general and certain words and phrases specifically. “Nature was definitely one of the big selling points of here. Plus, the school system’s supposed to be good,” Pony says. “Oh, do you have kids?” Jennifer asks. “No, it’s just that John hates stupid children,” Pony responds. “We communicate pretty well, even without words,” Jennifer says about Bob, then later tells John, “I think you have a nice way with words.”

Pony (Marisa Tomei) and John Jones (Michael C. Hall) are looking forward to a new life in the mountains, but little do they know what awaits them (photo by Joan Marcus)

Eno, who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for 2004’s Thom Pain (based on nothing), stealthily riffs on the old saw “keeping up with the Joneses” by equating the two couples in clever, understated ways, tantalizingly making one wonder whether they are actually different manifestations or younger and older versions of the same people. (Even though John and Pony appear more youthful than Bob and Jennifer, all four actors are in their forties, Tomei eight years older than Collette, Letts five years senior to Hall.) “We’re not so different, you and me,” John says to Bob, who responds, “I think we’re probably very different,” to which John adds, “Yeah, me too, actually.” And later, Pony tells John, “I don’t want to turn into those guys, next door.” Director Sam Gold (Fun Home, Seminar, Picnic) maintains a quick pace throughout the play’s fast-moving ninety minutes, another Eno specialty, with most scenes working well, although a meeting between John and Jennifer at the local market feels unsure of itself and falls flat. Otherwise, The Realistic Joneses is a smart, engaging comedy boasting an outstanding cast having a whole lot of deliciously infectious fun with the crazy English language.

NFL DRAFT 2014

Most prognosticators have the Houston Texans selecting South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick in the 2014 NFL draft

Radio City Music Hall
1260 Sixth Ave. at 50th St.
May 8-10, free with advance wristband or RSVP
212-247-4777
www.nfl.com
www.radiocity.com

With rumors swirling that National Football League draft will soon go out on the road, taking place in a different location each year, the seventy-ninth annual event might be the last time for a while in which fans can gather at Radio City Music Hall and boo the choices of their home teams in person. The 2014 NFL draft, with the Houston Texans selecting first, the Giants twelfth, and the Jets eighteenth, features such projected early picks as South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, and Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard. Does Gang Green go for a wideout to give Geno Smith and Michael Vick better targets? Will Big Blue seek to improve its defensive line? You can find out May 8-10, when the draft unfolds at Radio City; admission is free, but seating is limited, and you must get a wristband the night before. (You also have to follow the league’s overly aggressive “All Clear” bag policy.) The first round will begin on May 8 at 8:00; wristbands will be available starting at 7:00 pm on May 7 on the Fiftieth St. side of Radio City. (Be prepared to give contact information that would make the NSA very happy.) Wristband holders can then line up at 6:00 pm on May 8 to get their seat location, which will be distributed randomly, so there’s no need to get there any earlier. Wristbands for round two on May 9 will be available the night before at 10:00, while entry for day three is first come, first served starting on Saturday morning at 11:00. You can also get free seatfiller tickets for rounds two and three in advance here.

CINCY IN NYC: CINCINNATI BALLET

HUMMINGBIRD is one of three pieces to be presented by Cincinnati Ballet in the company’s Joyce debut (photo by Peter Mueller)

Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.
May 6-11, $10-$59
212-645-2904
www.joyce.org
www.cballet.org

Usually when you talk about Cincinnati being in New York, it means that the Reds are taking on the Mets at CitiField or the Bengals are in town taking on the Jets or the Giants at the Meadowlands. But this week it refers to Cincy in NYC, seven days of art, music, dance, theater, and food celebrating the Queen of the West. The centerpiece is the Cincinnati Ballet, returning to New York City for the first time in thirty-five years as part of its fiftieth anniversary season. The company, which features six Cuban dancers, will be presenting three recent works at its Joyce debut from May 6 to 11. Resident choreographer Adam Hougland’s 2013 Hummingbird in a Box is a piece for eight dancers, set to seven specially commissioned songs by guitar god Peter Frampton and Gordon Kennedy; Frampton, who performed the music live at the Cincinnati premiere, will be on hand to introduce the work on opening night at the Joyce. Trey McIntyre’s 2004 Chasing Squirrel is a wildly energetic and fanciful piece for ten dancers in dazzling costumes by Sandra Woodall, with raucous Latino-infused music recorded by the Kronos Quartet. And Val Caniparoli’s 2013 Caprice is an elegant piece that brings together live musicians and ten dancers to Paganini’s “Violin Caprices.” Cincinnati Ballet artistic director Victoria Morgan will participate in a Joyce Dance Chat following the May 7 show.

Cincy in NYC also includes University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music jazz alums performing at Lincoln Center, “Music and Words with Ricky Ian Gordon” at the National Opera House, a Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park staged reading of Cincinnati native Theresa Rebeck’s new play, Fool, at Pearl Studios, the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, seven Cincy chefs preparing a special meal at the James Beard House, the CCM Ariel Quartet playing Haydn, Berg, and Beethoven at the 92nd St. Y’s downtown SubCulture, and, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the reunion of Rembrandt’s separate portraits of a husband and wife, the Taft Museum’s “Portrait of a Man Rising from His Chair” and the Met’s “Portrait of a Young Woman with a Fan.”

CHOICE STREETS 2014

THIRD ANNUAL FOOD TRUCK TASTING EVENT
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex
Pier 86, West 46th St. & 12th Ave.
Wednesday, May 7, $50, 8:00
www.villagevoice.com/choicestreets

It should be a food truck connoisseur’s paradise at Choice Streets 2014, the Village Voice’s third annual outdoor gathering of mobile eateries, taking place May 7 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex. Thirteen hundred hungry ticket holders — twenty-one and over only — will be sampling delights from nearly two dozen food trucks as well as taking tours of the retired aircraft carrier. VIP and early admission are already sold out, but there are still $50 tickets available, which will give you three hours (8:00 – 11:00) of culinary enjoyment, free drinks, and DJ sets by former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke. The food-truck lineup includes some of our favorites — Uncle Gussy’s (love that chicken and lamb combo platter with fries and homemade tzatziki), Carl’s Steaks (we’ll take ours “Wiz wit”), Moo Shu Grill (they better have plenty of XOXO beef, pork belly, and Peking duck), Big D’s Grub Truck (mmm, Yuca fries), Comme Ci Comme Ça (dig that merguez cous cous), Solber Pupusas (the Red Hook platter, please), and the Treats Truck (cookies and brownies, yes!). Among the other participants are Dub Pies, Korilla BBQ, Nuchas, Luke’s Lobster, Taipan Fusion Express, Mike ‘N’ Willie’s, and Love Mamak & Lucky Yim.