twi-ny recommended events

AMERICAN HUSTLERS — GRIFTERS, SWINDLERS, SCAMMERS & CHEATS: THE LADY EVE

Barbara Stanwyck lures an unsuspecting Henry Fonda into her alluring trap in THE LADY EVE

THE LADY EVE (Preston Sturges, 1941)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
April 25-27, 11:00 am
Series continues through May 4
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com

Barbara Stanwyck delivers one of her most nuanced and beguiling performances as the tough-talking title character in The Lady Eve. Usually lumped in with her classic screwball comedies, Preston Sturges’s black-and-white film, based on an original story by Irish playwright Monckton Hoffe (who was nominated for an Oscar), is much darker and slower than its supposed brethren. A brunette Stanwyck is first seen as Jean Harrington, a con artist looking to trick a wealthy man on a cruise ship. At her side is her father, “Colonel” Harrington (Charles Coburn), a gambler and a cheat. As soon as Jean sees rich ale scion Charles Pike (a wonderfully innocent Henry Fonda), she digs her claws into the shy, humble man, challenging the Hays Code as she shows off her gams and leans into him with a heart-pounding sexiness. Pike of course falls for, but when his right-hand man, Muggsy (William Demarest), discovers that she regularly preys on suckers, Charles is devastated. However, in this case, Jean’s feelings might actually be real, forcing her to go to extreme circumstances to try to get him back. Stanwyck is, well, a ball of fire as Jean/Eve, determined to win at all costs. Fonda, not usually known for his comedic abilities, is a riot as poor Hopsie, as Jean calls him; the looks on his face when she ratchets up the sex appeal are priceless, and a later scene when he keeps falling down at a party displays a surprising flair for physical comedy. The opening and closing credits feature a corny animated snake in the Garden of Eden; in The Lady Eve, Stanwyck offers the apple, and Fonda can’t wait to take a bite. And there’s nothing shameful about that. The Lady Eve is screening April 25-27 at 11:00 am as part of the IFC Center series “American Hustlers: Grifters, Swindlers, Scammers & Cheats” series, which concludes May 2-4 with Stephen Frears’s The Grifters.

BALLET PRELJOCAJ: SNOW WHITE

Anjelin Preljocaj offers a unique take on the classic Snow White fairy tale (photo by Jean-Claude Carbonne)

David H. Koch Theater
20 Lincoln Center, Broadway at 63rd St.
April 23-27, $25-$125
212-645-2904
www.davidhkochtheater.com
www.preljocaj.org

As the thirtieth anniversary of his company approaches, Angelin Preljocaj is keeping Ballet Preljocaj plenty busy these days. Born in 1957 in Paris to Albanian refugee parents, Preljocaj formed BP in December 1984 and has been melding classical ballet with contemporary dance on the cutting edge ever since, integrating movement, sound, and design in dynamic and unique works that dazzle the eyes and ears. Last November, he brought the thrilling And then, one thousand years of peace to BAM, examining the apocalypse as only he can, preceded in October by Spectral Evidence, which he choreographed for the New York City Ballet, a mesmerizing piece that examined the Salem Witch Trials, with music by John Cage; his previous work for NYCB, 1997’s La Stravaganza, is being performed as part of the “21st Century Choreographers II” program on April 30 and May 3. But first, Ballet Preljocaj will be at the David H. Koch Theater April 23-27 for the New York premiere of his widely hailed Snow White, presented in conjunction with the Joyce Theater Foundation. Preljocaj goes back to the original Brothers Grimm story, not the Disney fairy tale, instead intently focusing on the complicated relationship between the wicked stepmother — portrayed as a kind of dominatrix — and Snow White, incorporating the psychoanalytical ideas of Bruno Bettelheim. “The central motif of ‘Snow White’ is the pubertal girl’s surpassing in every way the evil stepmother who, out of jealousy, denies her an independent existence — symbolically represented by the stepmother’s trying to see Snow White destroyed,” the Austrian psychologist wrote in his 1976 book, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. “‘Snow White’ is one of the best known fairy tales. Its origins lie in the cycle of complexes described as ‘oedipal’ and date back to the Greek tragedies. . . . It is a story about the sometimes difficult relations due to jealousy and competition that arise amongst families. It is also about the warnings of what not to do, while not necessarily stating what to do.” There’s seemingly nothing Preljocaj won’t do in this 110-minute production, which features music by Gustav Mahler and 79 D, costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier, and sets by Thierry Leproust. Get ready to be amazed.

WALKING SHAPES: A NEW YORK LOVE LETTER

With social media, online digital platforms, and thousands of cable channels, there are more ways than ever for a new band to get noticed. But New York City’s Walking Shapes has found a unique method to share their music. On April 24, guitarists Nathaniel Hoho and Jesse Kotansky, keyboardist Jake Generalli, bassist Dan Krysa, and drummer Christopher Heinz will celebrate the release of their energetic debut album, Taka Come On (No Shame, April 8), by playing at twenty-four different locations in a twenty-four hour period. “A New York Love Letter” opens at 1:00 am at the Manhattan Inn and continues at such venues as the Kent Ale House (1:45 am), Shayz Lounge (2:15), McCarren Park (10:30), El Beit (11:00), MOSCOT eyewear (2:00 pm), Central Park (4:15), Pianos (6:00), Tompkins Square Park (7:30), and Union Square (8:45). They will also be playing in a church, outside on Bedford Ave., on the subway, in a library, and at an art studio. Sleep is included; they’ll be taking a much-needed break from 4:00 to 8:30 am. The whirlwind tour concludes at 10:00 pm with a show at Bowery Electric with Har Mar Superstar. In addition, Walking Shapes has created a video for each tune on the record; you can watch the full stream above and check out some of their previous songs here. Sure, it’s a stunt to get publicity, but it helps that the album kicks some ass, from catchy guitar-heavy tracks (“Woah Tiger,” “In the Wake”) to synth pop (“Winter Fell,” “Feel Good”) to the acoustic ballad “Find Me.” And on April 24, you can find them all over the place. [ed. note: the schedule has changed since this initial post; check the band’s Twitter and Instagram pages for further updates. Walking Shapes will also be playing the No Shame showcase at DROM on April 25 with Pompeya and Seasick Mama.)

LIVE IDEAS: JAMES BALDWIN, THIS TIME!

The life and career of James Baldwin will be celebrated at second annual Live Ideas festival at New York Live Arts this week

New York Live Arts
219 West 19th St.
April 23-27
212-691-6500
www.newyorklivearts.org

Last year, New York Live Arts presented its inaugural Live Ideas festival, honoring Dr. Oliver Sacks with a series of dance performances, special talks, and other programs. For the 2014 edition, as part of the citywide Year of James Baldwin celebration, NYLA is hosting “Live Ideas: James Baldwin, This Time!,” which runs April 23-27 at its home on West Nineteenth St. Every day at twelve o’clock, “Jimmy at High Noon” (free with advance RSVP) will feature actors, musicians, artists, and others reading from Baldwin’s works, which include Go Tell It on the Mountain, Giovanni’s Room, The Amen Corner, Another Country, and Jimmy’s Blues; among those scheduled to participate are Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Laurie Anderson, André DeShields, Kathleen Chalfant, Jesse L. Martin, Tonya Pinkins, Vijay Isher, and Toshi Reagon. In addition, Hank Willis Thomas’s free video installation, A person is more important than anything else…, will play continuously in the lobby, where the mural “Letter from a Region of My Mind,” incorporating the text of a piece Baldwin wrote for the November 17, 1962, issue of the New Yorker, will be on view. On April 23 at 2:30 ($15), Live Ideas curator Lawrence Weschler will moderate the discussion “Baldwin’s Capacious Imagination & Influence” with Roberta Uno and Margo Jefferson. That night the Opening Keynote Conversation ($40-$70, 8:00) brings together the impressive trio of choreographer and NYLA executive artistic director Bill T. Jones, photographer Carrie Mae Weems, and author Jamaica Kincaid. On April 23 at 5:00 and April 24 at 8:00 ($15-$40), director Patricia McGregor and actor Colman Domingo will premiere Nothing Personal, a stage adaptation of the collaboration between Baldwin and Richard Avedon, who went to high school together. The festival also includes “Baldwin & Delaney” (April 24, $10, 2:00), consisting of a reading by Rachel Cohen and a panel discussion about Baldwin’s encounter with painter Beauford Delaney; the multidisciplinary conversation “After Giovanni’s Room: Baldwin and Queer Futurity” (April 25, $10, 2:00) with Kyle Abraham, Rich Blint, Matthew Brim, Laura Flanders, and Jones; and “Jimmy’s Blues: Discussing the Poetry of James Baldwin,” comprising discussion and readings by poets Nikky Finney, Edward Hirsch, Yusef Komunyakaa, Ed Pavlić, Meghan O’Rourke, and Nathalie Handal.

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL: DIOR AND I

Documentary follows Raf Simons as he becomes new creative director of Christian Dior

DIOR AND I (Frédéric Tcheng, 2014)
Tuesday, April 22, Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea, Rush, 9:00
Friday, April 25, AMC Loews Village 7, Rush, 9:00
www.tribecafilm.com

After working on two previous fashion-related films, Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel and Valentino: The Last Emperor, Frédéric Tcheng makes his solo directorial debut with Dior and I. In April 2012, fashion designer Raf Simons was named the new creative director of Christian Dior, bringing along his right-hand man, Pieter Mulier. Tcheng goes behind the scenes to follow Simons as he prepares his first-ever haute couture collection, which is due in a mere two months. Tcheng zooms in on the Belgian designer’s working methods and general anxiety as he takes over at the legendary company, developing important relationships with Dior CEO Sidney Toledano, première atelier flou Florence Chehet, première atelier tailleur Monique Bailly, the seamstresses, the models, and other employees. Simons chooses to pay homage to Dior’s past with his new collection while attempting to rid himself of the designation of “minimalist designer.” One of his most fascinating directions is attempting to incorporate the work of artist Sterling Ruby into his designs. All the while he is haunted by the ghost of company founder and New Look creator Christian Dior, who is shown by Tcheng in archival footage accompanied by a voice-over of Omar Berrada reading from Dior’s memoirs. Dior and I is a slight but affecting race against time, as one man in the present honors the past while laying the groundwork for a bright future.

LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL

Audra McDonald channels Billie Holiday in LADY DAY (photo by Evgenia Eliseeva)

Circle in the Square Theatre
1633 Broadway at 50th St.
Tuesday – Sunday through August 10, $97 – $252
www.ladydayonbroadway.com

Watching — nay, experiencing — the astonishing Audra MacDonald inhabit Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, one might think that the show was created specifically for the five-time Tony winner. In fact, it’s been around since 1986, and earlier off-Broadway and out-of-town versions have featured such stars as Lonette McKee, Eartha Kitt, S. Epatha Merkerson, Loretta Divine, and Jackée Harry. Inspired by one of Holiday’s final performances, at a small club in South Philadelphia a few months before her death in 1959 at the age of forty-four, Lanie Robertson’s (Nasty Little Secrets) ninety-minute show focuses on a brittle but still immensely talented Holiday as she performs classic songs while sharing tales from her difficult life, which was riddled with physical and sexual abuse, failed marriages, rape, prostitution, and drug and alcohol addiction. Backed by Shelton Becton as pianist Jimmy Powers, George Farmer on bass, and Clayton Craddock on drums (get there early, as the trio starts performing well before curtain time), McDonald nails Holiday’s unique phrasing and thrilling voice on such numbers as “I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone,” “Crazy He Calls Me,” and “Easy Living” as well as “God Bless the Child,” which she cowrote, “T’aint Nobody’s Business If I Do,” and “Strange Fruit,” giving them added emotional resonance in relation to Lady Day’s tragic downfall. The audience sits around the thrust stage on three sides, with a “Circle Club” section in the middle, where patrons sit at tables and drink during the show and Holiday occasionally stumbles through, slurring her words, needing help just to stay upright. Directed by Lonny Price, who previously worked with McDonald on 110 in the Shade, Lady Day is a poignant, passionate look at one of the greatest singers who ever lived, magnificently portrayed by one of Broadway’s very best.

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL: LOVE & ENGINEERING

Todor Vlaev attempts to “hack” a woman in engaging documentary about engineers in Helsinki looking for love

LOVE & ENGINEERING (Tonislav Hristov, 2014)
Tuesday, April 22, Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea, $12.50, 3:30
Thursday, April 24, Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea, limited, 7:00
Saturday, April 26, Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea, $20.50, 3:45
www.tribecafilm.com

”Did you hear the one about the engineer who didn’t have a girlfriend? He’s an engineer.” Engineers have been the butt of romance-related jokes probably going back millennia and, according to Tonislav Hristov’s engaging new documentary, Love & Engineering, perhaps with very good reason, particularly now in the digital age. “Love is the bio-program thing that could make you co-act with someone else,” Bulgarian 3D engineer and PhD Atanas Boev says at the beginning of the film. “Emotion is something, like, very inexplicable.” Boev is that rarest of men in his social circle: a happily married engineer, and he is somewhat of a hero to four other engineers who have come to him to learn how to become more successful with women. First, Todor Vlaev, Tuomas Nieminen, Markus Virtane, and Andon Nikolov attend Boev’s presentation, “The Secret Weapons of Pickup Masters: Get Every Woman in Bed with Three Simple Steps,” then Hristov (Rules of Single Life, Soul Food Stories), himself a divorced former engineer, follows them as they try to use Boev’s algorithmic teachings — he refers to women as “servers” and calls wooing “hacking — in various dating situations that are hysterically funny and sadly pathetic. The engineers, who all live and work in Helsinki, struggle to find topics of conversation — one can only talk about computer games — as the proud, stuttering Boev reviews their results with pseudoscientific explanations that see the woman as a “goal,” a “destination,” not as a human being, which could, um, be part of the problem. Oddly, the film subtitles everyone’s speech, even though understandable English is the only language spoken, and the transcription isn’t perfect, so it’s somewhat awkward to hear a character say something and then read words that don’t match exactly; there are even imperfect subtitles for a woman for whom English is her first language, and even her words are slightly changed. Of course, it’s worth repeating that the documentary was made by a former engineer, an occupation that requires a unique kind of precision. And special kudos go out to the various women who allowed themselves to be filmed interacting with this group of oddballs.