New York Notebook :: November
Ghouls and goblins are so over! It's time to move on to the very important task of coping with -- by snarking at - the wholesome delights of the family-intensive holiday season. Not that you're not entitled to some unwholesome delights then as well, if that's your preference. And a whole lot of cultural guttony, because there's so much going on . 'Tis the almost-season, after all.
Week 1: American Voices of All Stripes (Plus a Notable Brit or Two)
Truffaut films will be screening at the Women are egregiously underrepresented at the ), November 4-7. Still, you might want to catch Mario Cantone, Mike Birbiglia, Ricky Gervais, and Andy Samberg among the headliners.
The
will be hopping with a new Karole Armitage work, "Itutu," featuring the West African band Burkina Electric, November 4-7, and Isabelle Huppert in Heiner M�ller" s="" "Quartett"="" (based="" on="" "Les="" Liaisons="" Dangereuses")="" November="" 4-14.="" With="" Robert="" Wilson="" directing,="" you="" can="" assume="" that="" any="" liaising="" will="" take="" place="" very="" slowwwwwwly.
The 's "Cedar City Falls: A Mid-West Conflict," an eight-episode theatrical soap opera cooked up by a quartet of "Sex and the City" writers and starring some recognizable names, occupies Brooklyn's Galapagos Art Space November 4-13.
The sometimes vexing but never boring British provocateuse Tracey Emin opens a show at November 5, as does Paul McCarthy at , and don't miss Susan Grossman's large-scale urban drawings, at only through the 7th. Urs Fischer's playful show at the warrants a visit as well, if only for the melting lavender piano (it looks as if Liberace let the candles burn too long).
Wouldn't you want to be on hand when Tennessee Williams is inducted -- about time! -- in 's Poets' Corner? John Guare, Olympia Dukakis, Provincetown Tennesee Williams Theater Festival founder David Kaplan, and other admirers do. The ceremony takes place the evening of November 5.
Competing for your attention that night is "American Voices," the opening gala for the , featuring divas such as Joyce DiDonato and special guest Rufus Wainwright.
You could actually preface either with a speed-nosh at the New York Times' at the Architects & Designers Building. And cap it off with a late show at the Westbank Caf�'s , where Mike Albo and his Unitard cohorts promise "an evening of humor, wit, song and sarcasm" - several evenings, in fact, November 5, 12, and 24. You'll want to return to the West Bank November 6-15 for "Miss Coco Peru Is Undaunted!" - and back in town, trailing "sassy songs and amusing anecdotes."
On November 6-7 you can watch improv groups like Don't Quit Your Night Job make up entire mini-musicals on the spot at the first annual at . Throughout the weekend, you can entertain your tastebuds at , which last year went by the less imperative label of "Tastings NYC." Whatever you call it, it's a fun opportunity to check out celebrity chefs (e.g., Bill Telepan) and scope out promising new products.
A certain Miss Jane Austen had little gift for domestic life but spent her leisure time well: she's the subject of a fascinating exhibit at the Morgan Library November 6 - March 14.
Week 2: Battle of the Benefits
On November 8th,
November 9th is one of those especially event-heavy Mondays:
-- The hosts a "Newsmaker" talk by Jane Lynch (the coach on "Glee" and a new cast member of "Love, Loss, and What I Wore")
-- The honors Tony Kushner at its 13th annual Courage Awards, to be held at the W New York Ballroom
-- Charles Busch and Julie Halston host "Leading Ladies," ' 25th Anniversary Gala
-- ' "Stories on 5 Stories" benefit takes as its theme "The Elephant in the Room": cast members include Debra Monk and Jason Butler Harner
-- Demi and Ashton will be making the scene at the benefit -- alongside Billy Crudup, Amber Tamblyn, Rachel Dratch, Rosie Perez, and (it is rumored ) Live Schreiber and Jennifer Anison
-- Bernadette Peters is putting on a double-benefit: "A Special Concert for Because "
-- At "A Fashionable Taste of New York," will honor Ballet Hispanico founder Tina Ramirez, occasional Obama-chef Art Smith, and conductor Kent Tritle, who'll be leading the Oratorio Society (including my humble soprano self) in "The Messiah" at Carnegie Hall December 14
Revive yourself in time to catch the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company at the November 10-15, and to hear Paul Rudnick participate in the the "Happy Ending Music and Reading Series" at November 11, or burlesque babe Harriet Halloway (a prot�g�e of Dirty Martini and World Famous Bob) holding forth with "Hysterical Blondeness" at the .
Also on the 11th: The 's "American Icons" gala dinner at the Four Seasons, featuring chefly faves such as Alfred Portale's artichoke ravioli, Larry Forgione's butter-poached lobster, and Charlie Palmer's pork-belly cannelloni ...
Speaking of which, Palmer's newly relocated - close by Times Square and the now Gourmet-less Cond� Nast cafeteria -- got a totally unwarranted one-star drubbing in "New York" magazine. We like the glass-walled sanctum which permits a leisurely, luscious pre-theatre feast, insulated from the rather high-spirited bar crowd, and also appreciate the ungouging prix fixe menu which might span, say, a diver sea scallop "sandwich" (foie gras is the filling), a prettily pink tuna Wellington, and a dreamy Concord grape granita.
On the 12th, you might sample a score of Champagnes (the real kind, of course) and assorted hors d'oeuvres at Fl�te Gramercy's annual Fl�te Fest, benefitting the . Segue, tipsily, to "Mimi & Flo Go Live ... Again!" at and adorably ditsy Adira Amram hosting , a free sampler at the performance-arty ANT FEST '09 at Ars Nova through November 21. Or for something a little more somber, consider opening night of Leos Janacek's Dostoevsky-derived "From the House of the Dead" at the .
November 12-14, the launch an interactive performance piece, "You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents' Divorce" at in Dumbo.
We always enjoy getting a refresher course in tasteful d�cor at ' "Modernism" show at the Park Avenue Armory (November 12-16, including the opening-night benefit): this year it runs in sync, sensibly, with "Art 20." If the nest still requires some more feathering, there's always the , and its personal adornment analog, "Fashion Alley & Vintage Collecting," November 14-15.
The minute they start hauling out the holly and the mistletoe, we find ourselves in dire need of a comedic antidote - a function to be fulfilled this year, perhaps, by the Alternative Theatre Company's "Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever!," at the Actor's Playhouse November 13 - January 3.
Week 3: More Singular Sorts, Plus One Certifiable Schizo
Man Ray liked to mix things up. He gets a retrospective at the
Lauren Ambrose plays November 15, to be followed on the 16th by an irresistible triple-bill: at 7:00, sneak previews of musicals-in-the-making hosted by Music Theater Initiative director Ted Sperling; at 9:30, Broadway rocker Felicia Finley with her new album, "Great Mood for a Tuesday"; at
11:30, Carly Jibson with "Not a Bitch ... Not Yet a Woman." The latter two both killed at the recent , in "The Last Smoker in America" and "Fat Camp," respectively; NYMF's award ceremony is set for November 22.
If you missed Birgit Huppuch's amazing performance as a schizo Jungian case study in "Telephone" at the Cherry Lane last season, or all the more if you did see it, you'll want to catch her in Ariana Reines's "Miss St.'s Hieroglyphic Suffering" November 15-16, part of the series at the Guggenheim.
The 6th annual "Broadway Unplugged" show at offers a chance to witness Broadway stars projecting old-style - the roster is always stellar, as are the results.
has convened a distinguished company, including Jayne Houdyshell, to read "On the Rocks" at the Players Club November 16. 's First Look Festival, passim November 16 - 30, focuses on Pirandello, with John Turturro appearing in "Henry IV" November 29-30.
Seth Rudetsky, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, David Shire, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Julia Murney are among the performers pulling together for "Sonnet Sings the Bard" at , also on the 16th -- an evening of Shakespeare-inspired songs to benefit the .
November 17th's at Capitale, co-hosted by Jonathan Ames and Garrison Keillor, will also feature Anna Deavere Smith, monologuist extraordinaire, whose wonderful body-centric show "Let Me Down Easy" runs at through December 6.
The amazing Mary Testa is on board for the opening program of the 's new season, themed "Where We Come From." She and cohorts Jason Graae and Sylvia McNair will be celebrating "Great American Songwriting Teams" at Merkin Concert Hall November 17 and 19.
In the mood for some spacy music? Philip Glass's new opera, "Kepler," has its U.S. premiere at November 18-21. Also on the 18th, the vintage backstage farce "So Help Me God!," starring Kristen Johnston and Anna Chlumsky (as an Eve Harringtonesque ing�nue), starts previews at the . Improbably upscale - but marvelous - blues mama Baby Jane Dexter has a bunch of dates November 18 - December 19. Her theme: "All about Love." The 18th is also the last scheduled installment of John Wesley Harding's congenial late-night musical/literary "Cabinet of Wonders" salon at .
One more contender for the 18th: The trendy new in "NoMad" (that's "North of Madison Square Park": at last my nowhere neighborhood has a stylish acronym!) hosts a Slumber Party Benefit to benefit and to promote new limited-edition PJs by artist Will Cotton; star British restaurateur April Bloomfield, who's in charge of the in-house restaurant, Breslin, will provide the midnight snacks. If you'd like to stay over, Ace has an appealing "Empty Nesters" package: starting at $389 per night, it includes parking, a bottle of wine, and a movie of your choice. (Proof of flown-the-coop children not required.) And if you do happen to have school-age children, however remotely related, in your life, be sure to catch a screening of civil-libertarian Cevin Soling's wake-up call of a documentary at Quad Cinemas November 18-24: he draws scary parallels between prisons and repressive public schools.
Lynda Benglis has a show of new work opening at November 19, and New York City Encores! Presents an all-too-brief run of the Gershwins' "Girl Crazy" at November 19-22. Chris Diamantopoulos and Becki Newton play the leads; Ana Gasteyer and Wayne Knight appear in supporting roles.
On November 20-21, Mark Morris is scheduled to direct a public workshop of scenes from "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," a new opera by Herschel Garfein, adapted from the Stoppard play. On the 21st, at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, Dionne Warwick appears as a special guest at "Maestro Michel Legrand Live In Concert."
Week 4: A Church to Service the Rest of Us
Start the week off right with a contemplative, sociable get-together at the Church of the Secret City, a secular Sunday-morning salon geared to creative types; for details (the theme this month is "grace" in its many forms), see http://churchofthesecretcity.com/
In mounting a huge show by and about filmmaker Tim Burton (November 22 - April 26), 's "Best of Fest" awards gala (see above) and the gala, featuring Stephanie Blythe, Anna Netrebko, and other high-profile warblers.
Marc Kudisch hosts the November 23 gala of the , whose free new-musical readings (check their website) are among the city's best little-known treats. This year, the 18th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre goes to Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick.
On the 24th, Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones pair up for the Broadway revival of .
The has a new ballet by Peter Martins, set to a new John Adams score, with which to launch its season at ; the gala opening night benefit is on November 24.
will run a slew of Liv Ullmann films November 24 - December 6 to celebrate her U.S. stage directorial debut: her rendering of "A Streetcar Named Desire," starring Cate Blanchett, starts previews November 27.
Rufus Wainwright, Jonathan Groff, and Lea Michele headline in the November 29 "True Color Cabaret" at .
And then bring on the seasonal comic relief! John Treacy Egan ("When Pigs Fly" and currently by far the finest voice onstage in the vocally challenged "Bye Bye Birdie") presents "Rudolph Unplugged" at the November 29-30, and Broadway stars such as B.D. Wong and Tituss Burgess are getting together for "A Very MARY Holiday, to be held at Dixon Place on November 30 as a benefit for the and Broadway Speaks Out.
Hang in there as the hellish holiday season draws nigh!
Sandy MacDonald (www.sandymacdonald.com) is a travel writer and theatre critic based in New York, Cambridge, and Nantucket.
