Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, NOV. 03, 2013

ING New York City Marathon
The marathon is back after being canceled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy last year, and there are ample opportunities to cheer on the participants. Sponsored by ING and the New York Road Runners, the run has a few changes this year: the start time for professional female runners is 9:10 a.m., and at 9:40 a.m. for the first wave of runners that includes professional male athletes. (The second wave begins at 10:05, the third at 10:30 and the fourth at 10:55.)

The run begins at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on Staten Island and ends in Central Park at 67th Street and Central Park West, near the site of the old Tavern on Green.

The best viewing areas: in Brooklyn, near 92nd Street in Bay Ridge and along Fourth Avenue; in Manhattan, along First Avenue, from the Queensboro Bridge to the Willis Avenue Bridge, and along Fifth Avenue, from the northern end of Central Park to 89th Street; in Queens, along 44th Road and 44th Drive and Crescent Street to the Queensboro Bridge in Long Island City; in the Bronx, 138th Street from Willis Avenue to the Madison Avenue Bridge, in the Mott Haven section.

A live broadcast begins at 9 a.m. on Channel 7 and ESPN 2; pre-run programming begins at 7 a.m. on Channel 7. (212) 860-4455, nycmarathon.org. (NYT)

NYC Comedy Festival (Nov. 6-10)
Buy tickets now.
Performances by Wanda Sykes, John Mulaney and Whitney Cummings, and a conversation between Larry David and David Steinberg are among the highlights of this year’s New York Comedy Festival, which is now in its 10th year and is presented in association with Comedy Central and produced by Carolines on Broadway.

Drama and Discussion: a Public Forum
The playwright Tony Kushner will be among those taking part in this event that is part of the Public Forum series sponsored by the Public Theater. A reading of “Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy,” Mr. Kushner’s play about the George W. Bush presidency, will be followed by a discussion about it with Rachel Maddow and the actors Denis O’Hare and Elizabeth Marvel. It is the second of a three-part program called the Drama Club, which features different plays and speakers. The last installment, on Dec. 10, will focus on Thornton Wilder’s “Long Christmas Dinner.”

At 7 p.m., Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, joespub.com; $40. (NYT)

JOE LOVANO’S US FIVE (last day!)
“Even without the presence of Esperanza Spalding, the quintet’s original bassist (a post now occupied by Peter Slavlov), this ensemble still packs a mighty punch, propelled by two trap drummers, a vivacious pianist—James Weidman—and the audacious leader. (In addition to his tenor and soprano saxophones, Lovano has been known to pick up the aulochrome, a recently invented hybrid instrument that allows him to play two soprano saxes simultaneously.) Us Five satisfies the need for both daring musicianship and infectious rhythmic verve—a rare combination.”(NewYorker mag)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St.
At 8:30PM and 10:30PM / $25
212-255-4037

Matthew Bourne’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (last day!)
“Though best known for his all-male version of “Swan Lake,” Matthew Bourne has been reinventing the classics for years. Now “Sleeping Beauty,” set to the beloved Tchaikovsky score, has been given a new Bourne identity: cheeky humor, cartoonish sets and the occasionally goofy movement. But the man knows how to put on an entertaining show.” (Schaefer-NYT)
City Center, 131 West 55th St.
Wednesday and Friday at 8 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m./$30 to $130.
(212) 581-1212, nycitycenter.org

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change. ===============================================================================

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater, and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world.

Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues.

Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here is one Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Karl Wirsum* (through Nov. 16)
“In the 1960s when he was a member of the Chicago imagist group the Hairy Who, Karl Wirsum made graphically bristling paintings resembling banners for an underground freak show. His eye-popping and mind-bending first exhibition of new paintings and drawings in New York since 1988 finds him still rambunctiously animated.” (Johnson-NYT)
Derek Eller Gallery, 615 West 27th St. (W of 11th ave.)
(212) 206-6411, derekeller.com

For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com) ==========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (11/01) and (10/30).