Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, MAY 02, 2014.

Marxfest (through May 31)
“The year 1914 is most famously associated with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and the start of the First World War, but other momentous things happened then—not least, at a poker table in Illinois, the Marx Brothers got their stage names. A few fans of Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo are determined not to let the anniversary go unnoticed, and they are celebrating all month long, with screenings of “Monkey Business,” “A Day at the Races,” “Duck Soup,” and other films, along with talks, parties, and performances. (marxfest.com / Various locations)” (NewYorker)

Today’s Marxfest Special Event:
From Angels to Anarchists: The Evolution of the Marx Brothers
“Before Groucho Marx became the cigar-puffing, bushy-browed, mustachioed wisecracker of cherished Hollywood farces like Monkey Business, Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera, he was a kid singer with a (reportedly) mediocre voice. Learn more about his rise to goofball glory alongside his four funny bros in this lecture chronicling the comedy team’s path from cherubic child charmers on the vaudeville stage to purveyors of the hammy free-for-all we know and love. American Vaudeville Theater director, writer and host Trav S.D. leads the chat, while old-timey-jazz singer Sarah Moskowitz croons tunes from the brothers’ early rep, including Groucho’s favorite: the immortal “Peasie Weasie.” (TONY)
Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Ave., at 12th St.
no way this is Manhattan’s WestSide, but if you are a Marx Brothers fan, and who isn’t, you’ll want to find this place. subway: express Q to W 8th St. coney island.
at 7:30pm / $7
718-372-5159 / marxfest.com

Ray LaMontagne
“Ray LaMontagne just released his new Dan Auerbach-produced album “Supernova” on Tuesday. The album moves from his more traditional folk rock sound into psychedelic pop territory.” (DNA Info)
Town Hall, 123 West 43rd St.
800-982-2787, the-townhall-nyc.org
at 9 p.m. / $50
The show is nearly sold out, but there should still be tickets on StubHub

Bike Expo New York (also Saturday)
Bicyclists (including me) look forward to this annual free event — featuring vendors, classes, entertainment and giveaways — which precedes the TD Five Boro Bike Tour on Sunday. (Registration is now closed for that ride.) bikeexponewyork.org.
Expo hours: Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Pier 36, Basketball City, 299 South Street, at Montgomery Street, Lower Manhattan
This place is not easy to get to.
Subway: F to East Broadway and then a multi block hike;
best to get there on your bike. last year there was a secure area to store it at the venue

The X’s and O’s of Tic-Tac-Toe
Everyone remembers the game Tic-Tac-Toe, but odds are you don’t play it much anymore. There’s a good reason for this — most of us learned back in elementary school that the game is bound to end in a draw. But as the great math puzzle guru Martin Gardner once said, “Many players have the mistaken impression that because they are unbeatable, they have nothing more to learn.”

Join Yale professor Nathan Kaplan as he shows us that there is plenty more to learn about Tic-Tac-Toe. Together we’ll explore interesting strategies and investigate fascinating unsolved problems. Who knew Tic-Tac-Toe could be this much fun?!

Bring your strategic ‘A-game,’ and you’ll have the chance to become the Family Fridays Tic-Tac-Toe grand champion.
National Museum of Mathematics, 11 E. 26th St.
FREE Family Friday 6:30 PM through 8:00 PM
(212) 542-0566 / momath.org

Multiplicity: Joel Harrison and Anupam Shobhakar
“Mr. Harrison, a guitarist-composer of broad imagination, and Mr. Shobhakar, who plays sarod, an Indian lute, have a new album, “Leave the Door Open,” that strikes a vibrant fusion. Revisiting that material here, they jointly lead an ensemble with Samarth Nagarkar on vocals, Jacob Sacks on piano, Anindo Chatterjee on tabla, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Dan Weiss on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village,
212-989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com
At 9 and 10:30 p.m. / $15 cover, with a $10 minimum.
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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.

♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.

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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.

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) Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view. ==========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (04/30) and (04/28).