Today’s Sweet 6 > WEDNESDAY / APR. 13, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do This:
Tribeca Film Festival
various locations, times and prices
“Kicks off its 15th edition. The festival, which originally set out to help revive the TriBeCa neighborhood post-9/11, has grown into an international celebration of cinema at venues throughout the City. Lasting nearly two weeks, the festival focuses this year on some unique documentaries, female directors and local stories.

In addition to screening new films, the Beacon Theatre will host a special 40th anniversary showing of director Martin Scorsese’s NYC classic, Taxi Driver. Afterward, there will be an onstage conversation headed up by festival co-founder Robert De Niro—who also happens to be the film’s star—along with the director and co-stars Jodie Foster and Cybill Shepherd. In addition, the Tribeca Talks series returns with conversations on movies and moviemaking that feature the likes of J.J. Abrams, Tina Fey, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Rock.” (nycgo.com)

A 12-day Hub Pass ($550) gives you unfettered access to virtual reality experiences, storyscapes and star speakers such as Tina Fey and Tom Hanks, but ticket prices for essential screenings ($20) and several Tribeca Talks ($40) are thankfully a lot more budget-friendly. (TONY) For details on all the films, schedules, talks and events, visit tribecafilm.com.

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Camille O’Sullivan (April 13-16)
Irish Arts Center, 553 W51st St./ 8PM, $32
“Pinning this Irish-French performer down to any one confining musical genre is a fool’s game. What can be confirmed is that she brings arresting theatricality and sensuality to a wide swath of song, touching on the work of Gillian Welch, Nick Cave, and others.”(NewYorker)
“Ravishing…superb performer.” – Guardian
“Exceptional.” – Time Out

Project B-Way/95 (Apr.07-20)
Symphony Space, Broadway @ 95th St./
“Two weeks of reveling in The Great White Way as only Symphony Space can. See, hear, and meet leading singers, composers, writers, and directors with concerts, panel discussions, film screenings, workshops, literary events, and more! You’ve never been this close to Broadway before.”
Tonight: The Changing Face of Broadway:
Race and Diversity in the American Musical Theater
Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space / 7:30PM, $25
“An exploration of the challenges and rewards of nontraditional casting and the changing landscape of ethnic diversity on the Broadway stage, featuring live performances and a panel discussion.
Hosted by Christine Toy Johnson – actor, writer, and award-winning activist on issues of diversity and discrimination in the arts.”

Lea Salonga (thru April 17)
54 Below, 254 W 54th St./ 7PM, $90+
(Performance on April 14th is at 9PM)
“Fresh from her critically acclaimed performance in Allegiance on Broadway, Lea Salonga takes the stage at Feinstein’s/54 Below for a highly anticipated NYC cabaret return. Called “golden-voiced” by Variety, Salonga smartly weaves together a set list of her favorite standards, go-to pop tunes, and Broadway ballads. This trio of piano, guitar, and voice ensures an intimate experience with a true Broadway icon.” (broadwayworld.com)

Elsewhere, but Anat is always worth the detour:
Anat Cohen Tentet (through April 17)
Jazz Standard, 116 E27th St./ 7:30PM and 9:30PM, $
“A clarinetist and tenor saxophonist of irresistible rhythmic aplomb, Ms. Cohen has dabbled in music for midsize ensembles, and this one should bring out some vibrant colors in her writing. The 10-piece ensemble’s chamberesque lineup includes Nadje Noordhuis on trumpet, Rubin Kodheli on cello, James Shipp on vibraphone and Sheryl Bailey on guitar.” (Chinen-NYT)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Double Take 17
Apexart, 291 Church St./ 7PM, FREE
“Double Take” rethinks the reading series, inviting pairs of emerging and award-winning novelists, poets, editors, and artists to exchange ideas on a shared topic. In this week’s edition, organized by the Bookforum editor Albert Mobilo, the editor and playwright Donald Breckenridge and the educator Johannah Rodgers consider Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Saratoga Park; the novelist and musician Stephen Tunney and the writer and translator Peter Wortsman muse on sleepless nights; and the photojournalist and New School professor Lauren Walsh chooses a photograph at random and trades observations about it with the author Colin Dickey.” (NewYorker)

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Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W54th St., 54below.com, 646-476-3551
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

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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, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘Jackson Pollock: A Collection Survey, 1934-1954’ (through May 1)
“The first exhibition devoted to the Modern’s unsurpassed Pollock holding gives a dazzling account of the evolution of his signature poured paintings. Its 58 works on canvas and paper also attest to the Modern’s laserlike focus on accounting fully for the achievements of artists it deems great. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith-NYT)

‘Marcel Broodthaers: A Retrospective’ (through May 15)
“The Belgian poet Marcel Broodthaers (1924-1976) supported himself for 40 years as a bookseller before deciding on a new career as an artist. In 1964, he turned some unsold poetry books into a sculpture, and instantly had a debut solo show. Four years later, he appointed himself director of a fictional art museum — his own. Now comes a belated and woozily perplexing first New York survey of one of Europe’s most influential 20th-century trickster-artist-poets, along with a complementary showcase, “Marcel Broodthaers: Ecriture,” at Michael Werner Gallery on the Upper East Side. 212-708-9400, moma.org.”(Cotter-NYT)

‘Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty’ (through July 24)
“Among the greats of late 19th-century French painting, Degas remained closest to tradition and its focus on the human body, which may explain why this large but thrillingly intimate show is his first solo at the Modern. It focuses his monotypes — the most seductive of all print mediums — and their modernizing effect on his art, revealing with exceptional clarity a radical merging of subject and process that brought new liveliness to depictions of the body and to art itself. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith)

Neue Galerie:
‘Munch and Expressionism’ (through June 13)
“There’s no question that Munch was a product of his Norwegian homeland. But this show makes him part of a larger history too. It argues that his art significantly shaped, and was shaped by, European culture of the early 20th century, when an atmospheric clash of liberationist yearning and doomsday fear charged the air like lightning and sparked reality-fracturing art styles, including German Expressionism. Along with “The Scream,” in the 1895 pastel version that sold at Sotheby’s a few years back, you’ll find wonderful paintings by Munch’s younger contemporaries Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann and Egon Schiele glowing like lamps against midnight-blue walls. 1048 Fifth Avenue, at 86th Street, 212-628-6200, neuegalerie.org.” (Cotter)

 Whitney Museum of American Art:
‘Laura Poitras: Astro Noise’ (through May 1)
“An engrossing first solo museum show by an artist-activist known for films documenting the United States government’s post-Sept. 11 “war on terror,” notably the Oscar-winning “Citizenfour.” Here she pursues her forensic mediation on global surveillance with a suite of dimly lit installations made up of photographs, videos and texts that take us from ground zero to Baghdad, Washington and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and that conclude with a chilling little real-time surprise. 99 Gansevoort Street, at Washington Street, 212-570-3600, whitney.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right sidebar dated 04/11 and 04/09.
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This week’s fave and FREE NYCity AppS: 
Trip Advisor
An enormous base of NYCity user reviews (2.1 million) provides the widest coverage of hotels (468), restaurants (12,645) and things to do (yes, 3,246). Have a specific question? Then try one of Trip Advisor’s forums. Just remember that with all those reviews you have to try to find the consistency among the comments, and ignore the outliers.

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

Subway Time 
Need to catch your #1,2,3 subway to attend an event? Use the Subway Time app from the MTA to find out when the next train arrives at your station. The MTA also has Train and Bus Time info available on their mobile website.
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