NYC Events,”Only the Best” (02/07) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 02/07/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ FEBRUARY 07, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “February NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Tanya Tucker
Now a Grammy winner.
Town Hall / 8PM, $31+
“Texas outlaw-country legend Tanya Tucker scored her first No. 1 at age 14 with the 1973 hit “What’s Your Mama’s Name.” Her storied career led to duets with Glen Campbell and Emmylou Harris; last month, she won her first two Grammys. She’ll run through her classics live along with cuts from her Grammy winner While I’m Livin’. (Craig Jenkins, NewYork Mag)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> La Traviata
>> MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’
>> Chinese New Year Spectacular VI
>> RAVI COLTRANE
>> New York City Ballet 
>> Dee Dee Bridgewater
>> Animation First Fest

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Metropolitan Opera
La Traviata (next Feb.26, 7:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $30+
“Michael Mayer’s sumptuous staging, a highlight of the 2018–19 season, returns with two casts of bright stars. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak and Lisette Oropesa share the role of Violetta, the opera’s tragic heroine, opposite tenors Dmytro Popov and Vittorio Grigolo as her ardent lover, Alfredo, and baritones Quinn Kelsey and Luca Salsi as Alfredo’s stern father, Germont. Karel Mark Chichon and Bertrand de Billy conduct one of opera’s greatest scores.”

MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’ (through Feb. 9)
at New York City Center / 8PM, $35
“Three years after its premiere in London in 1995, this flamboyant production conquered Broadway, winning three Tony Awards, including one for best choreography. It’s the familiar fairy tale with a sexy modern twist: Rather than a flock of female swans and a demure Odette, Bourne gives audiences a gang of bare-chested, feral male swans led by a strapping fellow whose seduction of the Prince flavors the vintage story with overt homoeroticism. And in lieu of classical ballet steps, Bourne brandishes his style of muscular modern dance. After touring the world regularly since its debut, the show returns to New York for 13 performances.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Chinese New Year Spectacular VI
Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall / 7:30PM, $28+
“Chinese New Year Spectacular VI at Carnegie Hall, featuring new artists including pianist Cong Bi and Kunqu performers Jiehua Shi, Min Cheng and Qinglin Cail, as well as soprano Quan Chen, and American violinist Deni Bonet.” (cityguideny.com)

RAVI COLTRANE (Feb. 4-9)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Coltrane has released just one leadership album in the past decade, but he’s kept a busy and diverse itinerary as a bandleader in live scenarios. If recording devices have been running, there ought to be enough material by now for a boxed set of live recordings from his past 10 years, full of various bands and projects. The band this saxophonist will bring to New York in the coming week is new, and if the personnel is any indication it suggests an interest in tacking to the center of a certain musical tradition, with help from musicians whose hometowns all boast rich, nurturing jazz histories: the pianist Orrin Evans, from Philadelphia; the bassist Bob Hurst, from Detroit; and the drummer Jeff Watts, known as Tain, from Pittsburgh. (Allan Mednard, a New Yorker, will fill the drum chair from Tuesday to Feb. 6.)” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $35+
“The coming week brings a potpourri of programs: The “New Combinations” bill on Friday and Tuesday pairs Jerome Robbins’s “Opus 19/The Dreamer” (1979) with Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia” (2001), Justin Peck’s “Bright” and Alexei Ratmansky’s new work, “Voices.” The Saturday and Sunday matinees highlight collaborations between Balanchine and Stravinsky, while the performances on Saturday evening and Wednesday juxtapose Balanchine with Peck in two slightly different mixes. The program on Feb. 6 again includes Balanchine (“Haieff Divertimento” and “Episodes”) and Peck (the lovely “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes”) along with Robbins (“Concertino”).” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Dee Dee Bridgewater (Feb. 5-9)
Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St./ 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $30-$45
“There’s little that the vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater can’t wrap her inclusive sensibilities around. On her most recent album, “Memphis . . . Yes, I’m Ready,” the venerated performer takes on R. & B. and gospel material associated with the Southern region she originally called home. True to form, the ever-game Bridgewater grabs this repertoire by the throat and doesn’t let go until it gleefully surrenders to her ardor.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Animation First Fest (Feb.7-9)
@ French Institute: Alliance Française / varioustimes, $16+
“It’s time again to fête French illustrators at the Animation First Fest, the only festival in the United States dedicated to French animation. This year’s roster includes 18 premieres, award-winning shorts, immersive exhibits, virtual reality, video game demonstrations, and panels. A few highlights: Hello World!, made with papier-mâché puppets animated in stop-motion with hand-crafted sculptures; Lorenzo Mattotti’s The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily, inspired by a classic Italian children’s book; The Swallows of Kabul, which uses illuminates the brutality of life under the Taliban regime with shimmering watercolor-style animation; and the documentary Notre Dame de Paris The Age of the Builders, which spans 850 years.” (gothamist)

A Surrealist Soirée
@ Morgan Library / 6PM, FREE
“Explore unconventional worlds at the Morgan Library’s Surrealist Soirée, presented in conjunction with two of their exhibits: Jean-Jacques Lequeu: Visionary Architect and Alfred Jarry: The Carnival of Being. Hear gallery talks on both men and their fantastical, humorous works, and then try your hand at the surrealist party game Exquisite Corpse. There will also be French wine and cheese, as well as French-inspired gypsy jazz and swing from the Bailsmen.” (gothamist)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (LAST WEEKEND)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

NYC Broadway Week (LAST WEEKEND)
“There’s nothing like live theater—and no place for it like Broadway. NYC Broadway Week invites you to experience the magic firsthand with 2-for-1 tickets to some of the most spectacular performances on stage right now.”

AND

NYC Must-See Week (LAST WEEKEND)
“It may be impossible to do it all in New York City—but trying is the fun part. During NYC Must-See Week, enjoy 2-for-1 tickets to many of the iconic experiences right in our backyard, including attractions, museums, tours and performing arts.”

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

2/7 Mayer Hawthorne, Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/7 The Lone Bellow, Rough Trade NYC
2/7 Tanya Tucker, The Town Hall
2/7-8 Richard Thompson, Symphony Space
2/8 Michael Kiwanuka, Terminal 5
2/8 They Might Be Giants, Bowery Ballroom
2/8 Live From Here w/Andrew Bird, Bedouine, Sarah Jarosz, The Town Hall
2/9 Aztec Two-Step, City Vineyard
2/10 EOB (Ed O’Brien of Radiohead), (le) Poisson Rouge
2/11 Richard Julian, Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1
2/12 The Heavy, Webster Hall
2/12 James Maddock, Rockwood Music Hall
2/12 Joe Pug, Rough Trade

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

Sometimes you just need a beer and a burger. If so, Corner Bistro is the place you want. Located just outside the hip Meatpacking district, this corner bar and grill is decidedly unhip, but it’s not uncrowded, especially at night. Seems that everyone knows this place has one of the better burgers in town.

kac_120405_phude_corner_bistro_bar_1000-600x450In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town.

The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro celebrated it’s 55th anniversary last year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $9.75, and should be ordered medium rare, which will be plenty rare for most folks. Actually, it will be a juicy, messy delight – make sure you have extra napkins. I like to pull up a stool and sit by the large front window in the afternoon, where I can rest my burger and beer on the shelf, and watch the Villagers walk by.

Corner Bistro seems to attract very different groups of patrons depending on time of day. While it’s crowded with locals in the evening, in the afternoon you hear different foreign languages, and watch groups of euro tourists wander in, led by their guidebooks and smartphones.

For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).
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Website: cornerbistrony.com
Phone #: 212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour: NO
Music: Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk: 1 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:
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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Triad – 158 W72nd Street (btw Amsterdam/Columbus Ave.)

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (02/06) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 02/06/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ FEBRUARY 06, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “February NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==============================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Corey Harris
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway / MM
“According to some misbegotten tradition, a bluesman must die—preferably penniless, ideally unheard—before he can be designated a genius. The singer and guitarist Corey Harris took a more expeditious route, nabbing a MacArthur Fellowship in 2007. With a background that winds through Colorado and Bates College, Harris steers away from mimicking old-time grit; rather, he gently tweaks the music, interjecting sounds gleaned from the Caribbean, Mali, and beyond as he molds his blues from the diaspora as well as the Delta.” (Jay Ruttenberg, NewYorker)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> RAVI COLTRANE
>> New York City Ballet
>> Telegraph Quartet
>> Agrippina
>> Dee Dee Bridgewater
>> TAYLA PARX
>> “No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History” by Gail Collins

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

RAVI COLTRANE (Feb. 4-9)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Coltrane has released just one leadership album in the past decade, but he’s kept a busy and diverse itinerary as a bandleader in live scenarios. If recording devices have been running, there ought to be enough material by now for a boxed set of live recordings from his past 10 years, full of various bands and projects. The band this saxophonist will bring to New York in the coming week is new, and if the personnel is any indication it suggests an interest in tacking to the center of a certain musical tradition, with help from musicians whose hometowns all boast rich, nurturing jazz histories: the pianist Orrin Evans, from Philadelphia; the bassist Bob Hurst, from Detroit; and the drummer Jeff Watts, known as Tain, from Pittsburgh. (Allan Mednard, a New Yorker, will fill the drum chair from Tuesday to Feb. 6.)” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $35+
“The coming week brings a potpourri of programs: The “New Combinations” bill on Friday and Tuesday pairs Jerome Robbins’s “Opus 19/The Dreamer” (1979) with Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia” (2001), Justin Peck’s “Bright” and Alexei Ratmansky’s new work, “Voices.” The Saturday and Sunday matinees highlight collaborations between Balanchine and Stravinsky, while the performances on Saturday evening and Wednesday juxtapose Balanchine with Peck in two slightly different mixes. The program on Feb. 6 again includes Balanchine (“Haieff Divertimento” and “Episodes”) and Peck (the lovely “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes”) along with Robbins (“Concertino”).” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Telegraph Quartet
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“The Telegraph Quartet is known for its “soulfulness, tonal beauty and intelligent attention to detail” (San Francisco Chronicle). For this free, hour-long program, the ensemble highlights the dashing “Lobkowitz” F-major Quartet by Haydn, the final quartet written by this master of the form. Britten’s atmospheric String Quartet No. 2 pays tribute to another great English composer, Henry Purcell.”

The Metropolitan Opera
Agrippina (next Feb.9, 3PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30 PM, $30+
“Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome receives its first Met performances, with star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the controlling, power-hungry Agrippina and Harry Bicket conducting. Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power to “the present,” where it should loudly resonate. The all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Iestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius.”

Dee Dee Bridgewater (Feb. 5-9)
Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St./ 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $30-$45
“There’s little that the vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater can’t wrap her inclusive sensibilities around. On her most recent album, “Memphis . . . Yes, I’m Ready,” the venerated performer takes on R. & B. and gospel material associated with the Southern region she originally called home. True to form, the ever-game Bridgewater grabs this repertoire by the throat and doesn’t let go until it gleefully surrenders to her ardor.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Elsewhere, but this just might be worth the detour:

TAYLA PARX
at Baby’s All Right / 7 p.m.; $18
“Though not a household name, this Texan has already left her mark on pop music as a co-writer of numerous Hot 100 hits, including Ariana Grande’s record-smashing 2018 single, “Thank U, Next.” Now, like her fellow writers-turned-singers Jessie J and Julia Michaels, Parx is attempting to harness her own star power and break down barriers between the studio and the stage. She formally introduced her solo project last spring with “We Need to Talk,” a debut record laden with playful pop melody and R&B swagger. After opening for Lizzo at Brooklyn Steel in May, Parx returns to New York for an intimate headlining show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

“No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History” by Gail Collins
The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park S./ 8PM, FREE
“Beloved New York Times columnist Gail Collins brings her sharp wit and insightful analysis to her book on women and aging in America. With characteristic verve, she takes us from the early colonists to heroines like Sojourner Truth, who was in her 60s when she became one of the country’s most famous abolitionists, and on to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It’s a story of undeniable, if hardly steady, progress.

Collins, who has received a George Polk Award for commentary, among many other honors, will appear in conversation with Julie Just, a former editor at The New York Times’ Op-Ed Page and now a senior editor at The New York Review of Books.”

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

NYC Broadway Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“There’s nothing like live theater—and no place for it like Broadway. NYC Broadway Week invites you to experience the magic firsthand with 2-for-1 tickets to some of the most spectacular performances on stage right now.”

AND

NYC Must-See Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“It may be impossible to do it all in New York City—but trying is the fun part. During NYC Must-See Week, enjoy 2-for-1 tickets to many of the iconic experiences right in our backyard, including attractions, museums, tours and performing arts.”

==========================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

2/6 Calexico and Iron & Wine, Webster Hall
2/6 The Lone Bellow, Rockwood Music Hall
2/6 City Winery Presents The Exile Follies, The Cutting Room
2/6 Bonny Light Horseman, Rough Trade
2/7 Mayer Hawthorne, Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/7 The Lone Bellow, Rough Trade NYC
2/7 Tanya Tucker, The Town Hall
2/7-8 Richard Thompson, Symphony Space
2/8 Michael Kiwanuka, Terminal 5
2/8 They Might Be Giants, Bowery Ballroom
2/8 Live From Here w/Andrew Bird, Bedouine, Sarah Jarosz, The Town Hall
2/9 Aztec Two-Step, City Vineyard
2/10 EOB (Ed O’Brien of Radiohead), (le) Poisson Rouge
2/11 Richard Julian, Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1
2/12 The Heavy, Webster Hall
2/12 James Maddock, Rockwood Music Hall
2/12 Joe Pug, Rough Trade

=================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change. Always wise to double-check before heading out.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

============================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

“In Praise of Painting”  (through Oct.4)

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435717

Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913

“How great are the Met’s holdings in the Dutch golden age? Very. This long-term installation rings the lower level of the Lehman Wing with scores of lesser-known gems from the mid-seventeenth century, many of them rarely on view before, amid masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Ruisdael. The period, vivified here, began in 1648, when the end of the Eighty Years’ War with Spain brought a boom in wealth and morale, expressed by genre paintings that exalt the national ideal of gezelligheid—social warmth, comfort, belonging. A key figure was Gerard ter Borch, who had travelled widely and worked at the court of Philip IV, in company with Velázquez. Ter Borch’s lustrous, ineffably witty domestic scenes inspired a generation of masters, notably Vermeer, whose genius rather eclipsed his elder’s. The pictures often star ter Borch’s younger sister Gesina, preening in satins or enigmatically musing. Herself a painter, she is cutely funny-looking—pointy nose, weak chin—and desperately lovable. There’s much to be said for a world with such a family in it.” (

“Making Marvels”  (through March 1)

“This immense exhibition features a trove of impossibly opulent European objects from the mid-sixteenth to the eighteenth century, showcasing the scientific theories and technologies of the time—as well as the wealth of royal collectors. The parade of curiosities begins with “The Imser Clock,” ca. 1554-61, which astounded the imperial court of Ferdinand I with its representation of planetary positions. A projected montage of closeup footage shows the complex, gilded timepiece in action, ticking and chiming as its mechanical figurines rotate. (The show, which might otherwise be weighed down by its abundance of inert filigree, is enlivened by beautifully produced videos like this one.) Presented among the automata, astrolabes, and spring-powered models of the universe are wonders of the natural world. The astonishing Dresden Green, the world’s largest diamond of its kind, was acquired by August III of Poland, in 1722, and later set in a fantastic ornament for a hat. The Kunstkammer treasures on view may have been primarily intended to entertain, and, indeed, delightfully garish works like the South German “Automaton Clock in the Form of Diana on Her Chariot,” ca. 1610—which shot tiny arrows as part of an aristocratic drinking game—still do.” (, NewYorker)

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Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 02/04 and 02/02.
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12 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (02/06/20)

Must-see theater coming to New York City stages this fall (amNY)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

m

NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

and, drum roll, here are all the critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

For good, comprehensive and current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the headout blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets 

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (02/05) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 02/05/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ FEBRUARY 05, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “February NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Dee Dee Bridgewater (Feb. 5-9)
Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St./ 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $30-$45
“There’s little that the vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater can’t wrap her inclusive sensibilities around. On her most recent album, “Memphis . . . Yes, I’m Ready,” the venerated performer takes on R. & B. and gospel material associated with the Southern region she originally called home. True to form, the ever-game Bridgewater grabs this repertoire by the throat and doesn’t let go until it gleefully surrenders to her ardor.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> RAVI COLTRANE
>> New York City Ballet
>> Le Nozze di Figaro
>> The Louis Armstrong Eternity Band
>> James Kaplan on Irving Berlin
>>“Real Fake: The Art, Life and Crimes of Elmyr de Hory”
>> Preet Bharara: Doing Justice

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

RAVI COLTRANE (Feb. 4-9)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Coltrane has released just one leadership album in the past decade, but he’s kept a busy and diverse itinerary as a bandleader in live scenarios. If recording devices have been running, there ought to be enough material by now for a boxed set of live recordings from his past 10 years, full of various bands and projects. The band this saxophonist will bring to New York in the coming week is new, and if the personnel is any indication it suggests an interest in tacking to the center of a certain musical tradition, with help from musicians whose hometowns all boast rich, nurturing jazz histories: the pianist Orrin Evans, from Philadelphia; the bassist Bob Hurst, from Detroit; and the drummer Jeff Watts, known as Tain, from Pittsburgh. (Allan Mednard, a New Yorker, will fill the drum chair from Tuesday to Feb. 6.)” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $35+
“The coming week brings a potpourri of programs: The “New Combinations” bill on Friday and Tuesday pairs Jerome Robbins’s “Opus 19/The Dreamer” (1979) with Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia” (2001), Justin Peck’s “Bright” and Alexei Ratmansky’s new work, “Voices.” The Saturday and Sunday matinees highlight collaborations between Balanchine and Stravinsky, while the performances on Saturday evening and Wednesday juxtapose Balanchine with Peck in two slightly different mixes. The program on Feb. 6 again includes Balanchine (“Haieff Divertimento” and “Episodes”) and Peck (the lovely “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes”) along with Robbins (“Concertino”).” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

The Metropolitan Opera
Le Nozze di Figaro (next Feb.8, 8PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30 PM, $30+
“Two outstanding casts—including sopranos Nadine Sierra, Anita Hartig, Susanna Phillips, and Hanna-Elisabeth Müller; mezzo-sopranos Gaëlle Arquez and Marianne Crebassa; baritone Mariusz Kwiecien; and bass-baritones Luca Pisaroni and Adam Plachetka—come together for Mozart’s scintillating class comedy. Antonello Manacorda and Cornelius Meister conduct Sir Richard Eyre’s fast-paced production.”

The Louis Armstrong Eternity Band
now in its 20th year of residency!
Birdland / 5:30PM, $20-$30
“Inspired by the noble jazz pioneers Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton and their colleagues, David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band breathes life and passion into America’s own great art form. Legendary record producer George Avakian describes the band in this way:

“There has never been a band quite like this one. Most groups, past and present, stick to one style. Some current groups attempt to recreate early recordings in their entirety. These guys do neither. Inspired by divergent bands of the 1920s and 30s, you’ll hear them swing a variety of styles in music by a wide range of composers, always true to the joy and heart of the music.”

GD: No better music anywhere at this time of day. If you like New Orleans Jazz , you’ll love this group, they are the best.

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

James Kaplan on Irving Berlin
Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
“Irving Berlin (1888–1989) has been called—by George Gershwin, among others—the greatest songwriter of the golden age of the American popular song. “Berlin has no place in American music,” legendary composer Jerome Kern wrote; “he is American music.” In a career that spanned an astonishing nine decades, Berlin wrote some fifteen hundred tunes, including “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “God Bless America,” and “White Christmas.” From ragtime to the rock era, Berlin’s work has endured in the very fiber of American national identity.

Exploring the interplay of Berlin’s life with the life of New York City, noted biographer James Kaplan offers a visceral narrative of Berlin as self‑made man and witty, wily, tough Jewish immigrant. This fast‑paced, musically opinionated biography uncovers Berlin’s unique brilliance as a composer of music and lyrics. Masterfully written and psychologically penetrating, Kaplan’s book underscores Berlin’s continued relevance in American popular culture.”

“Real Fake: The Art, Life and Crimes of Elmyr de Hory”
The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park S./ 8PM, FREE
“Elmyr de Hory was one of the most notorious forgers. He is alleged to have painted thousands of “fakes,” many of which still hang in major museums and private collections worldwide. Having eluded prosecution from Interpol, Scotland Yard and other authorities, veteran filmmaker Jeff Oppenheim reopens the case in this investigative caper that sheds new light on the depth of Elmyr’s crimes.”

Preet Bharara: Doing Justice
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway / 7:30PM, $26+
“The one-time federal prosecutor and host of Stay Tuned with Preet joins us for the launch of the paperback of his New York Times-bestselling book, Doing Justice, an important overview of the way our justice system works, and why the rule of law is essential to our survival as a society.”

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

NYC Broadway Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“There’s nothing like live theater—and no place for it like Broadway. NYC Broadway Week invites you to experience the magic firsthand with 2-for-1 tickets to some of the most spectacular performances on stage right now.”

AND

NYC Must-See Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“It may be impossible to do it all in New York City—but trying is the fun part. During NYC Must-See Week, enjoy 2-for-1 tickets to many of the iconic experiences right in our backyard, including attractions, museums, tours and performing arts.”

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

2/4-5 Cold War Kids, Webster Hall

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♦ Before making final plans we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

CAFFE VIVALDI HAS CLOSED, VERY SAD.
I HAVE LEFT THIS REVIEW ON MY SITE AS A KIND OF MEMORIAL and A WARNING. WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

As reported in the “Gothamist”:
“Caffe Vivaldi, one of the last bohemian bastions of the West Village, is set to close this weekend. During its 35 years on Jones Street, the casual cafe won the hearts of locals and celebs alike, including Oscar Isaac, Bette Midler, and Al Pacino.

Despite that friendly communal atmosphere, the owners ultimately struggled to survive under their notorious vulture landlord Steve Croman, who they say waged a harassment campaign against the restaurant, and eventually tripled their rent.”
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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
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NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available SUMMER 2020).
◊ Order before AUGUST 31, 2020 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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Bonus NYC Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (02/04) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 02/04/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ FEBRUARY 04, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “February NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==============================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

The Metropolitan Opera
Porgy and Bess (next Feb.12, 7:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $85+
(Has proved so popular that the Met has added three performances to this second run of the season.)
“One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green.”

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> RAVI COLTRANE
>> New York City Ballet
>> Mike Ledonne Groover Quartet
>> OVERCOATS
>> MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> FutureCity: The Past, Present and Future of New York with Jason Haber

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

RAVI COLTRANE (Feb. 4-9)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Coltrane has released just one leadership album in the past decade, but he’s kept a busy and diverse itinerary as a bandleader in live scenarios. If recording devices have been running, there ought to be enough material by now for a boxed set of live recordings from his past 10 years, full of various bands and projects. The band this saxophonist will bring to New York in the coming week is new, and if the personnel is any indication it suggests an interest in tacking to the center of a certain musical tradition, with help from musicians whose hometowns all boast rich, nurturing jazz histories: the pianist Orrin Evans, from Philadelphia; the bassist Bob Hurst, from Detroit; and the drummer Jeff Watts, known as Tain, from Pittsburgh. (Allan Mednard, a New Yorker, will fill the drum chair from Tuesday to Feb. 6.)” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $35+
“The coming week brings a potpourri of programs: The “New Combinations” bill on Friday and Tuesday pairs Jerome Robbins’s “Opus 19/The Dreamer” (1979) with Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia” (2001), Justin Peck’s “Bright” and Alexei Ratmansky’s new work, “Voices.” The Saturday and Sunday matinees highlight collaborations between Balanchine and Stravinsky, while the performances on Saturday evening and Wednesday juxtapose Balanchine with Peck in two slightly different mixes. The program on Feb. 6 again includes Balanchine (“Haieff Divertimento” and “Episodes”) and Peck (the lovely “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes”) along with Robbins (“Concertino”).” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Mike Ledonne Groover Quartet
Smoke, 2751 Broadway (btw 105/106th St.) / 7PM, 9PM, +10:30PM, $15
“Mike Ledonne’s splendid Groover Quartet has earned a cozy groove for itself, somewhere between fresh from the oven and the halcyon days of organ combos.

While embracing their essential groundwork on the one hand, Ledonne moves steadily forward with the other, lending a more contemporary voice to what has been a popular staple of the Jazz repertoire for well over half a century.” (All About Jazz)

OVERCOATS (Feb. 4-5)
at Webster Hall / 9 p.m.; $35
“Though their close harmonies are rendered in a style associated with traditional country sibling groups, this Brooklyn-based duo is neither old-fashioned nor related. The singer-songwriters Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell layer their tightknit vocals into bright electronic soundscapes — a winning recipe that has earned them admiration from a fellow folktronica ambassador, Maggie Rogers, and an opening slot on Mitski’s “Be the Cowboy” tour. Overcoats have not released an album since “Young,” their 2017 debut, but a recently released EP suggests that the pair are hard at work in the studio. At Webster Hall, they’ll open for the Californian indie-rock group Cold War Kids.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’ (through Feb. 9)
at New York City Center / 8PM, $35
“Three years after its premiere in London in 1995, this flamboyant production conquered Broadway, winning three Tony Awards, including one for best choreography. It’s the familiar fairy tale with a sexy modern twist: Rather than a flock of female swans and a demure Odette, Bourne gives audiences a gang of bare-chested, feral male swans led by a strapping fellow whose seduction of the Prince flavors the vintage story with overt homoeroticism. And in lieu of classical ballet steps, Bourne brandishes his style of muscular modern dance. After touring the world regularly since its debut, the show returns to New York for 13 performances.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Birdland Theatre / 9:30PM, $25
“Mosher is one of those talents you need to see to believe: warm, funny, biting, ferociously committed. In her weekly series at the downstairs Birdland Theater, she invites a gaggle of performers from Broadway and beyond to show their talents.

Guests at the February 4 edition include BETTY, Zachary Freier-Harrison, Phoebe Kreutz and Derek Gregor, Acute Inflections, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Jonathan Demar, Liam Forde, Erin Maguire and musical director Brad Simmons. ” (TONY)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

FutureCity: The Past, Present and Future of New York with Jason Haber
Arnhold Hall in the Theresa Lang Student Center, 55 West 13th St., Room 202 / 6:30PM, FREE
“Author, public policy professor, political advisor, and real estate expert Jason Haber will explore the perils and possibilities facing New York, and will inspire us to fulfill Jane Jacobs’ visions of a dynamic, supportive city.” (untappedcities)

GD: I attended a variation of this presentation last month.
Go hear what he has to say. He knows stuff.

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

NYC Broadway Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“There’s nothing like live theater—and no place for it like Broadway. NYC Broadway Week invites you to experience the magic firsthand with 2-for-1 tickets to some of the most spectacular performances on stage right now.”

AND

NYC Must-See Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“It may be impossible to do it all in New York City—but trying is the fun part. During NYC Must-See Week, enjoy 2-for-1 tickets to many of the iconic experiences right in our backyard, including attractions, museums, tours and performing arts.”

==========================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

2/4-5 Cold War Kids, Webster Hall

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the 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 exhibitions)

‘AUSCHWITZ. NOT LONG AGO. NOT FAR AWAY’
at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (through Aug. 30).

“Killing as a communal business, made widely lucrative by the Third Reich, permeates this traveling exhibition about the largest German death camp, Auschwitz, whose yawning gatehouse, with its converging rail tracks, has become emblematic of the Holocaust. Well timed, during a worldwide surge of anti-Semitism, the harrowing installation strives, successfully, for fresh relevance. The exhibition illuminates the topography of evil, the deliberate designing of a hell on earth by fanatical racists and compliant architects and provisioners, while also highlighting the strenuous struggle for survival in a place where, as Primo Levi learned, “there is no why.” (Ralph Blumenthal, NYT)

‘Worlds Beyond Earth’
at the American Museum of Natural History. (thru Dec.31, 2024)

“The museum’s first space show in six years takes viewers on a tour of our solar system from the comfort of their seats in the Hayden Planetarium. Narrated by Lupita Nyong’o, the film explores the nature of the planets and moons in our solar system and the conditions that make life on Earth possible.” (NYT)   amnh.org.

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’
American Museum of Natural History (through Aug. 9, 2020).

“Everyone’s favorite 18,000-pound prehistoric killer gets the star treatment in this eye-opening exhibition, which presents the latest scientific research on T. rex and also introduces many other tyrannosaurs, some discovered only this century in China and Mongolia. T. rex evolved mainly during the Cretaceous Period to have keen eyes, spindly arms and massive conical teeth, which could bear down on prey with the force of a U-Haul truck; the dinosaur could even swallow whole bones, as affirmed here by a kid-friendly display of fossilized excrement. The show mixes 66-million-year-old teeth with the latest 3-D prints of dino bones, and also presents new models of T. rex as a baby, a juvenile and a full-grown annihilator. Turns out this most savage beast was covered with — believe it! — a soft coat of beige or white feathers.” (Farago-NYT)

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In the Company of Harold Prince

A prince with no heir.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (through March 31)

“Losing Hal Prince this year meant the end of an era. No other producer-director will ever again have Prince’s string of stupendous hits; no one man will ever again become so closely identified with Broadway stagecraft. He worked on everything, from West Side Story to The Phantom of the Opera, from Cabaret to Sweeney Todd, and if not everything he touched turned to gold — nonetheless, he did have the golden touch. This exhibition at the NYPL is a dragon’s hoard of scripts, photographs, set models, and even re-creations of his paperwork. Study it closely and you might become the next great theatrical mind … if not a Prince, then possibly a really talented duchess.” (Vulture, NY Magazine-H.S.)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 02/02 and 01/31.

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11 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/30/20)

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Winter/Spring 2020 Broadway Guide  (nycgo.com)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

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NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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and, drum roll, here are all the media critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

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For good, comprehensive, current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

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finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the “headout” blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (02/03) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 02/03/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > MONDAY/ FEBRUARY 03, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “February NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==============================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Seth Rudetsky’s Broadway Starring Patina Miller
Town Hall / 8PM, $50+
“Music director and host Seth Rudetsky welcomes the greatest Broadway performers for an up-close and personal conversation and concert. Join us as MEGAN HILTY + JESSIE MUELLER (12/2); PATINA MILLER (2/3); and BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL (4/13) chat with Seth and sing a dozen songs from their storied careers and personal journeys. The format of each concert will be a seamless mix of intimate behind-the-scenes stories prompted by Rudetsky’s funny, insightful and revealing questions – and the music from the stars’ stellar Broadway career. This new series promises three different evenings of show-stopping songs and hilarity not to be missed.”

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> SIGURD HOLE
>> La Traviata
>> Ballet Essentials
>> MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’
>> The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> Monday Night Magic

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

SIGURD HOLE
at Weill Recital Hall / 8 p.m.; $25
“This bassist is about to release “Lys/Morke,” a ruminative and openhearted album on which his only accompaniment is the ambient sound he recorded on the Norwegian island of Fleinvaer. The swirl of wind or the rushing of water sometimes serve as a backdrop to Hole’s playing; elsewhere they close in around his quiet bowing, threatening to overwhelm him. He will perform music from the album at this show, his Carnegie Hall debut, which also features a brief performance and talk from David Rothenberg, a musician and philosopher who studies the interplay between music and nature.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

The Metropolitan Opera
La Traviata (next Feb.7, 7:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $30+
“Michael Mayer’s sumptuous staging, a highlight of the 2018–19 season, returns with two casts of bright stars. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak and Lisette Oropesa share the role of Violetta, the opera’s tragic heroine, opposite tenors Dmytro Popov and Vittorio Grigolo as her ardent lover, Alfredo, and baritones Quinn Kelsey and Luca Salsi as Alfredo’s stern father, Germont. Karel Mark Chichon and Bertrand de Billy conduct one of opera’s greatest scores.”

New York City Ballet
Ballet Essentials
Rose Bldg, Lincoln Center / 6:30PM, $
“Movement Workshops for Adults Ages 21+ Experience New York City Ballet in a brand new way in these 75-minute movement workshops for adults with little or no dance training. NYCB dancers lead participants through a ballet warm-up and movement combinations inspired by repertory in the current season. Workshops also include a brief Q&A with the artists. With an ever-changing roster of dancers and repertory, no two Ballet Essentials are the same. Stretch your mind and body at these one-of-a-kind workshops led by some of your favorite dancers.”

MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’ (through Feb. 9)
at New York City Center / 8PM, $35
“Three years after its premiere in London in 1995, this flamboyant production conquered Broadway, winning three Tony Awards, including one for best choreography. It’s the familiar fairy tale with a sexy modern twist: Rather than a flock of female swans and a demure Odette, Bourne gives audiences a gang of bare-chested, feral male swans led by a strapping fellow whose seduction of the Prince flavors the vintage story with overt homoeroticism. And in lieu of classical ballet steps, Bourne brandishes his style of muscular modern dance. After touring the world regularly since its debut, the show returns to New York for 13 performances.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30PM +10:30PM, $35
“World class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition.” (NYT)

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Cabaret)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave) / 9:30PM, $20-$30
“The witty host attracts broadway stars on their night off, along with up and comers.”
“Part cabaret, part piano bar and part social set, Cast Party offers a chance to hear rising and established talents step up to the microphone (backed by the slap and tickle of Steve Doyle on bass and Billy Stritch at the ivories, plus the bang of Daniel Glass on drums). The waggish Caruso presides as host.” (TONY)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Monday Night Magic
Players Theatre, West Village / 8PM, $42.50
“For more than two decades,, this proudly old-school series has offered a different lineup of professional magicians every week: opening acts, a headliner and a host, plus two or three close-up magicians to wow the audience at intermission. Housed for the past seven years at the unprepossessing Players Theatre, it is an heir to the vaudeville tradition.

Many of the acts incorporate comedic elements, and audience participation is common. (If you have young children, bring them; they make especially adorable assistants.) Shows cost just $37.50 in advance and typically last well over two hours, so you get a lot of value and variety for your magic dollar. In contrast to some fancier magic shows, this one feels like comfort food: an all-you-can eat buffet to which you’re encouraged to return until you’re as stuffed as a hat full of rabbits.” (TONY)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

NYC Broadway Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“There’s nothing like live theater—and no place for it like Broadway. NYC Broadway Week invites you to experience the magic firsthand with 2-for-1 tickets to some of the most spectacular performances on stage right now.”

AND

NYC Must-See Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“It may be impossible to do it all in New York City—but trying is the fun part. During NYC Must-See Week, enjoy 2-for-1 tickets to many of the iconic experiences right in our backyard, including attractions, museums, tours and performing arts.”

==========================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

2/4-5 Cold War Kids, Webster Hall

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

=========================================================

A PremierPub / Midtown West

Russian Vodka Room / 265 W 52nd St (btw 7th/8th ave)

Sure, you could travel to Minsk or even Brighton Beach, for an authentic Russian experience, but why bother. On those days when you feel you must wash down your dish of kasha with a few glasses of icy, cold vodka, the Russian Vodka Room will definitely satisfy your urge.

From the outside this place looks a bit drab, and with no windows, a bit mysterious. Midtown tourists walk right by on their way to see “Jersey Boys,” just down the block.
(Alas, no more. After 10 years, “Jersey Boys” finally closed, now it’s “Mean Girls.”)

lThose in the know enter a secret hideaway, a dimly lit front room with soft jazz playing – a perfect spot for an illicit late-night rendezvous, or maybe a meet-up with your Russian spy handler, but that’s later in the evening. Early in the evening the large U-shaped bar fills with the after work happy hour crowd, a group made very happy by the much reduced prices.

Their website says: “Welcome Comrades”. Of course, this welcome focuses on dozens of different vodkas, including their own special infusions, which marinate in giant, clear glass jugs visible around the room. The large vodka martinis ensure that you won’t confuse this place with your mother’s Russian Tea Room.

But man does not live by vodka alone. Eat some food, especially the tapa like appetizers. Be decadent and try the cheese blintzes with chocolate, or try a main dish like beef stroganoff with kasha.

Your best bet is to go on a night when the piano man is playing. This guy, who looks like he has eaten a lot of those cheese blintzes, plays five nights a week from 7 to 12 (no Mondays and Thursdays). When the piano man is playing American pop tunes, and you are at the crowded, dimly lit bar testing the horseradish infused vodka, that’s when the RVR shines.

It’s the kind of place where the noise gets louder and the crowd gets happier as the happy hour goes on. I’m generally a beer guy, but I like to come here with a group of friends. We find a table in the back room near the piano man; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).
=======================================================
Website: http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/
Phone #: 212-307-5835
Hours: 4pm-2am; Fri-Sun closes 4am (that could be trouble)
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day
$4 shots infused vodka (2oz), $5 cosmos; $4 czech draft beer
Music: FR-SU; TU-WE / 7pm-12am
Subway: #1 to 50th St.
Walk 2 blk N. on B’way to 52nd St.; 1 blk W. to RVR
Confusingly, the Russian Samovar is right across the street, on the S. side of 52nd St.
The RVR, your destination, is on the N. side of 52nd St.
Update: music now includes a younger, trimmer piano man. “Tiny” we miss you.

==================================================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

============================================================

Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

I MEMORIALIZE THESE TWO WONDERFUL CLUBS AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (02/02) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 02/02/2020 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ FEBRUARY 02, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “February NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==============================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Cheer for your team at a Super Bowl party
Citywide / Ticket prices vary
“This year, Finnerty’s is the place to cheer for the 49ers, as it’ll be filled to bursting with San Francisco superfans. (If their party’s full up, head to Plug Uglies for the overfill crowd.) For Kansas City fans who aren’t John Brown’s regulars, good luck getting into see the game — instead, try your luck at the Mothership Meat Company. If the only side you’re on is your office’s Super Bowl pool square, there are viewing parties all over the city: Brooklyn Cider House is offering $1 wings; Pretty Ricky’s is offering $5 beers from each team’s hometown; and the Arlo SoHo is hosting a full-blown tailgate party.” (Thrillist)

========================================================

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>>MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’
>> Reeve Carney
>> Thunderbird Dancers
>> Igor Butman & The Moscow Jazz Orchestra
>> New York City Ballet
>> Sunday Platform – Richard Koral: Practical Goodness

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’ (through Feb. 9)
at New York City Center / 8PM, $35
“Three years after its premiere in London in 1995, this flamboyant production conquered Broadway, winning three Tony Awards, including one for best choreography. It’s the familiar fairy tale with a sexy modern twist: Rather than a flock of female swans and a demure Odette, Bourne gives audiences a gang of bare-chested, feral male swans led by a strapping fellow whose seduction of the Prince flavors the vintage story with overt homoeroticism. And in lieu of classical ballet steps, Bourne brandishes his style of muscular modern dance. After touring the world regularly since its debut, the show returns to New York for 13 performances.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Reeve Carney
The Green Room 42 / 9:30PM, $30+
“After originating the web-singing title role in Broadway’s ill-fated Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Carney has gone on to star as Dorian Gray in Penny Dreadful and has recently swung back onto Broadway as Orpheus in Hadestown. Now he brings his otherworldly tenor to the Green Room 42 with a solo show that includes some standards but focuses on original songs from his 2016 album, Youth Is Wasted.” (TONY)

Thunderbird Dancers (LAST DAY)
Theatre for the New City, 155 1st Ave./ 3PM, $
“For the forty-fifth time, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers’ annual dance concert and powwow will serve as a reunion for Native Americans and an education for everyone else. The program includes Marie Ponce’s remarkable “Hoop Dance,” along with dances called “Deer,” “Shawl,” “Stomp,” “Jingle Dress,” “Robin,” “Smoke,” and “Fancy.” As always, the troupe’s director, Louis Mofsie, a Brooklyn-born octogenarian who has been racking up lifetime-achievement awards of late, will do the introductions.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

Igor Butman & The Moscow Jazz Orchestra
Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $20-$35
“Igor Butman, saxophone virtuoso, bandleader, club owner and television host, is Russia’s number one jazz personality.

In 1983, Igor Butman played in Oleg Lundstrem`s big band – the best one in the USSR. Next year he was invited by Nick Levinovsky to join the most well known jazz group “Allegro” and played with them for three years. In the Soviet Union, a country of over 300 million people, Igor was known as the best tenor saxophonist, placing first in the Soviet Critics’ Polls and recording many albums for Melodiya.

Igor’s big sound and boyish exuberance have earned him standing ovations and many new fans, and his US solo career has moved straight ahead. He led his own group with Rachel Z. at Boston’s leading Jazz club, The Regattabar, and has been featured soloist with the Billy Taylor Quartet, the Walter Davis Jr. Quartet and the Monty Alexander Quintet.”

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 8PM, $78+
“The coming week brings a potpourri of programs: The “New Combinations” bill on Friday and Tuesday pairs Jerome Robbins’s “Opus 19/The Dreamer” (1979) with Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia” (2001), Justin Peck’s “Bright” and Alexei Ratmansky’s new work, “Voices.” The Saturday and Sunday matinees highlight collaborations between Balanchine and Stravinsky, while the performances on Saturday evening and Wednesday juxtapose Balanchine with Peck in two slightly different mixes. The program on Feb. 6 again includes Balanchine (“Haieff Divertimento” and “Episodes”) and Peck (the lovely “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes”) along with Robbins (“Concertino”).” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Sunday Platform – Richard Koral: Practical Goodness
New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St./ 11AM, FREE
“Ethical Culture Clergy Leader Richard Koral leads a New York Society for Ethical Culture Sunday Platform questioning whether people are inherently good, bad, or lacking in guidelines. Ponder how we strive for goodness in an uncertain world.” (thoughtgallery)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (LAST DAY)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

NYC Broadway Week (Jan.21-Feb.9)
“There’s nothing like live theater—and no place for it like Broadway. NYC Broadway Week invites you to experience the magic firsthand with 2-for-1 tickets to some of the most spectacular performances on stage right now.”

==========================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

2/2 Nada Surf, Bowery Ballroom
2/4-5 Cold War Kids, Webster Hall

================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

============================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

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.

Here are two exhibitions the Vulture (NY Magazine) likes:

coming soon

=================================================================================

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.

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but better plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm). OR try this NYT recommendation: “When you’re done, adjourn to the newly renovated Bottino , the Chelsea art world’s unofficial canteen on 10th Avenue (btw 24/25 St.) “

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 01/31 and 01/29.
=======================================================

11 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/30/20)

Winter/Spring 2020 Broadway Guide  (nycgo.com)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

m

NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

and, drum roll, here are all the media critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

For good, comprehensive and current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the headout blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets

======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (02/01) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square / Theater District)

Posted on 02/01/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ FEBRUARY 01, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “February NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==============================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 8PM, $78+
“The coming week brings a potpourri of programs: The “New Combinations” bill on Friday and Tuesday pairs Jerome Robbins’s “Opus 19/The Dreamer” (1979) with Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia” (2001), Justin Peck’s “Bright” and Alexei Ratmansky’s new work, “Voices.” The Saturday and Sunday matinees highlight collaborations between Balanchine and Stravinsky, while the performances on Saturday evening and Wednesday juxtapose Balanchine with Peck in two slightly different mixes. The program on Feb. 6 again includes Balanchine (“Haieff Divertimento” and “Episodes”) and Peck (the lovely “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes”) along with Robbins (“Concertino”).” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> GHIDORAH
>> Complexions
>> “Transformation”
>> One Day University and Hunter College Present: Power and Politics
>> Lunar New Year Festival
>> A Night of Philosophy & Ideas
>> Best of Brooklyn Food and Beer Festival

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

GHIDORAH
at the Jazz Gallery / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30-$40
“Three of the leading tenor saxophonists in straight-ahead jazz come together here in a group named for the three-headed monster of postwar Japanese film lore. (The name is also a glancing reference to MF Doom, the underground hip-hop heavy, who has used Ghidorah as an alias.) The front line — J. D. Allen, Stacy Dillard and Marcus Strickland — is certainly qualified to lead a seminar in contemporary, tradition-rooted tenor improvising. They’ll be joined only by a bassist, Eric Wheeler, and a drummer, Rodney Green.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Complexions (through Feb. 2)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $45
“A terrific fall season at the Joyce Theatre seemed to augur a new era, free from deadweight repeat offenders, and yet here comes Complexions Contemporary Ballet for another two weeks. This season’s première, in the physically flexible, aesthetically rigid, vulgarly hyperactive company style, is “Love Rocks,” set to a collection of Lenny Kravitz recordings as heavy on recent let-love-rule pronouncements as old hits. “Bach 25,” from 2018, and last year’s “Woke” fill out the programs.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

“Transformation” (Jan.30-Feb.1)
Rose Theatre, Broadway at 60th St./ 8PM, $40+
“Glenn Close may be quite the versatile artist, but it’s still unexpected to find her performing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in a multimedia piece composed by Ted Nash, a Grammy-winning saxophone stalwart. Blending poetry (curated by Close), dance, and jazz, “Transformation” features guest appearances by John Cameron Mitchell, Amy Irving, and Justin Vivian Bond.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

One Day University and Hunter College Present: Power and Politics
Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 695 Park Ave./ 9:30AM-1:15PM, $159
“A trio of acclaimed professors looks at past and present at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. The three One Day University talks on power and politics cover whether the U.S. is repeating the mistakes of the Roman Empire; continuities in the relationships between presidents and the press; and an examination of the five most powerful people in the world.” (thoughtgallery)

Lunar New Year Festival
See the Year of the Rat take over the Met
Metropolitan Museum /11AM-5PM, $25
“The Met’s Lunar New Year Festival offers seven hours of celebration for the Year of the Rat. The Long Island Lion Troupe kicks off the festivities with a traditional lion dance for luck — soon after, Sesame Street puppeteers hit the stage for a performance and photo opp. In the afternoon, artist Vincent Chong takes over the Chinese Courtyard for a performance that celebrates and interrogates identity, and throughout the day, you can attend hand-pulled noodle and calligraphy demos, sip bubble tea, and learn about your own Chinese zodiac sign.” (thrillist)

Elsewhere, but these two sure look worth the detour:

A Night of Philosophy & Ideas
Brooklyn Public Library – Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza / 7PM-7AM, FREE
“It’s time again to stay up all night with ideas. Top philosophers from around the world will gather at the Brooklyn Public Library–Central Library for a 12-hour sleepover, complete with debates, screenings, readings, art, and music. French-American economist Esther Duflo, winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics, kicks off the evening with a keynote address.” (ThoughtGallery)

Best of Brooklyn Food and Beer Festival
Drink the best of Brooklyn’s beer scene
Industry City / 12:30PM, +3:30PM; $39+
“At the Best of Brooklyn Food and Beer Festival, you can eat and drink your way through the so-called Great Mistake of 1898. There’ll be unlimited craft brew tastings from breweries including Sixpoint, Five Boroughs, and the peak-Brooklyn Kombrewcha (they serve — you guessed it! — hard kombucha). Soak up all those beers with snacks from Empanada Papa, Chofi, CBao, and other local businesses as you wander through Industry City dancing to DJs and toasting to the borough.” (thrillist)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

==========================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/30-2/1 The Hot Sardines, Birdland
1/30-31 The Wood Brothers, Webster Hall
2/1 Grace Potter, Beacon Theatre
2/1 Drive-By Truckers, Rough Trade
2/1 Eaglemania & Tusk, St. George Theatre
2/2 Nada Surf, Bowery Ballroom
2/4-5 Cold War Kids, Webster Hall

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. But quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
============================================================================

A PremierPub

Jimmy’s Corner / 140 W 44th St (btw B’way & 7th ave)

IMG_2083Jimmy’s Corner is right in the heart of Times Square, but you won’t find it on the corner, it’s mid-block. Enter this long narrow bar and you are struck by the walls covered with mostly black-and-white boxing photographs, and memorabilia. Soon enough you learn that “Corner” refers to proprietor Jimmy Glenn’s long career as a corner man for some of boxing greats – Liston, Tyson, even “the greatest,” Ali.

Jimmy’s is a sort of time machine, taking you back to a time and place that no longer exists. All around you Times Square has cleaned up, grown up, assumed a new identity. Jimmy’s probably hasn’t changed a bit since it first opened in 1971. Certainly the bar itself looks original and the prices haven’t changed much either. When I brought a friend, who owns her own bar, she was surprised when she got the small tab for a round of drinks. Figured there must be a mistake, that maybe they forgot to charge for all the drinks.

Times Square today is filled with neon glitz and wandering tourists from Dubuque, but not Jimmy’s. You’ll likely find some old timer’s at the bar nursing their drinks, some younger locals at tables in the back, and maybe just a few adventuresome tourists clutching their trusty guidebooks. There’s no food served here because this is just a bar, and sometimes that’s all you need.

On nights when no local team is playing, it’s a fine place to sip some drafts and listen to a wonderful old time jukebox, with a great selection of  40s & 50s R&B and soul. On sports nights this very narrow bar can get a bit claustrophobic, filled with excited fans watching their team on the TVs. Either way, Jimmy’s is the place to be if you are looking for an old time bar in the new Times Square.
————————————————————————————————————————
Website: are you kidding !
(although there is a facebook page with lots of photos –
facebook.com/jimmyscornernyc)
Phone #: 212-221-9510
Hours: 11am – 4 am, except Sunday they open 12 noon
Happy Hour: not necessary, low prices all day, every day
Subway: #1,2,3 to TimesSquare 42nd st
walk 2 blks N on 7th ave to 44th st; ½ blk E to Jimmy’s

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Triad – 158 W72nd Street (btw Amsterdam/Columbus Ave.)

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/31) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 01/31/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JANUARY 31, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==============================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 8PM, $78+
“The coming week brings a potpourri of programs: The “New Combinations” bill on Friday and Tuesday pairs Jerome Robbins’s “Opus 19/The Dreamer” (1979) with Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia” (2001), Justin Peck’s “Bright” and Alexei Ratmansky’s new work, “Voices.” The Saturday and Sunday matinees highlight collaborations between Balanchine and Stravinsky, while the performances on Saturday evening and Wednesday juxtapose Balanchine with Peck in two slightly different mixes. The program on Feb. 6 again includes Balanchine (“Haieff Divertimento” and “Episodes”) and Peck (the lovely “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes”) along with Robbins (“Concertino”).” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> “Pool Party,”
>> RENE MCLEAN
>> “Transformation”
>> VIJAY IYER
>> MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’
>> La Traviata
>> Movie Night: Behind the Curve

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

“Pool Party,”
Catch a live, local late-night show
UCB Theatre / 11:59PM, $9
“Comedian Mike Poole hosts “Pool Party,” his take on the late-night comedy genre, at the UCB Theatre. With hilarious spins on the familiar monologue, special guest visits, recurring segments, and even a house band, he sends up the Jimmys and their ilk with a chaotic, up-for-anything energy. In a city where a stand-by ticket to see Fallon requires waiting for hours in two separate lines, it’s a blast to see a lo-fi version for under 10 bucks.”

RENE MCLEAN
at Zinc Bar / 7 and 8:30 p.m.; $
“McLean is an adroit alto saxophonist with a perfervid delivery who, despite a distinguished family line, has not enjoyed the kind of sustained critical attention that his peers might tell you he deserves. He appears here with a cohort of top-shelf collaborators: Josh Evans on trumpet, Hubert Eaves III on piano, Radu Ben Judah on bass, Neil Clarke on percussion and Darrell Green on drums. The trombonist Grachan Moncur III — who recorded often for Blue Note Records in the 1960s alongside McLean’s father, the eminent alto saxophonist Jackie McLean — will appear as a special guest.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

“Transformation” (Jan.30-Feb.1)
Rose Theatre, Broadway at 60th St./ 8PM, $40+
“Glenn Close may be quite the versatile artist, but it’s still unexpected to find her performing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in a multimedia piece composed by Ted Nash, a Grammy-winning saxophone stalwart. Blending poetry (curated by Close), dance, and jazz, “Transformation” features guest appearances by John Cameron Mitchell, Amy Irving, and Justin Vivian Bond.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

VIJAY IYER (Jan.29-Feb.1)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Over the past dozen years or so, Iyer has established himself as one of jazz’s top pianists, composers and thought leaders. He not only plays in and writes for a rich array of ensembles, he is a faculty member at Harvard and a connective thinker who collaborates fruitfully with artists across media. But at the center of it all is his lulling, reflective piano style, which is as easy to love as it is imposing and conceptually advanced. That will be on unfettered display on Wednesday, when he performs solo; from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, he will be introducing a new trio, featuring Linda May Han Oh on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

MATTHEW BOURNE’S ‘SWAN LAKE’ (through Feb. 9)
at New York City Center / 8PM, $35
“Three years after its premiere in London in 1995, this flamboyant production conquered Broadway, winning three Tony Awards, including one for best choreography. It’s the familiar fairy tale with a sexy modern twist: Rather than a flock of female swans and a demure Odette, Bourne gives audiences a gang of bare-chested, feral male swans led by a strapping fellow whose seduction of the Prince flavors the vintage story with overt homoeroticism. And in lieu of classical ballet steps, Bourne brandishes his style of muscular modern dance. After touring the world regularly since its debut, the show returns to New York for 13 performances.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

The Metropolitan Opera
La Traviata (next Feb.3, 7:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 8PM, $30+
“Michael Mayer’s sumptuous staging, a highlight of the 2018–19 season, returns with two casts of bright stars. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak and Lisette Oropesa share the role of Violetta, the opera’s tragic heroine, opposite tenors Dmytro Popov and Vittorio Grigolo as her ardent lover, Alfredo, and baritones Quinn Kelsey and Luca Salsi as Alfredo’s stern father, Germont. Karel Mark Chichon and Bertrand de Billy conduct one of opera’s greatest scores.”

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Movie Night: Behind the Curve
Simons Foundation, 160 Fifth Ave., 2nd Fl. / 6PM, FREE
“Join Sarah Pearson, Astrophysicist, CCA, Flatiron Institute and science communicator via “Space with Sarah” as she introduces a look at one of the most troubling of recent human regressions—the people convinced that the world is flat. A Q&A follows a documentary screening at the Simons Foundation.

Scientists and professional science communicators, including astronaut Scott Kelly, give their take on the flat Earth conspiracy and discuss the current scientific views on conspiracies and the possible consequences of a lack of critical thinking in society.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

==========================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/30-2/1 The Hot Sardines, Birdland
1/30-31 The Wood Brothers, Webster Hall
1/31 Nada Surf, Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/1 Grace Potter, Beacon Theatre
2/1 Drive-By Truckers, Rough Trade
2/1 Eaglemania & Tusk, St. George Theatre
2/2 Nada Surf, Bowery Ballroom
2/4-5 Cold War Kids, Webster Hall

=================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change. Always wise to double-check before heading out.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

============================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

“In Praise of Painting”  (through Oct.4)

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435717

Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913

“How great are the Met’s holdings in the Dutch golden age? Very. This long-term installation rings the lower level of the Lehman Wing with scores of lesser-known gems from the mid-seventeenth century, many of them rarely on view before, amid masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Ruisdael. The period, vivified here, began in 1648, when the end of the Eighty Years’ War with Spain brought a boom in wealth and morale, expressed by genre paintings that exalt the national ideal of gezelligheid—social warmth, comfort, belonging. A key figure was Gerard ter Borch, who had travelled widely and worked at the court of Philip IV, in company with Velázquez. Ter Borch’s lustrous, ineffably witty domestic scenes inspired a generation of masters, notably Vermeer, whose genius rather eclipsed his elder’s. The pictures often star ter Borch’s younger sister Gesina, preening in satins or enigmatically musing. Herself a painter, she is cutely funny-looking—pointy nose, weak chin—and desperately lovable. There’s much to be said for a world with such a family in it.” (

“Making Marvels”  (through March 1)

“This immense exhibition features a trove of impossibly opulent European objects from the mid-sixteenth to the eighteenth century, showcasing the scientific theories and technologies of the time—as well as the wealth of royal collectors. The parade of curiosities begins with “The Imser Clock,” ca. 1554-61, which astounded the imperial court of Ferdinand I with its representation of planetary positions. A projected montage of closeup footage shows the complex, gilded timepiece in action, ticking and chiming as its mechanical figurines rotate. (The show, which might otherwise be weighed down by its abundance of inert filigree, is enlivened by beautifully produced videos like this one.) Presented among the automata, astrolabes, and spring-powered models of the universe are wonders of the natural world. The astonishing Dresden Green, the world’s largest diamond of its kind, was acquired by August III of Poland, in 1722, and later set in a fantastic ornament for a hat. The Kunstkammer treasures on view may have been primarily intended to entertain, and, indeed, delightfully garish works like the South German “Automaton Clock in the Form of Diana on Her Chariot,” ca. 1610—which shot tiny arrows as part of an aristocratic drinking game—still do.” (, NewYorker)

===========================================================
Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/29 and 01/27.
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11 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/30/20)

Must-see theater coming to New York City stages this fall (amNY)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

m

NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

and, drum roll, here are all the critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

For good, comprehensive and current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the headout blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets 

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/30) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 01/30/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ JANUARY 30, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==============================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

NY Philharmonic Open Rehearsal (next Thu. Dec.5)
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center / 9:45AM, $22
An Open Rehearsal is a fascinating opportunity to watch the New York Philharmonic at work, and see how a piece of music is shaped and polished by the conductor and the musicians. All Open Rehearsals are “working” rehearsals and therefore the program may not be played in its entirety.

Today: Britten and Elgar
The Philharmonic performs the Enigma Variations, Elgar’s crowning achievement, a portrayal of his social circle, disguised in irresistible tunes and “inside jokes,” with the heart of the work, the stirring Nimrod, often heard in commemoration of departed friends. Britten’s Four Sea Interludes reveal shimmering, haunting, and ferocious moods of the oceans.
Program to Include
Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Brett Dean: Cello Concerto (New York Premiere)
Elgar: Enigma Variations
Artists
Simone Young, Conductor
Alban Gerhardt, Cello

========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> “Transformation”
>> Complexions
>> VIJAY IYER
>> MIDTOWN CONCERT SERIES
>> Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber’s “Porgy & Bess The AstroBlack Trapfish Row Variations”
>> New York City Ballet
>> Unexpected Pairings: Katz’s Delicatessen & Teranga

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

“Transformation” (Jan.30-Feb.1)
Rose Theatre, Broadway at 60th St./ 8PM, $40+
“Glenn Close may be quite the versatile artist, but it’s still unexpected to find her performing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in a multimedia piece composed by Ted Nash, a Grammy-winning saxophone stalwart. Blending poetry (curated by Close), dance, and jazz, “Transformation” features guest appearances by John Cameron Mitchell, Amy Irving, and Justin Vivian Bond.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Complexions (through Feb. 2)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $45
“A terrific fall season at the Joyce Theatre seemed to augur a new era, free from deadweight repeat offenders, and yet here comes Complexions Contemporary Ballet for another two weeks. This season’s première, in the physically flexible, aesthetically rigid, vulgarly hyperactive company style, is “Love Rocks,” set to a collection of Lenny Kravitz recordings as heavy on recent let-love-rule pronouncements as old hits. “Bach 25,” from 2018, and last year’s “Woke” fill out the programs.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

VIJAY IYER (Jan.29-Feb.1)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Over the past dozen years or so, Iyer has established himself as one of jazz’s top pianists, composers and thought leaders. He not only plays in and writes for a rich array of ensembles, he is a faculty member at Harvard and a connective thinker who collaborates fruitfully with artists across media. But at the center of it all is his lulling, reflective piano style, which is as easy to love as it is imposing and conceptually advanced. That will be on unfettered display on Wednesday, when he performs solo; from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, he will be introducing a new trio, featuring Linda May Han Oh on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Gotham Early Music |
MIDTOWN CONCERT SERIES
St. Bart’s Chapel, 325 Park Ave. / 1:15pm – 2:15pm; FREE
“Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) in conjunction with The Mid-Manhattan Performing Arts Foundation presents Midtown Concerts, a weekly series of 35-minute early music concerts in midtown Manhattan featuring soloists and ensembles from the U.S. and abroad.”

Free Weekly Series of Concerts of Early Music
Every Thursday at 1:15 pm in the Chapel
between September, 2019 – June, 2020

Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber’s “Porgy & Bess The AstroBlack Trapfish Row Variations”
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“Join Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber for the U.S. premiere of Porgy & Bess The AstroBlack Trapfish Row Variations–their “caramelization” of Gershwin’s gully but melancholic masterpiece. With overt nods to Miles Davis and Gil Evans’s brassy and melodious 1966 distillation of Porgy & Bess, Burnt Sugar’s varied arrangers and conductors turn a dub wise, samba-licious, and ska-inflected ear towards the twerk-inducing cadences of latter-day Southern hip-hop and the cosmic jungle music of 1970s Miles Davis.

Founded by Village Voice icon Greg Tate and co-led with Dayton, Ohio monster bassist Jared Michael Nickerson since 1999, Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber is a sprawling band of musicians whose prodigious personnel allows them to freely juggle a wide swath of the experimental soul-jazz-hip hop spectrum.”

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $78+
“The spotlight remains on George Balanchine, this company’s founding father, with more performances of “Allegro Brilliante,” “La Source” and “Firebird” (on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Sunday’s matinee program, “Stravinsky & Balanchine,” highlights collaborations between the composer and the choreographer, including “Danses Concertantes” and “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.” The “New Combinations” bill on Jan. 30 pairs Jerome Robbins’s 1979 “Opus 19/The Dreamer” with Christopher Wheeldon’s 2001 “Polyphonia” and two newer dances: Justin Peck’s “Bright,” a brief ballet for six dancers that premiered last spring, and “Voices,” a new work by Alexei Ratmansky.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Unexpected Pairings: Katz’s Delicatessen & Teranga
at the Museum of the City of New York / 6:30 PM, $25
“Pierre Thiam, co-founder and executive chef of the new West African comfort food spot Teranga (at The Africa Center), joins Jake Dell, owner of the famed NYC landmark Katz’s Delicatessen, for an exploration of the different meanings of comfort food and how they reflect the city’s diverse immigrant histories. New York Times food writer Julia Moskin moderates.” (untapped cities)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

==========================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/30 Seratones, Rough Trade
1/30-2/1 The Hot Sardines, Birdland
1/30-31 The Wood Brothers, Webster Hall
1/31 Nada Surf, Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/1 Grace Potter, Beacon Theatre
2/1 Drive-By Truckers, Rough Trade
2/1 Eaglemania & Tusk, St. George Theatre
2/2 Nada Surf, Bowery Ballroom
2/4-5 Cold War Kids, Webster Hall

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

=====================================================

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

CAFFE VIVALDI HAS CLOSED, VERY SAD.
I HAVE LEFT THIS REVIEW ON MY SITE AS A KIND OF MEMORIAL and A WARNING. WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

As reported in the “Gothamist”:
“Caffe Vivaldi, one of the last bohemian bastions of the West Village, is set to close this weekend. During its 35 years on Jones Street, the casual cafe won the hearts of locals and celebs alike, including Oscar Isaac, Bette Midler, and Al Pacino.

Despite that friendly communal atmosphere, the owners ultimately struggled to survive under their notorious vulture landlord Steve Croman, who they say waged a harassment campaign against the restaurant, and eventually tripled their rent.”
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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
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NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available SUMMER 2020).
◊ Order before AUGUST 31, 2020 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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Bonus NYC Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/29) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 01/29/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ JANUARY 29, 2020

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $78+
“The spotlight remains on George Balanchine, this company’s founding father, with more performances of “Allegro Brilliante,” “La Source” and “Firebird” (on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Sunday’s matinee program, “Stravinsky & Balanchine,” highlights collaborations between the composer and the choreographer, including “Danses Concertantes” and “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.” The “New Combinations” bill on Jan. 30 pairs Jerome Robbins’s 1979 “Opus 19/The Dreamer” with Christopher Wheeldon’s 2001 “Polyphonia” and two newer dances: Justin Peck’s “Bright,” a brief ballet for six dancers that premiered last spring, and “Voices,” a new work by Alexei Ratmansky.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> VIJAY IYER
>> La Damnation de Faust
>>  André De Shields: Old Dawg; New Tricks
>> Complexions
>> Antonio Sanchez
>> Masters of Social Gastronomy | Dry January: Alcohol-Free Drinks and the Temperance Movement
>> Critique 9/13: Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

VIJAY IYER (Jan.29-Feb.1)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Over the past dozen years or so, Iyer has established himself as one of jazz’s top pianists, composers and thought leaders. He not only plays in and writes for a rich array of ensembles, he is a faculty member at Harvard and a connective thinker who collaborates fruitfully with artists across media. But at the center of it all is his lulling, reflective piano style, which is as easy to love as it is imposing and conceptually advanced. That will be on unfettered display on Wednesday, when he performs solo; from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, he will be introducing a new trio, featuring Linda May Han Oh on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

The Metropolitan Opera
La Damnation de Faust (next Feb.1, 8PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 8PM, $25+
“Berlioz’s compelling take on the Faust legend returns for the first time in a decade, with an ideal lineup of stars. High-flying tenors Bryan Hymel and Michael Spyres sing the doomed and besotted Faust, opposite dazzling mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as the forsaken Marguerite and bass Ildar Abdrazakov as the malevolent Méphistophélès. Edward Gardner conducts.

Please note that these are concert presentations on the Met stage. The decision to present La Damnation de Faust in its more usual concert version is driven by the unanticipated technical demands of reviving the Met’s staged production, which proved to be impossible to accommodate within the company’s production schedule.”

 André De Shields: Old Dawg; New Tricks
The Appel Room (at Frederick P. Rose Hall) / 8:30PM, $55+
“The slyly flamboyant André De Shields, Broadway’s original Wiz, has had an amazing stage career that has only gotten richer in recent years. (Let’s forget about his turn as an ape in Prymate.) Now he’s riding high again in Hadestown, which earned him a Tony Award last year. The master showman will have ample opportunity to strut his stuff at this American Songbook concert.” (TONY)

Complexions (through Feb. 2)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $45
“A terrific fall season at the Joyce Theatre seemed to augur a new era, free from deadweight repeat offenders, and yet here comes Complexions Contemporary Ballet for another two weeks. This season’s première, in the physically flexible, aesthetically rigid, vulgarly hyperactive company style, is “Love Rocks,” set to a collection of Lenny Kravitz recordings as heavy on recent let-love-rule pronouncements as old hits. “Bach 25,” from 2018, and last year’s “Woke” fill out the programs.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

Antonio Sanchez
Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $20-$35
“One of the most sought-after drummers of the new-jazz generation, Sanchez made the rounds with stars such as Pat Metheny and Michael Brecker before turning 30. Here this deft player—best known for the jaw-dropping solo-drum score he contributed to Best Picture winner Birdman—draws equal attention to his writing and bandleading chops, playing from his new release Lines in the Sand with his project Migration.” (TONY)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Masters of Social Gastronomy | Dry January: Alcohol-Free Drinks and the Temperance Movement
Caveat, 21 Clinton St./ 7PM, $15
“The Masters of Social Gastronomy tackle Dry January: Alcohol-Free Drinks and the Temperance Movement. Culinary historian Sarah Lohman talks about 13 years of Prohibition and how well it worked, while food scientist Jonathan Soma explores the science behind mocktails and near beers.” (ThoughtGallery)

Critique 9/13: Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition
Columbia University, 116th St. & Broadway / 6:15PM, FREE
“Hannah Arendt’s The Human Condition, published in 1958, takes the long view on Western history, drawing distinctions between the vita activa (active life) and vita contemplativa (contemplative life). Law and poly sci professor Seyla Benhabib (Exile, Statelessness, and Migration: Playing Chess with History from Hannah Arendt to Isaiah Berlin) joins Bernard E. Harcourt of the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought to apply Arendt’s thoughts to the struggles of today.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/28-29 Madison Cunningham, (le) Poisson Rouge
1/28-29 The Hot Sardines, Birdland

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the 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 exhibitions)

‘AUSCHWITZ. NOT LONG AGO. NOT FAR AWAY’
at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (through Aug. 30).

“Killing as a communal business, made widely lucrative by the Third Reich, permeates this traveling exhibition about the largest German death camp, Auschwitz, whose yawning gatehouse, with its converging rail tracks, has become emblematic of the Holocaust. Well timed, during a worldwide surge of anti-Semitism, the harrowing installation strives, successfully, for fresh relevance. The exhibition illuminates the topography of evil, the deliberate designing of a hell on earth by fanatical racists and compliant architects and provisioners, while also highlighting the strenuous struggle for survival in a place where, as Primo Levi learned, “there is no why.” (Ralph Blumenthal, NYT)

‘Worlds Beyond Earth’
at the American Museum of Natural History. (thru Dec.31, 2024)

“The museum’s first space show in six years takes viewers on a tour of our solar system from the comfort of their seats in the Hayden Planetarium. Narrated by Lupita Nyong’o, the film explores the nature of the planets and moons in our solar system and the conditions that make life on Earth possible.” (NYT)   amnh.org.

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’
American Museum of Natural History (through Aug. 9, 2020).

“Everyone’s favorite 18,000-pound prehistoric killer gets the star treatment in this eye-opening exhibition, which presents the latest scientific research on T. rex and also introduces many other tyrannosaurs, some discovered only this century in China and Mongolia. T. rex evolved mainly during the Cretaceous Period to have keen eyes, spindly arms and massive conical teeth, which could bear down on prey with the force of a U-Haul truck; the dinosaur could even swallow whole bones, as affirmed here by a kid-friendly display of fossilized excrement. The show mixes 66-million-year-old teeth with the latest 3-D prints of dino bones, and also presents new models of T. rex as a baby, a juvenile and a full-grown annihilator. Turns out this most savage beast was covered with — believe it! — a soft coat of beige or white feathers.” (Farago-NYT)

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In the Company of Harold Prince

A prince with no heir.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (through March 31)

“Losing Hal Prince this year meant the end of an era. No other producer-director will ever again have Prince’s string of stupendous hits; no one man will ever again become so closely identified with Broadway stagecraft. He worked on everything, from West Side Story to The Phantom of the Opera, from Cabaret to Sweeney Todd, and if not everything he touched turned to gold — nonetheless, he did have the golden touch. This exhibition at the NYPL is a dragon’s hoard of scripts, photographs, set models, and even re-creations of his paperwork. Study it closely and you might become the next great theatrical mind … if not a Prince, then possibly a really talented duchess.” (Vulture, NY Magazine-H.S.)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/27 and 01/25.

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8 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/23/20)

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Must-see theater coming to New York City stages this fall (amNY)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

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NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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and, drum roll, here are all the media critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

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For good, comprehensive, current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

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finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the “headout” blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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