Is the pint glass half empty?
Well, it’s been a busy few weeks, punctuated by a quick run upstate where I spent Yom Kippur organizing tax documents that are sorely overdue for our accountant. But the mental fast has been broken, and it’s all
1st Irish theater shows all of the time.
Lalor Roddy as Lev in Kabosh's production 'This Is What We Sang'. Photo Aidan Monaghan
Last night was a visiting production for the North: the extraordinary site-specific company,
Kabosh, presenting their new production,
This is What We Sang, at the Synagogue for the Arts in Lower Manhattan. It’s a remarkable piece of work with an exceptional cast, and you would be well served to get out and see it this week or next. Speaking of well-served, I certainly was following the show and reception, spending a wonderful night catching up with my good friend Lalor Roddy along with the rest of the cast and Kabosh crowd.
For those wonks among my readers (you know who you are), you might be particularly interested in the NYPL’s
panel discussion with the company next Tuesday evening at 6pm (NYPL for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center), and equally in this Saturday’s 1st Irish
Theater Symposium, featuring the likes of Garry Hynes, Prof. John P. Harrington, Belinda McKeon, and ME! I’m moderating the morning panel, before heading over to the Public for the
first NYC performance of Elevator Repair Service’s
GATZ.
But I digress from 1st Irish. There’s a lot to discover on the program, and some of the shows are wrapping up soon (and some you’re going to need to scrap to get a ticket). There’s been a lot of ink spilt commending
Wife to James Whelan at The Mint and Frank McCourt’s
The Irish… and How They Got That Way at the Irish Rep, so you’ve got no one but yourself to blame if you miss out on those. For those looking for a more intimate studio theater experience, you’re coming up on the final few performances of
The Map of Lost Things downstairs at PS 122, and a pair of plays at
Manhattan Theater Source, with the rollicking
Ardnaglass on the Air now following the finely tuned production of Dermot Bolger’s
The Holy Ground (insider tip: do both on the same night, and duck into
Rabbit in the Moon between shows).
Beyond that, I fear you missed the chance to see
Three Irish Widows vs. The Rest of the World at the
Stage Left Studio. Take heart, however; you’ve got plenty of additional options as the month winds down: I’m on my way now to see
Hue & Cry, and then Thursday it will be The Flea for
The Prophet of Monto and PS 122 for the well-publicized
Graham & Frost, with
Guy Walks into a Bar (in a bar),
Rat in the Skull, and a staged reading of
Beowulf to follow. Once I’ve had a chance seen a few more of these, I’ll report back via the interweb. But between now and then, feel free to corner me over a pint — 1st Irish has taken over the
Scratcher for its festival club, and, boy, do I love the Scratcher.
Rockefool me once, shame on you…
June 12, 2009, 2:26 pm
Filed under:
Blather 
So, not surprisingly, this Ploy Street charmer is back on the market, with a recently updated listing price of $400,000. That’s a bit of a drop from the $450,000 “Chip” Smith, né Clark Rockefeller, né Christopher Chichester, né Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter agreed to pay John Day for this converted carriage house in Baltimore last July. Too bad “Muffy”, aka “Snooks”, née Reigh Storrow Mills Boss only had a short stay in Charm City. She never even got to a chance to see daddy’s yacht.
“Hello, Cleveland!”
June 10, 2009, 10:06 am
Filed under:
Blather
So, young Nicolai has weighed in with his opinion on the Atlantic Yards bait-and-switch. While I might not share in his enthusiasm for our neighbor from the North, I do continue to marvel over the cut rate Metroteching that Forest City Ratner’s pushing for. Couple that with the complete failure of the BAM LDC/cultural district, the rise of the Oro, Toren and the newly named Brooklyner, not to mention the fact that Gage & Tollner is going to become an Arby’s, and all one can do is fret. Here’s the latest on the new arena, with renderings leaked to the NYT posted on their City Room blog.
I Cover The Automat 