The Master Builder 3 stars

Andrei Belgrader’s new production of Henrik Ibsen’s 1892 tragedy “The Master Builder,” which stars John Turturro and is now playing at Brooklyn Academy of Music, manages to make a difficult, highly symbolic, rarely staged play feel fresh, focused, sinister and unapologetically erotic.

Halvard Solness (Turturro), a middle-aged architect who fears he will soon... » more

Staten Island has some new, but expected guests: cicadas.

Billions of cicadas will emerge from their 17-year slumber on the East Coast in the coming weeks, and are already appearing on Staten Island, according to Ed Johnson, director of science at the Staten Island Museum.

Hundreds of cicadas turned up on Monday night, he said, in areas such as Great Kills, Anadale and Tottenville, and... » more

Think Manhattan is a hot place to live?

You have no idea.

As many as 1,000 extra weather-generated deaths a year may occur in the borough by the 2080s under the worst case global warming scenario, according to a new joint study by the Columbia University Earth Institute and the Mailman School of Public Health.

"The critical message is that no matter how you feel about global... » more

Orr Shtuhl’s recently published love letter to mixed drinks, “An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails,” is a beautiful compendium on mixed libations. The history of 50 classic cocktails is told alongside illustrations by Elizabeth Graeber and, of course, the recipes.

“A good cocktail has the intrigue of a drama,” Shtuhl writes.

The Serious Eats columnist and Brooklyn resident told us about... » more

Ben Silbert is the founder of Bar & Club Stats, which provides bars and other clubs with age verification technology that also collects customer data. On April 25, MillerCoors awarded Bar & Club Stats a grant of $25,000 as part of its Urban Entrepreneurs Series business plan competition. Silbert, 33, was formerly an intellectual property attorney for an N.Y.C.-based investment bank and a... » more

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 3 stars

Whereas many shows tend to lose some of their luster when transferred to a larger venue, “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” Dave Malloy’s festive and sexy electro-pop opera based on a small slice of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” plays better at Kazino than it did a few months ago at the more intimate Ars Nova.

Kazino is... » more

Good weather is good business.

The warmth that has swarmed NYC of late is like a warm kiss after a long fight that began with the knock-out punch of Superstorm Sandy. "Outdoor cafes, fancy roof top gardens and bars, all these things open up," creating jobs and increasing worker pay, said Joshua Freeman, a professor of history at the Murphy Labor Institute at CUNY.

"There are a lot of... » more

Alvaro Fernandez is the founder of SharpBrains, an independent market research and think tank organization, and the author of “The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Optimize Brain Health and Performance at Any Age.”

Why is brain fitness important? To achieve a state of well-being and maximum functionality, we exercise our bodies. Brain fitness works on a similar principle: Its purpose... » more

Cutlery — forks, knives, spoons — is customary at a table setting. But Filipino “gastropub” Jeepney recently introduced a series that seriously challenges that custom.

Every Thursday night, Jeepney hosts a “Kamayan” night, which features a prix fixe menu designed to be eaten solely with the hands. Sound entertaining, messy and delicious? Well, that’s the point.

“When you’re home amongst... » more

It’s Mother’s Day, when we show mommy dearest how much we care with … flowers? Jewelry? Spa treatments? Sure, but this year, forgo breakfast in bed for a meal at one of the city’s hottest restaurants. Trust us, she won’t miss your “special pancakes.”

The Marrow, 99 Bank St., themarrownyc.com, 212-428-6000 In a nod to his mother’s background, “Top Chef” winner Harold Dieterle will serve an... » more