A fabulous, funny mess: Kelly Kinsella’s “When Thoughts Attack” runs through Dec. 22, at the cell.
KELLY KINSELLA’S “WHEN THOUGHTS ATTACK”
Swirling around the deeply conflicted head of Kelly Kinsella, there’s a still small voice telling her she has the moxie to “move upstate and get a farm house with a garden and have all of my artist friends over for dinner and a drum circle.” There’s another voice that keeps her from accomplishing the monumental task of deciding between the chicken or the steak. But wait, she’s in a seafood restaurant. It’s all so clear now. Her only two choices are “the salmon or a complete nervous breakdown.”
In “When Thoughts Attack,” the simple task of perusing a menu triggers an epic (albeit typical) case of high anxiety. It’s no wonder the closest Kinsella ever came to that idyllic farm house is the time she was booked to do stand-up at a Renaissance Fair. But there’s a bright light at the end of the tunnel — and this time, it might not be an approaching train. Clinging to her sense of humor and an emergency Xanax, Kinsella sits at a table for one, navigating the restaurant’s menu while tracing the “whirlpool of anxiety over every life choice” that has led her to this meal — which will either culminate in a victorious order of intestinal fortitude or a doggy bag of indecisive shame. Either way, it’s a raw tale that’s ripe for laughs.
Sun. at 7pm, through Dec. 22. At the cell: A Twenty First Century Salon (338 W. 23rd St., btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). For tickets ($20), call 800-838-3006 or visit brownpapertickets.com. For venue info: thecelltheatre.org. For more info on the artist, visit kellykinsella.com.
On view at The ArtQuilt Gallery (Nov. 12-Dec. 28) as part of her “Daily Inspiration” exhibit: Cécile Trentini’s “Synthesis” (2009, hand-dyed and hand-printed fabrics, 29.5″ x 39.4″).
QUILT EXHIBIT: “DAILY INSPIRATION”
New York City’s only gallery devoted to contemporary art quilts presents “Daily Inspiration” — a solo exhibit from Cécile Trentini. The Zurich, Switzerland-based artist began her career as a painter. Recalling how a fascination with the geometrical elements of traditional patchwork led her to quilting, the artist says she “immediately felt at home in the world of fiber, replacing brush, canvas and paints with the sewing machine, fabrics and thread.” Her experience as a sculptor drawn to the use of unconventional materials informs the tactile element of her quilt art (foil chocolate wrappers comprise the grayish work “Daily Sweets”). Trentini used cotton makeup pads to create a quilt, then took a collection of photos showing close-ups of its individual blocks. Released earlier this year by C&T Publishing, “Daily Beauty: 365 Ways to Play with Everyday Quilt Embellishments” is the book — and its namesake quilt, “Daily Beauty,” is part of the gallery exhibit.
Free. Nov. 12-Dec. 28. Opening Reception: Mon., Nov. 11, 6-7:30pm. At The ArtQuilt Gallery (133 W. 25th St., btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.) Hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am-6pm. Call 212-807-9451 or visit artquiltgallerynyc. For more info on the artist, visit stoffwerke.ch.
Pay attention to that man beside the brocade curtain: Fr. Harding preps for the big reveal — at St. Peter’s, on Nov. 10.
WWII MURAL REVEALED
Regarded by the St. Peter’s congregation as too militaristic, “Our Lord Blessing a Soldier and a Sailor” has been covered from sight for the past 59 years. Painted by parishioner (and Army veteran) Col. Ted Witonski, the 1946 mural depicts Jesus, St. George and the Archangel St. Michael blessing two praying WWII servicemen. By 1954, the country had gone from the “good war” to a cold one — and the painting was covered from view by a curtain. In a Nov. 10 ceremony, St. Peter’s will once again display Witonski’s mural — revealing it during a special Mass to honor U.S. veterans of all faiths and their families (a timely observance taking place just prior to Veteran’s Day).
Sun., Nov. 10, during the 10am Mass at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (346 W. 20th St., btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). Call 212-929-2390 or visit stpeterschelsea.com. Also visit facebook.com/StPetersChelsea and follow them at twitter.com/StPetersChelsea.
Hollywood heavies, as Brit flyboys: Errol Flynn, David Niven and Basil Rathbone soar on the Hudson Park Library screen (Dec. 5).
HUDSON PARK LIBRARY’S ERROL FLYNN BLAST
He wasn’t all swashbuckling and Sherwood Forest. Although his icon status comes from physically demanding roles in popcorn pleasers like 1940’s “The Sea Hawk” and 1938’s “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” the final phase of Hudson Park Library’s “Errol Flynn Blast” plunges the moral high road occupant into the murky, violent realm of World Wars I & II. Not to worry. This is Hollywood, after all — so fisticuffs and grit end up saving the day, no matter what genre or era our hero is navigating.
On Nov. 7, 1943’s “Northern Pursuit” casts Flynn as a Mountie whose bad guy act is just that — a clever ruse meant to snare his Nazi quarry. On Nov. 21, 1945’s “Objective Burma” has Flynn as an Army paratrooper who must lead his decimated ranks through the Burmese jungle. The series’ final film, 1938’s “Dawn Patrol,” teams Flynn with David Niven and Basil Rathbone — as a trio of British World War I flying aces. That one unspools on Dec. 5.
Free. All screenings are at 2pm. At the Hudson Park Library (66 Leroy St., btw. Seventh Ave. South & Hudson St.). For more info, call 212-243-6876 or visit nypl.org.
