Volume 78 – Number 22 / October 29 – November 4, 2008
West and East Village,
The A-list
Art
Mostly Masks
La MaMa is honoring one of its own, the ever-effervescent Tom Murrin, a.k.a. Alien Comic. Murrin is known for creating a host of alter egos for his fast-paced performance monologues at the hippest downtown spots for the last three decades. In the early ‘80s, Murrin was performing as Alien Comic at local theaters such as La Mama and Theater for the New City, clubs like CBGB and Pyramid, and performance spaces like Franklin Furnace, Club 57, and King Tut’s, Wah-Wah Hut. Last spring he was honored by P.S.122 for his work as a performer/curator in the downtown performance art community. On view here are more than 50 of his wacky homemade masks. Oct. 29-Nov. 16. La MaMa La Galleria. 6 E. 1st St. (betw. Bowery & 2nd Ave.) Gallery hours: Wed.-Sat. 1-6 p.m. 212-505-2476, thealiencomic.com.
Concerts
Keren Ann & The Lonely H
Keren Ann, a singer-songwriter based in NYC, Paris and Israel, broke out with her fourth album, “Nolita” (2004), named after the neighborhood where she lives here. Her songs, performed in both French and English, are the perfect, delicate antidote to cold weather. She shares the stage with Avisha Cohen. Nov. 3 & 4 at 9:30 p.m. $22. Joe’s Pub. 425 Lafayette Ave. 212-539-8770, joespub.com. On the other end of the gentle sounds spectrum are The Lonely H. On tour to promote their second album, the Seattle-based band of very recent high school graduates play ’70s style rock and roll. A throwback to Queen and Bad Company, they defy their age – the upside of which is that no one in the audience of their infectious concerts is left feeling old. Nov. 1 at 11 p.m. $10. Pianos. 158 Ludlow St. 212-505-3733, pianosnyc.com.
Reading
Alix Lambert, “Crime”
How much do criminal acts and their representation in cinema, literature and music really have in common? And what experience do these people who mold our perceptions of crime and criminals have of the real thing? This remarkable book is the first to explore our images of crime by interviewing those involved on, in and around all sides of the law, both real and fictional, and often somewhere in between. Through a series of exclusive interviews with artists, authors and actors such as Ben Affleck, David Cronenberg, Elmore Leonard, Viggo Mortensen, Ice-T, David Mamet and Takeshi Kitano, as well as real life bank robbers, gangsters and current prison inmates, editor Alix Lambert (artist, photographer of Russian prisoners’ tattoos and writer for HBO’s Deadwood) explores the gaps and overlaps between real crime and its representation in the arts, each commenting on and assessing the impact of the other. A chilling Halloween night reading. Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. Free. 192 Books. 192 10th Ave. (at 21st St.) 212-255-4022, 192books.com.
Dance
Takahiro Haneda
Eiko & Koma in “Grain”
Eiko & Koma, “Hunger”
The Japanese duo Eiko & Koma premiere “Hunger,” a full-length work which grew out of their critically acclaimed “Grain,” and includes two incredible Cambodian young artists, graduates of the Reyum Art School in Phnom Penh, Charian and Peace. Twenty-five years ago, Eiko & Koma’s groundbreaking “Grain” gave visceral shape to the pain of hunger. Now their duet has expanded into a quartet. “Hunger” addresses survival and essential desires. Incorporated into the piece is Eiko & Koma’s “Rust,” Charian and Peace’s live painting. Joko Sutrisno, a gifted gamelan performer and composer, joins as singer and percussionist. Oct. 28-Nov. 2. $19-$39. The Joyce Theater. 175 8th Ave. 212-242-0800, joyce.org.
Video
Drag Show Video Vérité
As part of La Mama’s ongoing Coffeehouse Chronicles, this Saturday Dr. Joe E Jeffreys brings us the second installment of his informative work about the long and glorious tradition of Drag Queens and Drag Performers. Drag Show Video Vérité gathers and screens rare film and video that documents the faces and places, past and present, of New York City’s vibrant drag scene. This all new 2008 edition offers more colorful and never before publicly screened footage from the 1950s to the present and offers a who’s who of NYC’s male and female impersonators. It’s the ultimate NYC drag show…on videotape. Coffeehouse Chronicles presents personal accounts of the history and development of the Experimental, International & Off-Off Broadway Theatre scene in NYC and at La MaMa from early ‘70s by the individuals who created them. Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. Free. “The Club” at La MaMa ETC. 74A E. 4th St. 212-475-7710, lamama.org.
Avery Willard
Adrian from Avery Willard’s 1965 8mm film of his scandalous drag Salome dance.
