By sarah norris
Volume 77 / Number 49 – May 7 – 13, 2008
West and East Village, Chelsea, Soho, Noho, Little Italy, Chinatown and Lower East Side, Since 1933
FILM
UNSETTLED
Coinciding with Israel’s 60th anniversary is the NY premiere of a documentary offering a fresh and personal account of the effects of the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Adam Hootnick’s 80-minute directorial debut tells the stories of three Israelis, all in their twenties, forced from their homes in the summer of 2005, the two soldiers sent to evict them, and one activist who fights to help her country avoid a war. Featuring reggae music by Matisyahu, the movie, though uneven, raises important questions about the meaning of home and the consquences of battle. May 9-15. Multiple screenings each day. $10 adults, $6.50 students/seniors. Two Boots Pioneer Theater. 155 E. Third St. 212-591-0434, twoboots.com/pioneer.
MUSIC
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO
Genre-bending indie musician Meshell Ndegeocello performs songs from her new album, “The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams” with progressive-rock ensemble Arthur and the Coopers. A visionary songwriter and innovative collaborator, Ndegeocello has produced a rock-influenced LP featuring her distorted bass lines and guitar work from Brandon Ross, Pat Metheny and David Gilmore. Reminiscent of ’80s new wave with a world music flavor, her sound is catchy and entirely her own. May 12 and 19 at 7:30. $15 in advance, $17 at the door. Mercury Lounge. 217 E. Houston St. 212–260–4700, mercuryloungenyc.com
EVENTS
FAB! FRIDAYS
A leadership organization for cultural and community centers in the East 4th Street Cultural District, Fourth Arts Block kicks off its series of FAB! Fridays. The FAB Kiosk, open Friday afternoons, offers discount tickets to dozens of shows. Participating theaters include KGB Bar’s Kraine Theater, East Village institution La MaMa, WOW Café Theater, Downtown Art, and elsewhere. All visitors receive a free FAB pass offering year-round discounts to performances and classes. On May 17 from 1-7 p.m., the neighborhood’s specialized shops will offer free refreshments, discounts, and gifts to shoppers as part of Shop East 4th! Fridays, May 9-June 6 from 5-6:30 p.m. East 4th St., alternating corners with Bowery & 2nd Ave. fabnyc.org.
READINGS
JAMES FREY AND JOSH KILMER-PURCELL
The best-selling author of “A Million Little Pieces,” James Frey gained notoriety over the past few years for having written memoirs comprised of more fiction than facts. In interviews featured on “Oprah” and the current “Vanity Fair,” Frey proclaimed that he was upfront with his editor and publisher from the beginning that the book was largely imagined. And here, finally, he reads from his new book—a novel! Alongside Frey is Josh Kilmer-Purcell, whose autobiography detailed his time as an ad exec by day and drag queen by night. His recently published “Candy Everybody Wants” tells the fictionalized account of a teenage boy who moves to glamorous NY. May 13 at 7:30 p.m. Free. Blender Theater at Gramercy. 127 E. 23rd St. 212-777-6800, irvingplaza.com.
SIRI HUSTVEDT & DEBORAH BAKER
In her fourth novel, “The Sorrows of an American,” Brooklyn author Siri Hustvedt explores themes of family connectedness, loss, anguish and art. As in her superb debut, “What I Loved,” Hustvedt’s writing mines one family’s secrets through an extraordinary mosaic of stories. Deborah Baker reads from “A Blue Hand: The Beats in India,” her passionate account of the Beats at home and in the world. Baker captures the range of their artistic and spiritual passions, as well as their tantrums, and trying loves, and illuminates the ways in which India and the U.S. have related to each other over time. May 15 at 7 p.m. Free, reservations recommended. 192 10th Ave at 21st St. 212-255-4022, 192books.com.
