Compiled by Scott Stiffler
Cabaret
GAY MARSHALL
Hot off breaking onto Billboard’s Top World Album chart, unapologetic Francophile Gay Marshall reprises “PIAF: Queen of Heart” — her take on the late French icon Edith Piaf. Accompanied by a five-piece ensemble, the sly chanteuse delivers a dramatic repertoire sung mostly in French. When Marshall does slum it in English, though, it’s with her own translations. As for the program itself, the arrangements (by Marshall and Paul Bevan) aim to offer are a refreshingly modern take on classic Piaf songs — without a whiff of imitation. Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 18th, 25th; March 4th, 11th, 18th. For tickets ($25 cover, two-drink minimum), call 212-206-0440.
Reading
SAVE THE DELI
Will the deli go the way of the Dodo bird? Not if the Museum at Eldridge Street has anything to do with it. They’re hoping you’ll be properly motivated to go out, get a table, and order some pastrami after deli fanatic David Sax puts his Thomas Jefferson on copies of “Save the Deli.” That will happen after he reads from the new tome. It’s the result of a few years’ worth of world travels during which he interviewed deli owners and famous deli lovers. The result? A humorous but impassioned riff on the tastes, aromas, and lore of the delicatessen. Free. Wed., Feb. 24, 7 p.m. at the Museum at Eldridge Street (12 Eldridge St. btw. Canal and Division Streets). Call 212-219-0888 or visit www.eldridgestreet.org.
Film
KINOFEST NYC
The inaugural edition of this East Village film festival (“The Kinofest NYC 2010 Film Festival at The Ukrainian Museum”) hopes to establish a proud annual tradition of celebrating independent cinema from Ukraine and other post-Soviet bloc countries. Highlighting the work of filmmakers emerging from the memory of the Iron Curtain, the festival presents documentaries, shorts and animated works. Two that appealed to The A List? Paul Devlin’s “Power Trip” (Feb. 27) is a feature documentary about independent Georgia’s struggle for energy independence. “I Am a Monument to Myself” (Feb. 28) reveals the life of an eccentric who creates memorials that mark the lives of people and soldiers who have found their final resting place in his west Ukrainian town. The festival takes place Feb. 25 to 28, at The Ukrainian Museum (222 E.6th St. btw. 2nd and 3rd Aves.). $10 admission, $8 in advance; $24 festival pass. For tickets, call 212-228-0110 or visit www.kinofestNYC.com (where you’ll also find a full schedule). All films are in English or contain English subtitles.
Benefit
EARLY MUSIC FOR HAITI
Bach, Handel and Vivaldi are the featured composers. Haiti is the cause. “An Early Music Benefit for Haiti” is performed by The Trinity Choir, Trinity Baroque Orchestra and Trinity Choristers. This program of High-Baroque choral masterworks features (among other selections) Bach’s motet “Komm, Jesu, komm” — and Handel’s early Roman cantata, “Dixit Dominus.” Proceeds benefit Trinity’s Special Rebuilding Fund supporting the Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church of Haiti; Episcopal Relief & Development’s Haiti Fund; and Partners in Health Earthquake Relief. Wed., Feb. 24th, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Church (Broadway at Wall St.). $20 admission (students/seniors, $10; children under 12, free). For Tickets visit www.trintywallstreet.org/tickets.
Talks
GREAT EVENINGS IN THE GREAT HALL
President’s Day has come and gone — but it’s not too late to mark the occasion in way that doesn’t involve taking the day off work or buying a car. The final performance of The Cooper Union’s Great Evenings in The Great Hall series (for this season, at least) celebrates Lincoln’s 1860 appearance at The Cooper Union. The speech he made (“Right Makes Might”) helped secure his nomination for president. The program will feature, among others, Richard Dreyfuss and former New York State Governor Mario Cuomo. Lincoln scholar and co-chairman of the United States Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Harold Holzer will introduce the evening; filled, we’re assured, with fiery oration and period music. Thurs., Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m. at Cooper Union, Great Hall (7 E. 7th St., btw.3rd/4th Aves.). Free; tickets required. Distribution begins 4:00 p.m. on event day, in front of Cooper Union’s Foundation Building (East 7th St. btw. 3rd/4th Ave.) on a first-come, first-served basis. For info., visit www.cooper.edu or call 212-353-4195.
