Volume 78 – Number 32 / January 7 – 13, 2009
West and East Village,
The A-list
Compiled by sarah norris
Theater
Photo by Aimee Levine
Harold Dean James, as a Yorta Yorta Elder, communes with a Murray Cod.
Yanagai! Yanagai!
“Yanagai!” is a Yorta Yorta word meaning “go away” that confronted the intrusion of the first white people seeking passage through Yorta Yorta territory in the early 19th century. Co-produced by the Australian Aboriginal Theatre Initiative, the American premiere of Andrea James’ play is a marriage of story, music, puppetry and magic realism. It celebrates the oral traditions of the Yorta Yorta people, whose history predates the Druids and the Egyptians, and is also a heartfelt plea for long-overdue justice, with sections taken from transcripts of an infamous Australian court decision denying meaningful recognition to the Yorta Yorta and their ancestral land claims. Jan. 8-25. $18. La MaMa. 74 E. 4th St. 212-475-7710, lamama.org.
Reading
Sharon Gannon and David Life, co-founders of Jivamukti Yoga
Yoga and Vegetarianism
Sharon Gannon, co-founder of the Jivamukti Yoga Method, is the author of a new book, “Yoga and Vegetarianism: The Path to Greater Health and Happiness,” about global and personal transformation, spiritual practice and activism. She explores the connection between yoga and a vegetarian lifestyle, an important relationship, she argues, because the perfect actions of yoga’s physical practice must stem from “perfect thoughts” free of selfish desire, anger, and hate. Thursday, Jan. 8 from 7-8:30 p.m. Free. East West Books/Café. 78 Fifth Ave. (at 14th St.) 212-243-5994, jivamuktiyoga.com.
Music
Photo by Melanie Wellner
Barry Mitterhoff, Joe Selly, Kenny Kosek, Margot Leverett and Marty Confurius
Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys
The newly opened City Winery is hosting an excellent lineup of musicians as part of both their wine pairing series and Klezmer brunches. This Thursday, 1/8, country singer Steve Earle performs with Allison Moorer, and Sunday night features Boz Scaggs “Playing the Hits” as a benefit to “save the music.” Next week, on 1/15, Suzanne Vega, of the catchy acoustic “Tom’s Diner,” appears with Lenny Kaye, and this Sunday morning, clarinetist Margot Leverett plays infectious country music with the Klezmer Mountain Boys. Jan. 11, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $25 individuals (includes $15 food credit), $50 family (2 adults & kids under 13 free, includes $30 food credit). City Winery. 155 Varick St. 212-608-0555, citywinery.com.
Film
Richard Creadon’s “I.O.U.S.A.” follows U.S. Comptroller General David Walker as he travels the country trying to raise awareness about the mounting crisis of America’s national debt.
‘Docs on the Shortlist’ Film Festival
The two-day film festival features screenings of documentaries short-listed as contenders for this year’s Academy Awards. Of the festival, Villager film critic Steven Snyder writes, “The event kicks off with James Marsh’s ‘Man on Wire,’ about Philippe Petit’s 1974 tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers, and Gini Reticker’s ‘Pray the Devil Back to Hell,’ a tribute to the women who risked their lives to reshape the political climate of Liberia. The marathon continues on Sat., Jan. 10, with “At the Death House Door,” the true-life story of the Texas chaplain who ministered to 95 men condemned to death. ‘They Killed Sister Dorothy,’ uses the mysterious 2005 murder of a 73-year-old nun in the Amazon to tell a larger story about the conflicts raging in the Brazilian rainforest. ‘The Garden,’ focuses on a community garden in South Central L.A. founded after the 1992 riots. The fest closes out Saturday evening with Patrick Creadon’s financial documentary ‘I.O.U.S.A.’ ” Jan. 8-10. Tribeca Cinemas. 54 Varick Street (at Laight) 212-941-2001, tribecacinemas.com
BookTalk
Labor of Love
Cara Muhlhahn, the certified nurse-midwife who was featured on the cover of The Villager last month, has written a new book about her life and experiences, “Labor of Love: A Midwife’s Memoir.” Muhlhahn appeared in Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein documentary “The Business of Being Born,” which premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. To celebrate her book’s publication, Muhlhahn will be participating in a homebirth panel discussion exploring the various (and sometimes controversial) issues related to homebirth. The panel will be moderated by Daphne Beal, contributor to Vogue, The New York Times and author of “In the Land of No Right Angles.” Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. Free. McNally Jackson Bookstore. 52 Prince St. (btwn. Lafayette & Mulberry). mcnallyjackson.com.
Courtesy Kaplan Publishing
