/ Performances
RARE PERFORMANCE OF CHILLING MELODRAMA The revival of Percy MacKaye’s 1908 drama based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Featherdrop.” Set in Colonial Massachusetts, the play follows the plight of a living scarecrow, fabricated by his mother and animated by the Devil to take revenge against a hypocritical, well-to-do neighbor. Pictured above is Avery Clark as Ravensbane. Metropolitan Playhouse, 220 E. 4th St. Sept. 30 – Oct. 30, Thurs. – Sat. at 8pm; Sun. at 2pm. $19, $15 students/seniors, $10 kids. 212-995-5302.
CELEBRATING JEWISH HOLIDAYS Artist Sheryl Oring invites viewers to reflect on the upcoming Jewish holidays by dictating a letter to their first American ancestor as part of a performance and installation called “Writing Home: Conversations with Our Ancestors.” Sun., Oct. 2 from 1-4pm. Eldridge Street Synagogue, 12 Eldridge St., bet. Canal & Division Sts. 212-219-0888 x 302.
POLITICAL SATIRE “Set just before the election of 2015, ‘Screen Play’ envisions a future ruled by a conservative religious majority. The economy is sagging, wars are raging and culture is in decay.” Thru Sept. 30. Tues. – Sat. at 7pm; Sat. 3pm. Pictured above are Brian Morvant, left, and Drew Hildebrand. The Flea Theater, 41 White St., bet. Broadway & Church. $30-40. 212-352-3101. Photo by Max Ruby.
REINVENTING HUMAN EXPRESSION Innovative violinist and composer Mari Kimura leads a new multi-national, multi-media ensemble in two concerts featuring traditional, electronic and avant garde music with visual arts by leading composers and instrumentalists from the United States and Japan. Thurs., Sept. 8 at 7:30pm, pre-concert talk at 7pm at Chelsea Art Museum, 556 W. 22nd St. and Sat., Sept. 10 at 8pm at Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A W. 13th St. $15. 212-868-4444. www.smarttix.com.
ONE-RING CIRCUS STRAIGHT FROM SEATTLE Circus Contraption’s Grand American Traveling Dime Museum features live aerial acts, acrobatics, juggling, dance, physical comedy and original circus music. Pictured above, Bunny LaMonte leads a bicycle race around the world. Shows contain mature content and may be unsuitable for children under 12. Sept. 1 – Oct. 1, Wed. – Sun. Theater for the New City, 155 1st Ave., bet 9th & 10th Sts. $20. 212-352-3101 or www.TheaterMania.com. Photo by David Adam Edelstein
A POWERFUL POLITICAL DRAMA “Homeland” by Gene Ruffini focuses on a middle-class family caught in the machinery of a government that demands conformity and shreds the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Pictured above are Rachel McAlinn, left and Will McDonald in the uniforms of the paramilitary Home Guard. Sept. 8-25, Thurs. – Sat. at 8:30pm and Sun. at 3pm. The first week of the performance, teachers, librarians and members of the ACLU admitted free. Theater for the New City, 155 1st Ave., bet 9th & 10th Sts. $10. 212-254-1109.
Circus Contraption, features live aerial acts, acrobatics, juggling, dance, physical comedy and original circus music. Shows contain mature content and may be unsuitable for children under 12. Sept. 1 – Oct. 1, Wed. – Sun. Theater for the New City, 155 1st Ave., bet 9th & 10th Sts. $20. 212-352-3101 or www.TheaterMania.com.
Colder Than Here, a comic drama about an ever perfect home-maker who turns her full attention to the task of her lifetime, organizing her own impending funeral. LUCILLE LORTEL THEATRE, 121 Christopher St., bet Bleecker & Hudson Sts. Sept. 7 – Oct. 15. 212-279-4200.
THE NEW AMERICAN FAMILY The constant redefinition of the American family is at the core of The Lightning Field’s story. Sam and Andy, a gay New York couple, travel to Walter De Maria’s famous art installation and realize their relationship mirrors that of their divorced parents. A storm of raw explosion results. Pictured above are Cory Grant, left, and Bekka Lindström. Aug. 17 at 8pm; 19 at 3:30pm; 21 at 12:20pm; 24 at 7:15pm; and 28 at 12:15pm. The Flea Theatre, 41 White St., bet Broadway & Church Sts. www.FringeNYC.org. 212-279-4488.
