[note: many, if not most, of these links may no longer be working, but such is the nature of the digital. hopefully, the url and context are enough to help you find any further information you want. if not, feel free to contact me, and i’ll try to help.]
julio + agosto 2022
¡hola, difus@s!
summer is on, which is why this issue is a little late, a little compressed, and a little truncated...
¡oso fabuloso and the bear bearbacks!, with its charismatic cast and solid score, was among the best of last month, and it provided an incisive point of comparison for strange loop (a provocative broadway audience experience—and, to be sure, an accomplishment—sometimes undermined by its own too-clever-by-half meta-theatrics that felt pre-emptively defensive or puerilely cynical). i haven't stopped thinking about cascando, which, with its formal minimalism and temporal compactness, was quite affecting (skirball really excels with these undoubtedly complicated productions, e.g., remote new york and in the solitude of cotton fields). the stagecraft in divinity supply company was gorgeous (and the acting, quite endearing), but the play was woefully uneven; its best moments, though, infused its politics with sincere joy (or joyous sincerity), which was a gift.
after all the cannes buzz, i had high hopes for crimes of the future, and it far surpassed them with its narrative economy, philosophical density, and speculative design. i cannot wait to watch it again. ditto for everything everywhere all at once, which is my idea of the perfect summer movie (so i'm glad i waited to see it). official competition featured some incredible sets and virtuoso monologues but lacked a cohesive, compelling vision. similarly, fanny: the right to rock would have been much richer had it focused more singularly and delved more deeply into the group's history. as a historical artifact, saturday night at the baths was fascinating, even if it's hardly a cinematic gem. beautifully shot and edited, beba is a searching, (at times, excruciatingly) honest self-portrait of a young artist in contemporary new york; with narcissister: organ player and tarnation, it shows how tenuous the boundary between critical self-reflection and destructive self-absorption can be. the art of making it also offers portraits of young artists working today, alongside commentary from some renowned and trenchant (not always coincident qualities) art world denizens, but its attempted critique does for cultural sociology what what is democracy? does for political theory: a maddening disservice (full disclosure: both are fields near and dear to me, so i may be a bit exacting...).
though things do quiet down in the summer, we've got plenty to look forward to:
film: some of my favorite films (and most formative cinematic experiences) from college(-ish) are coming to the screen this summer: kieslowski's masterpiece triptych three colors: blue, white, and red, wong kar-wai's wrenching happy together, and jennie livingston's classic (and problematic) paris is burning. two other features that i'm looking forward to are both sides of the blade (new claire denis!) and fire of love. several series and festivals are worth looking into, too: the massive "messaging the monstrous" horror series at moma, "let's talk about sex" at anthology, "mifune redux" at film forum, "new york no limits art of the short film" and "east village queer film festival" at wild project, and "pioneering women in australian cinema" at the museum of the moving image.
dance: if you're not heading to jacob's pillow this summer, the city has plenty of dance on stage. kyle abraham / a.i.m., american ballet theater, and indigenous dance enterprise are at lincoln center. benjamin akio kimitch and kinetic light perform as part of the shed's "open call" series. black grace is at the joyce, kensaku shinohara is at jack, ragamala dance company is at bric, and "hot dance!" is at dixon place. the invisible dog also presents its second dance film series.
performance + theater: the two shows i'm most looking forward to (but, sadly, most likely to miss due to travel) are elevator repair service's seagull at skirball and mister miss america at rattlestick. while the tony winners take their victory laps on broadway, other venues lend their stages to shorter runs of emerging artists and experimental work, e.g., 59 e 59's "east to edinburgh 2022," "the ivory tower and open worlds" at the brick, and "trashfest and darkfest 2022" at the tank. other shows that have my interest piqued include lessons for an incomplete black boy, black girl in paris, baby gay, man made, ain't that rich, the panic of '29, and shut up, emily dickinson.
music: peter evans plays the stone, and everyone should go, especially for his solo set. the time spans music festival hosts several other musicians i admire, the attaca quartet plays three free shows (july 13th, the 20th, and the 27th) in madison square park, a wonderful way to start a summer evening. kronos quartet, sam green, and roomful of teeth play prospect park (as do john cameron mitchell, amber martin, and special guests), anthony roth costanzo performs at green-wood cemetery, and lincoln center celebrates james baldwin with music in damrosch park.
art: charles gaines (who should have been given much more time in the art of making it) has a new series of public works, the american manifest, opening this month, and tiona nekkia mcclodden has shows at the shed and 52 walker. among the museum shows i'm hoping to catch are water memories at the met, eva hesse and cecilia vicuña at the guggenheim, and rick barton at the morgan. from a just a quick look at the blue-chip galleries (e.g., nicole eisenman, lee lozano, and cindy sherman at hauser & wirth, barbara kruger and richard serra at zwirner), this summer's a good one for gallery-hopping.
we'll be back around the start of september for the fall season. as always, you can share this newsletter with anyone you'd like, directing people here.
julio / july
7: hot! dance mix (dance)
7: qualified immunity (performance)
7-9: messaging the monstrous: horror of place (film)
7-9: trash body monkey house (theater)
7-9: american splendor (dance)
7-9: snow in midsummer (theater)
7-10: the bedwetter (theater)
7-15: flow my tears (everybody dance) (performance)
7-16: white on white (theater)
7-17: soft (theater)
7-24: epiphany (theater)
7-24: momix (dance)
7-: hallelujah: leonard cohen, a journey, a song (film)
7-: hamlet (theater)
7-: fire of love (film)
7-: mister miss america (theater)
8: christian de gré cárdenas: twisted operettas, vol. ii (music)
8: looking for papa (theater)
8: mayor (film)
8: the baylor project (music)
8: vic mensa | aja monet (music)
8-9: yo-yo lin (dance)
8-10: murina (film)
8-21: mifune redux (film)
8-31: let's talk about sex (film)
8-: both sides of the blade (film)
8-: three colors: blue (film)
9: arangetram of krupa patel, nidhi ladda, and seetha murugappan (dance)
9: crumb | slauson malone 1 (music)
9: fandango at the wall (music)
9-10: man made (theater)
9-14: teatro nuovo's bel canto season 2022 (music)
9-16: messaging the monstrous: gender and horror (film)
9-: oresteia (theater)
10: azuro (film)
10: holgut (film)
10: lessons for an incomplete black boy (performance)
10: paris blues (film)
10-27: imageless films, part 4 (film)
11-12: looking for papa (theater)
11-13: and then the rodeo burned down (theater)
11-14: tierra (performance)
12: beyond this place (theater)
12-31: east to edinburgh 2022 (theater)
12-31: seagull (theater)
13: adrienne truscott/paige turner's 24-minute missunderstanding of song, time and jeenyus (performance)
13: attacca quartet (music)
13: summer evenings iii (music)
13-16: the weaver (part ii): paradigm (theater)
13-17: tight five (theater)
14: kronos quartet & sam green: a thousand thoughts | roomful of teeth (film, music)
14: mystery train (film)
14-15: ain't that rich (performance)
14-15: living on air: the films of sandra lahire (film)
14-17: international keyboard institute & festival (music)
14-17: irregulars (theater)
14-31: cannabis! a viper vaudeville (performance)
15: christian de gré cárdenas: twisted operettas, vol. ii (music)
15: devices of torture (theater)
15: gimme shelter (film)
15-16: mur does mur (performance)
15-17: shauna davis: with myself (dance)
15-31: port chicago 50 (theater)
15-: costa brava, lebanon (film)
16: all-indian dance festival (dance)
16: chicano batman | charlotte dos santos (music)
16: dance film series – 2nd edition (dance, film)
16: happy together (film)
16: liturgy / john wiese / victoria shen (music)
16: the pink room burlesque’s miss twin peaks pageant: the return (performance)
16-20: cinenova presents: the work we share (film)
16-: the nosebleed (theater)
17: celebrating greg tate: more than posthuman: rise of the burnt sugar arkestra mojosexual cotillion (music)
17: eduardo and mônica (eduardo e mônica) (film)
17: justin elizabeth sayre: assorted fruit (performance)
17: psychic self defense (performance)
17: quince (theater)
17-24: messaging the monstrous: race and horror (film)
19-20: louis langrée and conrad tao (music)
20: attacca quartet (music)
20: big gay love story, the musical (theater)
20: femme it forward: teyana taylor (music)
20: nightclubbing: the birth of punk rock in nyc / sid: the final curtain screening (film)
20-21: watching birds at the end of the world (music)
20-23: ashkenazi seance (theater)
20-23: isla (theater)
21: paris is burning (film)
21-22: great freedom (film)
21-23: ain't that rich (performance)
21-23: first ladies of disco: retro music box feat. martha wash, linda clifford, and norma jean wright (formerly of chic) (music)
21-: pioneering women in australian cinema (film)
22: ragamala dance company: sacred earth (dance)
22: the broadway sinfonietta (music)
22-23: a meal (performance)
22-28: the method on film (film)
22-: "1962…1963…1964" (film)
22-: ghostworld (film)
22-: living wine (film)
22-: made in hong kong (film)
22-: skies of lebanon (film)
22-: the daphne project (film)
23: baby powder (theater)
23: indigenous enterprise (dance)
23: john cameron mitchell & amber martin | special guests (music)
23: monsieur hulot's holiday (film)
23: the bottom's bible (performance)
23-: anatomy of the devil: walerian borowczyk (film)
23-: on that day in amsterdam (theater)
23-: the panic of '29 (theater)
24: god is with you (film)
24: the civilians: black girl in paris by jacinth greywoode and aridy nox (performance)
24-30: messaging the monstrous: the undead (film)
26: spanking machine (theater)
27: attacca quartet (music)
27: bright light bright light: so gay. so dramatic. so public. (music)
27-30: peter evans residency (music)
28: 28 (performance)
28: nyo jazz (music)
28-30: kensaku shinohara: good bye (dance)
28-: from where they stood (film)
28-: shut up, emily dickinson (theater)
29: a night of knowing nothing (film)
29: hot dance! (dance)
29: national youth orchestra of the united states of america (music)
29: the beths | sasami | charlotte cornfield (music)
29: the hot sardines featuring nellie mckay (music)
29-30: my gaze covers you like ivy: the films of antoinette zwirchmayr (film)
29-: a love song (film)
29-: alma’s rainbow + hair piece: a film for nappyheaded people (film)
29-: blue island (film)
29-: hong kong heroes (film)
29-: medusa (film)
29-: sharp stick (film)
31: a night of knowing nothing (film)
31: the batwoman (la mujer murciélaga) (film)
31-: messaging the monstrous: body horror (film)
agosto / august *
1: nyo2 (music)
1-7: trashfest and darkfest 2022 (theater)
1-13: shut up, emily dickinson (theater)
1-: on that day in amsterdam (theater)
1-: sharp stick (film)
1-: the nosebleed (theater)
2-4: memonica (theater)
2-7: black grace (dance)
2-: patience (theater)
3: jubilee for jimmy: a celebration of james baldwin (music)
3-4: mole (theater)
4: khruangbin | vieux farka touré (music)
4-6: benjamin akio kimitch (dance)
4-6: mahler's 9th for four hands (music)
5: erykah badu | phony ppl (music)
5: matteo lane: streisand at the bon soir - divas edition (music)
5-7: the choice (theater)
5-: three colors: white (film)
6: yemi alade and amindi (music)
6-15: messaging the monstrous: women make horror (film)
8-26: oh god, a show about abortion (theater)
9-11: matrilineal (performance)
9-13: baand together dance festival (dance)
11: matmos w/ jeff carey (music)
11: new york no limits art of the short film (film)
11-13: requiem: fire in the air of the earth (dance)
11-14: dream of rays (theater)
11-14: the ivory tower and the open worlds (performance)
12-14: untitled raccoon play (theater)
12-: el gran movimiento (film)
12-: free puppies (film)
13-14: yes, please (performance)
13-27: time spans music festival (music)
14-21: messaging the monstrous: folk horror (film)
16-21: sarasota ballet (dance)
18: zach and drew: baby gay (performance)
18-20: justin hicks (music)
19-21: my favorite person (dance)
19-: keane (film)
20: card tricks (theater)
20-21: high functioning x.0 (performance)
22-27: messaging the monstrous: eco horror (film)
23-24: tin iso and the dawn (theater)
25-26: the dragon sisters: the quick flight tour (music)
25-27: kinetic light (dance)
25-28: east village queer film festival (film)
26-: three colors: red (film)
27: invoke (music)
28: new muses in concert (music)
28-: messaging the monstrous: creatures (film)
* a lot of venues are either closed this month or didn't have programming when i compiled the calendar...