FUN FOR THE WINTER HOLIDAYS OF 2009

Here are some things (partly national, partly New York City specific) to do this last week of Holidays in 2009. There are of course lots of obvious things to do (we'll note some of them later), but first some more off-beat suggestions:

LESS OBVIOUS IDEAS

Here are some ideas (mostly) off the beaten track that have appealed to me:


(L-R) JUDE LAW as Dr. John Watson, ROBERT DOWNEY JR. as Sherlock Holmes
and RACHEL McADAMS as Irene Adler
in "Sherlock Holmes"
Photo by Alex Bailey, from WARNER BROS

MOVIES

Sherlock Holmes -- Sherlock Holmes is always terrific; plus Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law (who was just super in Hamlet recently on Broadway), and Rachel McAdams..

Nine -- Best cast in years.

Avatar -- 3D IMAX. The spectacular effects should be seen in the best theater possible. Seek out the 3D IMAX version.

Precious -- Counter programming for the Holidays. This is not a simple feel-good film.

It's Complicated -- A love triangle (or quadrangle) angling around Meryl Streep.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus -- Difficult to follow logically, this is counter-programming for those who want to let the imagination run free... very free... wild, even.

Broken Embraces -- A great film by Almodovar, with a lovely performance by Penelope Cruz (... if Nine is not enough). A very accessible art film..

DVD�s

The Open Road -- This is a quirky, independent, small, family-and-love story. A good choice for something different.

Up -- One of the most heralded whole-family (?) stories of the year, just out on DVD. (Its sad, frightening, filled with mean people, with failed dreams, and with adventure for the sake of the journey, not the destination. Not really for everyone, despite its reputation. Not a happy kidflick.)


BOOKS

Free For All -- This is one of the best theater books ever.

CavanKerry Press / Joan Handler -- Joan Handler is a poet of the very personal. CavanKerry Press produces some of the most elegant books around. It's a "small press" in the best sense of that notion.

Joan Cusack Handler
Reading from her book of poetry
"The Red Canoe"
Photo by Eric Roffman

THEATER

Ragtime -- Taking us back to our roots -- 100 years ago -- makes this a perfect family Holiday theater experience.

Scarlett Johansson & Liev Schrieber in Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge -- The hottest new opening on Broadway starts previews on the 28th. Liev is one of the most skilled young actors, and Scarlett one of the hottest young actresses today. The promotional videos and interviews -- worth watching themselves! -- suggest this production will emphasize the sexual heat in this classic American play.

Ernest in Love -- A musical version of Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest. Some fine voices, including one of our favorite singing actresses, Katie Fabel.


CABARET

These three venues have some of the most interesting performances in the city.

LPR - Le Poisson Rouge
Cornelia Street Cafe
Joe's Pub

Les poissons rouges (ie the red fish) at the entrance to LPR - Le Poisson Rouge
Photo by Eric Roffman

RESTAURANTS

Blue Hill -- New American, super-fresh-from-the-farms food. Downtown. Even better, take a trip up to Blue Hill at the Stone Barns Farm.
Le Bernadin -- Superb seafood.
Aquavit -- Try the flights of home-made aquavit (the "water of life").
Maya -- Modern Mexican.
Firebird -- One of the few places where Zagat is wrong -- It's much better than its Zagat rating, especially for caviar and a honey-vanilla vodka.


ACTING (AND OTHER) CLASSES

December is a good time to register for winter classes, which start, usually, early in January. HB Studio is one of the best acting schools for actors of all ages and levels of skill. LAByrinth Theater Company has a powerful program for skilled and dedicated actors. (The Master Class, from November '9, [MCN9] continues to sprout amazing projects.) The 92nd Street Y has many arts oriented classes of all kinds.

HB Studio
LAByrinth Theater Company Master Class
92nd Street Y


KIDS

Bronx Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show -- (It's actually not really a "show," but rather a huge exhibit of a breathtaking NY landscape, made out of plants, with an immense model railroad running through it). Open this Holiday season till Jan 10. Here's a video I made a few years ago at the show. And... the Train Show gets better every year!

REALLY QUIRKY

Duracell Power Lab -- Help charge up the Duracell battery by pedaling the bike. I tried it. I wonder if my picture is up someplace.

SOMEWHAT OBVIOUS IDEAS:

And here are some of the more obvious ideas for things to do this week:


REALLY EXPENSIVE:


The great big, most popular Broadway shows (or any of the other shows on, off, or off-off Broadway) -- Check the New Yorker Magazine, the latest Holiday issue of Time Out or the Friday or Sunday New York Times for listings. TKTS -- Broadway & 47th, South Street Seaport, and Brooklyn -- may have discounts for some of the not-quite-sold out shows.

The finest restaurants (check the Zagat Guide for the most reliable ratings) -- Note: Even some of the hardest restaurants to get into sometimes have cancellations, tables available late in the evening, tables at lunch (cheaper, too), or room at the bar. (Arrive when the restaurant opens for the best shot at a bar seat.)


REALLY CHEAP:

Museums -- The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, The Natural History Museum, The Museum Of Modern Art are all amazing.


REALLY COLD:

Zoos -- Central Park Zoo (pretty big); Bronx Zoo (very big). Lovely weather for Polar Bears.
Aquarium -- Lovely weather for penguins.
Times Square -- for New Year's Eve


REALLY SIMPLE:

A whole bunch of new movies have just opened or are arriving on Christmas Day, including Avatar (especially 3D & 3D IMAX), Nine, Sherlock Holmes, Invictus, Up In The Air, An Education, Twilight, 2012....

CTI - COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE - SPRING EVENTS

CTI, The Commercial Theater Institute,

www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com
is having two programs in the spring that are extraordinarily valuable for anyone interested in theater. I've attended (see the post below) the 3-Day Weekend event and I would strongly recommend it, not only for (current & potential future) producers, but for anyone (writers, directors, lawyers, investors, actors, and...well, anyone) interested in developing projects for the commercial theater. This is far and away the most accessible, interesting, informative, useful event about theater I've ever encountered.

Producing Reading, Workshops, and Showcases: A Practical Approach will have its spring session on March 6th, from 10am � 6pm, at Theatre Row.

Many new topics and speakers have been added since the December program.

The fee for the day is $140 in advance, $175 at the door.


The 28th Annual 3-Day Weekend Producing Conference (May 15th � 17th) is now accepting registrations. The early bird price is $335 by March 27th.

Registration forms for both events are on the CTI website.

http://www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com/

FOR TEENS: SHAKESPEARE LAB JR @ THE PUBLIC

Calling all New York City Teenagers!

Are you a New York City teenager who is interested in the arts, theater or poetry? Do you enjoy acting onstage and meeting new people? Are you looking for something fun and rewarding to do during your summer vacation?

How about a FREE SHAKESPEARE WORKSHOP in the heart of the East Village!

If you, or someone you know, is a teenager (ages 13-19) who lives in one of the Five Boroughs, then the Public Theater's Shakespeare Lab Jr. program is right for you.

Located near Astor Place in the heart of the East Village, Shakespeare Lab Jr. is an intensive summer workshop program for highly motivated young people entering grades 9-12. Participants spend 5 action-packed days inside the world-famous Public Theater working with our energetic staff of professional teaching artists to engage in a unique and exciting exploration of history's most famous playwright�William Shakespeare.

Over the course of one full week, participants will gather inside the Public Theater's landmark building to:

EXPLORE Shakespeare's most powerful plays, plots, themes and characters;

PLAY theater games and interact with their peers in a safe environment;

LEARN acting, movement and voice skills;
WRITE and perform their very own sonnets!
Participants who complete the program will have the chance to:

PERFORM onstage at the Public Theater for family and friends!

JOIN Summer Shake Up: a special one-day event at the famous Delacorte Theater in Central Park home of the world renowned "Shakespeare in the Park". Exclusive backstage tour of the theater, workshop with Public Theater Artists, and a free box lunch.

GET FREE TICKETS to see the Public Theater's highly anticipated production of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park (participants get 2 free tickets without having to wait in line!)

PLUS a special NEW program: SUMMER SHAKEUP -- a special visit to the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home of the world-famous "Shakespeare in the Park." Games, workshops, activities, a free lunch, and a chance to act on one of the most important Shakespeare stages in the world.

Shakespeare Lab Jr. is FREE, and is open to students in New York City. Workshops take place August 11-15 and August 18-22, Monday through Friday. Participants may choose between a morning session (9:30-1:30pm) and an afternoon session (2:30-6:30pm).

Register ONLINE Today!

If you are registering a GROUP � CLICK HERE.

If you are registering as an individual � CLICK HERE.

"I am much more confident about my speaking now and this will definitely help me out when I speak and present projects" -Ohahida Arabi, Shakespeare Lab Jr. participant

"What I liked most about the workshop is how you were able to meet new people and interact in a safe environment, learning Shakespeare in a fun way." -Kelsey Knutsen, Shakespeare Lab Jr. participant

"This workshop gave (my daughter) the confidence she needed to tackle Shakespeare!" -parent of participant, Sarah Gaines

BOBOOBLOG

We have just started a new (sister/brother) BLOG to focus on theatrical news, reviews, credits, etc.

bobooblog.blogspot.com

BOBOOBLOG = B - OB - OOB BLOG:
The Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway BLOG!

tattoowesley is designed for features; in some cases -- theatrical reviews, and interviews with Broadway stars and directors for example -- stories will overlap.

However, BOBOOBLOG will include lots more detail on theater than we can include here.

In particular, we are hoping that directors, producers, and actors from (ALL! the zillions of) OOB shows (as well as OB and Broadway shows too, of course) will provide us with flyers for ALL! their shows in advance, plus full cast and creative credits when the show goes up. We want BOBOOBLOG to be a theater resource of unmatched power, information and usefulness.

An example of the utility of BOBOOBLOG is that we had a hard time finding a real list of which theaters were dark and which were open during the current stagehands' strike. We tracked it down and posted that list on BOBOOBLOG, along with information about how to obtain refunds. Because of the volume of information, it would have taken hours to post the information here according to our formatting standards, but we were able to put it up in minutes on BOBOOBLOG once we found it:

http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/theater-closings-refunds-due-to-strike.html

SALEM LUDWIG 1915-2007

Salem Ludwig, an actor, director and teacher died on April 1, 2007 at the age of 91.

He studied at the Actor's Studio, and appeared in dozens & dozens of movies , TV shows and plays, as early as 1947 (actually even earlier -- as a dancer in Sweet Surrender in 1936), and as recently as 2007, in Savages with Laura Linney and Philip Bosco.

He taught acting and directing for many years at the HB Studio. Until very recently he was still climbing, with no complaints!, to his third floor classroom. He was a gentle man who gave strong and clear directions. (He also had strong political opinions and was blacklisted for years at what should have been the center of his career.)

I took several classes with him, both acting and directing, and always came away with useful information and, somehow, a feeling of encouragement and progress.

A terrific description can be found (NY Times registration may be needed for access) in Alvin Klein's 1989 review of Broadway Bound, in The New York Times:

"Best of all is Salem Ludwig as Eugene's stubborn, Trotsky-spouting grandfather, Ben, who urges the boys to become political satirists, not just joke machines. With masterful timing, the veteran actor finds the warmth in a man who says: ''I don't trust affection. Sometimes people give it instead of the truth.'' "

He will be missed.