BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP BUZZ APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2018 27 BROOKLYN
CULTURE BRIEFS
COMPILED BY JAIME DEJESUS
MYSTERIOUS
AND SPOOKY
Theater lovers should head over
to St. Patrick Catholic Academy for
its upcoming production of “The
Addams Family: young@part.”
Directed by Susan Huizinga with
Musical Director Camille Johnson
and choreographer Heather Gault,
the play focuses on Gomez and
Morticia Addams as they face an
existential family crisis after their
daughter Wednesday falls for a boy
from Ohio.
“The Addams Family: young@
part” will be performed at St. Patrick
Catholic Academy, 401 97th
Street, on Friday, April 27 at 7:30
p.m., Saturday, April 28 at 2 p.m.
and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 29
at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
For more information, visit www.
stpatrickca.org.
SLEEPING BEAUTY
Head over to the Central Library
as its Events for Youths and Families
series presents a performance
of “Sleeping Beauty,” by Plaza Theatrical
Productions.
The evil Trollarina exacts her
revenge on the royal family by
sending the beautiful Princess
Melisande into an everlasting sleep,
but little does she realize more than
one spell is about to be broken by
the kiss of an enchanted Faun.
The free performance will take
place on Saturday, April 14 at 1 p.m.
at the Central Library, 10 Grand
Army Plaza. For more information,
visit www.bklynlibrary.org.
THE STRANGE AND
UNUSUAL MARKET
Collectors of the unusual should
flock to Coney Island U.S.A for its
Strange and Unusual Market, a
showcase of unique artist, crafters
and creators, selling things you
won’t find just anywhere,as part of
the Congress of Curious Peoples.
The market will be held on Saturday,
April 14 at Coney Island USA,
1208 Surf Avenue from 12- 10 p.m.
For more information, visit www.
coneyisland.com.
Tony Award-winning Brooklyn
native returns home for show
that pays homage to borough
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Broadway royalty returns to Brooklyn.
On Stage At Kingsborough will play host to Tony
Award-winning performer and Brooklyn native
Randy Graff as she finally brings “Made in Brooklyn…
Bound for Broadway,” a musical celebration of Brooklyn’s
own famed songwriters and artists, to the borough.
Graff, who won a Tony in 1990 for her role in “City of
Angels,” had been asked to do a cabaret for many years,
but she resisted.
“I just kept saying I don’t want to do it,” she said. “I realized
that if I did that and had an intimate evening with an
audience, you have to have something specific to say and be
inspired. The intimacy is so different from performing in a
role in a musical on a big stage. I put it off for like 30 years.”
Finally, she found inspiration.
“When the owners of 54 Below, the big nightclub where
a lot of Broadway performers who never wanted to do a
club act have done their club act, came to me and said,
when are you going to do a show,” Graff recalled, “I asked
myself what I wanted to say, what moved me to share with
an audience.”
As an actor, Graff traveled a lot, and realized that you
can take the girl out of Brooklyn but you can’t take Brooklyn
out of the girl.
“I had been all over the country and no matter where
I went, I always felt like this Brooklyn girl, especially
when I lived in Los Angeles for two and a half years,” she
recalled. “I felt like a fish out of water and thought there
was something to this — no matter where you go, Brooklyn
is always in your heart.”
That engendered the idea of performing a show that
paid homage to her hometown borough and its talent.
“The cool thing is that every song in the show was written
by or made famous by someone born in Brooklyn,” she
said. “You really get a taste of some of the great artists that
were born here and their work, so it’s sort of a musical
history lesson as well."
Songs from legends Neil Sedaka, Carole King, and Burt
Bacharach will be performed.
“You’d be surprised how many composers and artists
came from Brooklyn,” she said. “It’s a celebration of the
artistry, and me in the middle of it all. I’ll do my hits, musical
theater, stuff I made famous from 'I Dreamed a Dream'
and 'City of Angels.'"
Despite performing the show for three years, this will
be her first time doing it in Brooklyn.
“I’m really excited to come to On Stage At Kingsborough
because we’ve done this show all over the place,” Graff said.
"It’s so special to me. It’s the most personal it’s going to get
for me, performing this show in front of my people. I’m
excited and the venue is absolutely beautiful.”
So, far the show, which also has Graff tell stories about
growing up in Brooklyn and discussing how the area has
drastically changed, has been a hit.
“You see the person, not hiding behind some character
in a musical. My show is personable and people enjoy
that intimacy. I have a fantastic trio behind me,” she said.
"There’s audience interaction where they get to sing with
me and I do tell stories. The thing that everyone relates to
is home and they also relate to the fact that home changes.
Brooklyn isn’t the only place that’s gotten trendy.”
On Stage at Kingsborough is also excited to have her
perform.
"Tony Award-winner Randy Graff’s show will seem as
though it was created just for On Stage At Kingsborough,”
said Anna Becker, the executive director. “She brings
her immense talent to what is essentially a love letter to
Brooklyn and the great stars that have emerged from this
amazing borough, including Graff herself. Our audiences
will be thrilled to hear the songs Randy Graff sang on
Broadway, along with so many Brooklyn musical heroes
including, of course, Barbra Streisand!”
“Made in Brooklyn…Bound for Broadway” will be
performed on Saturday, April 28 at 8 p.m. at On Stage at
Kingsborough, 2001 Oriental Boulevard. Tickets range
from $32-$37. For more information, visit www.onstageatkingsborough.
org.
Photo by Chia Messina
Randy Graff.
/www.coneyisland.com
/www.stpatrickca.org
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/www.onstageat-kingsborough.org
/www.onstageat-kingsborough.org
/www.onstageat-kingsborough.org