38 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • MARCH 8, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Astoria basketball court transformed
with the help of mural artist
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
A basketball court underneath the
Triborough Bridge in Astoria recently
received a big makeover thanks to
an artist known for his large-scale, colorful
‘Beau Jest’ at Theatre by the Bay
What if you’d do anything to please
your parents? What if your parents are
impossible to please? Well, just drop in
on the Goldman family. Th ey’re having
dinner at Th eatre by the Bay for their
very funny version of the Chicago-based
1980s comedy “Beau Jest.”
Basically, good girl Sarah Goldman
has fallen for a great guy named Chris
Cringle. Although he’s not exactly Santa
Claus, Chris Cringle doesn’t follow
Sarah’s parents’ religion. So she hires an
actor to pretend he’s a prominent doctor
with all the right credentials. From here,
things get even more complicated with
hilarious results.
Producers Barbara and Eli Koenig and
Martha Stein have recruited a half dozen
talented actors who turn this very politically
incorrect tale into a deliciously
funny two-hour escape. Director Patrice
Valenti and artistic director Cathy
Chimenti wisely avoid extreme farce or
over-the-top physical humor. Instead,
good-natured stereotypes from all sides
keep the audience in stitches.
Nili Resnick, playing Sarah, is a familiar
face on local stages. She is charming
and very believable as a frustrated young
woman who tries so hard to make everyone
happy, without success. Her mother
Miriam is played by Amy Goldman.
She does justice to her role while adeptly
avoiding extreme caricatures that would
have diminished the overall project.
Robert Budnick as Sarah’s father is not
too embarrassed to fall back on humorous,
pigeonholed behaviors. However,
his powerful reaction to another character’s
offh and remark is decidedly dramatic
and eff ective. Robert Gold plays
Sarah’s cynical, psychotherapist brother,
Joel. Also a veteran of local stages, his
onstage histrionic analysis and advice for
everyone is very funny indeed.
Sarah’s hapless suitors are played with
confi dence and comedic bravado. Th ere’s
some funny posturing and a bit of physical
exaggeration by Kyle Cheng and
Stephen Kalogeras. Th e duo have such
good intentions with such bad results. It
is impossible not to feel sorry for them
as they cope with the paradox that Sarah
has generated for them.
Good set design (John Baratta, Lila
Edelkind) along with a fully capable production
team help create a pleasant project
that is well worth watching. For information
on this and future shows call 718-
428-6363, visit theatrebythebayny.com
or “like” them on Facebook. As always,
save me a seat on the aisle.
A VIEW FROM
THE CLIFF
BY CLIFF KASDEN
murals.
On March 1, Brooklyn-based artist
Mark Paul Deren, better known
as MADSTEEZ, completed a custom
court design at Triborough Bridge
Playground B. It was the fi rst renovation
for the court in more than 20
years. Th e design was done in partnership
with the Big Ten Network, the
sports television network that streams
collegiate sports games by Big Ten
Conference teams.
Th e art features the colors of all 14
Big Ten universities and includes the
artist’s signature M on the asphalt.
Two new basketball hoops were also
installed.
Former New York Knicks player
Jared Jeff ries helped to unveil the
design with a youth clinic run by NBA
trainer Chris Brickley. About 50 students
from Aft er-School All Stars and
the Zone 126 aft er-school program in
Astoria participated in the clinic.
“Th e Big Ten Network has brought
color and fun into this neighborhood
basketball court,” said Queens
Borough Parks Commissioner
Dorothy Lewandowski. “With new
rims, weather-resistant asphalt and an
eye-catching mural, these hoops are
sure to be a hit.”
Brooklyn-based artist MADSTEEZ
has created large-scale murals and
other designs for companies such as
Nike, BMW, Target, Red Bull and
more.
“Th is has to be one of my favorite/
most rewarding projects I have worked
on,” the artist said in an Instagram
post. “It’s one thing to paint a public
mural but it’s even more gratifying
to paint a public space that people can
interact with and physically enjoy.”
Th e Big Ten Men’s Basketball
Tournament took place at Madison
Square Garden from Feb. 28 through
March 4 and Jordan Maleh, director
of digital marketing and communications
at BTN, said the organization
wanted to give back to the community.
“Th e basketball tradition in New
York City is second to none, and
it’s one of the many reasons the Big
Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament
has made its way to Madison Square
Garden,” Maleh said. “As a network
our goal was to, even in a small way,
make a meaningful contribution to
that culture and we’ve been fortunate
to have a partner like NYC Parks to
make it a reality.”