FMEAYB R13U -A MRAYY 1139, -2 0F1E6B •R BURAOROYK 1L9Y,N 2 0M1E4D •I A B GRROOOUKPL YN MEDIA GROUP 39 culture briefs COMPILED BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK SPECIAL SERIES STARTER On Thursday, February 20, the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway) will launch Off the Wall, a Thursday evening series featuring site-specific performances BY JAIME DEJESUS Scandinavian East Coast Museum to host annual Fastelavn Celebration at Danish Athletic Club Classic opera “Manon Lescaut” to close out Regina Opera’s 46th season Scandinavian East Coast Museum to host annual Fastelavn Celebration at Danish Athletic explore Wangechi Mutu’s Club futuristic an Octavia Butler-inspired reading [email protected] Celebrate the good times. On Sunday, February 23, the Scandinavian East Coast Museum will host its annual Fastelavn Celebration at the Danish Athletic Club. Known as the’ Danish Mardi Gras’, this historic celebration — which is popular in Norway and Denmark — has been making a splash in Bay Ridge for nearly eight years. When looking for a venue to host the festivities, Victoria Hofmo, president of the Scandinavian East Coast Museum, saw the Danish Athletic Club, 735 65th Street, as a perfect fit. “We realized that they used to hold the event years ago but then stopped. So we recreated it without a curator-led tour with Saisha Grayson of the Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey exhibition, on view until March 9. Tickets are $12, include museum at the visitor’s services desk. Museum members receive free admission, which can be reserved via the membership hotline at 718-501-6326. A cash bar will be available from 8-9:30 p.m. and the series will run from 6:30-9:30 p.m. CELEBRATE WOMEN Join the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway) for its free Target First Saturday event on Saturday, March 1, celebrating women’s empowerment through an evening of spoken word, interactive with events ranging from pop-up poetry and pop-up gallery talks to live performances by Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman of Climbing Poetree and their six-piece band. Museum admission is free from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and includes entrance to all galleries and events. Programs are subject to change without notice. For a full schedule or more information, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org. SERVE THE MOVEMENT Join Interference Archive (131 Eighth Street) from now through Sunday, February 23 for Serve the People: The Asian American Movement in New York. Serve the People charts a history of Asian American activism, organizing and cultural production in the 1970s. Curated by Ryan Wong, it is the first free exhibition of its kind to focus on New York as a center for the phenomenon. A full schedule of public programs The poster for Regina Opera’s production of “Manon Lescaut.” Photo by Gregory Ortega A scene from “Manon Lescaut.” realizing it,” she said. The day includes a variety of activities derived from Danish and Norwegian culture. “We play a bunch of games.We try to mix it up every year. There’s a whole dinner and it’s a really nice event. Everyone looks forward to it,” said Hofmo. Attendees are encouraged but not required to dress up in a costume. “We had quite a bit of costumes last year. Some of the ones inspired by current exhibitions. The first Off the Wall will vision through a special performance by musician Daví, artmaking with artist Saya Woolfalk, worn in the past were pirates, the Oscar with Kiini award, Iburu Queen Salaam Elizabeth, and Lady Gaga and soldiers,” Hofmo said. Last year’s event also featured Viking costumes. Prizes will be awarded to those who wear the best admission one. and can be purchased One at www.of the museumtix.more unique com or activities includes the decorating branches. “It’s a pre-spring event,” said Hofmo. “So people decorate branches with feathers, take them home and then plant them.” A piñata will also be included, in honor of the ‘hit the cat in the barrel’ tradition, which is said represent good luck. Live music will be provided by accordionist Ellen Lindstrom. Last year, over 80 people attended the carnival and signs point to the number rising for this year’s event. “People have been contacting me early this year,” said Hofmo. “People that went last year are letting other people know about it. “Everyone’s welcome. Adults can act like kids,” she continued. “You have the food, the games. What’s not to like?” Tickets are $30 for adults, $for children seven to 17 and $for those six years old and under. For reservations, call Hofmo 718-748-5950 or Reidun at 718- 748-7844. 2014 • BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP 35 COMPILED BY JESSE LENT TWEEN GROUP Every Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m., a tween social group gathers at the Kings Bay Y at 3495 Nostrand Avenue. Tweens, categorized as children between the ages of 10 and 12, can enjoy each other’s company at the Y, or participate in field trips. For more information, call:718-648-7703 or go to www.kingsbayy.org. SALUTE TO BROADWAY The Great White Way comes to Dyker Heights on Sunday, February 5, when the soloists of Regina Opera offer a two-hour program of Broadway show tunes, operetta and other popular songs. General admission for the show, which will be staged at Regina Hall at 1210 65th Street, is $12. Tickets for teens are $5. Children’s admission is free. Go to: www.reginaopera.org for more details, or call 718-259-2772. MEREDITH MONK AT BAM Just because the name Meredith Monk may not ring a bell for you, doesn’t mean you haven’t heard her music. The prolific pianist and composer has recorded dozens of albums – most of them for the jazz label ECM – and has collaborated art, music, film and dance, with artists ranging from Björk to the chorus of the San Francisco Symphony. Her music was featured in the cult classic “The Big Lebowski” as well as the Jean-Luc Godard film “La Nouvelle Vague.” On Wednesday, February 15, at 7 p.m., Monk – also a revered director and choreographer – will give a talk reflecting on her work at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), as part of the organization’s 150th anniversary. The 90-minute talk costs $20, and will take place at BAMcafé, 30 Lafayette Avenue. For more information, visit www.bam.org. OPEN HOUSE AT P.S. 250 P.S. 250 K, the George H. Lindsay School for Communication and Multimedia Arts, is located at 108 Montrose Avenue in Williamsburg. On Wednesday, February 5, the school will hold an open house offering information about school programs, including its new magnet accompanies the exhibition – full of posters, leaflets, newspapers, film and music – including BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] Celebrate the good times. On Sunday, February 23, the Scandinavian East Coast Museum will host its annual Fastelavn Celebration at the Danish Athletic Club. Known as the’ Danish Mardi Gras’, this historic celebration — which is popular in Norway and Denmark — has been making a splash in Bay Ridge for nearly eight years. When looking for a venue to host the festivities, Victoria Hofmo, president of the Scandinavian East Coast Museum, saw the Danish Athletic Club, 735 65th Street, as a perfect fit. “We realized that they used to hold the event years ago but then stopped. So we recreated it without realizing it,” she said. The day includes a variety of activities derived from Danish and Norwegian culture. “We play a bunch of games.We try to mix it up every year. There’s a whole dinner and it’s a really nice event. Everyone looks forward to it,” said Hofmo. Attendees are encouraged but not required to dress up in a costume. “We had quite a bit of costumes last year. Some of the ones worn in the past were pirates, the Oscar award, Queen Elizabeth, Lady Gaga and soldiers,” Hofmo said. Last year’s event also featured Viking costumes. Prizes will be awarded to those who wear the best one. One of the more unique activities includes the decorating of branches. “It’s a pre-spring event,” said Hofmo. “So people decorate branches with feathers, take them home and then plant them.” A piñata will also be included, in honor of the ‘hit the cat in the barrel’ tradition, which is said to represent good luck. Live music will be provided by accordionist Ellen Lindstrom. Last year, over 80 people attended the carnival and all signs point to the number rising for this year’s event. “People have been contacting me early this year,” said Hofmo. “People that went last year are letting other people know about it. “Everyone’s welcome. Adults can act like kids,” she continued. “You have the food, the games. What’s not to like?” Tickets are $30 for adults, $17 for children seven to 17 and $12 for those six years old and under. For reservations, call Hofmo at 718-748-5950 or Reidun at 718- 748-7844. COMPILED BY JAIME DEJESUS AMBER BROWN IS NOT A CRAYON Bring the kids to the Brooklyn Public Library for “Amber Brown is Not a Crayon,” part of its Events for Youth & Families series. The main character, Amber Brown, is having what may be the worst year of her life. She and Justin Daniels were the perfect team: they laughed at each other’s jokes, sat next to each other in class, and stayed best friends when Justin’s dad had to move away. But now things are different. Now Justin’s house has been sold and he is going to Alabama; that’s too far from New Jersey to think about. The free event will take place on Saturday, May 14 at 1 p.m. at the Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza. For more information, visit www.bklynlibrary. org. ALL THAT JAZZ Jazz lovers should head over to On Stage at Kingsborough for its “All That Jazz” performance. Host Elad Kabilio and the Israeli quartet 12th Night Jazz take listeners on a celebratory journey through jazz. The program features beloved jazz standards as well as hidden treasures, along with a musical demonstration of the art of improvisation. The event will take place in Kingsborough’s Lighthouse, 2001 Oriental Blvd, a venue surrounded by fl oor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. Each ticket includes a complimentary glass of wine and an assorted cheese plate. The show will take place on Friday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $38. For more information, visit www. onstageatkingsborough.org. MAGNET THEATRE Bring the family for BAM for “Tree/Boom/Umthi” part of BAMkids’s spring series, South African physical theater company Magnet Theatre uses image, song and the body to tell the story of a person’s relationship with a tree—and the changing of the seasons. Intended especially for young viewers, this work is performed in three different languages. The show will debut on Saturday, May 13 and conclude on Sunday, May 22 at BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place. Tickets are $12. For performances and tickets, visit www.bam.org. BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] Wrapping up its 46th season, Regina Opera Company is going out with one of its most ambitious productions yet, Giacomo Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut,” an opera based on an 18th century novel by Abbe Prevost that was composed in the late 1800s. The story centers on a woman, Manon, who chooses greed over true love. “It’s a fi ve-act play. It’s an interesting story as it’s about a very fl awed heroine,” said Stage Director Linda Lehr. “She’s kind of like a socialite of her time. Passions make her make bad choices for herself. Even though she dies at the end, she’s redeemed. She ends up dying in the desert of thirst and her last words are loving ones to her love. She left some of her selfi shness behind. It’s bittersweet.” Though the story is timeless, it’s the music that separates this opera from others. “We are presenting it with a 35-piece orchestra,” said Regina Opera Company President Francine Garber-Cohen. “What everyone would say right away is that the best part is the music,” added Lehr. “It’s so beautiful. The text might not speak to you but the music pulls you in.” The addition of a orchestra is expected to excite audiences. “There’s something about a live orchestra that gives the show such a visceral feel,” she went on. “We rehearse with a piano accompaniment, but no matter how fabulous they are, it’s never the same as performing with a full orchestra,” said Garber-Cohen. “It increases the beauty of the opera. It’s more interesting for singers and, because we have a 35-piece orchestra, more singers are willing to sing with us. And they are very talented.” “We have a marvelous cast in our leads. We got very lucky,” Lehr agreed, adding, “The supporting cast plays a large role.” The story has central themes that both Lehr and Garber-Cohen want audiences to take away with them. “There’s the idea that there’s more to life than material wealth or comfort,” Lehr said. “It’s beautiful in Act Two, when she admits that she is missing her love. Although she was attached to her treasures, she still feels emptiness inside.” “It’s different from more popular operas,” Garber-Cohen said. “The main thing for us is we want people to experience it as if they’ve never heard it before, the beauty of it. The music, the voices and the orchestra are inspiring.” Accord to Garber-Cohen, you don’t need to love the opera to enjoy the show. “Even one of our maintenance men who works at OLPH sat at a rehearsal and listened. He was amazed and said the music was so moving. You don’t have to be a diehard opera fan,” she said. “This was his fi rst ever but he was moved by the power of their voices. We want people to see the opera even if they’ve never seen one.” With presenting an ambitious opera come several challenges. “It’s a grand opera and a big scale. It’s probably the largest in terms of chorus and casting. The locations are the largest ones we would do,” Lehr said. “We did this opera around 1987. It happens to be a difficult opera to sing. Many singers are singing at the same time and it’s just rhythmically difficult,” added Garber-Cohen. “Most companies don’t attempt the opera. But the music is beautiful.” “Manon Lescaut” will debut on Saturday, May 14 at 3 p.m. at the OLPH Auditorium, 5902 Sixth Avenue. Performances will also be held on May 15, May 21 and May 22, all at 3 p.m. General admission is $26 for adults and $5 for teens. For tickets, visit www.reginaopera.org.
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