‘HEART’ WILL GO ON
Burlesque show extends its run in Bushwick
COURIER L 44 IFE, AUG. 9-15, 2019
Community Bookstore’s pick:
“The Crystal World,” by J.G Ballard
This utterly unique novel
follows an English doctor to a remote leper colony the African interior. Floating
upriver, he discovers a swiftly
growing region of petrified
jungle. Things really get
interesting when this strange
crystallization of life forms
is linked to a “leak in time.”
Ballard’s recently republished
1966 masterpiece
reads like a post-human
“Heart of Darkness,” and
now features a brilliant forward by
Robert MacFarlane.
— Samuel Partal, Community Bookstore 43 Seventh
Ave. between Carroll Street and Garfield Place in Park
Slope, (718) 783–3075, www.commu nityb ookst ore.net .
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick:
“Say Say Say,” by Lila Savage
Lila Savage drew on her
decade of experience as a caregiver
for her fantastic debut
novel “Say Say Say.” It is a
warm and empathetic book
with a well-drawn interiority
for its young, millennial
caregiver protagonist, Ella.
It is like a procedural for
emotional labor; the kind
of book where the decision
whether or not to read the
newspaper at work can be
gripping and relatable.
— Matt Stowe,
Greenlight Bookstore Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland
Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.
com .
Word’s picks: “Five-Finger Discount,”
by Helene Stapinski
The piecemeal redemption
of Helene Stapinski’s outlaw
family roughly approximates
Jersey City’s troubled ascent
from its inception as a city
of smokestacks and vice legitimacy and the nickname
“America’s Golden
Door.” When casual graft
was the rule of the day,
and knowing whose palms
to grease could spell the
difference between poverty
and cornucopia, the
author’s family was embroiled in
the urban corruption that caricatured New Jersey
for generations. “Five-Finger Discount,” subtitled “A
Crooked Family History” chronicles Helene Stapinski’s
life from within a criminal enterprise, and discusses what
comes after.
— Steven Warren, Word 126 Franklin St. at Milton
Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbookstores.
com .
The best reads
— handpicked by
some of the best
Bklyn bookstores
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By Bill Roundy Long live the Queen!
A Bushwick burlesque
show inspired by “Alice in
Wonderland” will continue its journey
down the rabbit hole past its expected
end date in August. “Queen of Hearts,”
from Company XIV, has extended its
run until Nov. 2, its founder announced
last week.
“It’s been doing really well, and
the audience has been strong and so
we want to keep the party going,” said
Austin McCormick, who also directs
and choreographs the show.
The opulent extravaganza opened
in the Company’s baroque Theater
XIV in March, dazzling audiences
with dancing rabbits, musical Cheshire
cats, and a set of buff, scantily-clad
playing cards. The three-act show
includes 33 musical numbers, incorporating
comedy vaudeville routines,
aerial acts, ballet, and opera, alongside
saucy burlesque performances.
The sheer variety of the night has
led some audience members to return
two or three times, said McCormick.
“A surprising number of people
come multiple times,” he said. “There’s
a lot going on and so much to see, so
people want to try it multiple times, to
see if from a different angle.”
The show’s combination of theater
and nightlife draws a diverse audience,
McCormick said, but one consistent
thread has been couples out for
night on the town.
“We have these champagne-inclusive
couches for two — a lot of those
are taken by people on dates, or people
Rose above: “Queen of Hearts” has an opera-singing Mad Hatter. Mark Shelby Perry
trying to impress their significant
others,” he noted. “There’s a lot of
canoodling on those couches.”
The current show has the same
acts as when it started six months ago,
but the actors have added depth and
nuance to their performances, said
McCormick, as they became more
familiar with the roles and with how
audiences react to the them, said the
director.
“Our show depends so much on
audience interaction, so they’ve really
had a chance to play with that,” he
said.
The performers also act as guides
and bartenders, leading audience
members through the Company’s
space, which McCormick describes as
“the court of Louis the 14th meets a
Brooklyn speakeasy.”
When “Queen of Hearts” closes in
November, Company XIV will return
with its annual naughty holiday show
“Nutcracker Rouge,” on Nov. 14. A
new, as yet unnamed production will
follow in the spring.
“Queen of Hearts” at Theatre XIV
(383 Troutman St. between Wyckoff
and Irving avenues in Bushwick,
(866) 811–4111, www.CompanyXIV.
com). Thu–Sat at 8 pm through Nov.
2. $85–$155 (VIP couches for two
$325–$475).
TBy Chandler Kidd hey have really elevated the
concert experience!
A new rooftop music series
in Williamsburg allows rising singersongwriters
to perform in front of
intimate crowds, six floors above the
streets. Sunset Songs, happening on
occasional Tuesdays this summer at
the Wythe Hotel’s swank rooftop bar,
presents new music with a stunning
visual backdrop — the sun setting over
the Manhattan skyline.
The five-part series, curated by the
Los Angeles record label Iamsound,
takes place at Lemon’s, the Wythe
Hotel’s new bar and restaurant.
Formerly known as the Ides, the space
is as bright and fresh as a lemon, said
the hotel’s director of events and programming.
“When you walk into the space
there is saturated yellow vintage wallpaper
that brings the evocative feel of
the coastal Italy in the ’60s, it is just
really bright, fresh, and inviting,” said
Rachael Petach.
Each Sunset Songs concert begins
with a playlist made by that night’s artist,
which plays while the audience sips
cocktails on the rooftop deck. The artist
then plays a roughly 30-minute set
from the corner of the rooftop balcony,
followed by a dee-jay set.
Two performers, Zsela and
Duendita, have already played the
Sunset Songs series, so you have three
more chances this summer to catch a
set by a fresh artist. Next up, playing
on Aug. 13, will be former Brooklyn
artist Tomi, an emotive singer who
recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue
her singing career, she said.
Tomi plans to unveil some fresh
tunes from her upcoming album at the
concert, she said.
“I’m really excited for this show
because I am trying out new things. I
Getting high: Queens musician Duendita
recently played the Sunset Songs series,
on the sixth floor of the Wythe Hotel in
Williamsburg. Walter Wlodarczyk
am having the performance be really
raw with just me, my drummer, and
a guitar. I have gone on a crazy journey
of trying different sounds and I
am really excited to share them with
people,” Tomi said.
Following Tomi’s show will be concerts
by alt-folk artist John Errol, on
Aug. 27; and by Queens songwriter
Grace Ives, on Sept. 17.
Sunset Songs at the Wythe Hotel
80 Wythe Ave. at N. 11th Street,
sixth floor, in Williamsburg, (718)
460–8000, www.wythehotel.com.
Tuesdays; 6–9 p.m. Next concert Aug.
13. Free.
The high notes
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