JESSICA PARKS
An alcohol-infused performance
group is coming to a
Williamsburg watering hole for
a production of a classic musical
fairy tale. Brooklyn Theatre
Club will debut two performances
of playwright Stephen
Sondheim’s “Into the Woods”
on Dec. 5 and Dec. 8 — and invite
the tipsy theater-goers to
sing along with the fun, said the
group’s producer.
“Brooklyn Theatre Club is
centered around participation,”
said Mara Frankel. “Everyone
gets to be a part of the show. Everyone
gets to be a star.”
The troupe’s 13 member cast
yet will take their singing talents
to Williamsburg’s Knitting
Factory bar, offering a dozen
roles to audience members —
including a cow named Milky
Way, and Red Riding Hood’s
granny, said Frankel.
“What’s great is we don’t
know who the cow will be yet,”
said Frankel. “And we won’t
know until the show.”
No one has to participate in
the show — but if they do oblige,
they are provided a script, costume,
and a buddy to show you
the ropes, said Frankel.
“We basically just go up to
people and ask ‘Hey, do you
want to be in the show,” Frankel
said. “If you don’t, then we
will leave you alone.”
The theater club puts on a
present-day adaptation of the
shows, without changing the
script — but they do adjust some
of the underlying tones.
“We like to look at every
show through 2019 eyes and
put a modern take on the show
without changing the material,”
COURIER L 46 IFE, NOV. 29-DEC. 5, 2019
said Frankel.
But Frankel said the group
strives to put on shows that
appeal to the audience while
showing them a great time.
“We are people who are doing
really great theater,” Frankel
said. “And people who also
really love to party.”
“Into the Woods” at Knitting
Factory 361 Metropolitan Ave. at
Havermeyer St. in Williamsburg,
(347) 529-6696, www.brooklyntheatreclub.
com. Dec. 5 at 8 pm and
Dec. 8 at 3 pm. ($16 in advance).
KEVIN DUGGAN
They’ve got soul but they’re
not a soul band!
A Williamsburg band with
a 1960s sound will celebrate the
release of its years-in-the-making
debut album this weekend.
The Jay Vons will launch “The
Word” at Union Pool on Dec. 1
with a concert of garage rock
and soul — an evergreen sound
that speaks directly to the
heart, said one band member.
“It just makes me feel good,
it’s just honest and it doesn’t
feel like b——-,” said drummer
Mikey Post. “A lot of the material
is stuff you can relate to,
like love songs.”
Their music draws mostly
from the former, said Post.
“I don’t call it soul music.
We’re heavily inspired by it,
but our fi nished product comes
off like the Rascals or the Zombies,”
he said.
The band has made a name
for itself over the last fi ve or six
years, Post said, opening for
acts with a similar retro sound,
including Sharon Jones and the
Dap-Kings, while also acting as
the backing band for the group
Reigning Sound.
Now that the album is out,
Post is looking forward to touring
with these tracks around
the country. Then the seasoned,
soulful group will get back in
the studio to work on more music
— ideally fi nishing a new album
less time than the half-decade
the fi rst one took.
“Hopefully we’ll get into the
studio next year and make a record
outright, not piece it out,”
he said.
The Jay Vons play at Union
Pool 484 Union Ave. at Meeker
Avenue in Williamsburg, (718)
609–0484, www.union-pool.
com. Dec. 1 at 6 pm. $10.
MOLLY O’BRIEN
They are queering things
up!
The comedy show “Queer
Film Theory 101” makes a
movie argument on the fi rst
Wednesday of every month
at the House of Wax Bar
in Downtown, the saloon
serves as a waiting area for
the Alamo Drafthouse movie
theater.
Founder Michael Foluk
passed hosting duties on
to Brooklyn comedian Veronica
Garza, and we chatted
with her about turning
a queer eye on movies from
her childhood.
What is the show
about?
Veronica Garza: We take
movies from our childhood,
or even TV shows that had
a hetero-norm storyline —
which is basically every
movie I know, the way that
we were brought up — and
we talk about the queerness
in it. Maybe you had a crush
on a particular character, or
maybe the show was always
seen as straight and now you
think ‘Why would I relate to
this so much?’
I love queer things. Growing
up, I watched “Beverly
Hills 90210,” and I was really
into Jenny Garth. And I really
didn’t understand why I
liked to look at her so much
when I was 7. Queer Film
Theory 101 just helps you associate
with a movie or show
in this way and can help you
form your queer identity.
What is the format?
VG: I’ll book three comics
or three queer performers. I
like to go fi rst, just so people
get an idea of what they’re
getting into. Recently I gave
an example of why “Rocky”
is queer. It’s one of my favorite
movies. I try to do that
quickly.
Why is “Rocky”
queer?
VG: Oh my goodness. I
think Adrian is a lesbian.
She runs a pet store. She
never dated a guy. She had
this beanie.
I also touched on the idea
of Rocky and Creed fl irting.
Because they’re in the ring.
What do they do these men
do before they hit each other?
They’re dancing! That’s the
gayest thing ever.
So, spoiler alert: Creed
dies in the second movie.
Rocky and Creed had such
a close relationship, and
there’s this ’80s montage of
Rocky and Creed running
on the beach, doing pushups,
getting really sweaty,
and encouraging each other.
There’s water in the background.
They do a high-fi ve,
kind of like a fi st bump, and
they get very close. Um,
yeah, it’s gay.
Last month’s show
featured a slide presentation
regarding
how “The Matrix” is
about realizing your
trans identity.
VG: Right, I liked this
idea. Especially since it’s
so close to life, with the Wachowski
sisters who created
that. It’s interesting. I feel
like if they didn’t come out
as trans, we wouldn’t have
fully identifi ed the movie
with that, but that was the
best part — it was something
I didn’t see in the movie originally,
but Dan found it.
What have
your favorite
presentations
been?
VG: Carolyn Bergier, comedian
and host of the “Dyking
Out” podcast, last year
did a really good question
about “My Girl” being queer.
Sarah Kennedy, my former
co-host, did an elaborate presentation
once about the fi lm
“House Bunny.” Xorje Olivares,
host of Sirius XM’s “Affi
rmative Reaction,” did a
presentation on “Mrs. Doubtfi
re.” Olivares is not a queer
comedian — he is a queer
personality, I would say. His
didn’t need to be funny, because
he was talking about
real s---.
Catch “Queer Film Theory
101” next at House of Wax
Bar 445 Albee Square West,
fourth fl oor, between Fulton
and Willoughby streets
Downtown, (718) 513–2547,
thehouseofwax.com. Dec. 4
at 8 pm. Free.
Brooklyn Theatre Club will perform two shows of “Into the Woods” at
Knitting Factory to close out their theatre season. Photo by Maria Uminski
The Jay Vons will celebrate their
debut album at Union Pool
Photo courtesy of Sara Macel
Rim shot
SING ALONG
Theater club presents audiencedriven
musical at Williamsburg bar
Comedy show put a queer
eye on ‘straight’ films
“The Jay Vons” rock band
launch debut album
/www.union-pool
/www.brooklynthe-atreclub.com
/www.brooklynthe-atreclub.com
/www.brooklynthe-atreclub.com
/www.union-pool
/thehouseofwax.com