(718) 260–2500 Brooklyn Paper’s essential guide to the Borough of Kings March 6–12, 2020
Square meal
It’s hip to be square!
A Downtown pizza joint known for its highquality
slices has added two new options to its
menu. Norm’s Pizza on Adams Street now serves
a pair of Sicilian-style slices. Adding the square,
thick-crust pizza to its traditional New Yorkstyle
pies is a natural next step, said the pizzeria’s
founder.
“We always wanted to launch a Sicilian pie at
Norm’s, but first we wanted to get our standard
slices down,” said Noam Grossman. “It’s been
six months since the shop opened and we felt
like it was time to expand the menu.”
The pillowy-soft square pies are made from an
all-natural sourdough that has to ferment for 24
hours. Norm’s Pizza pro Rosario Viggiano (pictured)
said that the dough makes the pies light
and airy, and gives them a unique flavor.
“We’re just trying to make the best possible
version of the New York classics,” he said.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel.”
Try the Sicilian slice at Norm’s Pizza 345
Adams St. between Willoughby and Johnson
streets Downtown; (347) 916–1310, www.normspizza.
com. Open Mon–Sat; 11 am–11 pm; Sun,
11 am–9 pm. $4 ($5 with pepperoni).
— Amalia Arms
PIZZA
GAMES
Let’s all go to the lobby to get ourselves a
game! A Park Slope movie theater gives visitors a
chance to slay monsters and gather treasure while
waiting for their films. On the second Wednesday
of each month, the second-floor lobby and bar
of Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park hosts “Runner
Quests” — short, free sessions of Dungeons
& Dragons played on a
10-foot-long map.
The games, run by
Williamsburg game shop
Twenty-Sided Store, are
a great way to spread the
word about the fantasy
role-playing game, said
the Bushwick Dungeon
Master who ran the February
session.
“We love D&D, and the more people who are
playing, the better,” said Johnni Medina (pictured).
The games at Nitehawk offer a streamlined
version of the complicated game system, taking
the players from one end of the map to the other.
but the details of each run vary based on what
the players say and do, said Medina.
“You’ll have a custom experience,” she said.
“But if there’s more people, it’ll be faster and
more action packed.”
Those who enjoy this appetizer of a game
can sign up for a three-hour D&D session at the
Twenty-Sided Store, or might be inspired to buy
the rulebooks and play at home, said Medina.
Runner Quest at Nitehawk Cinema Prospect
Park (188 Prospect Park West at 14th Street in
Park Slope, nitehawkcinema.com/prospectpark).
Next game on March 11; 7–9 pm. Free.
The last sword: Celebrity lookalikes face off against a brain-eating Wurlitzer jukebox in the new rock opera “Bloody Brains in a Juke Box,” which starts on March 6.
Dead ringers
Rock opera sets celebrity lookalikes against a brain-eating jukebox
By Kevin Duggan — Bill Roundy
Brooklyn Paper
Rage against the machine!
A Coney Island theater troupe will
bring a sci-fi satire rock opera about
vintage celebrity lookalikes battling a braindevouring
Wurlitzer jukebox to the People’s
Playground. “Bloody Brains in a Juke Box,”
which starts on March 6 for a month-long
run at Coney Island USA, is a comedy reminiscent
of cult musicals of the 1970s and
1980s, according to the show’s writer.
“It’s something like ‘Rocky Horror Picture
Show’ or ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ ”
said Dick Zigun, the head of the Funhouse
Philosophers company and the unofficial
mayor of Coney Island.
THEATER
The experimental theater piece uses
songs — accompanied by a live rock and
roll band — to tell the story of mid-century
Hollywood stars Sidney Poitier, Audrey
Hepburn, Jackie Coogan, and Jayne
Mansfield, in an alternate universe filled
with echoes of their lives and the characters
they played. The story spans 150 years,
starting in the 1950s with all of the characters
as doctors, and ends in 2099, at the
end of the world.
The characters face off against a jukebox
that comes to life, flies around, dances,
sings, and eventually consumes their brains,
in a story that is only for those over 18, according
to Zigun.
“It’s very weird, very macabre, funny
as s---, there’s a lot of bad language, simulated
brain juice, brain matter splatter,”
he said.
All of the characters die by the end of
the second act; the third act is set in 2099,
when aliens discover the machine, which
has become an international celebrity.
Zigun issued a call for film star lookalikes
back in October, and saw more than
100 applicants before finding his actors.
Nightlife figure Satine S’Allumer will portray
Jayne Mansfield “outrageously in drag,”
according to Zigun, while burlesque performer
Reina Terror plays Audrey Hepburn,
character actor Peter Sullivan takes
on Coogan, and up-and-coming dancer and
singer Aaron McMillan plays Poitier.
“We were looking for young talent,”
Zigun said.
The sentient jukebox is voiced by puppeteer
Sam Wilson, who must also maneuver
the full-sized device across a stage
strewn with bloody props. The production
is the 40-year-old theater group’s most ambitious
— and most expensive — yet, according
to Zigun.
“We put about $20,000 into getting this
show created,” he said.
Map quest
Back draft
Get to the ’point!
Greenpoint’s namesake brew has returned to
Brooklyn’s northernmost neighborhood! Greenpoint
Beer and Ale Company opened its new taproom
last month after a
year-long hiatus, and its
owner said he is happy
to be back with a bigger
and better location.
“It’s a big relief, it
took us a little longer
than expected,” said Ed
Raven. “We added a roof
deck and we are finally
here.”
The new Manhattan
Avenue location has allowed
the beer brewer
and distributor to quadruple its capacity. Going
from a five-barrel to a 20-barrel system makes
Greenpoint one of the largest breweries in the
borough, Raven said.
“We can make a lot of beer here,” Raven
said. “Probably for my lifetime, we have enough
beer.”
The new taproom also has a kitchen that focuses
on classic brewery foods, including giant
pretzels, sausages, and burgers and fries.
To go with a new space, the Brooklyn brewer
has concocted a suite of new beers to serve on
draft. For now, seven of the spot’s 15 taps are
pouring Greenpoint brews, many of which can
only be found in cans elsewhere.
The brewery’s roof deck is open now, and will
get even more use during the warmer months,
Raven said. He plans to host private parties, barbecues,
clam bakes, and other events on the roof,
which has its own covered bar (not yet open).
Atop the rooftop shines a green, illuminated
water tower-like structure, created by artist Tom
Fruin. Visitors can settle at one of the many picnic
tables on the roof to take in a panoramic view of
Brooklyn, Queens, and the Manhattan skyline.
Greenpoint Beer and Ale Co. 1150 Manhattan
Ave. between Ash and Box streets in Greenpoint,
(917) 750–1541, www.greenpointbeer.
com. Open Wed–Fri, 5–10 pm; Sat–Sun, opens
at noon, closing time varies.
— Jessica Parks
BEER “Bloody Brains in a Jukebox,” at Coney
Island USA 1208 Surf Ave. at W. 12th
Street in Coney Island, (718) 372–5159,
www.coneyisland.com. March 6–29,
Fri–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 3 pm. $12–$30.
By Rose Adams
Brooklyn Paper
Let there be lust!
A Bushwick burlesque company
has launched a new show that
breathes life — and lust — into the
Bible’s creation story. “Seven Sins,”
running through the end of October,
tells the story of Adam and Eve’s encounter
with the snake with the help
of a troupe of dancers, aerialists, and
opera singers — a company that makes
the show much more than a typical
striptease, said the founder of Company
XIV.
“Everybody’s super classically
trained,” said Austin McCormick,
who is also a choreographer. “It’s a
fusion of every style.”
The show follows Adam and Eve
as they leave the Garden and encounter
the Seven Deadly Sins, scantily
clad figures who incorporate circus
routines, ballet, modern dance,
BURLESQUE
and opera songs into their elaborate
temptations. Even the moments with
less-than-sexy sins feature sensual
touches: for Sloth, Adam and Eve
lounge in a bathtub as a trapeze artist
soars overhead; for Gluttony, a
juggler tosses food items through
the air while an opera singer performs
Katy Perry’s “Bon Appetit,”
McCormick explained.
Prospective audience members may
be tempted to splurge on tickets to the
“Serpent’s VIP Table” which includes
a menu of dishes, gifts, and cocktails
delivered by cast members. During the
gluttony scene, those high spenders
will also receive pig snout masks and
access to a trough of decadent creme
puffs and chocolate desserts. The table
of temptations is new for this production,
McCormick said.
“It’s a new immersive tier for the
company,” he said.
Any audience member can indulge
in a custom cocktail, said McCormick,
each titled appropriately for
the sins showcased during the performance.
“I create all the cocktails to go with
the show,” he said. “They change every
show.”
McCormick founded Company
XIV in 2006, hoping to combine burlesque
with elements of cabaret, opera,
and baroque dance — an early
form of ballet, he said.
“I wanted to create something I
didn’t see in New York,” he said. “I
fuse dance with the art of burlesque,
which has its root in parodying classical
stories and myths,” he said.
After performing in venues across
the city, Company XIV settled in its
175-seat Bushwick theater in 2018.
There, the company pairs its sensual
performances with lavish set designs
and ornate costumes that play an important
role in each show, according
to McCormick.
“Everything really is part of the
performance,” he said.
Original sins
Adam & Eve themed burlesque
show slithers into Bushwick
Photo by Tatiana Ilina
Devilish: The new show stars opera singers, modern and ballet
dancers, and aerialists decked out in sequins and sparkles. Mark Shelby Perry
“Seven Sins” at Theatre XIV 383
Troutman St. between Wyckoff
and Irving avenues in Bushwick,
(866) 811–4111, www.companyxiv.
com. Through Oct. 31; Thu, Fri,
and Sun at 8 pm; times vary on Sat
and Wed. $95 ($265 for VIP). Ages
21 and older.
Photo by Bill Roundy Photo by Bill Roundy
/www.coneyisland.com
/www.norm-spizza.com
/www.norm-spizza.com
/www.greenpointbeer
/www.norm-spizza.com
/www.companyxiv
/www.greenpointbeer
/www.coneyisland.com
/www.companyxiv