(718) 260–2500 Brooklyn Paper’s essential guide to the Borough of Kings October 25–31, 2019
THEATER
Double duty
Have you seen these celebrities? Or anyone
who looks like them?
A Coney Island theater company seeks lookalikes
of four 1950s Hollywood actors for its
zany upcoming rock opera
about a jukebox that
comes to life. Funhouse
Philosophers will hold an
open casting call this
Sunday, Oct. 27, for actors
and singers that bear
a resemblance to famous
figures Jayne Mansfield
(pictured), Sidney Poitier,
Audrey Hepburn,
or Jackie Coogan (as he
appeared just prior to his role as Uncle Fester
in “The Addams Family”) to star in the show
“Bloody Brains in a Juke Box” in the spring,
according to the show’s writer.
“If you look like any of those characters, and
you don’t know what you’re going to dress up
as for Halloween, why not dress up as them and
use it as an opportunity to be part of the opera?”
asked Dick Zigun.
Each of the characters die by the second act of
the three-hour show — but their brains are preserved
inside a Wurlitzer Jukebox, which then
achieves consciousness, flies around, sings, and
brings the dead back to life in a dystopia 150
years in the future, according to Zigun.
“The play is about, on a very cerebral level,
advances in modern science yet to come, about
human consciousness existing outside the body,”
he said.
“Bloody Brains in a Juke Box” casting call at
Coney Island USA 1208 Surf Ave., at W. 12th
Street in Coney Island, (718) 372–5159, www.coneyisland.
com. Oct. 27, 1–5 pm. Free.
— Kevin Duggan
ART
She quilt this city!
A local artist has stitched a series of patchwork,
pop-art visions of the New York City skyline,
which will go on display at a Greenpoint
gallery next week. The textile artist behind “You
Are Here,” opening at Yashar Gallery on Nov.
2., said that she did not intend to make the Big
Apple her muse, but the endless opportunities
of the city gave her little choice.
“The city structures have just continued showing
up in my art,” said Ann Cofta, a native New
Yorker who says that she notices a different facet
of her hometown every day.
Brooklynites who visit the gallery show might
recognize their own neighborhoods in the embroidered
cityscapes, but Cofta, who lives in
Queens but works at her studio in Greenpoint,
says that she is just as likely to incorporate elements
of both boroughs, and the skyline of distant
Manhattan, into a single piece, as the inspiration
takes her.
“It’s funny because a lot of times I start with
a particular place,” she said. “But then, as I am
sewing pieces together, it just evolves.”
Water towers recur throughout Cofta’s art,
sometimes as the focal point, in others making
an abstract piece more identifiable.
“It can be very abstract until I put the water
tower in,” she said. “It is that structure that makes
you say ‘Okay, now we have a skyline.’ ”
“You Are Here” at Yashar Gallery (276 Greenpoint
Ave. at Jewel Street in Greenpoint, brooklynartstudiosnyc.
blogspot.com). On display
Oct. 28–Nov. 13; Sat–Sun; 1–4 pm. Opening
reception Nov. 2; 5–8 pm. Free.
— Jessica Parks
Glowing to the chapel: Guests will encounter circus acts, storytellers, musicians, and more as they wander Green-Wood Cemetery during the “Nightfall” events. Maike Schulz
Dead of night
Adventurous acts descend on Green-Wood Cemetery after dark
By Aidan Graham
Brooklyn Paper
It’s a graveyard smash!
Hundreds of adventurous Brooklynites
will creep through Green-Wood Cemetery
this weekend, during an eerie twonight
event packed with circus acts, arcane
stories, and delightfully dark musical
performances. “Nightfall” descends on the
graveyard on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26, bringing
an ensemble of ominous performances to
the rolling hills of the graveyard, said its
director of programs and projects.
“When people enter the cemetery, they’ll
wander from station to station. And there
will be around a dozen sites — from storytellers
to film screenings to performances,”
said Harry Weil. “They’ll encounter these
things at every twist and turn as they wander
the cemetery.”
Guests can freely wander the burial
ground, encountering acrobats and fireeaters
from Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, a
history lecture from the group Morbid Anatomy,
and eerie sounds from the Death of
Classical music group, which will perform
in an underground catacomb, said Weil.
“There will be a lot of surprises for people,”
he added.
Wandering through a cemetery at night
may seem ghoulish, but organizers have
aimed to strike a tone that is more spiritual
than spooky, said Weil.
“It’s more of an ethereal experience,” he
said. “We always try to lean away from being
‘Halloween-y’ and spooky — partly because
we are an active cemetery, so it’s important
to respect that. So, there’s nothing
scary or gruesome or morbid about it.”
The theme of the evening is “lovesick,”
and all of the nights films, music, and performances
will reflect the pains — and the
pleasures — of romance.
Green-Wood hosts many family-friendly
events throughout the year, but “Nightfall”
attendees must be 21 or older, according
to Weil.
“It’s not really geared towards children,”
he said. “And we do have bars that sell
beer and wine.”
“Nightfall” at Green-Wood Cemetery
500 25th St. at Fifth Avenue in Greenwood
Heights, (718) 768–7300, www.
green-wood.com. Oct. 25 and 26 at 8
pm. $80.
Sew & the city
DINING
Top Ten
He’s got a new Hope!
The winner of the first season of “Top Chef” is
now serving Mediterranean dishes at a new spot
in Williamsburg. Harold Dieterle is the consulting
chef at Ten Hope, an
intimate restaurant and
cocktail spot located, appropriately,
at 10 Hope
Street, which opened last
week. The cooking competition
winner said that
he worked with the restaurant
owner to design
dishes fit for a party.
“The food was a collaboration
between
owner Bill Zafiros and
I,” said Dieterle. “We wanted a menu of dishes
that were fun, delicious and designed to be celebrated
with beer, wine, and cocktails.”
That menu includes many sharable dishes with
Greek, Italian, and Moroccan flavores, including
lamb ribs with cumin; spice-roasted heirloom
carrots served with squid-ink ricotta, and
smashed avocado with feta cheese, along with
entrees and an original cocktail menu.
The eatery features several couches and soft
chairs arranged around coffee tables, along with
traditional two-top tables and a 10-seat bar.
The owner said that he wants diners to feel like
they are eating in their own living room, .
We wanted to connote feelings of warmth,
happiness, and hope and believe our customers
will recognize this when they set foot into Ten
Hope,” said Bill Zafiros.
Ten Hope (10 Hope St. between Roebling
and Havemeyer streets in Williamsburg, www.
tenhopebk.com). Tue–Fri, 5 pm–1 am, Sat–Sun,
noon–1 am. — Bill Roundy
By the Boo-klyn Holiday
Boo-reau
for Brooklyn Paper
It’s the season of the witch!
Halloween falls on a Thursday
night this year, which means
that haunted happenings and spooky
soirees have invaded the weekends
around the pumpkin holiday. To help
you plan, here is our guide to some
of most terrifyingly fun events happening
this season:
Creepy crawl
Don’t just show off your costume
at one bar — do it at seven spots during
the “Boos and Booze Bar Crawl”
along Fifth Avenue in Park Slope! The
night will begin and end at the Montrose,
and your wristband will score
you a drink and a treat at six spots
along the Avenue.
Halloween Bar Crawl at the Montrose
(47 Fifth Ave. at Bergen Street
in Park Slope, www.parkslopefifthavenuebid.
com). Oct. 25; 6 pm–midnight.
$65.
Dead can dance
Dance your life away at the Gemini
and Scorpio party “Masquerade
Macabre: Ghost Town on the Oregon
Trail.” The night will feature the Funkrust
Brass band, disk jockeys, undead
dancers, circus performers, and (for a
little extra) a live version of the video
game Oregon Trail, which should be
more fun than a case of dysentery.
“Masquerade Macabre” at a private
home in Bedford-Stuyesant (address
delivered with ticket purchase,
www.geminiandscorpio.com). Oct.
25 and 26 at 9 pm. $25–$50.
Scared of the bark
The costumed canines will take
over Fort Greene Park for the season’s
greatest competition: the Great
Pup-Kin Dog Costume Contest, featuring
adorable animals in creative
outfits.
It is free to watch, but to register
your pooch, there is a $5 suggested
donation — and you need to show up
early, because there are only 40 slots
remaining in the contest.
The Great Pup-Kin at Fort Greene
Park’s Monument steps (Myrtle Avenue
at St. Edward Street in Fort
Greene, www.fortgreenepups.org.
Oct. 26 at 11:30 am. Free.
Haunted Hill
Let your kids dress up — if they
dare — for a trip through Prospect
Park’s 40th annual Haunted Halloween
Walk. You will be sure to encounter
scores of werewolves, witches, and
zombies during the wooded walk, followed
by a Halloween Festival on the
Nethermeade.
“Haunted Halloween Walk” at
Prospect Park’s Lookout Hill enter
at Prospect Park Southwest and 16th
Street in Windsor Terrace, (718) 965–
8951, www.prospectpark.org. Oct.
26; Noon–3 pm. Free.
A Lott of scares
The Hendrick Lott house was built
in 1720, so you know there are at least
a couple of ghosts in there! Dress up
in your spooky best for “A Haunting
at Hendrick’s House,” a creepy
costume cocktail party in one of the
borough’s oldest homes. .
At Hendrick Lott House (1940
E. 36th St. between Fillmore and
Avenue S in Marine Park), www.lotthouse.
org. Oct. 26; 7–10 pm. $75.
Arch enemies!
The Dumboween kids’ costume
Photo by Jolene Siana
party will start with scary stories at
Brooklyn Roasting Company, followed
by a March to the Archway Under the
Manhattan Bridge at 5 pm, followed
by a party with candy, photo booths,
music, and more.
Dumboween at Brooklyn Roasting
Company (25 Jay St. at John Street
in Dumbo, www.dumbo.is). Oct. 31;
4:30 pm–7 pm. Free.
Try to sing along!
Join Brad, Janet, Rocky, Dr. Scott,
and the Occasionalists — Brooklyn’s
premiere live karaoke band — for
an evening of “Rocky Horror Picture
Show” karaoke. Sign up to sing
“Sweet Transvestite” with a full band
behind you, and enter the costume
contest at intermission and the raffle
for fabulous prizes.
Rocky Horror Picture Show Live
Karaoke at Littlefield (635 Sackett St.
between Third and Fourth avenues
in Gowanus, www.littlefieldnyc.
com). Oct. 31 at 7 pm. $15 ($12 in
advance).
Spirits rise
On Halloween, get in touch with the
spirits: gin, rye, and mezcal! Cocktail
bar the Shanty will host “Lunar
Magic,” a witchy party featuring a
tarot reader, speciality cocktails, samples
from several distilleries, and a
magical dance party.
“Lunar Magic” at the Shanty 79
Richardson St. between Leonard and
Lorimer streets in Williamsburg, (718)
412–0874, www.nydistilling.com.
Oct. 31; 8 pm–late. $10 ($25 with
tarot reading).
Thrills and chills
Once Halloween is over, you will
have one final excuse to don your
bloody best: “The Coney Island USA
Creeptacular.” This ghoulish fundraising
gala will feature plenty of
potions, performances from snake
charmer Serpentina, and burlesque
beauties.
“Coney Island USA Creeptacular”
at Coney Island USA (208 Surf
Avenue at W. 12th Street in Coney
Island, www.coneyisland.com). Nov.
2 at 7 pm. $125.
Photo by Jessica Parks
Shannon Sturgis
It’s spooktacular!
Find Halloween parties all over the boo-rough
Heading out: Those braving
Prospect Park’s Halloween
Walk will have to stroll past this
creepy character.
/www.lot-thouse.org
/www.co-neyisland.com
/www.co-neyisland.com
/www.green-wood.com
/www.green-wood.com
/www.tenhopebk.com
/www.tenhopebk.com
/www.parkslopefifthav-enuebid.com
/www.parkslopefifthav-enuebid.com
/www.parkslopefifthav-enuebid.com
/www.geminiandscorpio.com
/www.fortgreenepups.org
/www.prospectpark.org
/www.lot-thouse.org
/www.lot-thouse.org
/www.co-neyisland.com
/www.dumbo.is
/www.littlefieldnyc
/www.nydistilling.com
/www.coneyisland.com
/blogspot.com
/green-wood.com
/tenhopebk.com
/www.geminiandscorpio.com)
/www.fortgreenepups.org
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/www.littlefieldnyc
/www.nydistilling.com
/www.coneyisland.com)