June 2, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
May 1–xx, 2016
LOCAL
CLASSIFIEDS
PAG E 15
Park Slopers
protest family
shelters TRAGIC TOUCH
CLASSIC STAGE: Smith Street Stage will celebrate its 10th year in Carroll Park with the tragic tale of romance and
violence “Romeo & Juliet.” Chris Montgomery
‘Romeo & Juliet’
comes to Smith St.
Songs of the sun crime state
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Talk about a hot mess!
A new song cycle will
look at the sun-soaked
criminality of the Sunshine
State. “Four Songs from
Florida Man,” performed
by the String Orchestra
of Brooklyn at Roulette on
June 8, was inspired by the
See the star-crossed lovers under
the stars!
A new production of “Romeo and
Juliet” will bring Shakespeare’s
tale of romance and violent delights
weeks, starting on June 12. The
outdoor show from Smith Street
Stage will take the story of an epic
struggle between the great houses
of 16th-century Italy and draw
connections to current events,
said the show’s director.
“It’s set in a Verona that is much
like our government today. If you
look at the recent government
shut down, for example, it didn’t
take long for people to be in dire
straits. People were worried about
buying food and rationing medicine,
fi ne,” said Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy.
now. People in the story are not
happy with the Capulets and Montagues,
wrecking the economy.”
deranged news headlines
that have become an online
sensation in recent years,
according to its co-creator.
“Florida is a land of
fantasy, but maybe not the
kind people think they’ll
fi nd there,” said Phil Kline,
who wrote the songs together
with singer Theo
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
to Carroll Park for three
but the politicians who created
the shutdown are going to be
“That’s the Verona we have
because their feud was
Continued on page 6
Bleckmann. The Manhattan
composer started collecting
bizarre news headlines
out of Florida a few
years ago, with a focus
on local men and women
whose crimes contained additional
off-the-wall twists
specifi c to the swampy
BY COLIN MIXSON
More than 200 people have signed
a petition protesting the city’s
plan to open homeless shelters
at two neighboring Park Slope
developments, hoping to rally
enough community opposition to
persuade the city to call off the
shelter plan before fi nalizing its
agreement with the properties’
owner.
“The whole idea is to be able
to rally enough people to say we
are not okay with this decision
and that we should reconsider
it,” said Shruti Kapoor, who published
the petition on Change.org
Sunday on behalf of residents in
her Fourth Avenue condominium,
who have banded together
as the Fourth Avenue Committee.
The city announced its plan
earlier this month to open shelters
in the fall at neighboring
properties being built at 535 and
555 Fourth Ave., which would feature
a combined 253 units, and
offer childcare services, along
with programs designed to help
New Yorkers — predominantly
women and children — fi nd permanent
housing.
At a public meeting hosted
Local celebrates
100th birthday
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Family and friends gathered
at the Rutland Adult Daycare
center in East Flatbush
for a joyous celebration on
May 24.
Brooklynite Doris
Fordyce was honored with
a commemorative citation
from state Sen. Brian Benjamin
to mark her recent
Continued on page 14
Composer Phil Kline, left,
has written a new song cycle
inspired by news headlines
of Floridians committing unusual
crimes. Nina Roberts
Continued on page 10 Continued on page 12
Vol. 8 No. 22 UPDATED EVERY DAY AT BROOKLYNPAPER.COM
/Change.org
/BROOKLYNPAPER.COM