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A cut above ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ looks at common threads
The hair apparent: “Barber Shop Chronicles,” a play about male social spaces across the world, will make its New York premiere on Dec. 3 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Photo by Marc Brenner
By Ben Verde Call it a clip show!
A new play looks
at the central role of
the barber shop in the life of
black men around the world.
“Barber Shop Chronicles,”
a British production making
its New York premiere at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music on
Dec. 3, tracks a day in the life
of six different barber shops,
showcasing their importance
as a place of bonding and
socializing between men. The
shops are scattered across Africa
and London, but they all have a
similar atmosphere — one that
should feel familiar even to an
American audience , said one of
the show’s producers.
“There’s a real sense of
community onstage,” said Kate
McGrath. “Hopefully everyone
who comes along will recognize
themselves or their father, their
brother, or their cousin.”
To prepare for the show,
Nigerian-born playwright
and poet Inua Ellams spent
time in barber shops across
Africa, talking to the staff and
customers. He created a story
that takes place on a single day
in 2012, starting at a barbershop
in Lagos, Nigeria, and visiting
similar haircut establishments
in the African cities of
Johannesburg, Accra, Kampala,
and Harare, and finally ending
in a shop in London, England, at
the close of the day.
Ellams found that the shops
were places where men felt at
home, and were able to discuss
their troubles without fear of
judgment. The barber shop, he
discovered, was a good place for
men to get their heads examined.
“There was a growing
awareness of male mental health
and a lack of spaces for those
conversations to take place,”
McGrath said.
At each shop, the 12
members of the all-black, allmale
cast play different roles,
but they all watch the same
soccer game, and they have
similar conversations, taking
on sports, fatherhood, politics,
identity, and immigration —
along with a few music and
dance numbers.
Audience members can also
join the community on the stage.
The director and cast members
will hang out onstage before
each performance, greeting
and interacting with the the
audience while a dee-jay plays,
and making them feel like part
of the family.
“They’ll be welcomed into a
space that feels very open and
friendly,” McGrath said. “It’s a
really great night out.”
“Barber Shop Chronicles”
at BAM Harvey Theater 651
Fulton St. between Rockland and
Ashland Places in Fort Greene,
(718) 636–4100, www.bam.org.
Dec. 3–6 at 7:30 pm. Dec. 7 at 2
pm and 7:30 pm. Dec. 8 at 3 pm.
$35–$95.
Your entertainment
guide Page 43
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HOW TO REACH US
COURIER L 2 IFE, NOV. 22-28, 2019
Deadly fungus treated at most
Kings County hospitals: report
BY ROSE ADAMS
Brooklynites suffered
the highest infection
rates of a deadly,
drug-resistant fungus
in New York, with
more than 200 out of the
state’s 388 cases occurring
in Kings County, a
health report revealed
on Wednesday.
Candida auris, an
antifungal-resistant
yeast infection, has germinated
in New York
for the past two years,
with the number of
cases jumping from 37
to 388 between 2016 and
2018, according to the
report. The disease is
notoriously diffi cult to
diagnose and treat, and
doesn’t respond to common
anti-fungal treatments
used to combat
similar infections, according
to the the Center
for Disease Control.
The deadly fungus
preys on patients who
have weak immune systems
and use invasive
devices, such as ventilators
and catheters,
and the elderly are especially
susceptible to
infection — the average
patient is 69 years
old. About half of people
who contract C. auris
die within 90 days,
although some patients
who suffer from it may
die from a combination
of causes, according to
the New York Times.
The infection tends
to proliferate in healthcare
facilities, where it
spreads on equipment,
clothing, and skin, according
to the report,
which released the
names of medical facilities
in the state that
have treated C. auris
patients.
In Brooklyn, 52
A strain of C. auris cultured at CDC labs. Center for Disease Control
healthcare facilities
made the list — including
15 hospitals, 35 nursing
homes, and two hospices.
Nearly all major
hospitals and nursings
homes, such as Maimonides
Medical Center,
Coney Island Hospital,
and NYU Langone,
have treated patients
with the infection.
Offi cials say that
they decided to disclose
the facilities — making
New York the fi rst state
in the nation to do so —
in an effort to bring attention
to the rapidly
spreading infection,
which the Center for
Disease Control labels
an “urgent threat.”
Despite the dire
fi ndings, health experts
urge patients to
continue visiting medical
facilities that treat
patients with C. auris,
claiming that many do
a good job containing
the infection and aren’t
currently treating affected
patients.
Health offi cials also
argue that the state is
taking steps to mitigate
the spread of C. auris
by conducting onsite
inspections at healthcare
facilities, providing
infection control
education, and monitoring
facility compliance
with infection
control recommendations,
among other precautions.
And local hospitals
say that they’re doing
their part to contain the
disease.
“All Mount Sinai
Health System hospitals
have developed policies
and procedures,”
said a representative
for Mount Sinai Brooklyn,
which has treated
C. auris patients. “Protocols
include close
monitoring of hand
hygiene, using contact
precautions (wearing
gloves and gowns), using
effective disinfectants,
and ensuring
that our laboratory can
rapidly identify C. auris.
Use of these extra
steps reduce spread of
C. auris.”
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