FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • buzz • The Queens Courier 59 Astoria bars to help raise money for cancer charity By Angela Matua amatua@qns.com/@AngelaMatua As a two-time breast cancer survivor, buzz Anne Marie Paolucci knows how grueling it can be to go through chemotherapy. In 2005, she started Chemo Comfort, a nonprofit that provides cancer patients with a “chemo starter kit” to help with symptoms of nausea, hair loss and oral care issues. Each patient receives 16 items such as a toothbrush, lozenges, tea and ginger products, a satin pillowcase and a book titled “Living with Cancer.” “It’s really about giving people things to help themselves because you get a lot of information dumped on you,” Paolucci said. “Our thought is rather than overwhelming patients we like to empower patients.” From Oct. 7 through Oct. 16, the organization will hold an event called Cocktails for Comfort, where 22 bars across the city will create signature drinks and donate either some or all of the proceeds to her organization. This is the fourth time Paolucci has held this event to coordinate with Breast Cancer Awareness month. Two bars in Astoria, The Astor Room and Snowdonia, will participate in the event. The Astor Room, located at 35-11 35th Ave., will serve “The Mary Pickford,” Cruzan Aged Dry Rum, fresh pineapple, house made grenadine and maraschino liqueur, for $12. A virgin version can also be ordered without the rum. Snowdonia, located at 34-55 32nd St., will extend their participation to the entire month of October. The gastropub’s cocktail will consist of vanilla ice cream blended with creme de noyaux and creme de cacao and garnished with a cherry. The drink will cost $12 and the non-alcoholic version is $7. According to bar manager Matt Davis, the drink is based on a cocktail called the “Pink Squirrel.” Snowdonia will donate 50 percent of the proceeds to Chemo Comfort. This will be The Astor Room’s fourth time participating and Snowdonia’s second time. Paolucci’s mother also had breast cancer and said her mother’s advice to “find something beautiful in every day” helped her fight through the pain and difficult days. “I was not the poster child for going through chemotherapy,” Paolucci said. “I really didn’t do well at all but my feeling was, you take it one day at a time, sometimes just one minute at a time.” Chemo Comfort partners with 10 organizations to get the kits to lowincome cancer patients. Family and friends who want to gift the kits pay exactly what it costs to make it – $65 plus an additional $15 for shipping and handling, and those going through treatment who want to purchase a kit for themselves can buy it at a reduced price. For the first time this year, Cocktails for Comfort will also include a selfie bar crawl contest. To enter, participants can take a selfie holding the “Cocktail for Comfort” at participating venues. Tag Chemo Comfort and post the photo on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #C4CBarCrawl. The photo must include you, the event cocktail and something to identify the bar. Participants must be following Chemo Comfort on social media and the winner will win a $50 Amazon gift card. Chemo for Comfort is completely volunteer based and Paolucci said the organization would not be possible without them. Male and female kits are made in Manhattan and are for people dealing with a variety of cancers. “Even though this is my history with breast cancer and the event is targeted to October, kits are for anyone going through chemo therapy,” Paolucci said. “You feel a loss of control when you go through treatment. The kits make them feel that someone understands what they’re going through.” To find out more about Chemo Comfort and for a list of participating bars, visit www.chemocomfort. org. Astoria bars will donate a portion of cocktail proceeds to a nonprofit that helps cancer patients going through chemotherapy. QPAC’s new season begins with Rita Moreno in concert It’s another perfectly sunny Sunday at QPAC (Queensborough Performing Arts Center) in Bayside. Several hundred theatregoers are finding their seats. Soon, international entertainment legend Rita Moreno will take center stage. The octogenarian appears, looking strong and charismatic. Clearly the years have been good to her as she weaves her musical spell. Minutes before curtain, Susan Agin, executive and artistic director at QPAC, enters stage right to offer her welcome. She introduces Councilmember Daniel Dromm and Councilmember Lancman and acknowledges their support for the arts in Queens. Now, on with the show! With one pianist, one bass and one drummer, Moreno fills the theater with a very polished and very mellow repertoire. It is heavily influenced by easygoing jazz riffs and several personal anecdotes that she affectionately shares with us. In Act I, she sings “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “I’m Alive” and several other solos clearly tailored for her one-woman show. Though one of only a dozen performers who have received an EGOT (Emmy, Oscar, Grammy and Tony), she is both self-effacing and sassy in her delivery. Moreno is still playful with an unmistakable touch of class. There is pride in her Latin heritage and fondness for her decades-long marriage. She shares personal reflections on her relationships with Elvis Presley and Marlon Brando, to the audience’s delight. Indeed, this is a wonderfully relaxing afternoon in Queens. After two hours of smooth sounds, Moreno takes her final bows. Although she has chosen to bypass some songs from Broadway and the movies, we are not left unrewarded. Somehow she has included us in a life of truly staggering success and accomplishments. Brava and thank you! The entertainment season has barely begun for QPAC. Agin reminds us before Act II that an eclectic mixture of singers, dancers, mentalists, satirists, tribute bands and much more will grace the large auditorium in the months ahead. For information on this and future projects, including their dinner-anda show initiative, call the box office at 718-631-6311 weekdays, visit www.visitqpac.org or “like” them on Facebook. As always, save me a seat on the aisle. A VIEW FROM THE CLIFF BY CLIFF KASDEN
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