#WeeklyColumn | Dec. 8 to Dec. 10 (plus ongoing events) | It’s In Queens!
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Charles Dickens, Jedi warriors, Jim Henson, and Bach compete for glory over a holiday-influenced week in Queens. Lucky them. They’ll have some great pop-up markets and historic houses to visit. Plus, they’ll be able to savor Turkish cuisine, relax to harmonies, and critique dance programs.
Dec. 8, A Christmas Carol: The Tradition Continues, Dec. 22. Titan Theatre Company presents its award-winning take on the timeless Charles Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his conversion from cold-hearted miser to warm-hearted humanitarian. $16. Times vary. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 8, The Brubeck Brothers Quartet, 8 pm. Dan Brubeck is on drums, while Chris Brubeck takes care of bass and trombone. Guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb complete this dynamic quartet. Although they are rooted in jazz, their concerts reveal an inherent ability to explore, play, and integrate the influences of funk, blues, and world music. $16/$10 for students. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Dec. 8, Turkish Fare for the Holidays, 7 pm. Sila Asa from the Turkish Cultural Center Queens gives cooking lessons. Take home recipes and share a meal with Turkish coffee flavored with amaretto or crème de menthe. $24. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston.
Dec. 8, Clementi & Company Chamber Music Concert, 6:30 pm. Sonatas by J. C. Bach, Luigi Boccherini, and Muzio Clementi with Dongsok Shin on fortepiano and Leah Gale Nelson on baroque violin. $15. King Manor Museum, vicinity of Jamaica Avenue and 153rd Street in King Park, Jamaica.
Dec. 8, Megan Doyle Dance & Artists plus SHIFT Dance Collective, 8 pm (repeat on Dec. 9). Doyle, Courtney Laine Self, and Stephen Cyr present an adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s Pullman Car Hiawatha with contemporary dance and physical theater techniques. SHIFT offers Head-Space, an explorative piece that demonstrates how negative stigmas, misconceptions, and stereotypes surrounding mental illness. Audio includes music and original spoken word poetry by Gabriella Bruno. $15 in advance/$20 at door. Green Space, 37-24 24th St., LIC.
Dec. 9, Vado Diomande & Kotchegna Dance Company, 1 pm and 2:15 pm. During the 2:15 pm performance, Diomande & Kotchegna present dance from the Ivory Coast amid colorful clothing, exuberant song, and the djembe and doundoun drums. In the 1 pm workshop, Diomande calls out the rhythm that accompanies the movement. Live drumming is introduced, and the audience improvises. Prices vary. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Dec. 9, My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m Home for the Holidays, 2 pm and 8 pm (and Dec. 10 at 3 pm). Steve Solomon, who created My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy, returns with more hilarious stories about his family, friends, and others who drove him into therapy in the first place. $20-$35. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 9, Baby It’s Cold Outside Winter Market, noon to midnight. Peruse more than 20 local vendors of items such as lamps, illustrations, ornaments, jewelry, nail art, accessories, and ceramics. Local Project, 11-27 44th Rd., LIC.
Dec. 9, Swingin’ Holiday Concert, 3 pm. The Astoria Symphony Orchestra — featuring conductor, composer, and U.S. Army Music Officer Silas Huff accompanied by vocalists Heather Petruzelli and Anthony Maida — presents dance, interactive projections, and singalongs of carols like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Prices vary. LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, 31-10 Thomson Ave., LIC.
Dec. 9, NYC Park Rangers Wildlife Walk, 9 am. Walk in the wild and meet winter creatures. Meet at Mauro Playground, Park Drive East and 73rd Terrace, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 10, The 30th Annual Holiday Historic House Tour, 1 pm. Participants walk or take a shuttle between Flushing and Corona. Most of the participating sites — Louis Armstrong House Museum; Bowne House; Flushing Town Hall; Quaker Meeting House; Kingsland Homestead; Lewis H. Latimer House Museum; and Voelker Orth House — are decorated as they were during their first holiday seasons. And as this year, 2017, marks New York’s centennial of the struggle that led to women’s suffrage, the venues celebrate their female inhabitants along with the holiday season. $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and $5 for children under age 12.
Dec. 10, Winter Holiday Market, 11 am to 4:30 pm. Local artisans sell original handmade and designed objects and prepared foods. Attendees can expect everything from scented candles to healthy doughnuts to spicy bites. Free entertainment, too. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 10, The Ten Tenors: Home for the Holidays, 3 pm. This Australian vocal group, now in its 20th year, playfully blends rock, pop, and opera. Expect harmonized traditional standards such as “Joy to the World,” John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” and the Mariah Carey hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” $30 to $55. Queens College’s Colden Auditorium, 153-49 Reeves Ave., Flushing.
Dec. 10, Chandlery Workshop with Kelly Akashi, 2 pm and 3 pm. To celebrate her first institutional solo show, Akashi leads two introductory candle-making workshops. (Participants leave with handmade candles of their own design.) Candle making has long been an important part of Akashi’s artistic practice. Her works often include colorful and twisted handmade candles that burn and melt, producing floes of wax that harden in place over time. $10 materials fee. SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves St., LIC.
Dec. 10, The Fast Jedi: Toy Drive 5 Miler, 9 am. The Force is with this fun run as The Last Jedi movie is scheduled for release soon. Star Wars costumes are encouraged, and holiday gifts can be dropped off for distribution by the Queens Centers for Progress. The Kids of Queens race is at 10 am.
Dec. 10, Combined Choral Christmas Concert, 4 pm. The host’s Sacred Music Society and the Oratorio Society of Queens do Handel’s Messiah and a wide array of seasonal songs with Maestro David Close, Geraldine McMillian, soprano, Dory Schultz, tenor, and Vaughn Fritts, bass-baritone with the Orchestral Arts Ensemble of Queens. $30/$10 for children 12 and under. Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, 110-06 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills.
Dec. 10, Fertile Ground New Works Showcase, 7 pm. This non-curated program features dance makers and a post-performance discussion with wine. $13. Green Space, 37-24 24th St., LIC.
Ongoing from the previous week
Happy Henson Holidays, until Dec. 31. Watch holiday-themed Jim Henson TV specials, movies, and anniversary screenings. Schedule: John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, Dec. 10 at 11 am; A Muppet Family Christmas, Dec. 9 and 10 at 1 pm; The Muppet Christmas Carol, Dec. 16 and 17 at 1 pm; Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, Dec. 23 at 1 pm; Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Dec. 24 at 1 pm; Bear in the Big Blue House, Dec. 30 at 1 pm; and The Christmas Toy, Dec. 31 at 1 pm. $15. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Dec. 8, Rialto Pictures: 20 Films for 20 Years, Dec. 29. Bruce Goldstein launched Rialto Pictures in 1997 with the philosophy that classics should be freshly marketed to new audiences. This means 35mm prints, digital restorations, and new subtitles in some instances. On Rialto’s 20th anniversary, the museum presents 20 of its finest pictures. Remaining schedule: Rififi, Dec. 8, 7 pm; The Fallen Idol, Dec. 9, 3 pm; It Always Rains on Sunday, Dec. 9, 6 pm; Hiroshima, Mon Amour, Dec. 10, 4 pm; Tales of Hoffmann, Dec. 10, 6:30 pm; and Metropolitan, Dec. 29, 7 pm. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Dec. 9, Wreathmaking Workshops, Dec. 10. Learn how to make an evergreen wreath. No experience necessary. Sessions at 10 am and 2 pm on both days. $25. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Glen Oaks.
GingerBread Lane, Jan. 15, 2018. This annual smorgasbord of sweetness includes houses, trees, street signs, and other urban fixtures made with gingerbread dough, icing, and candy. Workshops are offered, and on Jan. 15, the museum dismantles the municipality and distributes free chunks of it to the public from 2 pm to 5 pm. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
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Top photo: Megan Doyle Dance; bottom photo: Belinda Rolland © 2016