#WeeklyColumn | November 3 – November 9, 2016
BY Michael Gillen
Yes, there is life after Halloween! In Queens, there’s also salsa-dancing, polkadot-acting, pumpkin-smashing, momo-crawling, marathon-cheering, and Spamalot. Here’s the rundown.
Nov. 3, Evensong, Nov. 19. The Astoria Performing Arts Center presents a play about a gay Mexican-American man who is homeless in NYC. The Texas transplant works as a bank teller, goes on online dates, and tries to navigate the shelter system. (Thursdays and Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm.) Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 30-44 Crescent St., Astoria.
Nov. 4, The History of Salsa, Dec. 11. Back by popular demand, this theatrical explosion features more than 20 dancers from the Colombian company Cali Salsa Pal’ Mundo. (Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm.) Thalía Spanish Theatre, 41-17 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside.
Nov. 4, Free First Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. Free admission and tours in English and Japanese. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC.
Nov. 4, Artist Peer Circle, 6:30 pm. A special reading event inspired by Lewis H. Latimer’s life. Four Queens-based writers―with roots in China, Croatia, Kosovo, South Africa, Taiwan, and other parts of the Americas―find, lose, and make their way home through fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Lewis H. Latimer House Museum, 34-41 137th St., Flushing.
Nov. 5, Pumpkin Smash, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. Let out your frustrations for a good cause! Smash old Halloween pumpkins, Jack-o-Lanterns, and other gourds and maize. The NYC Parks Department turns the refuse into compost and sends it to green spaces around the five boroughs. Lou Lodati Park, Skillman Avenue and 43rd Street, Sunnyside.
Nov. 5, Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, 3 pm (and Nov. 6 at 1 pm and 3 pm). Eight-year-old Lily Polkadot just moved to a small town and she’s having problems fitting in at school. She meets a shy boy whose curiosity for her unique polka dot skin propels an unexpected friendship. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Nov. 5, Spamalot, Nov. 13. Royal Star Theatre presents a musical lovingly ripped off from the eponymous motion picture. (Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm). Immaculate Conception Auditorium, 179-14 Dalny Rd., Jamaica Estates.
Nov. 5, My Fair Lady, Nov. 20. The timeless story of a cockney flower girl who is transformed into an elegant lady includes classic songs such as “With a Little Bit of Luck,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.” (Nov. 5 and 12 at 8 pm; Nov. 6 and 13 at 3 pm; Nov. 20 at 2 pm and 7 pm.) Theatre by the Bay, 13-00 209th St., Bayside.
Nov. 5, An Afternoon with Tatsuya Nakadai, 3:30 pm. Japanese movie star Nakadai starred in more than 130 films. He participates in a discussion following a screening of one of his bigger hits, The Sword of Doom. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District.
Nov. 5, A Tribute to Director Irving Rapper, 3 pm. Jo-Anne Raskin lectures on famed Hollywood director Irving Rapper, director of various classics including Deception and The Corn is Green. After the presentation, Now, Voyager, starring Bette Davis and Claude Rains, screens. The Center at Maple Grove Cemetery, 127-15 Kew Gardens Rd., Kew Gardens.
Nov. 6, Queens Cheering Station, 10:30 am. The NYC Marathon’s Queens segment is a notorious, two-mile stretch through Long Island City where participants realize that their pre-race adrenaline is gone and they still have 12 miles to go. To re-energize the pack and spread borough love, the Queens Tourism Council and Queens Distance Runners organize a cheering station in the vicinity of 44th Drive and 21st Street, where volunteers gather to roar words of encouragement, wave pompoms, rattle cow bells, and hand out water. More info at WPhaff@queenscp.org.
Nov. 6, The Fifth Annual Momo Crawl, 2 pm. Currently, there are more than 20 momo vendors in Jackson Heights. At 2 pm, participants buy a neighborhood map for $5 and then follow it to visit vendors. (Momos at each place cost $1 each.) At 5 pm, participants vote on a winner amid music, dancing, momo-henna tattoos, real momo tattoos, IRL geofilters, and other forms of entertainment inspired by this beloved dumpling. Meet at Diversity Plaza, Broadway and 73rd Street, Jackson Heights.
Nov. 6, Post 9/11 Trilogy, 2 pm. Laura Poitras presents her post 9/11 documentaries. My Country, My Country (2 pm) depicts Iraq in 2004, after Saddam Hussein has been toppled. The Oath (4:30 pm) tells the intertwined stories of Abu Jandal, a Yemeni taxi driver who was once Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard, and his brother-in-law Salim Hamdan, a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay prison. Citizenfour (7 pm) follows journalist Glenn Greenwald and Poitras to a Hong Kong hotel room where whistleblower Edward Snowden hands over classified documents that provide evidence of invasions of privacy by the National Security Agency. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District.
Nov. 6, Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict Over Israel, 2 pm. Dov Waxman, who teaches Israel studies at Northeastern University, and Steven M. Cohen, a research professor of Jewish Social Policy at Hebrew Union College, discuss the divide in the American Jewish community about support for Israel. Central Queens Y, 67-09 108th St., Forest Hills.
Nov. 7, Astoria Pool, 7 pm. The Astoria Pool just turned 80. It’s almost a full acre in size. How was it built? What are future plans for it? Find out at a free lecture which coincides with the opening of a new exhibit on this beloved watering hole. Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, LIC.
Nov. 7, The Nazi Hunters, 1:30 pm. Andrew Nagorski presents his new book, The Nazi Hunters, about the men and women who refused to forget the Third Reich’s crimes. Their relentless pursuit led to the capture of perpetrators such as Adolf Eichmann and Klaus Barbie and the final accounting for others such as Josef Mengele. Central Queens Y, 67-09 108th St., Forest Hills.
Nov. 9, Fear in Porcelain, Nov. 19. Sam Kim premieres this solo dance that incorporates fierce sexual restraint to obliterate the ego and eradicate the self. (Wednesday through Saturdays at 8 pm.) The Chocolate Factory, 5-49 49th Ave., LIC.
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