Seven Picks a Week is our guide to what’s worth catching in arts, culture and activities during the week ahead, with contributions from reporters throughout the WNYC/Gothamist newsroom and colleagues from WQXR and “All of It.”
“Live your dream” at the Malibu Barbie Cafe New York
If you’ve ever wanted to eat in a restaurant where the vibe was pink, retro glam and full-on Barbie, you’re in luck because this place now exists in real life. From now through Sept. 15, you can enjoy dishes like “Pacific Paradise Rainbow Pancakes,” or a “West Coast Wave Wedge Salad,” at the Malibu Barbie Cafe in Lower Manhattan. Tickets are required (no walk-ins for now) and include your choice of entrée and side; they start at $25 for one seat at the bar or $75 for a table for three. Additional sides, desserts and various pastel-colored cocktails can be ordered a la carte.
– Kerry Shaw
Catch up with Shakespeare in a different park
The Public Theater’s bilingual musical version of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” wraps up its run in local parks this Sunday, before it opens at the Public Theater on Thursday, and you still have a few weeks to wait before “Hamlet” opens at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater. If you’re searching for one more hit of Bard al fresco between those two points, you’re in luck: The Drilling Company, the intrepid purveyor of the “Shakespeare in the Parking Lot” series, is coming to Bryant Park’s Upper Terrace for “A Celebration! Looking back on 10 Years of Free Bryant Park Shakespeare.” True to its title, the show includes songs, scenes and monologues from previous Drilling Company events. It’s happening on Thursday at 7 p.m., and it’s free.
– Steve Smith
Dance or gawk to your heart’s content when the Dance Parade hits the East Village on Saturday at noon.
Scott Lynch/Gothamist
Get your groove on or watch the pros do it at Dance Parade and DanceFest
Head to Downtown Manhattan on Saturday for the 17th annual Dance Parade. Some 10,000 participants representing a dizzying array of styles, cultures and genres, will literally dance their way down Sixth Avenue and Eighth Street to Tompkins Square Park for DanceFest. It all kicks off at noon at 17th Street and Sixth Avenue – rain or shine. Dance skills not required.
– Melinda Siriwardana
Discover how friendship inspired three chamber-music masterpieces
Especially for our New Jersey readers: Parlance Chamber Concerts led by Michael Parloff presents wonderful concerts in Ridgewood, and in a multimedia event coming up this Sunday afternoon, Parloff will illuminate the relationships that inspired a trio of masterpieces by Brahms, Bartók, and Rachmaninoff. Those works will be performed by three of today’s fastest-rising young musicians: violinist Keven Zhu, cellist Zlatomir Fung (a member of WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab), and pianist Albert Cano Smit. You’ll find details here.
– Ed Yim, WQXR
Johnny Gandelsman presents a span of Bach solo pieces at The Met Cloisters Monday through Thursday.
Marco Giannavola
Join a trailblazing violinist for a Bach staycation
Johnny Gandelsman is best known for working in groundbreaking groups like Silk Road and the string quartet Brooklyn Rider. And like many other gifted violinists, he’s played and recorded Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, one of the pinnacles of his instrument’s repertoire. But unlike most violinists, Gandelsman also made violin versions of Bach’s six beloved Cello Suites. He recorded those, too, really bringing out the dance-music qualities in these familiar pieces. And, like no other violinist I know of, Gandelsman is about to perform all of these works — the Sonatas, Partitas and Cello Suites — spread across four consecutive concerts at the Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park next Monday though Thursday, May 22-25. Choose just one evening or go for the cycle… either way, it’ll be a memorable experience. You’ll find more information here.
– Steve Smith
Take the ferry to Brooklyn Navy Yard and look at some art (or get an AI-generated tattoo)
The Other Art Fair is this weekend at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The fair features art in all mediums, including paintings, sculptures and tattoos. I was pleasantly surprised to find pieces in lots of price points, plus most of the booths have free postcards you can snag if you don’t see anything in your budget. (I bought a little ceramic banana for $50 that I will be duct-taping to my wall a-la Art Basel 2019.) If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can visit the folks at the Lowlife Tattoo booth. Artists from the Brooklyn-based studio debuted an AI-generated flash sheet as a response to AI crawling and repurposing artists’ work without permission. Tickets to the Other Art Fair are $23.54; details are here.
– Veronica de Souza
Saxophonist and composer Henry Threadgill is participating in a number of events surrounding his newly published autobiography.
John Rogers
Easily slip into a genius musician’s autobiography
Over the last 50 years, Henry Threadgill has been one of the most renowned American composers, never afraid of leaning into innovation and experimentation. He’s one of three jazz artists to ever win a Pulitzer Prize. His new autobiography, “Easily Slip into Another World: A Life in Music,” details his early years in Chicago, playing in an Infantry Division Band in Vietnam, and how he settled in New York and made a name for himself in the East Village in the 1970s. The book arrives just ahead of his latest recording, featuring the composition “The Other One.” Threadgill joined us in studio this week to discuss both projects. On May 30, he and co-author Brent Hayes Edwards will talk with journalist Nate Chinen in a free event at the Museum of Modern Art, featuring a most impressive opening act: a performance of Threadgill’s music, played by pianist David Virelles, bassist Ben Street and drummer Andrew Cyrille. RSVP here.
– Alison Stewart & Luke Green, “All of It,” with additional reporting by Steve Smith
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