"The Big Gay Jamboree," described as "a new comedy trapped inside of a musical," is up next at the classic Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. (H/T Steven!)
Tickets have been on sale since the spring... the marquee just hasn't been changed yet. Previews start Sept. 14 ... with an Oct. 1 opening day and a Jan. 19 close.
The synopsis!
Stacey wakes up after a night of heavy drinking and finds herself trapped in an Off-Broadway Golden Age musical. Forced to put her musical theatre degree in action, Stacey has to figure out how to escape this singing and dancing prison in front of a live audience.
"Stomp" ended its 29-year reign at the Orpheum in January 2023. The most recent shows by Rachel Bloom and Eddie Izzard saw the Orpheum return to its roots in the 1980s and early 1990s when it hosted Off-Broadway productions like Sandra Bernhard's "Without You I'm Nothing," Eric Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" and John Leguizamo's "Mambo Mouth."
The East Village will soon be home to another Indian dining option.
The owners of Gazab on Essex Street (just south of Houston) are opening a new venture called Jhakaas at 202 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.
According to the Commercial Observer, Gazab Executive Chef and founder Vamshi Adi will also be running Jhakaas.
The 3,000-square-foot space hadn't been on the market for very long: Kōbo by Nai quietly closed in the spring after arriving in late 2022.
Hottie Lash is the new tenant for the second-level retail space on the northwest corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue (133 Second Ave., aka 37 St. Mark's Place).
While it sounds like a solid roller derby name, this is a salon for eyelash extensions, which takes over the address from Taiji Body Work.
Previously, 8-Bit and Up, the retro video shop, was upstairs before moving to Third Street in the fall of 2013.
And as we've posted before... this 1990s upstairs-downstairs combo...
The above photo is by Barry Joseph and was published in Ada Calhoun's book "St. Marks Is Dead."
There's a recent name change at 245 E. 14th St., where Mealz is now going as Saperavi here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Thanks to the EVG readers who shared this.)
The new signage better showcases what's available — a "Georgian eatery and wine bar." (From the outside, Mealz had more of a generic cafe vibe, and the quality took some people by surprise.)
Like Mealz, Saperavi has an all-day cafe menu featuring several Georgian entrees. Hours: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
ICYMI: Given the chance of rain tonight, the free screening of "Little Fugitive" in Tompkins Square Park has been rescheduled... to Aug. 5 at 8 p.m.
RESCHEDULED! Due to inclement weather, we have rescheduled our showing of the Little Fugitive for August 5th at 8:00 PM. See you there! pic.twitter.com/3FDXvMQONE
After screenings in NYC and elsewhere over the past year, "Make Me Famous" is finally playing in the neighborhood where the documentary is set — the East Village.
Starting on Saturday, Village East by Angelika will screen the film three times at the theater on Second Avenue and 12th Street.
"Make Me Famous" is:
... a madcap romp through the 1980s NYC art scene amid the colorful career of painter, Edward Brezinski, hell-bent on making it. What begins as an investigation into Brezinski's legacy and mysterious disappearance becomes a sharp, witty portrait of NYC’s 1980s downtown art scene resulting in an irresistible snapshot of an unknown artist who captures the spirit of an iconic era.
Director Brian Vincent and Producer Heather Spore will be at the following screenings with these special guests:
• July 27, 5 p.m.
Photographer Marcia Resnick, photographer Josef Astor, archival cinematographer Jim C
• July 31, 7 p.m.
Filmmaker and photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and curator and archivist Sur Rodney (Sur)
• Aug. 1, 7 p.m.
Artist Peter McGough and Basquiat's first gallerist Annina Nosei
Brezinski and CLICK models for NY TALK Magazine, 1984, photo by Jonathan Postal
From 543 E. Sixth St.: B-Side Gallery Opening, 1984, photo by Gary Azon
In the past year, I've been in touch with Spore and Vincent (past posts here). I asked them both to comment on the film's EV premiere.
Heather
Our dream was to open in the neighborhood, but when you do your own theatrical run with no help from a distributor, you have to roll with the punches. Our indie documentary has had an incredible yet unprecedented run in theaters going now for over a year.
Back in the 1980s, indie cinemas were more likely to take chances on local filmmakers, and films often had long runs. Does anybody remember "Basket Case"? First-time director Frank Henenlotter shot it locally in 1982 and ran for several years at the Waverly Cinema (now IFC).
"Make Me Famous" has defied the odds in this current film landscape and maintained a presence in New York City for over a year. We might very well be the most successful film you have never heard of! I can't believe it took us a whole year to screen in the neighborhood we dreamed of starting at!
The major New York press turned their backs on us because we had an unconventional run. This was surprising to us, considering this really is a love letter to the creativity that burst out of the Lower East Side in the 1980s. Although it would have been nice to be in The New York Times — we made it without them.
I feel like our journey of DIY distribution has been very apropos, considering the artists of 1980s East Village followed the same path, really. They did it themselves, and look at what they accomplished!
Brian
I am a Juilliard-trained actor who was too young to experience the 1980s scene. I discovered it through books like Cynthia Carr's "Fire in the Belly" about David Wojnarowicz. So, I looked for a story that explores this era, when young people made their own scene after being rejected by the mainstream.
In the 1980s, NYC was broke, rent was dirt cheap, and anyone could act out their bohemian fantasies — and they did by the hundreds! As actor Eric Bogosian recalls, "The premium was on who could do the most creative things."
In "Make Me Famous," thanks to the artists and gallerists who lived it, we return to "the scene of the crime," as the artists like to call it. And thanks to their fantastic video/artwork and photographs, the audience is immersed in the gritty action. Only we take an unusual path. Instead of documenting the famous artists for the millionth time, our story revolves around an obscure, mysterious, and charismatic painter from the scene, Edward Brezinski, whose career, in many ways, parallels the rise and fall of the scene.
The doc is not intended to be a promo but rather an opportunity to experience what it was like to be a striving artist back then. It was a NYC moment that captured the world's attention, produced some of its biggest stars, and then exploded into history like a supernova.
Memphis Seoul has closed its East Village location at 123 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place after 11 months.
An Instagram post from last week alleges the "gross negligence" of co-landlord J&M Realty Services for the loss of gas service (which has yet to be restored) two days into the shop's renovation last year.
The post says that Memphis Seoul has pending litigation against the landlord.
In April, Memphis Seoul (founded by former New York Post sportswriter Bart Hubbuch) filed a $500,000 lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court for alleged breach of contract, tenant harassment, fraud and misrepresentation against the building's landlord, Lunar Estates, LLC d/b/a Lunar Estates.
Public records show that Lunar Estates, LLC, bought the property in early 2022 for $4.3 million. (Public records show that the listed owner of Lunar Estates LLC is Won Moon, an orthodontist based in Orange County, California.)
Meanwhile, this past Thursday, a marshal also posted a notice on the storefront stating that the landlord has legal possession of the premises.
The quick-serve establishment serves "Southern cookin' with a Korean kick!" ... offering the comfort food of the South with the spices and sauces familiar to Korean food.
The original Memphis Seoul remains in service in Crown Heights. According to the Instagram post from last week, a new Lower East Side outpost is in the works.
A reader-submitted photo from Sixth Street and Avenue B today... Art project? Social commentary? We don't know exactly the intentions of the mystery flagger...
"It's A to Z: The Art of Arleen Schloss," a documentary that will be of particular interest to East Village/LES residents, is making its world premiere this Friday evening.
Stuart Ginsberg, director and producer, shared information about the screening, which will take place at the 12th annual NYC Chain Film Festival on Friday at 8 p.m. Location: 312 W. 36th St. between Eighth Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Find ticket info here.
And bout the film:
"It's A to Z: The Art of Arleen Schloss" delves into the life and work of Arleen Schloss, a pioneering artist who heavily influenced the Downtown New York art scene. Known for her innovative work, Schloss has been a vital part of the avant-garde movement since the 1970s. The documentary features interviews with notable musicians, artists, and curators such as Alan Vega of Suicide, Eric Bogosian, Elodie Lauten, Phoebe, Legere, and Gracie Mansion, (Sur) Rodney Sur, as well as archival interviews with John Cage, Timothy Leary, and Glenn Branca.
Schloss was one of the first performance artists to perform at the Museum of Modern Art and made experimental sound and video work throughout her art career. She is known in the New York Art Loft scene for A's, Schloss's iconic loft space that became a hub for the New York City underground and avant-garde scenes. A's was a breeding ground for creativity and experimentation, where artists from various disciplines came together to push the boundaries of art, music, and performance.
"I became intrigued by Arleen Schloss' story and about how hundreds, if not thousands, of artists in various disciplines owed their success, in part, to Arleen," Ginsberg said. "She typically embraced emerging forms and processes before they fully broke through, including performance art, spoken word art, video art, mail art, cyber art, lasers, and virtually any kind of technology that generated new possibilities."
The story of NYC developer Brandon Miller, who died after being found unconscious in the garage of his $8 million Water Mill home, has become tabloid fodder in recent weeks. (A cause of not has not ben made public.)
Brandon Miller loved the high life. A Park Avenue home. An influencer wife. Vacations in Paris. A real estate inheritance. Then he was found dead.https://t.co/P8k5Hqokag
Many of the stories focused on the lavish lifestyle that the 43-year-old Miller led with his wife, Candice Miller, a blogger and Instagram influencer, and two children who shuttled between their $50,000-per-month Upper East Side rental apartment and a Hamptons home in Water Mill with a collection of classic cars.
There is a local real-estate angle in the story.
According to The Real Deal, Miller inherited the commercial and residential real estate firm Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) from his father, shopping mall tycoon Michael Miller, who died in 2016. (The younger Miller joined the firm in 2004)
Per TRD: "It came out after the elder Miller’s death that he had allegedly told his assistant to forge Brandon's signature on loan documents related to a condo project, according to court records."
The many REEC investments under Brandon Miller's watch weren't paying off either. He was reportedly $17 million in debt to friends and facing several lawsuits when he died, according to published reports.
In November 2017, REEC picked up the 99-year leasehold for the assemblage on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue for nearly $150 million. The Gabay family had owned the buildings for generations. (There were other suitors for the property.)
The previous buildings here, which included retail tenants such as Korilla BBQ, the Continental and McDonald's, were demolished in the summer of 2019 to make way for an office building.
There was a lot of drama surrounding the size of the building (flashback), and work was stopped for 10 months as Madison Capital Realty tried foreclosing on the property in 2021. Foundation work finally started in late August 2022 — this after crews and equipment were assembled here in the summer of 2020.
...but progress was slow. Before foundations were even dug, Madison Capital Realty tried foreclosing on the property in 2021.
Parkview Financial rescued the project with a $70 million refinance the following year.
Only the third and final tier of the nine-story building is still under construction. But as the building nears completion, 24 percent of Manhattan offices remain vacant, according to a Cushman & Wakefield report, and for the first time since 2021, no new construction or full renovations of offices were completed last quarter.
REEC recently fell behind on loan payments at the project, Parkview Financial CEO Paul Rahimian told TRD, and there are not yet tenants for the building's retail or office space. "The project is entirely on spec," Rahimian said.
Elsewhere on the Lower East Side, REEC took over the leasehold at 156-166 Bowery, a 15,000-square-foot assemblage just south of Delancey, in a deal valued at $50 million.
Per TRD:
In 2022, the firm filed plans for a 73,000-square-foot mixed-use commercial building and landed a $60.5 million loan from Raven Capital Management, according to property records.
But progress at that property appears to have stalled.
Said Parkview's Rahimian: "We think there will be demand for new offices in such a popular neighborhood, and we were surprised like everyone else to learn about what had happened [with Miller]."
Someone wrapped this tree outside The Beauty Bar on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue with strands of lights — not to mention two wall-style switches.
Beauty Bar bartender Brock Michael Napoli said the lighting happened sometime after his shift this past Sunday at 3 a.m.
"Nobody knows who did it," he told us. "All we saw on our security cams was a person in a box truck thingy with a lift."
For now it's a mystery... so might as well enjoy it...
Superiority Burger's signage today on Avenue A paid tribute to Steve Albini, the musician-producer-engineer who would have been 62 today.
The frontman for Shellac and Big Black worked with dozens of bands, including Nirvana, Slint, Pixies, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, the Jesus Lizard, Superchunk, Low, and the Wedding Present.
Katinka, one of the most unique shops in the East Village, is closing at the end of August after 45 years in business.
Jane Williams and Billy Lyles, partners in Katinka and in life, made the announcement yesterday on Instagram:
Thanks for your love and support for 45 iconic years! We will be closing at the end of August. We loved every moment spent with you all. Please come and purchase our treasures, which will be on sale in the coming weeks.
The shop is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5-8 p.m.
The two opened their closet-sized shop in 1979 at 303 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue... offering hand-made pieces — including shirts, vests, quilts and rugs — all made and imported from India.
For the past 15-plus years, Williams has worked with the Lasksh Foundation, an NGO in Mangar Village, Haryana, India. She travels there twice a year, volunteering her design services and supplies to educate women in the village.
Here's a 2021 video about the shop and the couple by photographer-filmmaker Josh Charow ...
After 11-plus years on the NW corner of Houston and Avenue A, Boulton & Watt has closed ... shutting down after service yesterday.
In announcing the closure earlier this month on Instagram, the bar-restaurant's management wrote, in part: "To all of our guests, staff members, friends, and family, thank you for making Boulton & Watt your home."
The Boulton & Watt brand will live on with an outpost at JFK's Terminal 4 in the coming months (we happened to spot it while catching a flight last month)...
Look for the prime EV corner to stay in the Paradise Hospitality (Mister Paradise, Wiggle Room, Pretty Ricky's) family. The Instagram post also notes: "Stay tuned for some exciting news about a new project in this space; see you all very soon!"
G's Cheesesteaks is set for its soft opening today at 6 Avenue B on the NW corner at Houston. (First mentioned here.)
The storefront (and upstairs floors) have undergone extensive renovations recently. This is the first retail tenant in 15 years in the long-empty building that the new landlords call The B.
More seating was expected to arrive over the weekend...
And this is NOT part of the seating. While we were there, the restaurant was swapping out toilets in the ADA-compliant restroom.
Owner Giacomo Pisano's family-owned business specializes in 100% grade-A ribeye cheesesteaks. This version differs from traditionally Philly-style cheesesteaks with a heartier, thicker/chewier/crustier New York-baked bread as opposed to a softer hoagie roll. You can find a menu here.
Due to a problem with the building's gas line (there is no gas!), the kitchen is all-electric, which means all-electric grills, fryers, cooktops, etc.
Pisano, whose family has been in the restaurant business for several generations, founded G's in Staten Island in 2015 at age 20. There are now four G's locations, with one slated to open this fall on Eighth Avenue and 31st Street.
Here is Giacomo with his father, Jack...
If possible, they are trying to preserve the "Liquors" signage on the storefront. They say the building will move the scaffolding, which is blocking their Houston entrance door.
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days/week to start; eventually, Friday and Saturday night hours will extend to 2 a.m.
This address will also likely be a Moody Tongue (so to speak). EVG reader Jose Garcia spotted this Moody Tongue apparatus (so to speak) being loaded into the space this past Thursday...
People seem to like what they do — the Dining Room at Moody Tongue in Chicago boasts two Michelin stars, for instance.
This space just west of Avenue A last housed Pop's Eat-Rite, the veggie burger joint.
