This 'Job' has been extended for 3 weeks at the East Village's Connelly Theater

Photo of Max Wolf Friedlich from January by Stacie Joy 

You now have three more weeks to catch a performance of "Job" at the Connelly Theater. 

The 80-minute psychological thriller was set to close on Sunday at the venue, 220 E. Fourth St., between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

However, the run has been extended through March 23. The two-character play, starring Peter Friedman and Sydney Lemmon, concerns a crisis therapist and a big tech company employee, one who has been placed on leave after becoming the subject of a viral video. We'll leave it at that! 

"Job" enjoyed a well-reviewed five-week engagement last fall at the Soho Playhouse. This time around, the notices are just as positive (for example, "one of the best shows playing in NYC right now"). 

Playwright Max Wolf Friedlich grew up in NYC and doing theater in the East Village — at the Kraine, NY Theater Workshop, Bowery Poetry Club, Under St. Marks, etc., as he previously told EVG's Stacie Joy.

We asked Max for his thoughts on the extension.

"We're over the moon to have extended for three more weeks at the Connelly. We're so grateful audiences continue to respond to the play," he said. "On a personal note, I hope our longevity — and the success of other independent Off-Broadway productions this season — demonstrates to the theater world that young people are excited about bold, modern plays written for and marketed to them." 

Find tickets here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• On the Job: Talking with playwright Max Wolf Friedlich at the Connelly Theater

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Heather Dubin 

A moment on Avenue A and Seventh Street today... in between rain showers...

You can watch last night's Community Board 3 meeting right here

Several people have asked us about last night's full Community Board 3 meeting at P.S. 20, in which Zach Iscol, commissioner of the NYC Emergency Management, provided an update on the agency's asylum-seeker operations and community engagement efforts on Seventh Street and Avenue B. (We wrote about the meeting here and here.)

We embedded the video of the meeting below. Iscol starts speaking (and answering questions) at the 23-minute mark...

 

Construction watch: 280 E. Houston St.

The all-new 280 E. Houston St. has come into view in recent weeks... it looks as if workers are up to the fifth (??) floor of the 12-floor building here between Avenue A and Avenue B...

The development takes the place of a one-level strip of storefronts (Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins, Subway, China Town restaurant, etc.), which workers demolished in late 2021 adjacent to the 13-floor residential building formerly known as Red Square. 

In October 2022, as The Real Deal first reported, landlord Samy Mahfar and investors picked up the property from members of the Hirsch family for $36.8 million. Per TRD's report, "the Hirsch family obtained demolition permits and did enough foundation work to qualify the site for the 421a property tax abatement before it expired in June [2022]."

The site was originally going to yield a 6-story building. 

The new building encompasses 224,809 square feet of space — for residential, commercial and community use. The residential portion will total 211,028 square feet for 157 apartments, per DOB records. The retail section will feature 12,000 square feet, while the community facility is 1,300 square feet.

P.S.

For the construction team, in case of an emergency, posted signs instruct that there will be "3 long blows of the air horn"... and the crew should move to the Dunkin' a few storefronts away (photo by Stacie Joy)... 

Boris & Horton fans work like a dog to save cafe

Photo last week by Stacie Joy 

The owners of Boris & Horton announced yesterday that their ambitious crowdfunding and subscription plan was a success, and the city's first dog-friendly cafe will remain open. 

On Feb. 16, daughter-father co-owners Logan Mikhly and Coppy Holzman announced that the cafe was closing on Feb. 26 after six years of anchoring the NW corner of Avenue A and 12th Street. An outpost that opened last year in Williamsburg was also shutting down.

Bottom line: They weren't making enough money, and as Holzman told NY1, "it's expensive to maintain top safety measures for a dog-friendly restaurant required by the Department of Health." 

However, the unwavering support of the cafe's fans turned the tide. They devised ideas to keep the business going, such as selling subscription boxes filled with dog treats and merchandise from Boris & Horton's line of dog treats and toys ... plus mugs, t-shirts, baseball caps, etc.

Boris & Horton hit their $250,000 goal from Friday to midnight Sunday.

First, though, both outposts will temporarily close. Late last week, the co-owners said some of the money would go for capital improvements, including replacing the air conditioning at the Avenue A space and giving it a deep clean. They also plan to hire management to streamline B&H operations. 

From an Instagram post yesterday announcing the news:

Thank you so much to everyone who supported this campaign. We're thrilled that both locations will be reopening in the coming weeks, and we'll be sharing more details on what to expect very soon. We're humbled and grateful, and we can’t wait for what's to come.

Boris & Horton opened here in February 2018 and expanded into the storefront next door later that year. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• 'Something big is happening' at Boris & Horton, the dog cafe set to close next week

Deli marks the end of the revolving door of bars on the corner of 4th Street and 2nd Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

The long-vacant bar space on the SE corner of Second Avenue and Fourth Street is undergoing a gut renovation.

A worker at the scene told us that a deli-market is in the works for the storefront (an actual deli-market and not a smoke shop)...

The worker did not know about an opening date.

In 2021, the English-style pub Queen Vic became just Queen ... before evolving into Watering Hole. The for-rent sign showed up in September 2022. 

Queen Vic had a decent run, opening in September 2010,  which ended the revolving door of bars here with awnings, including 2x4, Ambiance and Evolution.

Koko Wings has apparently closed on 1st Avenue

Koko Wings looks to be done at 192 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street. 

The quick-serve restaurant specializing in Korean fried chicken has been closed in recent weeks. Google lists them as "temporarily closed." No one responded to our requests for comment. 

Meanwhile, the retail space is on the rental market via Meridian Capital Group. The asking rent is $13,500. 

Perhaps in an early sign of distress this past summer, Koko Wings began advertising a price drop and that tipping was not necessary (photo from July by Steven)...

Koko Wings debuted in December 2019... this was already a wing-friendly corridor along First Avenue with Dan and John's and Atomic Wings... then Buffalo Wild Wings opened early last fall ... plus, there's Wingstop around the corner on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

An artist talk and celebration of iconic storefronts at the Tompkins Square Library branch

Early Thursday evening, local illustrator Lily Annabelle will discuss her current exhibit — "Goodbye to the Brick and Mortar" —  at the Tompkins Square Library branch.

Here's more about the artist talk, co-moderated by reps from Village Preservation and the East Village Community Coalition:

Lily's work is a celebration of the life and memories of neighborhood establishments and pays homage to the humans who have made a mark on the community. Enjoy a moderated discussion with Lily, as well as panelists from storefronts depicted in the exhibit: Ess a Bagel, Kim’s Video and Music and 2nd Ave Deli.

Time: 5-6:45 p.m. this Thursday at the branch, 331 E. 10th St., between Avenue A and Avenue B. You can RSVP for a spot here.

Annabelle's work, featuring an array of dearly departed storefronts, will be featured here through March 29.

Playground reminders in Tompkins Square Park; city to update Community Board 3 on asylum seekers tonight

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Updated: You can watch a playback of the CB3 Board meeting on YouTube here. Zach Iscol starts at the 23-minute mark.

-----

Signs stating "No adults except in the company of a child" — written in multiple languages — were recently posted on the playgrounds along Avenue B and Seventh Street in Tompkins Square Park...

In recent months, some residents have expressed concerns about the migrants waiting for a new shelter assignment outside the former St. Brigid School on Seventh Street and Avenue B. They have been congregating on the SE corner of Tompkins Square Park, including inside the playgrounds. (This past fall, Mayor Adams began limiting adult migrants' stays in shelters to 30 days before they have to leave and reapply at this so-called East Village reticketing site.) 

The influx of men standing around has caused some residents to no longer visit the playgrounds with their children. It was also made clear that the men were often unaware that they couldn't be inside the playgrounds.

Making matters worse, the city removed the three portable toilets from Tompkins Square Park on Jan. 9, forcing anyone visiting the 10.5-acre property to figure out where to relieve themselves. (The restrooms in the field house are closed until the fall for renovations.) According to residents, the playgrounds have become popular public toilets, with some equipment serving as cover. 

While the signs look official, it's unknown who left them on the playground gates. 

The two playgrounds in this park area received a year-long, $2.7 million upgrade, unveiled in October 2019.

Meanwhile, as we reported last week, Zach Iscol, commissioner of the NYC Emergency Management, will appear before Community Board 3 tonight. Per the invite, he "will update the community on the agency's asylum-seeker operations and community engagement efforts within the confines of CB3." 

Iscol is expected to speak at 7 p.m. (The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.) Only CB3 board members can ask questions. (The deadline for residents to submit questions was this past Friday.)

The meeting will be in person at PS 20, 166 Essex St., just south of Houston, and streamed on YouTube here.  

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Observations on the growing humanitarian crisis with asylum seekers in the East Village 

• Addressing the asylum seeker crisis; city to update Community Board 3 next week

Signage alert: Ben's Deli gains a Grill on Avenue B

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy

The renovations at Ben's Deli on Avenue B, an establishment here for 40-plus years, took a significant step forward yesterday with the arrival of new signage. 

The business name has been expanded to include a "& Grill" in the name, marking a new chapter in its history. (While the signage sentiment in the EVG newsroom was wholly positive, we are waiting for EV Signage and Font Troll to weigh in...)

The market between Second Street and Third Street temporarily closed this past September for renovations, including new shelving and lighting  ... an expected move after longtime owner and Avenue B legend Ben Gibran sold the business earlier last year to a cousin, Sammy Ksem. (Don't worry — Ben still hangs out here. See below.)

Ben's Deli, which played a pivotal role in season one of "Russian Doll" on Netflix not to mention a Kim Petras video, is expected to be back open in the weeks ahead, which is rather vague, though you try to get Con Ed and the Department of Buildings scheduled for the necessary approvals. 

Last evening, the sign was lit, so to speak... 

Ben was outside in The Office (aka his Astro van). When I asked him if he liked it, he said, "Yes, looks good, right? Nice. Very nice." Then, he fired up a cigarette and continued watching a nature video on his iPad.