Remembering off-Broadway theater legend Jeff Weiss

RIP to NYC downtown theatre legend Jeff Weiss. I had the privilege of working on the 2015 revival of his serialized masterpiece ‘And That’s How the Rent Gets Paid’ @TheKitchen_NYC . A highlight of my life. He was such a genius, and so fiercely loved by all who knew him ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BdReD1rw2i

— Jane Bradley (@jebrad88) September 19, 2022

Jeff Weiss, an actor, playwright and "doyen of downtown performance" who received multiple Obie Awards, died on Sept. 18 at an assisted living facility near his childhood home of Allentown, Pa. He was 82. 

Longtime residents recall performances at Good Medicine & Company, the storefront theater that Weiss and his partner Carlos Ricardo Martinez operated from their 10th Street apartment. 

Said one EVG reader in an email: "None of us who were privileged to see him perform in the tiny theater he created on East 10th Street will ever forget those nights. Nor will anyone who saw the various incarnations of 'And That's How The Rent Gets Paid,' which he performed at La MaMa, forget the brush with the genius that was Jeff."

"Jeff was one of the greatest figures in the history of American theater," Charles Richter, retired director of theater at Muhlenberg College and co-founder of Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre, told the Lehigh Valley Press. "He never sold out. He always had enormous integrity. He was always asking profound life questions in shocking and hilariously funny ways." 

Here's more about Weiss via a feature obituary at Artforum: 

Forgoing formal acting training — he reportedly quit Stella Adler's class after a single session, finding it to be an "offensive lesson in group therapy" — Weiss's made his onstage debut at La MaMa Experimental Theater Club in 1964 in Robert Sealy's "Waiting Boy."

In the ensuing years, Weiss would regularly perform at the storied venue, garnering attention for his eccentric and unnerving performances in productions such as Louis Mofsie's "Three Mask Dances" (1966); Jean Reavey's "Window" (1966); H.M. Koutoukas's "When Clowns Play Hamlet" (1967); and Julie Bovasso's "Gloria and Esperanza" (1969), among others.

His last performance came at La MaMa in May 2017. 

Jeff Weiss, a singular theater artist, a great influence on me and many others, died this weekend. Have a look at this video he left. His energy, his will to perform, his innocence is astounding.https://t.co/O1V5UtRc7v

— Harvey Fierstein (@HarveyFierstein) September 19, 2022

Construction watch: 351 E. 10th St.

Work has really progressed at 351 E. 10th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C since the first sign of an excavator in the spring.

As previously reported, the long-empty lot is yielding an 8-floor residential building featuring 28 residences. News of housing here dates to October 2019, when an array of city and federal officials came together during a press conference "to celebrate the commencement of the preservation and rehabilitation of project-based Section 8 housing in the East Village." During this event, officials noted that more affordable housing was set for this 10th Street parcel.

It appears that 30% of those 28 units will be considered "affordable." Here's more from the website of Goshow Architects:

[The building is] intended to interchangeably mix market rate (70%) and affordable (30%) dwelling units. In the interest of dignity-for-all, there is absolutely no distinction between the two: same size rooms, same kitchen appliances, same level of fit and finish.

The rendering at the lot lists a completion date of Sept. 1, 2023. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Details on the preservation and rehabilitation of 243 affordable housing units in the East Village  

A new art installation on Astor Place honors playwright-activist Lorraine Hansberry

A new production of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" is underway at the Public Theater on Lafayette. 

Coinciding with the staging of this 1959 classic ... is an installation on Astor Place by Alison Saar titled "To Sit A While." 

Here's more via the Village Alliance: 

"To Sit A While" features the figure of Hansberry surrounded by five bronze chairs, each representing a different aspect of her life and work. The life-size chairs are an invitation to the public to do just that: to sit with her and think. 

Hansberry was the first Black woman to have her work produced on Broadway. She died of pancreatic cancer in 1965 at age 34. 

The installation, which has been in several NYC locations since June, will be here through Oct. 21. 

Thanks to Steven for the photo.

Openings: Irving Farm New York on 10th Street

Irving Farm New York is now open at 79 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. (We first reported on this pending arrival in early January.)

This is the eighth cafe/coffee shop in NYC (plus one upstate in Millerton, where they also operate a roastery) for the company that started on Irving Place in 1996.

The cafe is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an 8 a.m. start on Saturdays and Sundays.

No. 79 was previously City of Saints Coffee Roasters, which debuted in June 2014 and never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020.

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

On Second Avenue today... and keep those umbrellas handy — showers are expected through Wednesday.

Jean-Luc Godard screenings this month at the Quad Cinema

Wednesday nights in October, the Quad is presenting a selection of films by Jean-Luc Godard ... as part of the theater's ongoing "From the Vault: Cohen Film Collection" repertory series. 

The series starts this Wednesday with "A Married Woman" from 1964.

   

Visit this link for more information on the films and showtimes. 

Godard died on Sept. 13 at age 91. 

Exclusive: This is the new tenant for the former Gem Spa space

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

An outpost of the Brooklyn-based Poetica Coffee will be opening at the SW corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place, the longtime former home of Gem Spa, the iconic newsstand-candy shop. 

Owner Parviz Mukhamadkulov (pictured below) received the keys to the space — officially 36 St. Mark's Place — on Friday. This will be the second Manhattan location for the brand, which has seven spots in Brooklyn.

Mukhamadkulov, from Uzbekistan, has said that he has wanted to own his own café since he was a kid and watched his father work as a coffee wholesaler.

The café will serve housemade pastries, including croissants and several varieties of baked pierogies, which are more popular in central Asia as opposed to boiled or fried dumplings... and with coffee beans from a roaster in Brooklyn. With the landlord's permission, Mukhamadkulov would like to add an enclosed sidewalk cafe on the St. Mark's Place side.

Mukhamadkulov said he didn't know about the history of the space when he first rented the storefront (there wasn't any mention of the previous tenant in the marketing materials) ... and he has since explored the history of the address... and reached out to Parul Patel, who ran Gem Spa in recent years, with an offer to sell their merchandise free of charge. 

He said he wants to honor the location's legacy and has "big shoes to step into."

Here's how the interior looked as of Saturday...

Gem Spa, home of the egg cream according to some sources, officially closed in May 2020 amid ongoing financial challenges worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parul Patel, who had been running the store that her father Ray owned since 1986, made a gallant effort to save the iconic corner shop that dates to the 1920s. This post has more background on Gem Spa's last few years.

And more history, via a Vanity Fair piece from May 2020:

The tributes that followed Patel's closure announcement ... teemed with references to the art in which the store had served as a backdrop: Madonna's turn in "Desperately Seeking Susan"; Patti Smith writing about going for an egg cream with Robert Mapplethorpe in her memoir "Just Kids"; a pair of lines from an Allen Ginsberg poem ("Back from the Gem Spa, into the hallway, a glance behind / and sudden farewell to the bedbug-ridden mattresses piled soggy in dark rain"); the back cover of the New York Dolls' first album; the title of a 1982 Jean-Michel Basquiat painting; Lou Reed's song "Egg Cream.: The works traced a timeline of the East Village that both belonged firmly to the 20th century and remained top of mind.

The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade, with a new name, returns to Tompkins Square Park

The 2022 version of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has a new name — and a familiar location. 

Organizers have announced that this year's event, now known as the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Festival, is taking place on Oct. 22, starting at 1 p.m. in Tompkins Square Park. Dan Schachner, a former NFL referee who now serves as host of the Puppy Bowl, is the host. 

Find details about registering your dog and serving as a volunteer at this link.

The Dog Parade/Festival, which outgrew Tompkins Square Park, took place in East River Park in 2018, 2019 and 2021. (That venue is no longer available.) The 2020 pandemic version was mostly virtual, with a small in-person/dog event at Lucky on Avenue B.

Building issues temporarily KOs HAGS on 1st Avenue

Photos by Steven

Two-plus months after opening at 163 First Ave., HAGS has temporarily closed due to some issues in the building between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

Owners Telly Justice and Camille Lindsley explained the situation in an Instagram post from Friday: 

We're so grateful for the outpouring of love and support we’ve received in the short time since HAGS opened its doors. Our team and our guests truly mean the world to us. 

Because it's in our nature to be as transparent as humanly possible, we must share the sad news that due to long-standing inherited, unsafe structural damage and plumbing issues in our building, we are temporarily closing HAGS until further notice. Our team and our guests' safety is our utmost priority, so we'll be working with the support of our new landlord to rebuild what needs fixing as quickly as possible. Send us speedy vibes! 

HAGS, described as a restaurant "for Queers and everyone else," opened on July 20 with a variety of tasting menus, including a "pay what you can" option on Sundays. 

You can follow the HAGS Instagram account for updates.

The address is notable to some food aficionados for being where David Chang's Momofuku empire got its start .... first as the home of Noodle Bar (2004) before it moved a few storefronts away... later becoming Momofuku Ko for six years (2008-2014), which moved to a larger space on Extra Place ... and then the first outpost of his Fuku fried chicken sandwich chain (2015-2018).

The retail space had been vacant since Fuku closed in the spring of 2018.

At the Blessing of the Animals today at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Pet owners turned out this morning for the annual Blessing of the Animals at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B at Ninth Street.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by to watch Pastor Will in action in this celebration of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

There was a variety of doggos... and one owner even brought his late pet in a cremation box... 

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a reader-submitted photo from 1st Street) ...

• At long last, workers remove the sidewalk bridge from around Mariana Bracetti Plaza (Tuesday) 

• Little Amal made a big impression on the Lower East Side (Thursday) 

• A look inside the former Gracefully storefront on Avenue A, vacant now for nearly 8 years (Wednesday) 

• A short walk with a tall man (Thursday) 

• New cat owner opens Cosmic Cat Cafe on 2nd Street (Monday) 

• The Juicy Lucy kiosk returns to service on 1st Street (Friday) 

• Davey's Ice Cream officially debuts today in new 9th Street shop (Friday) 

• Solo Pizza has closed on Avenue B (Wednesday) 

• Art gallery Amanita debuts on the Bowery (Thursday) 

• Openings: MayRee on 1st Street (Wednesday)

• A Parish Picnic outside St. Stanislaus on 7th Street (Sunday)

• Buka bringing Nigerian cuisine to 1st Avenue (Monday) 

• La Pizza Italiya taking over the Baker's Pizza space on Avenue A (Monday) 

• City removes tree with Dutch elm disease from Tompkins Square Park (Thursday) 

• Empanada Mama makes it signage-on-the-plywood official on 14th and 1st (Friday) 

• To no surprise, 'emergency work' is necessary at the long-empty 6 Avenue B (Wednesday) 

• 345 Cantina takes over for Tableside on 6th Street (Tuesday) 

• Kenneth Cole reopening Bowery outpost with a 'Temporary' concept (Monday) 

• The P.F. Chang's outpost opens on University Place (Tuesday) 

• Yaki Sushi takes over for Hawkers on 14th Street (Monday) 

... and Ben freshened up the Ink on A storefront (66 Avenue A, and one of our favorite shops) this past week... with new paint and a more uncluttered display of magazines... (photo by Stacie Joy) ...

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Prepping for the Pulaski Day Parade

Photo by Derek Berg 

As seen this morning outside St. Stanislaus between Avenue A and First Avenue... today is the 85th annual Pulaski Day Parade on Fifth Avenue. This year's Parade theme is "Marching With Heart, Soul & Love of Polonia."

Hopefully, the weather holds off on the celebration expected to draw thousands of spectators and participants.

Sunday's opening shot

Rain and wind expected throughout the day ... with the greatest chance coming around 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. 

Speaking of wind, not to be alarming, but there is a GALE WARNING (!!!) in effect until 6 p.m. So this is not the day to see if the skiff might be seaworthy. 

Per the Weather Channel: 

WHAT...Northeast winds 20 to 25 kt with gusts up to 35 kt and seas 2 to 4 feet. 

WHERE...Long Island Sound west of Port Jefferson and New Haven, and New York Harbor. 

WHEN...Until 6 PM EDT this evening. 

IMPACTS...Strong winds will cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions. 

 Speaking of the Mariners, Seattle made the playoffs this year.

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

A moment with Christo, one of the resident red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park... the photo is from atop the Park office ...

RebelMatic in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Here's a flashback to last Saturday ... when the four members of RebelMatic brought their brand of punk and funk to Tompkins Square Park. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on hand for the band's high-energy set...

The show also featured South Bronx legends 24-7 Spyz, Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello, Incendiary Device and Butterbrain.

Happy Hitchcocktober!

If it's October (it is!), then it's also time for the return of Hitchcocktober to Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue at 12th Street. 

And here's this year's slate of Alfred Hitchcock films: 

• Oct. 5, "The Birds" 

 • Oct. 12, "Rope"

• Oct. 19, "Dial M for Murder" 

 • Oct. 26, "Saboteur" 

• Oct. 31, "Psycho"

You can find ticket info here. And several of the screenings are in the large auditorium — the Jaffe Art Theatre. 

A photo exhibition of hardcore, punk and metal at C-Squat

You can check out the photography of the Worldwide Hardcore Firing Squad at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space/C-Squat on Avenue  C this weekend.

The exhibit features the work of Tim Daley, Rich Zoeller and Steven Messina. Per the invite: "These three photographers (collectively known as the Worldwide Hardcore Firing Squad) have been standing side by side in various photo pits and mosh pits for many years." 

The space is open from 2-5 p.m. this weekend. You can access the free show via MoRUS, 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street. 

Meanwhile, here's a look at the photos and space via EVG contributor Stacie Joy ...

Saturday's opening shot

Bowery and Houston this morning... where the retails space on the southwest corner has been vacant since Cherche Midi, Keith McNally's French brasserie, closed in June 2018. 

And now turning to the weather... as the National Weather Service puts it, expect wet, cool and breezy conditions today.

A decent amount of rain is expected this weekend. Here are the latest forecast amounts. #NYwx #CTwx #NJwx #NYCwx pic.twitter.com/BaaosKLGo7

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) September 30, 2022

Next up, sports....

6 posts from September

The team at Solo Pizza as the pizzeria closes on Avenue B. Photo by Stacie Joy. 

A mini month in review... 

• Big changes are coming to the iconic skate spot in Tompkins Square Park (Sept. 13) 

• Astor Wines & Spirits has new owners — its employees (Sept. 13) 

• Here's a look at the proposed designs for the new East River Park amphitheater (Sept. 8)

• J. Crew confirmed for the Bowery (Sept. 6) 

• Unsafe levels of arsenic found in the drinking water at Riis Houses; when did city officials know? (Sept. 3) 

• Tenant concern as longtime family-owned residential buildings sell for $58 million (Sept. 1)

This is a fantastic ramshackle day

 

A new video dropped this week for a previously unreleased Joe Strummer track titled "Fantastic" ... included on the record "Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years." 

The video, including scenes around the East Village, features archival footage shot by Strummer, Dick Rude, Julien Temple, Don Letts and more. 

Per American Songwriter: 

Filmmaker Lance Bangs, who has directed videos for Nirvana, Sonic Youth, R.E.M., Green Day, and more, pieced together unseen footage from the artist's archives to lend a visual accompaniment to "Fantastic," and Strummer's lyrical oratory around dreaming, making change and better days... 

And the track: 

Recorded in December 2002 at the Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, Wales, "Fantastic" was one of Strummer’s final recordings, with vocals laid down just weeks after Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros played their last-ever live show at Liverpool University on Nov. 22, 2002, and exactly one month before Strummer’s untimely death on Dec. 22, 2002, at the age of 50.

H/T, Dr. Bop!