The dog days of summer are over, so now you can put away Christopher Lloyd in summer stock and get serious about arts and culture again. But there are a lot of music, art, theater and events on the schedule, so join us now for our annual cheat sheet on the season to come:
Theater
Mack!
McMurphy and Nurse Ratched will square off in a battle of wills when The Heights Players revive “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” the Broadway play based on Ken Kesey’s book (which later became the award-winning movie with Jack Nicholson).
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” at The Heights Players [26 Willow Pl. between Joralemon and State streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 237-2752], Sept. 10-26. Tickets $15. For info, visit www.heightsplayers.org.
Butler vision
Trust us, you want to see what the butler saw in The Gallery Players’ take on Joe Orton’s wild comedy, “What the Butler Saw.” Watch the mayhem ensue, British style, as a dishonest married couple struggle to keep secrets from one, while simultaneously trying to impress a hospital inspector.
“What the Butler Saw” at The Gallery Players [199 14th St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Park Slope, (212) 352-3101], Sept. 11-26. Tickets $18. For info, visit www.galleryplayers.com
Le Kids
Bay Ridge bards at the Narrows Theater will demonstrate just how low a man can sink with its rendition of “Les Miserables.” The kids, who are 19-years-old or younger, will portray do-gooder convict Jean Valjean as he flees Javert, the intuitive cop, and, of course, the revolutionaries. And he only stole a crust of bread!
“Le Miserables: Student Edition” at St. Patrick Grammar School [97th Street and Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge, (718) 482-3173], Sept. 17-26. Tickets $20 ($15 students, seniors, children).
Catch the ‘Wave’
Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival has consistently wowed theatergoers by wrangling top-notch performances from all over the world and bringing them to convenient Fort Greene. Some highlights of the three-month festival are:
• Laurie Anderson’s new collection of short plays, “Delusion” (Sept. 21–Oct. 3). The singer and Lou Reed pal will tell stories about ghost ships, elves, and dead relatives, while providing the music with her trademark violin.
• Tanztheater Wuppertal’s performance of “Full Moon” (Sept. 29–Oct. 9) set amid a raging, onstage river that will flow over all the dancers.
• Creator Jan Lauwers and Needcompany’s U.S. premiere of “The Deer House” (Oct. 5–9). A Kosovan family of deer-breeders during wartime is the subject of this disturbing and enchanting fairy tale.
• Ralph Lemon’s “How Can You Stay in the House All Day and Not Go Anywhere?” (Oct. 13–16), which explores the past memories and the future dreams of a 102-year-old ex-sharecropper with dance, film and music.
• Bang on a Can All-Stars & Gamelan Salukat’s performance of “A House in Bali” (Oct. 14-16), an opera of cultural discovery set on the paradisiacal isle.
• Ridge Theater’s “Persephone” (Oct 26–30). This time, the classic Greek tale is infused with rock and electronica music. Julia Stiles stars as the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Demeter who goes to hell and back.
The Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music [30 Lafayette Ave. near St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100] begins on Sept. 21 and continues through Dec. 19. Visit www.bam.org for info.
Theater of the absurd
Fool’s Proof Theatre presents “Je Suis Dead,” a tale about the things we inherit, from the obvious — money — to the less tangible, like culture. In this new play, watch how inheritance affects three strangers after they go through a near-death experience. They reflect on identity, and get some help when relatives from their distant past come back to offer advice. Absurd? Yes, but also profound.
“Je Suis Dead” at the Irondale Center [85 S. Oxford St. between Lafayette and Greene avenues in Fort Greene, (718) 488-9223], Sept. 30–Oct. 2 at 8 pm. Tickets $25. For info, visit www.irondale.org.
Puppy play
Let two of Jamaica’s funniest theatrical exports, Oliver Samuels and Dahlia Harris, show you an easy way to stress out a marriage. In “Puppy Love,” a husband in a well-to-do Jamaican family tries to hide the fact he’s fallen for a younger woman. Drama — and laughs — ensue.
“Puppy Love” at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts [2900 Campus Rd. at Hillel Place in Flatbush, (718) 951-4500] on Oct. 23 at 8 pm. Tickets $39-$48. For info, visit www.brooklyncenter.com.
Music
Money maker
Get two tickets to paradise when you catch legendary classic-rocker Eddie Money on Sept. 25. Although the concert will end about midnight, as the hit song goes, you won’t want to let him go till you see the light.
Eddie Money at Aviator Sports Arena [3600 Flatbush Ave. at Floyd Bennett Field, (718) 758-7500], Sept. 25 at 7:30 pm. Tickets $25-$45. For info, visit www.aviatorsports.com.
Family fun
Grammy Award-winning guitarist Tom Chapin will croon selections from his kid-friendly catalogue at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts. His clever tunes about family can entertain both children and their parents. Let’s put it this way: he beats the hell out of Barney.
Tom Chapin at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts [2900 Campus Rd. at Hillel Place in Flatbush, (718) 951-4500], Oct. 3 at 2 pm. Tickets $7. For info, visit www.brooklyncenter.com.
Soulfest
Barabara Lynn and Betty Harris are synonymous with 1970s Southern soul. In October, they’ll come north to headline the second annual Brooklyn Soul Festival. The ladies will be supported by other classic class-acts like Vernon Garett and Harvey Scales, and along with DJs, a record fair, and — for the taste buds — local soul food.
Brooklyn Soul Festival at The Bell house [149 Sixth St. between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643-6510], Oct 8–9. Tickets, $25. For info, visit www.thebellhouseny.com.
Country in the city
Indie-rockers Los Campesinos! don’t travel light: their extensive cache of instruments includes violins, horns, keyboards, and even a glockenspiel. But then again, all seven members should probably be doing something onstage. Catch their poppy, orchestrated music in Williamsburg for two nights in October.
Los Campesinos! at Music Hall of Williamsburg [66 N. Sixth St. between Wythe and Kent avenues in Williamsburg, (718) 486-5400], Oct. 15-16 at 9 pm. Tickets $20 ($18 in advance). For info, visit www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com.
Brooklyn stew
The musical ensemble Stew and the Negro Problem captures something we can all relate to: the ever-changing landscape of the borough. “Brooklyn Omnibus” is an eclectic song-cycle that follows a collections of transient city residents and their different lives. This borough-centric show easily could turn into fall’s must see.
Stew and the Negro Problem at Brooklyn Academy of Music [30 Lafayette Ave. near St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], Oct. 20–23 at 7:30 pm. Tickets $25-$65. For info, visit www.bam.org.
Polemic pianists
Forget Johnny Rotten. St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble will honor two musicians who really gave the middle finger to convention with “Nothing Sacred: Bolcom and Beethoven.” Although working centuries apart, both of these composers forged a new sound by incorporating a wide range of styles into their music. For Beethoven, it was popular music around the year 1800; for contemporary composer Bolcom, it is jazz, rock, and even cabaret.
St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble at the Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, (212) 594-6100], Oct. 23 from 2–4 pm. Tickets $25-$35. For info, visit www.oslmusic.org.
Books
Book bash
Just like any 5-year-old, the Brooklyn Book Festival is growing fast. This year, listen to talks and interviews from fiction phenomena Salman Rushdie and Gary Shteyngart, watchdog Naomi Klein, economist Paul Krugman, and comedienne Sarah Silverman. Literature has never been this exciting! “Bookend” events will be happening all over town, too, and will feature music, films, and talks by special guests such as cult icon and pencil-mustachioed John Waters.
The Brooklyn Book Festival, Sept. 10-12, at venues in and near Downtown. The festival itself is on Sept. 12 at Borough Hall [209 Joralemon St. between Adams and Court streets in Downtown, (718) 802-3700], For info, visit www.brooklynbookfestival.org.
Yo-guy
Bendable Brooklynites, stretch your imagination and see yoga from a different point of view. Funnyman Neal Pollack pokes fun at the cult-like exercise in his new book “Stretch: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude.” And don’t worry, there won’t be any New Age talk on the menu.
Neal Pollack at The Powerhouse Arena [37 Main St. at Water Street in DUMBO, (718) 666-3049], Sept. 15 from 7–9 pm. Free.
Artsy author
Josh Neufeld calls Brooklyn home, but his award-winning graphic novel, “A.D.,” is about how Hurricane Katrina changed New Orleans forever. He’ll discuss the book with Calvin Reid, a senior news editor at Publishers Weekly and co-editor of PW Comics Week, and then play a slideshow of art from the novel.
Josh Neufeld and Calvin Reid at Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene (718) 246-0200]. Sept. 20 at 7:30 pm. Free. For info, visit abookstoreinbrooklyn.blogspot.com.
Legal lit
Justin Peacock knows his legal lingo. He spent years toiling for a Brooklyn federal judge before ditching his job to become a crime author, so you know his stories are authentic. He’ll read his new thriller, “Blind Man’s Alley,” which explores the dog-eat-dog world of New York real estate, at the Powerhouse Arena.
Justin Peacock at Powerhouse Arena [37 Main St. at Water Street in DUMBO, (718) 666-3049]. Sept. 21 from 7–9 pm. Free.
Literary local
Brooklyn’s own Myla Goldberg just released her newest book, “The False Friend,” about a woman who begins to remember something traumatic from her childhood. Read it before it’s made into a movie (like Goldberg’s last novel, “Bee Season”) so you can impress everyone at the theater.
Myla Goldberg at Book Court [163 Court St. between Pacific and Dean streets in Cobble Hill, (718) 875-3677], Oct. 7 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.bookcourt.org.
Booze and books
Writers have a reputation for being alcoholics (thanks, Faulkner). Now it’s the reader’s turn! Hit the bar before, during, and after the surly storytelling event, “You Got a Problem With That?” Listen as authors, storytellers and barflies share how they cope with adversity. We’ll give you one guess.
“You Got a Problem With That?” at BAMCafé [30 Lafayette Ave. near St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], Oct. 21 at 8 pm. Tickets $10. For info, visit www.bam.org.
Art
DUMBO art
Shove through the crowds in humble DUMBO this fall for the seventh anniversary of the DUMBO Arts Festival, which turns the streets, lofts, offices, aeries and studios into one big feast of painting, video, music, book, installation, sculpture, and just about anything else you want.
DUMBO Arts Festival will run from Sept. 24–26 at several venues in the waterfront area. For places, times, and tickets visit www.dumboartsfestival.com
The 300
The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s big fall show is a 300-artist collection called, “Lineage,” which features paintings, installations, and sculptures, as well as a film festival and live music. And what a view from the back of the warehouse!
“Lineage” at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition [499 Van Brunt St. near Reed Street, (718) 569–2506], Sept. 25–Oct. 31. Free. For info, visit www.bwac.org.
Made it
Attention starving artists, there is still hope! One of you made it. See how Fred Tomaselli did it at the retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum, featuring his otherworldly landscapes and collage-style portraits.
Fred Tomaselli at The Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718) 638-5000], Oct. 8–Jan. 2. Tickets $10 (suggested). For info, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org
Film
Bela’s bite
There are worse bites than bedbug bites. See just how bad bloodsuckers can be at BAMcinématek series: “Bela Lugosi’s Dead, Vampires Live Forever.” Catch the classics such as the original “Dracula,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” and “Let the Right One In,” along with the lighter side of the occult with Nick Cage in “Vampire’s Kiss.”
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead, Vampires Live Forever” at BAM Rose Cinemas [30 Lafayette Ave. near St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], Sept 11–30. Check www.bam.org for tickets and show times.
Film fest
“Warriors, come out to play!”
It wouldn’t be a Coney Island Film Festival without the classic cult film, “The Warriors,” which put Coney on the map (the map of decayed urban jungles, but who’s counting?). But Walter Hill’s 1979 film is just one of many on the marquee.
Coney Island Film Festival at Sideshows by the Seashore [834 Surf Ave. near W. Eighth Street in Coney Island, (718) 372-5159], Sept. 24–26. Tickets $10-$25 ($45 for a weekend pass). For info and showtimes, visit www.coneyislandfilmfestival.com
Science screening
Film nerds and science nerds collaborate to bring you the third-annual Imagine Science Film Festival. Have a few beers and take in some short films documenting interesting scientists and their discoveries. Brought to you by the Secret Science Club.
Imagine Science Film Festival at The Bell House [149 Seventh St. between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643-6510], Oct. 18 at 7:30 pm. Free.
Events
Brooklyn roots
Why should reality TV have all the fun? The guys from the Food Experiments have finally convened Brooklyn’s best chefs for a culinary battle-royal — and you get to be Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colecchio! Cuisines from all over the world will be represented, and you’ll get to taste them all.
Brooklyn Roots Experiment at Invisible Dog Gallery [51 Bergen St. between Boerum Place and Smith Street in Cobble Hill, (347) 981-4186], Sept. 12, from noon–3 pm. Tickets $25. For info, visit www.thefoodexperiments.com.
Comic fall
If you need a laugh, count on Eugene Mirman and his third-annual self-named comedy festival. Comic David Cross, John Oliver from “The Daily Show” and of course, Eugene Mirman will be just three of many, many hilarious comedians at the fest.
Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival at the Bell House [149 Seventh St. between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643-6510]; Rock Shop [249 Fourth Ave. near Carroll Street in Park Slope, (718) 230-5740]; and Union Hall [702 Union St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues in Park Slope, (718) 638-4400], Sept 16–19. Visit www.eugenemirmancomedyfestival.com for tickets and showtimes.
The lastest supper
Films, installations, art and — of course — food will be featured at this year’s “The Last Supper Festival” at 3rd Ward. Some of the art, including Shelly Sabel’s Jell-O Virgin Marys, will be edible! You know that other, more-famous Last Supper? This one is going to be way better.
The Last Supper Festival at 3rd Ward [195 Morgan Ave. at Stagg Street in Bushwick, (718) 715-4961], Sept. 18 from 4 pm–2 am. Tickets $15 ($10 with three cans of food for Food Bank NYC). For info and to RSVP, visit www.3rdward.com.
Hometown brews
Brooklyn Lager might be ubiquitous, but it’s certainly not the only lager with a Brooklyn heritage. Celebrate indigenous intoxicants with events such as “Bike Brooklyn Beer Blitz!” — a bike tour to historic breweries — and “Brewed in Brooklyn,” where you can learn about (and taste) local lagers. Plus, it’s an excuse to drink all week.
Craft Beer Week will be ongoing at many locations from Sept. 24–Oct. 3. Visit www.nycbeerweek.com for events, tickets and locations.
Pepper party
Whenever the air starts to turn cool, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden trots out its hottest stuff: chili peppers from all over the world. And unlike the annual cherry blossom festival, you can actually eat the flowers, thanks to sampling stations of kimchi, pickles, Mayan main courses and British curries. There’ll even be chili chocolate. And, of course, there’ll be chili costumes and music for the kids.
Chili Pepper Fiesta at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens [1000 Washington Ave. at Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, (718) 623-7220], Oct. 2, noon–6 pm. Tickets $8.
Manic Atlantic
Every fall for the past 36 years, Atlantic Avenue has been transformed into a bustling gauntlet of food and art vendors. We dare you to walk the mile-long street festival without eating way too much. Hundreds of thousands of people show up to eat, shop, and catch some great bands. And, of course, your friends from The Brooklyn Paper and its Courier-Life sister publications will be manning (and womanning) a booth. Get your papers here!
Atlantic Antic (Atlantic Avenue between Hicks Street and Fourth Avenue), Sept. 26, 10 am–6 pm.
