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Spring ahead! The best arts events coming up in 2018

Spring ahead! The best arts events coming up in 2018

This newspaper’s prognostication department has determined the best places to go for the next few months, whether you are looking for art, theater, nightlife, or just an excellent slice of pizza. Here are the things to watch out for in 2018:

Stardust memories

The death of rock star David Bowie in early 2016 was the devastating blow to music lovers, and you can expect plenty of misty-eyed fans at 2018’s biggest art show: “David Bowie is” opening at Brooklyn Museum on March 2. The exhibit will incorporate music, art, film, and theatrical spectacle, showcasing more than 300 artifacts from the rock icon’s career, including hand-written lyrics, rare photos from his teenage years, album art, concept drawings, and music video installations, along with more than 60 of Bowie’s stage costumes, including his turns as Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke.

The show has been touring the world for the last five years, but the Brooklyn Museum installment will add a few never-before-seen elements to the collection that explore Bowie’s relationship with America, where he lived for the last 20 years of his life. Advance tickets are strongly recommended for this show — the $35 “Lightning Bolt” tickets have already sold out for the opening weekend.

“David Bowie is” at Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718) 638–5000, www.brooklynmuseum.org]. March 2–July 15. $20–$2,500.

A Starr is back

The black-box theater Bushwick Starr has been knocking it out of the park lately, with recent productions “Animal Wisdom” extending its run twice, and “Porto” about to open Off-Broadway. So we have high hopes for “Cute Activist,” a political fable from Brooklyn playwright Milo Cramer, which follows a young woman from a self-consciously “spooky” little town as she tries to fit activism into her daily life. The show, which opens Jan. 10, will feature some theatrical flourishes, including videos, puppets, and musical numbers, along with a performance from the king of Off-Broadway, David Greenspan.

“Cute Activist” at the Bushwick Starr (207 Starr St. between Wyckoff and Irving avenues in Bushwick, www.thebushwickstarr.org). Jan. 10–27 at 8 pm. $20–$25.

Nite’s out

When renovations are complete this spring, the second outpost of the Nitehawk movie theater chain — in the Prospect Park space formerly occupied by the Pavilion theater — will be more than three times the size of its Williamsburg incarnation, with seven cinemas holding up to 650 people. A bar on the top floor will cater to the non-movie going public, and the new space will allow the mini-theater chain to show bigger, blockbuster summer shows, in addition to its usual indie fare.

Nitehawk Prospect Park (188 Prospect Park West at 14th Street in Park Slope, www.nitehawkcinema.com/prospectpark). Coming in spring, 2018.

You know what I’m talking about: BAM’s February festival of black superhero films will include that bad mother “Shaft.”

Point of order

It seems that a new brewery and taproom opens every week, but one of Brooklyn’s oldest breweries, Sixpoint, still doesn’t have a dedicated space for its own brews. That will change in 2018 — the former Rocky Sullivan’s tavern, adjacent to the brewery, will become a Sixpoint taproom in the near future, where you can sample the freshest brews, and then take a tour of the facilities. No date has been set, but we hope to throw down some Sweet Action ale at the brewery soon.

Sixpoint taproom (34 Van Dyke St. at Dwight Street in Red Hook, www.sixpoint.com). Some time in 2018.

Gee whiz!

Beloved wood-fired pizza spot Paulie Gee’s has been planning its casual spin-off Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop for more than a year, but the final bits of construction seem to finally be underway, according to tweets from Paul himself. The new spot, catty-corner from the Brooklyn Expo Center, will offer single slices of classic New York-style pizzas, along with carry-out options and a bar featuring beer, wine, and cider.

Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop (110 Franklin St. at Noble Street in Greenpoint). Coming in mid-March, 2018.

Black to the future

Ever since we saw the thrill-packed trailer for Marvel’s “Black Panther,” we have been quivering with anticipation for the Afro-futuristic flick. But before it opens on Feb. 16, the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s film division, BAMcinematek will celebrate with 28 of Panther’s filmic fore-runners, in the series “Fight the Power: Black Superheroes on Film,” starting on Feb. 2.

The bad-ass festival will open with 1977’s “Abar, the First Black Superman” and continue with films starring over-the-top blaxploitation heroes, including “Shaft” and “Foxy Brown,” supernatural tales such as “Candyman” and “Blade,” and goofy comedies like “Meteor Man” and “Brother from Another Planet.”

“Fight the Power: Black Superheroes on Film” at the BAM Rose Cinema [30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Place in Fort Greene, (718) 636–4100], www.bam.org]. Feb. 2–18. $15.

Bolt bust: The “David Bowie is” exhibit at Brooklyn Museum will feature many images of the rock icon, including this photo from the cover shoot for his album “Aladdin Sane.”
Duffy Archive and the David Bowie Archive