Die Dreigroschenoper

My whole life I've wanted to see the Berliner Ensemble. I have been in the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm (big statue of Brecht in the park in front of it- you can't miss it), but they were on vacation for the summer. I had waited many years to see the Moscow Art Theatre as well, and when I saw their Three Sisters at BAM ten year ago I was bitterly disappointed. It was so bad, if it hadn't been the Moscow Art Theatre, I would've left at intermission.
But Friday night I was not disappointed in the Berliner Ensemble's Threepenny Opera directed by Robert Wilson. I wish I'd known when I bought the tickets online that the translation of "partial view" was "you are sitting so far house left, you and your boyfriend will be able to seen none of the three supertitle screens." It wasn't such a big deal for me, but it was for Tom, at over 3 hours. He bore it very graciously.
Other than a weird costume choice for MacHeath (a 70s-like black lounge suit that sparkled) and a poor directorial choice in Act 3 (the scene in the whorehouse was truly endless and nothing happened), it was wonderful. Unlike the last Wilson-directed play I saw (Woyzeck), the design elements a music fed the action, they didn't stop it dead. It was not quickly paced- the first two acts were three hours, but it held together as a whole.
The actors were extraordinary- completely committed in every way. And it was so refreshing to see actors in a musical who looked like people, not models. Particularly good were Stefan Kurt as Macheath, Juergen Holtz and Traute Hoess as the Peachums, Stefanie Stappenback as Polly and Angela Winkler as Jenny (she played Oskar's mother in The Tin Drum).
The other astonishing thing about this production was the music. I know the score very well- I can sing Blitzstein's or Mannheim's translations (or both) of every single song. But somehow with these voices and the musical director of Hans-Joern Brandenburg and Stefan Rager, every song was like you'd never heard it before. Charles Isherwood's review didn't exaggerate at all.
The photos are by Sarah Krulwich for the New York Times. Link to Charles Isherwood's review above.

Franz Kafka Gets the Capra Treatment

About ten years ago, I saw "Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time. It was an extra added onto a rented videocassette. It was so funny, I watched it multiple times before returning it to the video store (sadly gone now).
It's now on DVD ("Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life and other strange tales"), with three other comedic shorts, among them a strange two-hander written by Lewis Black, "The Deal". Peter Capaldi wrote and directed. Kafka (Richard E. Grant. looking unbelievably young) is struggling over his newest short story, in a rented room far above the streets of Prague. The set actually looks like one of Egon Schiele's paintings of Csesky Krumlov. But his landlady is having a loud party, the novelty store has delivered to the wrong apartment, and a weird scissors grinder who has lost his pet ("Jiminy, Jiminy Cockroach."). I can't think of anything that deserved an Oscar more.

The Tiger Play

Ever since we closed "Mi Tigre, My Lover" at the end of June at Open Source Gallery, I have been doing two things: researching the full-length version, and hunting for money to produce it.
The new character in the play (now called "The Tiger Play"; Tom said to me at one point, "You know it's 'The Tiger Play.'" And there's nothing Spanish about it, so the title just seemed weird) is Louis Roth, Mabel's second or third husband. He was a Hungarian farm boy obsessed with the U.S., and his parents allowed him to come here at the age of 13.
Today, I finished reading his autobiography, Forty Years of Jungle Killers, at the Science & Business Library in the basement of the old B. Altman's building. And I have no more excuses left to not write.

The Feast of Saint Francis

I recently changed churches, for many reasons, not the least of which was the commute. So I am no longer a member of the Church of the Holy Trinity on East 88th Street in Manhattan, I am now a member of Grace Church Brooklyn. I belonged to Grace Church in Manhattan for many years, and was married there, so I appreciate the irony that I now am at the church founded because Grace Church Manhattan was too difficult a commute once they moved up to Tenth Street.
Our schedules last Sunday were too difficult to get Augie to church to be blessed at the 5:00 PM service (and I think he could use it), but there's coverage on the Brooklyn Heights blog (link above).

St. Mark's Bookstore

St. Mark's Bookstore (link above) is in trouble. Cooper Union is trying to raise their rent, and they need our help.
Michael Moore is coming tonight at 7 to sign copies of his autobiography, Here Comes Trouble. If you can't make that, please click on the link below and sign the petition (I did). And go to St. Mark's and buy more books! By the way, the sales table is pretty great these days.
http://signon.org/sign/save-the-st-marks-bookshop?source=s.em.cr&r_by=572102&mailing_id=722
Images via Google.

Safety First Update

Via the South Slope listserve and Safe Slope's Facebook page:
Via Safe Slope on Facebook:

From Safe Slope
We are piloting our volunteer-run Safe Walk program! Tonight, Friday night, and Saturday night from 8:00pm to 3:00am. There are a few ways to arrange a walk:
(1) You can call ahead of time (347-709-8852) to let us know when/where to pick you up (for example, meeting you at a subway station when you return from another neighborhood);
(2) You can call us (347-709-8852) if you are already in the area and you want a walk ASAP. For example, we can come meet you at a friend's house/restaurant/bar/etc. or you can call from a subway station and we will direct you to a safe meeting place;
(3) When possible, our volunteers will be providing direct outreach at subway stations. If you see us tonight, we can walk you home.

For more information, please see: http://safeslope.org/programs

Please remember that Safe Walk is available for women- and LGBTQ-identified people only and, at this time, we can only travel between 9th St and 30th St/3rd Ave and 8th Ave. We will try to accommodate as many people as possible.

Safety First

There have been 11 (!) sexual assaults (attempted or executed) on women in my South Brooklyn neighborhood since last March. The first one was a block away from my apartment. Many of the assaults have been in the vicinity of my subway stop at Prospect Avenue. The police's handling of these assaults has been absolutely shameful. They have arrested one possible suspect who was released because he had an airtight alibi.
There was a rally and march a few weeks ago, organized by Safe Slope, and the intermittent presence of the Guardian Angels.
Today's Brooklyn Based describes the initial Safe Slope initiative: Safe Walk. Safe Walk will escort women and/or LGTB people home in the neighborhood (9th to 30th Streets, between 2nd and 8th Aves.). If you need a walk, call 347-709-8852.

Brooklyn Bike Patrol is a second new safety service that has sprung up in the wake of the attacks. Its founder, Jay Ruiz, with the help volunteers, fields calls and emails from women who want a buddy to walk them home. The bike patrol operates every day of the week. Anyone who needs an accompanied walk home can call or email Sunday through Thursday 7:30pm to 11pm and Friday and Saturday from 8pm to 1am to arrange a meet-up. Contact BBP by phone, 718-744-7592, or email, rocket55j@aol.com.

Link to Brooklyn Based article (from which I've lifted much) above.