Calendar

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The New York Sun

ART


WONDER AS SHE WANDERS Israeli artist Leora Laor displays stills from digital video shot in a Jerusalem public park and the city’s Orthodox neighborhood Mea Shearim. The exhibit, “Wanderland,” includes pictures of children, couples, and friends, along with several haunting photographs of lone figures. Ms. Laor often films from a long distance, and then enlarges the pixels and intensifies the color of selected stills until they resemble blurry paintings. Through Saturday, January 22, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Andrea Meislin Gallery, 526 W. 26th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, no. 214, 212-627-2552, free. Note: The gallery will be closed Saturday, December 25, through Tuesday, January 4.


SPIRITUALITY MEETS SCIENCE For her new installation, “Nano Mandala,” Victoria Vesna collaborated with nanoscientist James Gimzewski. A video based on the molecular structure of a single grain of sand is projected onto an 8-foot disk of sand on the gallery’s floor. The projection evolves into a mandala designed by monks in India. Reception: Tonight, 6-8 p.m. Exhibit: Tomorrow through Saturday, January 29, Tuesday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m., Location One, 26 Greene St., between Canal and Grand streets, 212-334-3347, free.


BOOKS


LAUGHTER IN THE SANCTUARY The author of “Laughter in the Living Room: Television Comedy and the American Home Audience” (Peter Lang), Michael Tueth, discusses and signs his book. Tonight, 7 p.m., St. Francis Xavier Church, 46 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-627-2100, free.


AMERICAN SPIRIT Photojournalist Chester Higgins shares work from his book “Echo of the Spirit”(Doubleday),which features photographs focusing mostly on African-Americans. Tomorrow, 7-8:30 p.m., Brownstone Books, 409 Lewis Ave. at Decatur Street, Brooklyn, 718-953-7328, free.


COMEDY


GURU GUFFAWS Indian-American comedians, including Paul Verghese, Vidur Kapur, and Anand Chulani perform in a show titled “The Gurus of Comedy.” Tonight, 7 and 9 p.m., ImaginAsian Theater, 239 E. 59th St., between Second and Third avenues, 212-371-6682, $20.


REMEMBERING HICKS A tribute to Bill Hicks celebrates the comedian who found a fan base just months before his death, when the David Letterman Show abruptly cut off his scathing stand-up routine. Hicks died of pancreatic cancer at age 33 in 1993. A critic at the New Yorker, John Lahr, and writer Greg Palast host the event. Mr. Lahr wrote an early profile of the comedian that helped him find a wider audience. The evening includes a screening of clips from the new DVD “Bill Hicks Live.” Soft Skull Press presents the tribute in celebration of the publication of “Love All the People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines,” a collection of Hicks’s work. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery at Bleecker Street, 212-614-0505, $7.


FAMILY


GET THE BLUES The popular interactive television show “Blue’s Clues” comes to the stage for a special birthday party show. Children in the audience receive their own “handy-dandy” notebooks and crayons so they can follow along with Joe and Blue on their hunt for clues. Tomorrow, 4 and 7 p.m., Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, between Paul and Goulden avenues, Bronx, 718-960-8833, $10-$25.


SURPRISE PARTY Actress Betsy von Furstenberg reads from and signs her children’s book “Grandmother’s Surprise.” Saturday, 2-4 p.m., Drama Book Shop, 250 W. 40th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-944-0595 ext. 417, free, reservations requested.


FILM


JOURNEYS IN ISRAEL The Israel Film Festival in Brooklyn opens with a screening of “Hitchhikers,” written by Israeli satirist and talk show host Dudu Topaz. The film tracks the conversations between an Orthodox soldier, a free-spirited young woman, and an Israeli Arab as they share a car trip to Tel Aviv from Haifa (tomorrow, 7:15 p.m. reception, 8 p.m. screening, discussion to follow). The other films in the series are “Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi,” known as the “Israeli ‘Good Will Hunting'” (Saturday, 8 p.m.) and the family drama “Broken Wings” (Sunday, 7 p.m.). Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane St., between Court and Clinton streets, Brooklyn, 718-875- 1550, $8 in advance, $10 at the door, $20 for all screenings.


SILENT NIGHT Three silent films are screened with piano accompaniment by Ben Model. The Museum of Modern Art recently restored two short films written and directed by Charlie Chaplin, “The Floorwalker” (1916) and “The Cure” (1917). Rounding out the program is a restored version of Mack Sennett’s feature-length comedy “Tillie’s Punctured Romance” (1914), which has nine extra minutes. Friday, 8:30 p.m., Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St. at Fifth Avenue, $10 general, $8 seniors, $6 full-time students.


HOLIDAYS


HARP ON IT Folkie harpist Joanna Newsom performs with label-mates from Drag City records at a musical Christmas party titled “It’s a Wonderful Next Life.” The party’s festive dress code is “a sweater with a knip cap or scarf.” Saturday and Sunday, 8 p.m. doors open, Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. at Bowery, 212-533-2111, $15. Note: Over 21 only.


MUSIC


NEXT BIG THING Unsigned rock bands get their chance to shine at a showcase sponsored by Rheingold. Featured performers include Citigrass, American String Conspiracy, and the Flanks. The first 50 through the door win a complimentary beer. Tomorrow, 8 p.m. doors open, 8:30 p.m. show, Siberia, 356 W. 40th St. at Ninth Avenue, 212-333-4141, $5.


RETRO METRO The early music ensemble MetroBaroque presents holiday music for soprano, baroque flute, viola da gamba, and harpsichord. Friday, 7:30 p.m. concert, 9 p.m. reception, Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. at Clinton Street, Brooklyn, 718-222-4111 ext. 250, $25 general, $20 members, seniors, and students, free for children under 12, reservations and prepayment required.


CHAMBER CONCERT The Brooklyn Chamber Music Society presents a program featuring Boccherini’s Quintet for strings in E major and Schubert’s Quintet for strings in C major. Friday, 8 p.m., First Unitarian Church, Pierrepont Street between Monroe Place and Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, 718-858-0718, $25.


CAROL CONCERT A choral vespers service includes a performance of Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” by the Saint Cecilia Choir, organ, and harp. Saturday, 3 p.m., Grace Church in New York, 802 Broadway at 10th Street, 212-254-2000, free.


READINGS


ACHEY BREAK Harold Pinter’s 1961 play “A Slight Ache” was originally performed as a radio play, despite the fact that one of its three characters never speaks. It’s performed in an event presented by Food for Thought, which pairs afternoon luncheons and dramatic readings. Today, 12:30 p.m. lunch, 1:30 p.m. reading, National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, between Irving Place and Gramercy Park West, 212-362-2560, $47. Note: Business attire required.


THANKS, BUT NO THANKS The Rejection Show invites writers and comedians to present works that major publications deemed unfit to print. Tonight, Jonathan Ames reads rejected humor pieces, comedian Matt Goldich offers rejected “Saturday Night Live” skits, and musical duo Stuckey & Murray present songs including “Santa Claus Gave Me Diabetes.” The series’ host and founder Jon Friedman screens his short film “Santa Claus & the Jew.”Several New Yorker cartoonists who are regular attendees at the show offer up panels that didn’t make it to print – although in the past, the comics have shown off cartoons that have later been spotted in the magazine. Tonight, 8 p.m., P.S. 122, 150 First Ave. at 9th Street, 212-477-5829, $7.


WASHINGTON SQUARE WRITING A poetry and fiction reading benefits Washington Square, NYU’s Graduate Writing Program literary journal. Readers include James Frey, Hannah Tinti, and Matthew Rohrer. Friday, 7 p.m., New York Univer sity, 19 University Place at 8th Street, first floor lounge, 212-998-8816, $5 general, $3 students.


TALKS


PRESERVING THE VILLAGE Professor Joshua Kotzin examines the preservation movement in late 19th-century America through the lens of literature. He discusses, among other topics, how Henry James wrote that he imagined Greenwich Village would be remembered in the future.The program is a presentation of the GreenwichVillage Society for Historic Preservation. Tonight, 6 p.m., Jefferson Market Regional Library, Sixth Avenue at West 10th Street, 212-475-9585 ext. 39, free, reservations required.


GROSS OUT Curator and critic Robert Storr discusses the grotesque in contemporary art. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., New York Studio School, 8 W. 8th St. at Fifth Avenue, 212-673-6466, free.


DNA DAY Authors Rob DeSalle and Michael Yudell give a lecture on the power and potential of the human genome. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., American Museum of Natural History, Kaufman Theater, 79th Street and Central Park West, 212-769-5200, $15 general, $13.50 members, seniors, and students.


COMPOSERS AND CULTURE Music historian Joel Sachs examines the cultural identity of Jewish composers from the former Soviet Union. Saturday, 1:15-2:30, Society for the Advancement of Judaism, 15 W. 86th St., between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, 212-724-7000, free.


THEATER


TRYING TIMES Andre Gide and Jean-Louis Barrault’s adaptation of Kafka’s “The Trial” opens this week. John Lenartz stars as Joseph K in the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble production. Opens: Friday, 8 p.m. Runs: Friday through Sunday, January 9, days vary, 8 p.m. all days except Sundays, 3 p.m., the Mint Space, 311 W. 43rd St. at Eighth Avenue, fifth floor, 212-352-3101, $15.


TOURS


OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS A candlelight tour of the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum transports visitors to the holiday season of 1827. The tour features live seasonal music, fresh eggnog, and rooms decked in period holiday decorations. A special Saturday afternoon tour includes a craft session for families with children ages 4 and older (Saturday, 3 p.m.). Tomorrow and Friday, 6, 7, and 8 p.m.; Saturday, 3, 4, and 5 p.m., Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden, 421 E. 61st St., between First and York avenues, 212-838-6878 $12 general, $6 members and children under 12, reservations required.



To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.


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