Convention Calendar

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun
NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

BOOKS


REPUBLICAN SALE


Argosy Book Store offers 10% off for selected Republican items, including a signed 1906 photograph of President Theodore Roosevelt, an original political cartoon depicting a “Republican Pachyderm” by Thomas Nast, and an autographed leather-bound copy of President Ford’s autobiography, “A Time to Heal.” Sale: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 116 E. 59th St., between Park and Lexington avenues, 212-367-3893.


COMEDY


GOP GUFFAWS


Move over, Michael Moore: A pro-Republican stand-up comedy show moves into Times Square before and during the Republican convention. Jeff “Big Daddy” Wayne of HBO’s Comedy Relief hosts “The Right Stuff” with an act that tackles gun control, capital punishment, and “the plight of white males.” Featured comedians include Fox News contributor Julia Gorin, Chris Warren, who is recently back from entertaining troops in the Middle East, and Steve Eblin, who has performed in comedy tours in the Middle East and Afghanistan.


Through Thursday, September 2, 7 p.m., The Laugh Factory, 669 Eighth Ave. at 42nd Street, 818-207-2997, $20 general, discounts for delegates available, two drink minimum, ages 18 and over.


FILM


CIVIL WAR SCREENING


Film historian Pete Delaney introduces six short films about the Civil War, including two tributes to the common soldier, a look back at the Gettysburg Address, and profiles of Ulysses Grant and Matthew Brady. The screening provides incentive to take the Staten Island Ferry to New York’s least populated borough. Sunday, 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m., Fort Wadsworth Park Visitor Center, Staten Island, 718-354-4500, free.


OUT OF ORDER


“Baghdad in No Particular Order” is an “ambient video essay” about life in Iraq before the war started. Filmmaker Paul Chan introduces the screening and participates in a Q &A with Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wildnerness. The screening is part of the Imagine Festival. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., New School, 66 West 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Alice Rice Cook Lecture Hall, room 404, 212-229-5353, free.


HEALTH


KICKING KERRY, BEATING BUSH


New York Sports Clubs hosts election-themed fitness classes that include jumping “Johns” or “Georges,” boxing exercises with punching bags masked as candidates, and a “swapping parties” sprint between cones marked Democrat and Republican. Members of Voterobics can also don their chosen candidate’s mask while getting warmed up for the coming election. 849 1373 896 1383696 1386 762 1396


Wednesday, 6:15 p.m., New York Sports Clubs, 62nd and Broadway, see www.mysportsclub.com for more information.


HISTORY


SASSY SLOGANS


An exhibit reminds history buffs that spirited campaigns have been a part of the American political landscape since the nation’s founding. A plethora of presidential campaign artifacts are on view in the exhibit If Elected: Campaigning for the Presidency. A 1776 kerchief bears a picture of George Washington. Andrew Jackson’s pioneering use of printed ribbons, trinkets, and banners helped propel him to the Oval Office, and Abraham Lincoln’s campaign boasted china plates adorned with log cabins, symbolizing his humble Illinois upbringing. In 1904, Americans could decorate their homes with metal busts of Theodore Roosevelt. A 1932 pin implores voters to “Vacuum Hoover” and a pennant from the 1920s reads “Keep Coolidge.” Through Wednesday, November 3, Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., New- York Historical Society, 2 W. 77th St. at Central Park West, 212-873-3400, $8 general, $5 students and seniors, free for members and children 12 and under.


MUSIC


POPS IN THE PARK


The New York City Host Committee presents the New York Pops orchestra in a concert of American 696 1890 809 1900music. Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers join the orchestra for an evening of music that gives both delegates and native New Yorkers a summer night of tunes in Central Park. The concert is part of the committee’s Music, Entertainment, and Culture Day. Wednesday, 6 p.m. gates open, 7 p.m. concert, Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, 69th Street and Fifth Avenue, www.newyorkpops.org, free.


PHOTOGRAPHY


NEW YORK IN FOCUS


The photography exhibit Magnum’s New Yorkers gives visitors an overview of the city’s neighborhoods and history. The exhibit focuses on human dramas captured by the photographers of Magnum Photos, the agency co-founded by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa that was better known for coverage of wars and global crises. Highlights include scenes from the blackout of 2003, the celebration following the Brooklyn Dodgers’ first and only World Series victory in 1955, scenes from Susan Meiselas’s series “Prince Street Girls” documenting the Lower East Side, and Bruce Davidson’s photo essay “East 100th Street,” and even a shot from the State Democratic Convention in 1954. Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, between 103rd and 104th streets, 212-534-1672, $12 families, $7 general, $4 seniors, students, and children.


RELIGION


BROADWAY IN LIGHTS


After an interfaith rally at Riverside Church, participants line up with flashlights for the Faith Lights Up Broadway event to form a “symbolic chain to reconnect America with its spiritual, moral, and democratic values.” Tuesday, 7-9 p.m. rally, 9-10 p.m. demonstration, Riverside Church: 490 Riverside Drive at 120th Street, demonstration: Broadway between 72nd and 125th streets and other locations in Manhattan, free.


THEATER


WONDERFUL TOWN


Selected Broadway shows can be seen for $20.04 during the convention, including “Hairspray,” “Mamma Mia!,” “The Producers,” and “Wonderful Town.” Monday through Thursday, various times and locations, see www.livebroadway.com for more information.


QUESTIONING KERRY


The Republican parody “JFK: He’s No JFK” follows Senator Kerry from his studies at Yale, through Vietnam and his years in the Senate, all the way up to his current campaign. The “proudly partisan” comedy features familiar political faces throughout, beginning with a scene with an actress playing Senator Clinton reading from “Faking History,” a book looking at Mr. Kerry’s past and future. Convention shows: Monday and Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, 1:30 and 5:30 p.m., Friday, 1:30 p.m., Kirk Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St. at Ninth Avenue, 212-239-6200, $74.50 during the convention, $50 after the convention.


CONSTITUTIONAL DRAMA


The play “Founding Fathers” dramatizes the 1787 Constitutional Convention in three acts. William Tucker wrote the play with the goal of explaining American democracy to other societies. With that in mind, a new Arabic translation has been prepared for export to Iraq as it tries to craft its own new constitution. The play is performed in English several times during the Republican convention. Attendees can see George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton on stage and then complete their constitutional experience by requesting a free preview of the museum’s Alexander Hamilton exhibit, which opens to the public on September 10. Monday, 2 p.m., New-York Historical Society, 2 West 77th St. at Central Park West, www.foundingfathersplay.com for tickets and full schedule of performances, $20.


TOURS


FIT FOR A PRESIDENT


A Municipal Art Society walking tour of Republican New York stops at the home of President Chester Arthur; Union Square, which played a role in President Lincoln’s career, and the home of the loser of the disputed 1876 presidential election, Samuel Tilden. Architectural historian Francis Morrone, who writes the “Abroad in New York” column for The New York Sun, leads the G.O.P. jaunt. Sunday, 1-3 p.m., and Tuesday, 6-7:30 p.m., meet at the Northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 28th Street, 212-439-1049, $15 on Sunday, $12 on Tuesday.


REVOLUTIONARY ROADS


NYC Discovery Walking Tours hosts a tour of sites associated with the American Revolution and the country’s early presidents. A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge ends in Brooklyn Heights, where General Washington was defeated, but managed to escape in 1776. Other stops include Trinity Church, St. Paul’s Chapel, and Federal Hall. Sunday, 2 p.m., 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place, $12.

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.


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