Arts and Entertainment Boroughwide

What they’re saying: live arts in Brooklyn this week, May 16

A roundup of Brooklyn’s cultural offerings this week, from comedy to theater to music to art, and what critics are saying about them.

May 16, 2024 Evan Rosen
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 3. Photo: Etienne Frossard
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 3.
Photo: Etienne Frossard
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Bargemusic: Masterworks Series
Music, Concerts
Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday, May 17, 18 and 19

Bargemusic offers concerts year round in a renovated coffee barge, with an intimate wood-paneled room that offers great acoustics and thrilling views of lower Manhattan.

As part of their ongoing Masterworks Series, performances this weekend will include the music of Beethoven, Schubert, Grieg and others. On Friday, the Bargemusic musicians will be offering all 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas with Commentary.

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“Last night, I attended Bargemusic, a recital of chamber music on a barge. Manhattan was the backdrop. As Bach, Mozart and Brahms played, the barge rose and fell on the breathing river. It was magic.” – Playwright John Patrick Shanley

“Spend an evening aboard New York City’s floating concert hall at Bargemusic. Open all year round, Bargmusic is moored right under the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and puts on week after week of fantastic gigs.” – VacationIdea.com

Teen Night: Power and Presence @ Brooklyn Museum
Art, Poetry, Open-mic, Art-making, Performance
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor; Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Friday, May 17 @ 5 p.m., Ages 14 to 19

Brooklyn Museum holds their teen-led program this Friday evening, inspired by Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. The event is open to teens aged 14 to 19, and registration is encouraged.

Centered on art and activism, attendees will participate in gallery viewing, art-making and food, and performances by special guests followed by an open mic. The evening also includes a panel discussion with professional photographers, moderated by BkM Teens.

“Teens—come through! Meet up with BkM Teens, the Brooklyn Museum’s staff of paid teen interns, at free events created by and for people ages 14–19.” – Brooklyn Museum

“The singer-songwriter Alicia Keys and her husband, rapper/producer Kasseem Dean, known professionally as Swizz Beatz, are known as musicians. But they are also art collectors. And now, dozens of works they own are on display at the Brooklyn Museum in a new exhibition called “Giants.” – Jennifer Vanasco, NPR

Noontime Jazz Series
Music, Concerts
Willoughby Older Adult Club 105 N. Portland Ave, Fort Greene
Friday, May 17 @ 12 p.m., Ages 60+

Only for adults ages 60 and over!

Noontime Jazz Series is a live jazz show created by the social services organization Fort Greene Council, Inc., and the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium. The concert series is intended to offer audiences a free opportunity to immerse themselves in Brooklyn’s vibrant Jazz scene.

“The Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium (CBJC), now in its [25th year], was founded by Alma Carroll, Viola Plummer and Torrie McCartney. CBJC, consisting of local and international musicians based in Brooklyn, and has entertained countless communities with jazz.” – Our Time Press

“Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium’s purpose is to Educate, Disseminate, and Preserve the historical and cultural significance of Jazz to all ethnic groups. The consortium creates musical forums to serve its objectives and to provide direct services to the community.” – CBJC Mission Statement

‘Geraldine Realigned’ @ The Brick
Theatre
The Brick, 579 Metropolitan Ave, Williamsburg
Performances now through May 18

“Geraldine Realigned Drives from Gay Place to Gay Place and You’re in the Car Too” is the full name of the play returning to The Brick after a sold-out run last year. This drag-infused one-person show is filled with hilarious and vulnerable comedy that asks the question: How do we get to where we want to go?

Creator/Star Cam Cronin will participate in a talk-back with audiences following most performances.

“Geraldine is a show with over-the-top humor, a big heart, and lots of surprises; we like to think of it as a one-person show that seems, but in no way is, predictable. That excites us, and it excited and engaged audiences last year.” – Cronin, director Ryan Dobrin, and co-creator Billy McEntee in joint statement.

“A zippy and zany 60-minute performance, this vulnerable comedy dives into community, grief, and growth as Geraldine takes you on a road trip to America’s great gayborhoods” – PIX11

Community Day @ Dance Africa 2024
Music, Dance, Community, History
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton Street, Bed-Stuy
Saturday, May 18 @ 1p.m.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music, in association with The Billie’s Youth Arts Academy, is hosting the annual Community Day kickoff to mark the beginning of their Dance Africa celebration. The event Saturday will feature performances from special guest artists, current Youth Arts Academy students, and others.

Dance Africa, now in its 47th year, is the largest festival dedicated to African diasporic dance and music. This year’s celebration focuses on the ancestral history and living artistry of Cameroon, and offers performances May 24 to 27.

“DanceAfrica is a family reunion, a chance to see how the branches of the family tree have extended.” – Brian Seibert, The New York Times

This year’s anchor performance, The Origin of Communities / A Calabash of Cultures, under the artistic vision of Abdel R. Salaam, will underscore the interconnectedness of dance, music, and the ancient foundations of human culture. – BK Reader

The Makers Show and Flower Balloon Pop Up Shop @ City Point
Arts & Crafts, Shopping
City Point, 445 Albee Square West, Downtown Brooklyn
May 17 to 19, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., All ages

The Makers Show returns to City Point celebrating the return of Spring, and will feature crafts, a beaded jewelry bar, and a variety of shopping opportunities with The May Flower fresh bouquets, K. Lab, lamps and jewelry, 32 Spirits Artisan Textiles, luxury handwoven designs, Doodles by Indy and more.

The Flower Balloon Pop Up Shop brings reimagined oversized flowers to life, from balloon designer Angelica de la Paz. You can purchase your own creation, and the balloons will last up to three weeks.

“See what the spring makers of Brooklyn have to offer at City Point! Shop for jewelry, handmade crafts, and even florals! Keep fun and floral spring vibes going on all season long.” – New York Family

“In need of a last-minute Mother’s Day gift, or just looking to pick up a treat for yourself? The Makers Show is returning to City Point with tons of signature gifts and crafts created by local artists and artisans. This year, the fair features a special guest — the Balloon Flower Shop, where you can purchase beautiful, oversized balloon bouquets of daisies, tulips, roses and more!” – Brooklyn Paper

Lynn Nottage’s Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine
Theatre
The Billie Holiday Theatre, 1368 Fulton Street, Bedford Stuyvesant
Shows through May 19

“Fabulation,” a play by Lynn Nottage, first debuted at Playwright’s Horizons in 2004. It centers around the story of Undine, a successful African-American publicist living in Manhattan, who is forced to return to her former working-class life in Brooklyn after her husband takes her money. Now this acclaimed play is coming to Bed-Stuy.

The Billie Holiday Theatre is a premier creative campus in Bed-Stuy which elevates the voices of Black artists in the community. The theatre has an education program led by and for Black artists, which has been running for over 22 years.

“This is not the comedy of deracination it at first seems; it’s a comedy of re-racination, of discovering one’s authentic self by stripping away the disfigurements of ambition.” – Jesse Green, New York Times

“Fabulation is set in Brooklyn, and I’m beyond thrilled to be sharing the play with my hometown audience,” says Nottage in a statement. “The very first theatre I ever experienced was at the Billie Holiday, and so this is definitely a full circle moment for me.” – Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill


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