Architecture, meaning construction, and its opposite, deconstruction, or "loss," as experienced by a Korean-American family, are the subjects of this new play by Julia Cho at New York Theatre Workshop. Ms. Cho's drama reveals patterns of spousal abuse as it repeats itself over three generations. As theater it is relentless, and thus almost stifling to watch, these built-in behaviors of women destroyed by men.
As a narrative, The Architecture of Loss is well built, straightforward, yet at times unpredictable, moving between present and past as dictated by psychological insight. Set in the colorless, unrelenting heat of the Arizona desert, Catherine (Mia Katigbak) is a Korean-American mother who raises two children while caring for her abusive, progressively senile father. After abandoning this family for 14 years, husband Greg returns "to heal" them, prompting the litany of losses which will be fodder for the play.
The unfolding of this family history with its pattern of abuse against women is rife with dramatic intention. Still, Architecture is anything but sophomoric, addressing this difficult and delicate subject without sentimentality. Well-crafted by Ms. Cho, who incidentally is only 28 years old, the production is played by a deft team of actors and unwaveringly guided by director Chay Yew.
As Greg (Victor Slezak) reveals the alcoholism that he (somewhat cowardly) says drove him from his family, and the years of wandering that followed, we come to recognize Catherine's experience of loss-from her father's alcoholic rages against her late mother to the absence of her son, David, the wanderer who could very well be the same young hitchhiker/trick Greg picked up and killed in a car accident. Indeed, it was this incident which was the turning point in Greg's life, spurring him to free himself of addiction.
Mr. Slezak's Victor is compassionate with a wide acting range. Full of good intentions, does he really believe he left his family because he was afraid to "hurt them"? As his wife, Ms. Katigbak plays her thankless role without excessive sentimentality, although one still wishes that the character's rhythms were richer.
The most exciting characters here are Jay, the edgy, quirky, hard-nosed, biracial hitchhiker played by Jason Lew, and Carmie (Angel Desai), the teenage daughter who falls in love with a man who cannot reciprocate. "May I?" "Are you sure?" "Do you want me to stop?" The older boyfriend asks, in the play's hurtful love scene. And to each mild, polite request she capitulates, "yes" in a pained attempt to rid herself of the family shackles.
Free of theatrical trappings, Architecture is a laudable production, neither parroting what's in vogue or copping to the facile. But clearly the emotional issues are driven, almost too deeply, especially the role of Catherine's father, a victim of wartime trauma, who victimizes his Korean wife as if she were the enemy. Perhaps this is one character who would have been better as a mere shadow, rather than an overbearing presence with seemingly interminable monologues. On the other hand, the quality of intellectual inquiry throughout is highly focused, asking us whether forgiveness is called for here. In this respect, the play is so well wrought that it leaves us with more questions than answers. Kudos to the writer, director and excellent cast.
New York Theatre Workshop, 83 E. 4th St. 212-460-5475, Tues.-Sat. at 7:30, Sat. & Sun. at 1:30, $20.
-Isa Goldberg
Highlight Reel Thirty-five years of chamber music at Lincoln Center. By Molly Sheridan
When I get a new CD, I have a habit of skipping through all the tracks, listening to 30 seconds here, 10 seconds there. It's part impatience and part the pleasure of previewing the whole before delving into the parts.
But while there's usually no remote control at your disposal at a concert hall, you can taste the experience this Sunday, during the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's celebration of the music it has commissioned over the last 35 years. During a series of four concerts, CMS will present short pieces and excerpts from works by 43 of the 94 composers who have written for the group since 1969. Think of it as a musical highlight reel.
To give you an idea of how this translates into a one-evening concert, the program includes music by Karel Husa, Carlos Chavez, Darius Milhaud, Michael Colgrass, George Perle, George Crumb, Ezra Laderman, Ned Rorem, George Rochberg, Bright Sheng, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Joan Tower, Oliver Knussen and David Schiff. In an art form that often gets heat for only promoting academic white men of a certain stylistic bent, the inclusion of two women, a handful of foreign composers and a range of musical approaches makes this a relatively diverse and inclusive list for an uptown ensemble.
For spectators unfamiliar with the composers or the specific works on the program, the format offers the advantage that if you have any interest in the chamber music of the last quarter-century, you'll likely discover a few new things you like, and what you don't will be worth the exposure and over soon enough anyway.
If you've been a follower of the CMS, it may be something of a nostalgia trip, just as it was for those who planned the showcases. Artistic director David Shifrin says that over the last couple of years the concert organizers listened to each of the 123 works that have been commissioned in the project's history, an experience he says was both exciting and satisfying.
While I picture them holed up in some musty storeroom surrounded by shelves stacked to the ceiling with scores, Shifrin explains, "We looked at all of them, listened to archival recordings, spoke to all of the composers we could reach who are still alive. Then we negotiated with ourselves and made some excruciating decisions about how to represent so many composers when we only had the opportunity and resources to present four concerts in this festival."
In the end they came up with a list they felt represented a broad cross-section of work that celebrated the CMS mission "to not only play the music that exists but to reshape the repertory for the future."
CMS held a similarly formatted festival that attracted a large, appreciative and noticeably diverse crowd (age-wise, at least) to Alice Tully Hall several years ago. Shifrin has similar expectations for this event. "I hope that they'll get a glimpse of how rich the contribution by composers of our time to the existing canon of repertory really is-just how much there is for every taste and predilection for music."
Just like a good movie preview, he also hopes to evangelize the crowd.
"In a short period of time they'll hear so many composers that I hope they'll have the desire to come back when the works are performed in their entirety. I hope we stimulate their curiosity and that they realize just how much [new chamber work] is out there to be heard."
If you'd like an insider perspective before the show, Sunday's performance has a pre-concert composer chat scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Two other showcase concerts with completely different programs are scheduled for Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.
Sound Investment: Part II Alice Tully Hall, 1941 B'way (65th St.), 212-875-5050; 5, $27.50-$45.
Journey Legends Through Feb. 15
As Carmela Tal Baron retired to a seat, a tear welled from her deep blue eyes. She had just recited one of her two poems inspired by the biblical tale of Jonah, the theme of the reluctant Israelite prophet that linked most of the visual and performance art exhibited in the second floor gallery of the Makor branch of the 92nd Street Y on Sunday, January 11.
Marilyn Walter Tal Baron's graphic collages, along with the paintings of David Flusberg, Marilyn Walter, Adrienne Cosner, and Arielle Wilen, will remain on display until February 15. What most impressed this observer was the contrast of Flusberg's massive, elaborate representation of Jonah with Tal Baron's delicate print renderings of Jonah, naked in a fetal position-contained within almond-shaped vessels as if in the belly of the big fish-also reflecting, perhaps, within the inner eye of consciousness, upon God's command that he had spurned.
Carmela Tal Baron has made noteworthy strides in crossing artistic boundaries. In particular, her "Elephantasy" drawings, visual meditations upon the shape and texture of an elephant's head, inspired poetry by the late David Avidan, one of the avant-garde Israeli poets who transformed Hebrew poetry from its biblical moorings into a modern art form. On display in the first floor reading room, through February 15, are her Elephantasy drawings juxtaposed with the verses of Avidan, originally published together in Hebrew in 1967, now being reissued with English translation. She also played a video of a 20-minute ballet, performed at Symphony Space in 1985, similarly inspired by her three-sectioned painting, the "Three-headed Elephant," on view on the opposite wall.
A wide variety of events occurred simultaneously in the building's performance spaces. The milling crowd was entertained in the gallery by drama and musical presentations, again mostly inspired by biblical themes. The sweetly understated power of novice storyteller Leah Berenholz, and the composing and stage talents of singer Nurit Cohen and keyboardist Brian Gelfand, were all especially rewarding. Most of these artists have benefited from the Makor Artists Network, which sponsors workshops that separately enhance gallery art, stage and performance, and spoken word with the insights and imagery of Jewish texts.
Other venues entertained audiences with poetry slams, film animations, and comic book illustrations. Many took special delight in two events in the lecture hall: staged samples of a play in development by the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, due to open in early April, plus hysterical stand-up bits by playwright Lisa Kron, whose play Well will premiere at the Public in March.
The work of the cast of Tribeca Performing Arts Center under the direction of Karen Sommers is particularly creative. Based on actual proceedings of a rabbinic court convened on the Lower East Side in the 1930s and 40s and recorded for broadcast on WEVD radio, Ms. Sommers (all of 26) is engaged with the actors in a collaborative improvisation to write a script of the "back stories" that brought these disputing couples, siblings, et al., for the adjudication of cases that could not get a hearing in civil court. This production seems remarkably attuned to the cultural norms of second-generation working-class Jews living in New York at the time.
Makor/Steinhardt Center of the 92nd Street Y (35 W. 67th St.), 212-601-1000.
-Ralph Seliger
Wed. 1.21
Elmore Leonard In his 368th novel, Mr. Paradise, the modern master of funny, hardboiled pulp fiction returns to the Detroit setting of his early novels for the first time in over a decade. It's got everything you'd expect from a Leonard novel-kinky old millionaires, mob hits, hookers in cheerleader outfits, sleazy detectives, wacky schemes, incredibly slow-witted criminals and great dialogue. People should talk that way all the time. Today Mr. Leonard's in town to read aloud. Coliseum Books, 11 W. 42nd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-803-5890, 12:30, free.
Plan Nine from Outer Space The unspoken secret about this Ed Wood "masterpiece" is that it's as boring as sin. In fact, it may just be the worst movie ever made. Instead of being campy and fun, it's flatter than Earth circa 1430. But here's the thing: If you're coming off a crank binge or struggling with insomnia, it will save you. VideoTheatre, 85 E. 4th St. (betw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.), 212-868-4444, 7:30, $5, $3 st.
Thurs. 1.22
Starsailor Somewhere between the epic flourishes of The Verve's Urban Hymns and the elegant, seemingly-everywhere-ness of Coldplay's Clocks, entered Starsailor, a fabulously dour Brit-pop thing with angst-y sea-and-sky lyrics and aching disassociated yelping courtesy one James Walsh. What NME-subscriber wouldn't be immediately addicted to a moaning band named after a Tim Buckley song that cites Neil Young and Van Morrsion as primary mordant influences? Who couldn't love the critical darling-hood of sour, but soul-stirring singles like "Alcoholic", "Fever" and the un-rousing debut CD, Love is Here, that followed, it filled with plush, but miserable melodies and steely, cringing guitars? Why you'd have to be a downright cheery sod to not dig Starsailor.
So to hear that none-other than legendary murderer/wife-beater/easily-erase-able producer Phil Spector would man their next Op-to-Pop record sounded spellbinding: What wide, wallowing sound could he bring to Starsailor's forlorn, yet catchy circus? Sadly, Spector would only get to insinuate gi-hugic-ness onto two tracks of Starsailor's newest, Silence is Easy, a pop-record that can't help but sound more optimistic than their previous one lest Walsh shoot himself. (No, he left the gunplay to Spector and the rest of Silence to equally size-conscious producer John Leckie of Radiohead/Magazine/ Human League fame) Here, in its un-Easy golden Silence, Starsailor grip you from the very first moment on the happily, sappily up-tempo and lyrically blunt "Music Was Saved" with a rousing, passionate infectiousness that permeates everything from the repetitive all-hail chorus of the rocky "Shark Food" to the syrupy chamber-blather of "Telling Them" to even the heaviest of hands hammily slammed by pianist Barry Westhead. While there's still the occasionally melancholic, stoned sad-café song ("Restless Heart," "Some Of Us") with Walsh's primal howl and irksome introspection atop the smoldering embers of stargazing guitars and polite rhythms, Starsailor's new cheeriness seems as experimental, in its own simple way, as Tom Waits' first glance at his bone-machines did-a shock of the new that offers bright light in the darkest corners. Aww.
Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Pl. (15th St.), 212-777-6800, 8, sold out.
-A.D. Amorosi
Creating a Photography Website Step one: be barely legal. Step two: pose nude. No, this isn't that kind of event. These people are serious photographers. Expert web designer Jill Peltzman will get you up to speed and on the net. Very soon, the entire world will know about your black and white studies of snow-covered broken bicycles. The Camera Club of New York, 853 B'way (betw. 13th & 14th Sts.), 212-358-5147, 6:30, $10.
Buffalo Wing-Eating Circuit What's the American dream? Watching a group of gluttons force themselves to inhale pounds of batter fried, atomic spiced wings to win a timed contest. The pile of bones that will be left in their wake alone tells a story of a once proud warrior people striving to find new ways to conquer and consume. This clinic, aimed at aspiring professionals, has huge, grease-stained shades of Horatio Alger. Remember: Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is doubly impressive when you're bedridden from your own girth. Madison Square Garden, 2 Penn Plaza (32nd St.), 212-465-MSG1, 11-1, free.
Sesame Street in HD Aside from Guy Smiley's textbook bipolar disorder, the real tragedy of Sesame Street is that the program's uninhibited ability to rock has always been overshadowed by its ability to illuminate difficult texts. If you thought these dudes just did rubber bath toy numbers, think again. "Sesame Street: Monster Hits" is a half-hour of your favorite and hardest Cookie Monster, Grover & Elmo tunes, including "C is for Cookie," "Two Heads are Better Than One," & "Put 'Em on the Glass." Follow that bird to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, follow that bird. 550 Madison Ave. (56th St.), 212-833-8100; 3:30, Free.
Carrie Fisher Princess Leia is in the house, but sadly she won't be wearing the Return of the Jedi gold bikini or calling anybody a scruffy looking nerf herder. Instead, she'll be reading from her new novel The Best Awful, the sequel to Postcards from the Edge. The book is supposed to be funny and brutal, in a navel-gazing Hollywood sort of way. Ms. Fisher's quite the little firecracker-watching her squash fangirls' dreams will be half the show. The other half will be her lively reading. Barnes & Noble, 1972 B'way (betw. W. 65th & W. 66th Sts.), 212-595-6859, 7, free.
Fri. 1.23
Blue Öyster Cult You down with BOC? Yeah, you know me. Cop some half-assed too-cool-for-rock-school pose if you want, but in your heart, you know it's a lie. When "Don't Fear the Reaper," "Godzilla" and "I'm Burnin' for You" come on the radio, you're all "turn it up, man" like it was a Freedom Rock commercial. Suddenly, you remember Christopher Walken yelling "more cow bell" at a frenetic gunk, gunk, gunking Will Ferrell. Then the sun is shining and you can't help but smile. B.B. King Blues Club, 237 W. 42nd St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.),212-997-4144, 8 & 10:30, $32, $27.50 adv.
The Hold Steady You have to respect a band when every other one of their songs either has the band's name in it, or is about the Minnesota Twins. The Brooklyn-based Hold Steady's lead singer Craig Finn (of Lifter Puller legend and lore) kicks it out in a hardscrabble Midwestern yaw-think Jackie Gleason waxing poetic from the bottom of a coal mine. Smart lyrics and strong beats flow freely from the Hold Steady, and they are poised to take their place in a Twin Cities Troika along with the Replacements and Hüsker Dü. Pilot to Gunner, also from Brooklyn and on the very fine indeed Gern Blandsten records, promise a jagged, intense performance full of edgy guitars and towering drums. The Jawbox influence is pervasive, and so are the melodies. Lit, 93 2nd Ave. (betw. 5th & 6th Sts.), 212-777-7987, 9, $7.
The Outsider Art Fair The Outsider Art Fair features more than 30 galleries offering up work from self-taught artists whose pieces range from the visionary and sublime to the primitive and questionably sane. Look for the work of Henry Darger, a poor, marginally employed Chicagoan whose landlord unearthed his 15,000-page dark fantasy story involving hermaphroditic children, accompanied by hundreds of watercolor murals, after his death. They now fetch for up to $60,000. The show, held at the Puck Building on the corner of Lafayette and Houston, will be open to the public from Jan. 23 through Jan. 25. Admission is $15. For more information, call 212-777-5218.
Sat. 1.24
Ursula Rucker and DJ Obah The Five Spot at 459 Myrtle Ave., Brooklyn 718-852-0202; $15, 8. Here's the line every friend uses when asked to visit my borough: "Daaaaaaan, do you know how long it takes for me to come into Brooklyn and then get back to Manhattan?" My response: "The same amount of time it takes for me to get into Manhattan and then return to Brooklyn." I really don't see what's so great about the Starbucks-sprawled streets of Manhattan, anyway. I've paid for your overpriced drinks, visited your gentrified clubs and heard countless stories of zillion-dollar refrigerator boxes on the L.E.S. For what? A zip code? Plus, your pizza is made by Mexicans, your Mexican food by Chinese people and your Chinese food by Koreans. You people are really strange. And make more money than me. So what? The blingster bankers and media professionals of Manhattan can have their Crobars. I'll keep it gully sippin' sauce with my homies at the bodega, gettin' fresh muz-a-della from the KTU guidos at the deli and throwin' my loot on the six horse of the fifth race at Belmont with "Crackhead" Al over at O.T.B. Where Brooklyn at?
Take this Saturday night. Ursula Rucker will hold down a set of her crisp couplings over smooth neo-soul, modern r & b and hiphop grooves at the Five Spot. Who is Ursula Rucker? The Philadelphia native is a female poet whose whispers turn to scathing, bluesy howls; over the years she's also worked with King Britt and Josh Wink to produce a few underground hits. But you really have to watch her perform her spoken word in a live setting with her band. The Brits love her. It's high time we embraced her, too.
In case you can't get into the show at the comfy Five Spot, or it gets out early, you can always come to hear me DJ. I'll be in Brooklyn, too. At the Blu Lounge, located at 197 N. 8th St. in Sillysburg. Expect to hear your favorite sex jams. Everyone's going to get laid. I'll also be selling autographed pictures of myself, which are valued on eBay at two sticks of gum, a paper clip and a super rubber bouncy ball.
-Dan Martino (soulstatik@hotmail.com)
Tiger Mountain Their name is possibly copped from the title of Brian Eno's second solo record, but who cares about that? Cheers to them for having listened to it. These guys rock it like the old Replacements, only there's no fifth of Jack Daniels on the floor. Which leads us to believe they might last longer, and they won't resort to putting out songs like "Gary's Got a Boner." But that was still a good record, right? Tiger Mountain's got dirty guitar sounds and a strong rhythm section to match, which would likely make Mr. Westerberg proud. Sin-é, 150 Attorney St. (betw. Clinton & Stanton Sts.),212-388-0077, 8, $8.
Inouk Most important: free vodka bar from 9-10. If throwing back some free ones amongst a crowd of shaggy-haired English Lit majors doesn't get you in the mood to hear some quality rock n' roll, we don't know what will. Starting off the evening right are Inouk, who take cues from Syd Barret-era Pink Floyd as well as early Brian Eno without getting all flitty about it. The revivalism continues with Ambulance Ltd., who wisely exploit the indie community's unarticulated desire to pretend that it's still 1991. Also, Tony Fletcher spins, along with DJs Nick Marc & Justine D. Don Hill's, 511 Greenwich St. (Spring St.),212-219-2850, 9, $10.
Josh Wink and Doc Martin Philly's Josh Wink, once the neo-hippie of dance music, brings his box of oontz-oontz to Avalon. Joining him on the decks is the California rave warrior Doc Martin. After ten hours of trading wax slabs, they'll have a Mack-10 duel to settle the heated coastal beef raging in the dance community. That's a lie. They'll be using bazookas. Please leave your glow sticks at home, kids. 47 W. 20th St. (6th Ave.), 212-807-7780, 10, $25.
The Long Goodbye Elliot Gould plays the most mumbling, crumpled version of Raymond Chandler's iconic private dick Philip Marlowe that's ever been put on screen. Wearing a soiled black suit and smoking a cigarette in almost every frame of the movie, Gould plays the noir detective as pathetic anachronism. Along with McCabe and Mrs. Miller, The Long Goodbye is director Robert Altman's finest work. Look for a) how the camera never stops moving, b) how all the music is different versions of the same song, c) Gov. Schwarzenegger's 30 seconds of pre-fame screen time. American Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Ave. (36th St.), Astoria, 718-784-0077, 4, free w/adm.
The Outsider Art Fair The Outsider Art Fair features more than 30 galleries offering up work from self-taught artists whose pieces range from the visionary and sublime to the primitive and questionably sane. Look for the work of Henry Darger, a poor, marginally employed Chicagoan whose landlord unearthed his 15,000-page dark fantasy story involving hermaphroditic children, accompanied by hundreds of watercolor murals, after his death. They now fetch for up to $60,000. The show, held at the Puck Building on the corner of Lafayette and Houston, will be open to the public from Jan. 23 through Jan. 25. Admission is $15. For more information, call 212-777-5218.
Sun. 1.25
Kids 'N Comedy Kids are never as funny as they (or their parents) think they are. Not when they're trying to be, anyway. And tonight a bunch of little kids will be taking the stage trying really hard to be funny. Hey, you know what's funny? Making little kids cry, that's funny! So show up and heckle them mercilessly. Gotham Comedy Club, 34 W. 22nd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-877-6115, 3, $15, res. req.
The Outsider Art Fair The Outsider Art Fair features more than 30 galleries offering up work from self-taught artists whose pieces range from the visionary and sublime to the primitive and questionably sane. Look for the work of Henry Darger, a poor, marginally employed Chicagoan whose landlord unearthed his 15,000-page dark fantasy story involving hermaphroditic children, accompanied by hundreds of watercolor murals, after his death. They now fetch for up to $60,000. The show, held at the Puck Building on the corner of Lafayette and Houston, will be open to the public from Jan. 23 through Jan. 25. Admission is $15. For more information, call 212-777-5218.
Mon. 1.26
Understanding Healthcare Until recently, you thought HMO was a cable channel. That's cool, you're young, you're over the flu. What could go wrong? A whole lot, my friend, a whole lot. And like G.I. Joe used to say, knowing is half the battle. Richard Saul Wurman reads from his new book Understanding Healthcare tonight. You will leave scared and informed. Barnes & Noble, 2289 B'way (82nd St.), 212-362-8835, 7:30, free.
Transgender Visibility Tonight's discussion by Professor Paisley Currah focuses on the "path to acceptance" for transgender individuals. Open to all. (Also see "Louder Than Words" on p. 87.) Marble Collegiate Church, 1 W. 29th St. (5th Ave.), 212-686-2770, 6, $15, res. req.
Tues. 1.27
Forensic Geology Raymond Murray is kind of like Quincy with dirt under his fingernails: a geologist who's been called on time and again to use his specialized knowledge of dirt and rocks to help solve crimes that otherwise had police stymied. He's helped crack murder cases, art theft cases and everything in between. Despite the dry-as-dust title of the lecture, it's an incredibly fascinating subject. Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 5th Ave. (34th St.), 212-817-8215, 7, $15.
Iron Maiden When Iron Maiden comes to the Hammerstein Ballroom, three main questions arise. 1) What sort of North Jersey Metal troll is going to suffer the $67 ticket price to see these creaky old English guys preen underneath an oversized "Eddie" statue? 2) Is there a math rock ensemble called "Irony Maiden" yet? 3) And if not, why not? With Arch Enemy. 311 W. 34th St. (betw. 8th & 9th Aves.), 212-307-7171, 6:30, $67.
Downtown Chess Challenge Join world-renowned Chess master Bruce Pandolfini for a gigantic chess tournament. Sixty-four players will compete in successive chess battles, with the winner receiving a free Chess clinic with Pandolfini. If you want to intimidate, show up dressed as Deep Blue. Proceeds benefit Wall Street Rising. 25 Broad St. (betw. New & Williams Sts.), 212-509-0300, 4:15-7, $20, $40 team.
Marcel Dzama You know the illustrations that cut the scenes in The Royal Tenenbaums? Imagine them drained of dreamlike sentimentality and infused with tongue-in-cheek grimness. There's something sweet and disturbing here, like the artist was a talented eight-year-old locked in some Midwestern basement. Yes, the paper sketches have elements of Charles Addams, but there's not a lot and there's nothing wrong with that. David Zwirner Gallery, 525 W. 19th St. (betw. 10th Ave. & West St.), 212-727-2070, Tues.-Sat. 10-6, free.
Contributors: Elana Berkowitz, Adam Bulger, Jim Knipfel, Ilya Malinsky, Dan Martino, Dan Migdal, Kristina Ramos, Dennis Tyhacz and Alexander Zaitchik.