Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Goodbye John Chamberlain, the artist died yesterday at the age of 84

Yesterday the art world lost one of it's foremost sculptors, John Chamberlain, an artist widely known for his use of abstract expressionist works featuring vibrant colored metal from automobiles. Mr. Chamberlain has lived locally in Shelter Island, N.Y. for a number of years and I had the chance to meet him and hear him speak about his work a few years ago at Jack Larson's Longhouse Reserve when he showed up as a substitute for Chuck Close who couldn't make it. John was a really friendly guy and I thought it was fascinating hearing how he developed his style after different attempts at other creative endeavors such as music and drawing. It was at Larry Rivers Southampton home where he found his craft which continued to advance over the years. I've seen a number of his works in person over the years and they are supremely American in every way regardless of how you read them.

Here is a link to his NY Times obituary: John Chamberlain, Who Wrested Rough Magic From Scrap Metal, Dies at 84

3 Ghosts @ The Beckett Theatre

A Christmas Carol is a story which has been adapted repeatedly since its premiere in 1843, but the Pipe Dream Theatre Company’s interpretation of the story as a steampunk musical entitled 3 Ghosts, might be one of the most original. The musical is as clever as it is creative with a very youthful cast and strong original music by Collin Simon with lyrics from Elizabeth Muller who also does a great job as the ghost of Christmas past.

The real heart of the musical is the music, which occasionally intermingles melodies of well known Christmas songs, and when the cast is tight as is the case in the Christmas past and future segments, it’s terrific. As in any production of the story, a strong Scrooge is key and Elio Lleo does a terrific job as well as some of the supporting cast such as Katherine Murphy as Mrs. Cratchit and Brady Lynch as Belle, both of whom rose to the occasion both vocally and dramatically. The set design is a bit sparse, especially considering the steampunk motif, but the costumes and staging helped along with the unique portrayal of the ghost of Christmas future as a group of masked, coalescing dancing performers.

The show certainly has some issues, most notably the lack of microphones causing some of the less vivacious singers to be almost inaudible, but luckily it’s an intimate theater and the musical’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses thanks to an ardent ensemble and some engaging choreography. 3 Ghosts is currently playing through December 23, so if you are in need of a little Christmas spirit sci-fi style, its well worth seeing.

3 Ghosts runs at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row, through December 23. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.theatrerow.org/thebeckett.htm.

From: shortandsweetnyc

Wyclef Jean with special guests @ The City Winery 12.11.2011

Wyclef Jean played an intimate show at The City Winery Sunday night which featured a hometown Haitian vibe thanks to few of his close friends, none of whom I had ever heard of but all of whom were interesting. The show was uncharacteristic for the former Fugee as it began acoustic and built up to a legit Carnival closing number which managed to get the conservative wine crowd off their seats to dance. The former Haitian presidential candidate is an entertaining performer regardless of what audience or type of show he's performing but he might be the best in this type of small setting as he was passing the wine down from the stage and joking with the audience throughout the show.

Occupy Dickens

Here's a glimpse of Occupy Port Jefferson during the Charles Dickens Festival, conceptually I think it's a pretty good fit, who knows the plight of the working man better?

"I had no advice, no counsel, no encouragement, no consolation, no assistance, no support, of any kind, from anyone, that I can call to mind, as I hope to go to heaven!"

It seems a bit arbitrary for a small town on Long Island to celebrate an author like Dickens but it's better than the worlds biggest ball of yarn and Elvis's Toenail besides it seems to really be taking off this year. Below are a few photos from the parade earlier tonight, as Tim Needles says "It's the best four minutes Port Jeff has seen since Thomas Edison's Magic Lantern demonstration".

TEDxBrooklyn

Watch live streaming video from tedx at livestream.com

TEDxBrooklyn streams live from Brooklyn Bowl with speakers such as: comic Eugene Mirman, artist Tara McPherson, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson, and musicians Eclectic Method so it should be interesting. The full schedule is on the site here: TEDxBrooklyn