Everyone's favorite loser is coming to Brooklyn this month to spread some nostalgic holiday cheer. The Pig Brooch Theatre Company is performing A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Brooklyn Lyceum the weekend of December 19th. The troupe "will perform verbatim the television special...accompanied by a jazz trio performing all of the Vince Guaraldi favorites live! The actors created The Charlie Brown Christmas at the Penn State Theatre program, where performances have become an annual tradition. They all share a deep love for this holiday favorite and have worked extremely hard to match the exact voices and physicalities of the cartoon characters." This is the first time it will be performed in New York, and tickets are 10 bucks, reminding us of Lucy Van Pelt's very own words: "Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket." Okay, maybe not in this case. [via Brooklyn Vegan] more ›

THEATER: Frankenstein (Mortal Toys) is a “miniature spectacle that follows the haunted alpine journey of Victor Frankenstein, as he confronts the loneliness and rage of his alienated monster.” The production stars elegantly handmade puppets based on 18th century portrait paintings, lush sets inspired by Romantic era landscape painting, an eerie musical score by Severin Behnen, played live on toy piano, organ, bells and accordion. The Times calls it “an inspired melding of material and medium. It evokes the Romantic sublime with unflagging inventiveness: Arctic floes with icy blue light, lands of ‘mist and snow,’ the delicate flight of a bird over mountains.” – John Del Signore more ›

He may be best known for this role in Entourage, but Adrian Grenier wears a lot of other hats. Filmmaker, musician and New Yorker are amongst those. He bought a house in Clinton Hill a couple of years ago, insulated it with recycled denim and installed photovoltaic panels (so add environmentalist to the above list, as well). Last weekend we asked the multifaceted Grenier some questions. more ›

THEATER: The esteemed Classical Theatre of Harlem is reviving Peter Weiss’s masterpiece Marat/Sade. The dizzying action takes place in an asylum in France, where the infamous Marquis de Sade is sequestered in 1808. To pass the time, he directs a play about the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat during the revolution. His asylum casting pool yields up some magnificent performances, though the production is almost squelched by the hospital administrator, a tool of Napoleon’s post-revolutionary regime. In the right hands, which CTH certainly has, the whole production is a multi-layered feast of subversion. - John Del Signore more ›

THEATER: Stephen Belber, whose Tape was made into a riveting film by Richard Linkater, unveils his latest opus, A Small, Melodramatic Story at The Public Theater. Previews start tonight so there are no reviews yet, but the synopsis is intriguing: “In Washington, D.C., a widow struggles to figure out whether life is worth re-engaging with. In her path are the 1968 riots, the first Gulf War, the Freedom of Information Act, and herself. There's also an archivist named Keith, a cop named Perry, and a kid named Cleo. And finally there's the question of just how much about anything do we really need to know." more ›

EARTH DAY EVENT: Earth Day isn't just for hippies. This weekend celebrate our planet at Earth Day NY. Exhibitors will educate you on how to treat Mother Nature a bit more kindly and show you how to find the nature right here in New York City. more ›

David Obuchowski - Guitar, Vocals
more ›

The great weather of the past few days has put us in mind of summer, so since we know it’s going to turn cold soon, we’ll highlight a few festivals that, while not exactly the Fringe, might still make us warm and fuzzy remembering July. more ›

October 12 & 13: London's "Cocktail King" at Pegu Club more ›

[Ed: Like clockwork, music picks from prodigious music blogger Coolfer. Also check out more at Gothamist Events.] more ›