There's been a classic love affair brewing in the corridors of City Hall this year. First, Mayor Bloomberg played coy, flirting a bit; then they started showing up together in public; and then the Mayor was forced to defend his lover from scrutiny. Now, finally, the cat is out of the bag: "He takes the iPad with him everywhere. He uses it all the time," said Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson. more ›

In case you haven’t been counting down, today marks the beginning of the New York International Fringe Festival, the country’s largest theatre festival! Though ten years is typically the amount of time people say one needs to be in New York before being a “New Yorker,” the Fringe Festival has had such an impact on the downtown Broadway theatre scene that, were it a human, it probably would have attained resident status without anything near such a delay. But this year is its tenth anniversary, so it’s official, and there are tons of great-looking shows to see to celebrate. Not only are there the usual 200+ new plays and musicals showing at 21 different venues below 14th Street, they’ve also brought back a number of Fringe “alumni” – favorites from years past such as The Bicycle Men (a musical comedy from LA that was in the ’04 Fringe), The Complete Lost Works of Samuel Beckett… (a riff by Chicago’s Neo-Futurists that won raves in 2000), and Daniel MacIvor’s play Never Swim Alone, of ’99 vintage. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be bringing you brief reviews of as many shows as we can possibly see, as well as reports on various extra Fringe happenings (there are panels, free outdoor performances, and speed painting) and some glimpses behind the scenes, but you should definitely go to the festival’s website and check out the listings (programs are also available at Borders stores in the city). With shows like Corleone: The Shakespeare Godfather, The Fartiste, Muscle-Man vs. Skeletonman: A Love Story…The Musical, The Happiness of Schizophrenia and Walmartopia, we can’t imagine you’ll have any difficulty finding something to spark your interest, even if you’re not normally much of a “theatre person.” Lower Manhattan will be overrun by Fringe-goers for the duration of the festival, so give in and join the madness! more ›

In theater, as in television, summer is an opportunity for producers and creative teams to try ideas that may be a little wackier than main-season fare – off- and off-off Broadway, that’s what all the play festivals that are currently on and coming up are about. But the theater world also has its version of summer TV’s ubiquitous reruns, only there we like to think the phenomenon of show extensions and brief revivals is weighted more toward being a chance to see things you didn’t see previously, rather than being an expression of laziness or lack of better things to show. more ›

It's soggy outside but it's cozy at the bookstores and bars this week. Tonight (6/16), Australian writer Peter Carey is reading from his latest book, Theft: A Love Story, at 192 Books at 7PM. Or, head down to the always cozy Half King tonight for the Spring 2006 edition of The Literary Review, where Lynne Tillman, Craig Mueller, and Cary Goldstein will be reading from their selections in the journal. It starts at 7PM and is free. more ›

is the Fringe�s star pupil, starting at the festival, and then heading to Broadway. There are over two hundred shows playing the Fringe, at various venues around town. The website is great, but overwhelming in its riches. There are just so many shows to browse through, but Gothamist has been carefully reviewing it and will be offering a series of suggested Fringe show pix. Ticket info can be found for all of these here, not to mention the multitudes of other shows. Here�s a starting point: more ›