La Bohème @ Bryant Park
Take advantage of the warm weather tonight with a free outdoor production of La Bohème, the popular and timeless classic about the joys and heartbreaks of a group of young Parisians in the 19th century. Part of Bryant Park's extremely popular Picnic Series, New York City Opera stars bring the lush melodies of the Puccini classic to life with some of the most famous melodies in opera.
Monday, May 20th, 6 p.m. // Bryant Park, Manhattan // Free
Zero Food Waste Challenge @ Brooklyn Navy Yard
Gorge without guilt at the Zero Food Waste Challenge, where you'll get to sample eight courses of "zero waste" dishes with accompanying cocktails developed by NYC's creative culinary leaders. Try everything from cauliflower "bone marrow" to gochujang hanger steak to signature drinks that include surprise "upcycled" ingredients, and then vote on which one is the best. Participating chefs include Michael Anthony from Gramercy Tavern, Garrison Price from Cafe Clover, Kendall Scodari from Made Nice, Naama Tamir from Lighthouse, and lots more. The event is the culmination of Food Waste Fair 2019.
Thursday, May 23rd, 6 p.m. // Brooklyn Navy Yard, 141 Flushing Ave., Building 77, Brooklyn // Tickets: $75
New York African Film Festival @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
For the next three weekends, get your fill of cinema at the 26th annual New York African Film Festival. This year's theme is "Beyond Borders: Storytelling Across Time," and the fest covers all genres, including archival, experimental, classic fictional narrative, and documentary. The opening film will be the New York premiere of the South African existential-adventure drama Sew the Winter to My Skin by Jahmil X.T. Qubeka. Other highlights include Mohamed Challouf's archival documentary Ouaga, Capitale du Cinema; Med Hondo's sweeping 1986 epic Sarraounia; Xoliswa Sithole's Standing on Their Shoulders, about women in the resistance during South African apartheid; and Rwandan director Anisia Uzeyman's Dreamstates, which will be followed by a live performance by one of the film's subjects, CX KiDTRONiK.
Opens Thursday, May 23rd // Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn // Tickets: $11
Get your hilarious groove on at Dancify That (photo by John Huntington)
Dancify That @ The Pit
Here's a show with a pretty inviting tag line: "Interpretive dance has always been funny. Now you're allowed to laugh." Dancify That is a comedy dance game show that pits dancing duos against one another. Contestants create improvised, choreographed numbers inspired by weird internet videos and bizarre news clips, perform for the audience and comedian-judges, and hope for glory (or at least a lot of guffaws). There's plenty of audience participation, including aerobics and singalongs, so no one is going to walk out without having moved their body in hilarious ways.
Friday, May 24th, 8 p.m. // The Pit, Striker Stage, 123 East 24th St., Manhattan // Tickets: $15
Lower East Side Festival of the Arts @ Theater for the New City
Have a heaping helping of creativity at the 24th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, three days of theater, dance, music, video, film, and poetry. There will be more than 270 performances from 70 groups across all four of Theater for the New City's spaces. A small sampling of the acts on offer: performance artist Penny Arcade, Afro-Cuban dance ensemble Oyu-Oro, actress and visual artist Bina Sharif, dance-theater performers Glitter Kitty, performers from Chinese Theaterworks, Phillipino dance troupe Kinding Sindaw, aerialists Constellation Moving Company, and many, many more.
Friday, May 24th, through Sunday, May 26th // Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., Manhattan // Free
Browse a bunch of beautiful kimonos (image courtesy of J-Collabo)
Choujiya Kimono Exhibition @ J-Collabo
See a slew of gorgeous garments at J-Collabo's Choujiya Kimono Exhibition. The kimonos come from Tōhoku, which was devastated in 2011 by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. The exhibition, called "復興(Reconstruction)," is co-presented by Choujiya, a Yokohama company that is acclaimed for their traditional cleaning and maintenance methods for kimono. The weekend also includes several intimate tea ceremony demonstrations by tea master Naoko Ozeki from Urasenke, as well as a live performance by Japanese calligrapher Taisan.
Opens Saturday, May 25th, 3 p.m. // J-Collabo, 300 7th St., Brooklyn // Free
Bronx Night Market @ Fordham Plaza
It's time again for the global food celebration that is the Bronx Night Market. More than 80,000 people came through last season, and this year there's a new crop of 100+ food, drink, and craft vendors. A small taste of the wide variety of food you'll find: globally inspired tapas from Bronx-based Sechebel Catering Co., risotto balls from Diriso, West African home-cooked treats from Grace's Culinary Specialties, spanakopita from Anthi's Greek, and fried goodness from South Bronx–based Lotsa Latkes. There will also be live music by Ami Mati, Calvin Price, and Caszoul.
Saturday, May 25th, 4 p.m. // Fordham Plaza, Bronx // Free
Burgers, Bourbon, and Beethoven @ Green-Wood Cemetery
The second season of the wildly popular classical-music-in-crypts series, The Angels Share, is here, and it's opening with a bang with Burgers, Bourbon, and Beethoven. First, guests choose between two competing burgers, from Harlem Public and Madcap Café. Then you'll move on to bourbon, with an array of spirits from local purveyors, including Angel's Envy, Blackened American Whiskey, Van Brunt Stillhouse, and Widow Jane. Finally, there's the music: Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5"—and, for good measure, Schubert's "Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished)"—performed by the String Orchestra of Brooklyn.
Saturday, May 25th, 7 p.m. // Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th St., Brooklyn // Tickets: $80
Häus Party @ Chelsea Music Hall
Giggle fabulously at "queer spectacle" Häus Party, a monthly variety show hosted by musical comedians Zach Teague and Drew Lausch. The evening's entertainments feature standup by Franchesca Ramsey, Mary Beth Barone, and Christi Chiello, characters by Benito Skinner, drag by Lagoona Bloo and Junior Mint, and magic by Patrick Davis. Stick around after the show for a dance party with DJ Harkness Granger.
Sunday, May 26th, 7 p.m. // Chelsea Music Hall, 407 West 15th St., Manhattan // Tickets: $15
Persons with Disabilities Comedy Showcase @ Q.E.D. Astoria
Close out your weekend with a laugh at Persons with Disabilities Comedy Showcase, featuring folks with both visible and invisible disabilities. Hosted by Tristan Miller, who creates live shows and pods around destigmatizing mental health, the talent roster includes New York's First Digital Accessibility Coordinator Walei Sabry, founder of Deaf Is Not a Dirty Word Andria Alefhi, Queerly Comedic's Sammie James, and folks who are legally blind, have had brain injuries, or suffer from diseases like Crohn's and Tourette syndrome. The show will have ASL comedy interpretation, audio description, and live closed captioning.
Sunday, May 26th, 7:30 p.m. // Q.E.D. Astoria, 27-16 23rd Ave., Queens // Tickets: $15
