Good afternoon, this is W42ST Lifestyle Editor Sarah Beling with “Make Way For The Weekend” — your curated guide to the best of New York events in one convenient newsletter!
Y’all, I finally made it out to the revived Copacabana (cue my dad singing the lyrics to Barry Manilow’s finest tune). It. Was. So. Fun! Attending an evening bookended by an incredible salsa band (go find Uptown Royalty NYC wherever they are playing next!!) and performances from some of the area’s best ballroom dancers, going there felt like finding a little bit of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it New York magic, where great energy abounds and things feel organically fun. And yes, our group ended the night by high-fiving each other and chanting “35! 35! 35!” as a celebration of having stayed out late as people over 30.
Happy almost weekend!!
…when you can only think as far ahead as Monday!
🎭 going to need a bigger boat
A very kind friend of mine gave me an extra ticket to The Life of Pi last weekend and I have to say — run, don’t walk to see some of the greatest puppetry and stagecraft on Broadway this season!! Aided by some truly magnificent performances (particularly by Hiran Abeysekera as Pi), my cynical ass experienced true theater magic.
👯 the high society event of the season
Speaking of the Copa, did you know that there’s a Bridgerton-esque formal ball happening there this Friday April 14?? Check out the Spring Ball | A Regency Era Soiree where they promise “A night filled with romance, beauty, and swoon-worthy guests. Purple wisteria florals don the walls, whilst a classical violinist plays the season’s most beloved melodies. Come dressed in your most Regency-inspired attire, with white gloves, feathers, florals, or the grandest of ballgowns.” Don’t let Her Majesty down!!
🛼 roll on
How many of us watched those quarantine videos of people who learned to roller dance and thought “I can do that!”? I can tell you that it is, in fact, way harder to roller skate (let alone dance) than I expected — but still damn fun!! You can try out the roller rink at The Standard High Line which is open now and Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace in Rockefeller Center opens Friday April 14!
🖼️ animal instinct
Pop over to Boxers HK for Animal Instinct: A Queer Erotic Art Fair Saturday April 15, where you can check out work from local LGBTQIA+ artists and W42ST friend and photographer Cid Roberts!
🎭 don’t wait, call 8!
My friend Andrew and I have long been completely obsessed with the long, strange tale of injury attorneys Cellino and Barnes and their iconic jingle — and it looks like we’re not alone. Cellino V. Barnes, a comedic parody on the famed attorney feud opens April 14 in (somewhat appropriately) a vacant office designed “to give audiences the feel of an austere (if dismal) law office.” We also hear that Ross Cellino himself has given the production the seal of approval instead of suing the bejesus out of them, lol.
🎬 you’ve got trouble
Yes, we’re all collectively obsessed with scammers — from Anna Delvey to the Fyre Fest to Caroline Calloway to FTX to Theranos, there’s something guiltily transfixing about watching people pull the wool over our collective eyes. Pay tribute to the OG scammer at a screening of The Music Man at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Saturday April 15.
🦞 the real red lobster
Forget Hamptons traffic — it’s time to scurry over to Pier 81 and the North River Lobster Company opening today for the season for the chance to enjoy sunset over the Hudson and tasty lobsters that are not from the Hudson!!
🎶 a perfect pair
I had the good fortune of checking out Jennifer Simard’s latest 54 Below cabaret and was delighted to see her Company co-star Christopher Sieber hop up onstage to assist — it reminded me of the true joy of seeing two talented and in-sync co-stars work their magic. Kate Baldwin & Aaron Lazar, known for headlining Broadway’s The Bridges of Madison County reprise selections from the show, as well as other favorites from their theatrical turns April 13-14 at 54 Below.
🔮 pick a card
If you’re a skeptic about fortune-telling, I am the wrong person to come to. As a fervent horoscope reader and someone who once famously based a very pivotal life decision upon the advice of a psychic, I am wholeheartedly intrigued by The Surrealist Tarot: Collage Art Workshop Saturday April 15 at Earth & Me in Queens. The three-part workshop combines tarot reading, an examination of the surrealist female artists of the 1920s and collage art making. Collage materials and insight provided!
🎶 they didn’t start the fire
Does it ever occur to you that kids today will think of most of the events referenced in We Didn’t Start the Fire as basically ancient history? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (silent scream). Why not brush them up on the basics by heading to The Music of Billy Joel for Kids at Brooklyn Bowl Sunday April 16! Kind of wondering how they’ll modify Psycho Killer.
🌎 every day is earth day
We’ll have some more Earth Day related recs for you next week, but get a head start by stopping by the pre-Earth Day festivities in Union Square Sunday April 16 where you’ll have the chance to make your own bioplastics, play an energy board game and take part in “ask a climate scientist” office hours.
🎨 get the funk outta here
Originated by a group of 1960s West Coast artists, the Funk movement used subversion and satire to express anti-establishment views against expectations of “good art.” Check out an homage to the artistic era at Funk You Too! Humor and Irreverence in Ceramic Sculpture now through August at the Museum of Arts and Design.
…what’s happening before and just after I hit your inbox next!
🐢 slow and steady wins the race
Did you know that there’s an amazing tortoise named Hanunah living in Hell’s Kitchen? She’s stationed at W54th Street’s Prime Produce, also the site of a Turtle Race (!!!!) Sunday April 23. And if you happen to be an NYC-based turtle owner, “yes, you can enter your turtle in the race — if there’s still space!” Move quickly!
👯 all things peridance
Honor 40 years of Peridance at their Legacy Festival April 19-24. The seven-day anniversary celebration features a combination of exclusive workshops, nightly performances (including some from Peridance founder Igal Perry) as well as a community ball!
🌿 sip and chill
Celebrate New York’s favorite unofficial holiday and sample various cannabinoid-infused mezcal at a 4/20 Cannabis Mezcal Tasting at East Village bar Cabinet!
🎡 step right up
Even though I’m generally scared of any real ride, there’s something oddly nostalgic to me about the old-school carnivals of my youth. Cotton candy, games I’ll never win but play anyway and burlap sack slides recreate the Farm Pond Carnival with me, as well as new elements like a petting zoo at the Apple Blossom Carnival at the Queens County Farm Museum Saturday April 22.
🌎 shop for the earth
Shop sustainably by hitting up the Earth Day Retro Market at Industry City Saturday April 22, where you can find vintage and locally-sourced artisan jewelry, clothes and accessories that are NOT Shein hauls.
…for when you need to secure those hot tickets before they sell out!!!
📽️ desi’s daily show desk
Daily Show correspondent Desi Lydic, known for her humorous coverage of the United States’s ridiculously depressing gender inequity, takes charge the week of April 24!
🎭 hot new show alert
The website for Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding at St Ann’s Warehouse warns that tickets are already selling out for the new musical beginning performances May 6. Based on the movie of the same name, we’re hearing whispers that this production may make its way to the Main Stem — but why not catch it here first???
🔥 Hot tip
Nestled up a steep staircase in the East Village is the Cha-an Teahouse, a traditional Japanese cafe I had the pleasure of trying one rainy afternoon a few weeks ago. I am by no means (!!) the be-all-end-all expert on matcha, but as someone who had the joy of trying it in Japan, I can tell you that this place fully measures up.
⚠️ Omg I forgot to tell you
There’s a Marvelous Mrs Maisel Pop-Up experience on Fifth Avenue between 46th and 56th Street Friday April 14!
A Tribute to the Paradise Garage: As Reimagined by C’mon Everybody Friday April 14
Family acro workshop at the New Victory Saturday April 15
Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time is now open at MoMA
That’s it for now! Call me beep me if you want to reach me! (sarah@w42st.com)
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