W42ST Daily 7/20/2020
I thought my love of Iceland had reached its zenith with the country’s quirky ear worm of a Eurovision entry (which must surely have inspired the Netflix movie). But now I’m officially smitten. The clever little country has recognized the world’s frustration at four months of working from home, bad DIY haircuts, home schooling, and heartbreak – and invited it to let off steam. You can record your frustrated, ear-splitting, lockdown caterwaul and have it released in a remote part of Iceland. Thanks to Suzy for alerting me to this one. I feel so much better now (but I don’t think I’m done screaming yet) …
NEW YORK STORIES
“I so much wanted to be able to say I could make it in New York,” says Rae Lambert. “I didn’t realize how much of my identity was wrapped up in living in the city.”
And yet, even in the best of circumstances – “we had most of our income and actually like each other” – 100+ days of being stuck in a 400 square feet apartment in Hell’s Kitchen with her husband Ryan, both working from home, have taken their toll. About a month ago, they packed up and left New York, part of the growing exodus from the city, as the reasons to leave start to outweigh the reasons to stay.
The LaDuca sale is a hotly anticipated annual event, with lines around the block of people desperate to pick up a pair of the coveted dance shoes. This year, it’s all happening virtually – with some very special new additions, named after friends of W42ST.
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you, the Vasthy and the Jackie – dedicated to actor, activist, and Broadway babysitter Vasthy Mompoint, and Drag Race alum, Jackie Cox. Form an orderly queue …
This is just beautiful – 100 New York churches sing a blessing over the city. Whatever your faith – or not – it reminds us how far we’ve come.
DO THESE THINGS
LISTEN
Melissa Errico goes live on FB with Broadway Records today, for the release of Our Table. Hear here.
SING
Project Sing Out brings the Broadway community – including Chita Rivera, Don Cheadle, Vanessa Williams, Audra McDonald and many more – together tonight in a one-night only live-streamed event to raise money for the Educational Theatre Foundation, which supports arts education, specifically in low-income communities and communities of color. Hear it.
WATCH
The Met Opera is streaming Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia
tonight, with Christopher Maltman in the title role, and Isabel Leonard is Rosina, the woman at the center of the tale. Stream it.
PLAY
Eight world premieres will be streamed tonight as part of the Short New Play Festival, featuring work by some of the most exciting up-and-coming writers from across the country. See them.
SEE
A Black family grapples with decades of inequality, violence, and suppression in the South, in Broadbend, Arkansas, streaming free from today. Get it.
FOCUS
Yay! Tai chi is back in Bryant Park. They’ll be at the fountain tomorrow morning for some early zen. Join them – and find out more.
AN APPEAL
Thanks to those who have written to us with words of appreciation, bought us coffees (and cocktails… and burgers), and offered their services to support the work of W42ST. We see you and love you. Many have also contributed financially, helping to keep the neighborhood connected and updated at a time when we’ve lost all other revenue. Our gratitude is boundless. If you can help, any amount, no matter how small, makes a massive difference.