Our Town - May 2, 2019

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The local paper for the Upper East Side

WHAT’S SO

funny

WEEK OF MAY

2-8 2019

INSIDE

PEERING INTO THE PAST Daguerreotypes from the mid19th century capture ancient wonders of the world. P. 8

Julie Menin, Director of the Census for New York City, at the Supreme Court last week. Photo: Courtesy of Office of the Census for New York City

A TOOL TO HURT US BREWER FILES LEGAL CHALLENGE

A rendering showing the new residential tower Fetner Properties plans to build on the grounds of NYCHA’s Holmes Towers development. Image: NYCHA

VIEWPOINT

Two NYC officials say the possibility of a Census citizenship question has already caused damage BY JULIE MENIN AND BITTA MOSTOFI

Last week, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States Department of Commerce v. New York, better known as the “Census citizenship case.”

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TO HOLMES TOWER PROJECT HOUSING Borough president claims mayor’s plan to allow private development on Yorkville NYCHA property “illegally circumvented” public land use review BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is taking Mayor Bill de

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Blasio to court over his administration’s controversial decision to allow a private developer to erect a 530-foot building on the campus of a Yorkville public housing development without subjecting the project to the city’s land use review process. Brewer’s lawsuit, filed April 18 in New York County Supreme Court, is the latest development in the longrunning dispute over Fetner Properties’ plan to build a new 50-story

3 5 6 8

Restaurant Ratings 17 Business 18 Real Estate 19 15 Minutes 21

residential tower on the site of what is now a playground between the two 25-story buildings of Holmes Towers, a New York City Housing Authority development at East 92nd Street and First Avenue. Plans for the new building, which would rise in close proximity to both 92nd Street and the existing Holmes Towers buildings, do not

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WOMEN, MEN AND THE RACE TO 100 The very old are overwhelmingly female. How genetics and hormones play key roles. P. 2

SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK AND ROLL STAR The Met Museum”s “Play it Loud” exhibit features Ringo, Jimi and more. P. 5 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, May 3 – 7:36 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastrside.com.

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WHY WOMEN BEAT MEN IN THE RACE TO 100 Want to live to be 100? Pick your parents carefully, and make sure you’re born a girl. Centenarians (people who hit the century mark) usually have similarly long-lived grandparents, parents and siblings, and while the male Y chromosome delivers broad shoulders, slim hips, and tons of muscle, the female double X is practically a life insurance policy. Right now, there are approximately 500,000 centenarians around the world. The United Nations estimates that by 2050 there will be more than 2 million, and the research group Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence says the first person who will live longer than 150 years has already been born. Today’s very old are overwhelm-

Source: 24/7 Wall St./OECD data

da) in 2017 he found that a woman’s body processes oxygen faster and more efficiently than a man’s, making her “less prone to muscle fatigue and more likely to perform better athletically.” Women also perform better at beating a cold or the flu. There’s a real scientific reason why grown men turn into babbling babies when they catch a cold or flu. Asian studies show that the viruses hit men harder because high male testosterone levels suppress the overall immune response, while female immunity goes full steam on to blunt the bugs’ effects.

Are you experiencing stress or anxiety?

United States – 82,000

China – 48,000

India – 27,000*

France – 21,393

Spain – 17,423

United Kingdom – 14,570

Germany – 8,839

BY CAROL ANN RINZLER

Canada – 8,230

Today’s very old are overwhelmingly female. Genetics and hormones play key roles

ingly female. In the United States, the long-running New England Centenarian Study puts the ratio at 85% female/15% male. The same is true in Great Britain: 586 women to a mere 100 men. In Japan, there are seven 100 year old women for every 100 year old man. As for supercentenarians, people like the 330 hardy souls in the United States who have made it to 110 or more, it’s 9-to-1. Why? Animal studies at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) suggest the female XX chromosomal pairing — one from Mom and one from Dad — can extend lifespan but only with the help of female hormones secreted by the ovaries. As neurologist Dena Dubal explains, one X chromosome is randomly deactivated so if a woman’s active one is damaged the inactive X can take over making females “winners of the genetic lottery.” As for physical ability, men may run faster and hit harder, but when Thomas Beltrame ran a fitness study at the University of Waterloo (Cana-

NUMBER OF CENTENARIANS IN 2016

Australia – 4,870

AGING

COUNTING TO 100 Japan – 65,000

2

*2015

Aside from sex, geography has something to say about how long you’ll live. In the United States, although California is the state with the most centenarians (Alaska has the fewest), the Southern states seem to excel at producing long-livers. Being smart about your health also helps. As the New England study’s Jiaquan Xu notes, “If you diagnose chronic disease earlier and get proper treatment, these can be controlled or even prevented.” In short, the idea that “the older you get, the sicker you get” is a myth. The real deal is that “the older you get, the healthier

you’ve been.” And there’s your gender difference: Most women traditionally schedule regular visits with the doctor. Most men don’t. Finally, consider that modern centenarians grew up in a time when men were more likely than women to be involved in risky ventures such a fighting wars. Whether our currently more equitable risk-taking will alter the ratio of female-to-male ultra-senior citizens remains a mystery for one of today’s teenagers to unravel. Probably that one boy or girl who’s going to live to be 150.

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG CLOSE ENCOUNTER

TAX SCAM FOILED

A senior actually met the young man who took him for $20,000 in a phone scam. According to police reports, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Apr. 11, a 91-year-old male Upper East Side resident received a phone call from someone stating that the man’s grandson needed bail money. The victim told police he believed the story and, on two separate occasions, paid cash to a man in his 20s in the lobby of his building, once employing an intermediary and once meeting with the scammer himself.

If it’s not a phone scam claiming victims, it’s a mail scam. On Thursday morning, Apr. 4, police said, a 73-yearold female resident of the Upper East Side received a letter in the mail announcing that her Social Security beneďŹ ts had been levied. She told police that the company supposedly writing her, American Tax Solutions, claimed that they could lower the levy amount from $28,949 to just $200 if she paid them a total of $3,800 over the span of 23 months. The victim added that she gave American Tax Solutions a down payment of $1,000 and signed a contract giving them power of attorney. Fortunately, she later spoke to someone at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, who told her it was illegal to levy Social Security beneďŹ ts and the letter she received was undoubtedly a scam. The victim then closed the account from which the scammers were going to receive payments.

JUVENILE ARRESTED IN PHONE SNATCH At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 11, a 41-year-old woman was using her phone in front of 312 East 95th St. when an 11-year-old male allegedly snatched the phone from her hand, police said. Police took the victim on a tour of the neighborhood later, and she spotted the suspect at the corner of Lexington Ave. and East 96th St. The youth was arrested and charged with grand larceny. The phone stolen and recovered was an iPhone 6S valued at $300.

GRAND LARCENY CHARGE IN CHECK CASHING ATTEMPT On Monday morning, Apr. 13, a 45-year-old woman entered the

Capital One bank at 249 East 86th St. and tried to cash a check in the amount of $2,000 made out to a Maritza Pineda, police said. The bank teller conducted a security check of the woman’s ID and determined that it was fake. Police said the woman had gone to another Capital One branch earlier and tried to cash the same check, but was unsuccessful. The bank notiďŹ ed the account holder, who told the bank that the woman attempting to cash the check was not Maritza Pineda, his sister. Police arrested Elizabeth Velasquez and charged her with grand larceny.

GARBAGE TRUCK DRIVER ARRESTED

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th precinct for the week ending Apr 21 Week to Date 2019 2018

% Change 2019

2018

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

1

-100.0

Rape

0

2

-100.0 10

6

66.7

Robbery

2

7

-71.4

39

45

-13.3

Felony Assault

2

4

-50.0

36

45

-20.0

Burglary

2

0

n/a

65

61

6.6

Grand Larceny

19

28

-32.1

446

428

4.2

Grand Larceny Auto

0

1

-100.0 3

8

-62.5

At 1:49 a.m. on Thursday, Apr. 11, a police officer observed a 42-year-old male garbage truck driver reversing his 2009 Mack garbage truck the wrong way through the intersection of First Ave. and East 82nd St. The officer conducted a computer check at the scene, which revealed that the driver had a suspended New York State driver’s license, with one scofflaw citation. Jose Falcon was arrested and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle as well as a license violation. Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr

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Year to Date

0

4

Useful Contacts

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POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St. 157 E. 67th St.

311 311

1836 Third Ave.

311

221 E. 75th St.

311

211 E. 43rd St. #1205 244 E. 93rd St.

212-818-0580

State Sen. Jose M. Serrano State Senator Liz Krueger Assembly Member Dan Quart Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

1916 Park Ave. #202 1850 Second Ave. 360 E. 57th St.

212-828-5829 212-490-9535 212-605-0937

1485 York Ave.

212-288-4607

COMMUNITY BOARD 8 LIBRARIES

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

Yorkville 96th Street 67th Street Webster Library

222 E. 79th St. 112 E. 96th St. 328 E. 67th St. 1465 York Ave.

212-744-5824 212-289-0908 212-734-1717 212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St. 525 E. 68th St.

212-434-2000 212-746-5454

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave. 550 First Ave. 4 Irving Place

212-241-6500 212-263-7300 212-460-4600

1283 First Ave. 1617 Third Ave.

212-517-8361 212-369-2747

201 Varick St. 128 East Broadway 93 4th Ave.

212-645-0327 212-267-1543 212-254-1390

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13 FDNY Engine 39/ Ladder 16 FDNY Engine 53/ Ladder 43 FDNY Engine 44

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Keith Powers Councilmember Ben Kallos

212-860-1950

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Voices

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IS THAT A POEM I HEAR? EAST SIDE OBSERVER BY ARLENE KAYATT

Silence with a sound — Sound, most any sound, is out of place at the library, any library. You don’t hear pages turning. You don’t hear taps on computer keys. You don’t hear the sound of words or song from headphones. And the hushed tones coming from the library’s main desk mainly go unheard. But there was a sound in the air at the East 79th Street library. A sound that those of a certain age

would recognize. A casual looksee around the room told the tale and there it was — a man at a desk in front of the window at the library branch typing away on an old standard typewriter, one with keys that made the clicking sound heard ‘round the room. Today’s keyboards are soundless — think texting, computers. Even the ancient (1961) electric Selectric, which eventually had its own correcting ribbon, was soundless, or at least as I remember it. At the iconic machine sat poet Steven Alvarez, PhD, tapping out

poems on the sound-making standard typewriter in recognition of National Poetry Month. The Poetry Society of New York is a MicroResidency at the New York Public Library. During the year, the library provides the space and the typewriter and the poet provides the poem for library visitors, who pick the poem’s subject. From our “sound” conversation, came Steven’s poetry:

See we hear one another sense our differences and passions but never had known What brings us together is geography and its accidents and this city where no one lives for the weather and where the sounds of sirens drown our laughter

HOME Listen to the sounds of our neighbors sharing joy dancing even as snow continues to fall

we find we share sounds in common

Taxation without explanation — Odd that Duane Reade, at least the

one at East 87th and Third, adds tax to newspaper purchases. When called on it, nobody knew why (no doubt it was programmed into the register’s database), and the tax was not paid. But the question remains - why is Duane Reade adding tax to newspaper purchases? Honoring Henry — During his lifetime, efforts were made to name a pool on the UES in honor of Henry J. Stern. However, that honor would not or could not be bestowed while Henry was still living. Now that he has passed, it is fitting and appropriate to name the pool in his honor. It’s the right, honorable thing to do for an exemplary public servant.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK AND ROLL STAR PUBLIC EYE BY JON FRIEDMAN

You don’t come face to face with greatness too often. But there it was, right in front of my eyes: Ringo Starr’s iconic Ludwig drum kit from his days in The Beatles. A few feet away, I spied the guitar that Buddy Holly (probably) used to write “Everyday” and other hits. Guitars played by the likes of Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia and Chuck Berry are on display as well. Musical instruments of all kinds — even a lone sitar — have found their way into the hallowed halls of Metropolitan Museum of Art for a new must-see exhibit entitled “Play It Loud.” In all, about 130 instruments are featured. The exhibit — done in conjunction with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — grandly accomplishes a museum’s primary goals for both snobs and novices: educate, inform, inspire and entertain. The central idea was for the Met to celebrate “the musical instruments that gave rock and

roll its signature sound,” as an accompanying coffee-table book notes. Like all ambitious exhibits, “Play It Loud” contains something for everyone. If you play an instrument in a serious way, you can appreciate the artistry of the pieces themselves and imagine yourself trying your hand on them. If you’re a cultural historian, you can learn about the origins of these figures. And if you’re a youngster who thinks Clapton is most famous for doing the song “Tears from Heaven” and John Lennon’s signature accomplishment was the Utopian anthem “Imagine,” you can begin to understand what the fuss was all about way back in the Sixties, and that the great guitar innovator of his time spelled his name with that curious style of “J-i-m-i,” as in “Hendrix.” The exhibit’s most noteworthy achievement is offering up something special that is rich in nostalgia, without drowning us in it. The trip down memory lane is, at its core, fun. And that counts for a lot. Still, not everyone is pleased. Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit at the Met Museum. Photo: Jon Friedman

Dave Davies, the lead guitarist of The Kinks and the innovator behind the historic distorted guitar solo in “You Really Got Me,” loudly griped that he and his band had not been represented. “I was very upset that they didn’t realize the potency and power of the Kinks,” Davies told a reporter. “It was a potent force in rock ‘n’ roll, and to leave out the Kinks and the lead-guitar sound was kind of regrettable.” (The museum must’ve been thrilled to get the publicity, so if your rock and roll group was also left out, the museum encourages you to make your case all over social media.) Also, in the Nobody’s Perfect Dept., I spotted a factual error. The exhibit displayed a guitar played by the beloved Jerry Garcia at the final Grateful Dead concert. But the museum mistakenly pointed out that the concert took place in 1996 — several months after Garcia died — instead of 1995, the proper year. (A spokesman for the museum assured me that it would fix the gaffe ASAP.)

According to the Met, the exhibition’s benefactors include the John Pritzker Family Fund, the Estate of Ralph L. Riehle, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Diane Carol Brandt, the Paul L. Wattis Foundation, Kenneth and Anna Zankel, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Some might quibble, too, that the Met, one of the great names in all of New York City culture, might be the wrong place to house such an exhibit for the masses. They miss the point that rock and roll is by now bread for the establishment as well as the anthem of the world’s youth (or is that now the province of hip-hop?). People like Jerry Garcia and Eric Clapton have instant name recognition and are revered for their prowess and longevity. They are heroes all over the world. Their instruments are part of history. Come to think of it, anybody who would criticize the Met for this terrific exhibit would seem to be out of touch with the popular culture’s rhythms (and, yes, blues) for the past six decades.

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Can’t make it to church?

Calendar NYCNOW

Discover the world around the corner. Find community events, gallery openings, book launches and much more: Go to nycnow.com

EDITOR’S PICK

May 2 - June 28 “WHO DO YOU SAY YOU ARE? APPROACHES TO PORTRAITURE THEN AND NOW” The Mount Vernon Hotel & Garden 421 East 61st St 11:00 a.m. Free The historic house provides fitting context for a look at portraiture from the 19th century to the present time, from America and abroad. How has portraiture been shaped by time, place, identity, movement and migration? How do artists’ experiences as immigrants shape their depictions? This museum-wide exhibit examines artistic production with an eye to the connections and conditions which helped to shape it. mvhm.org 212 838-6878

Thu 2 FILM - GOING IN STYLE (2017) 96th St Library 112 East 96th St 2:00 p.m. Free This film, directed by Zach Braff, is about lifelong buddies Willie, Joe, and Al who decide to buck retirement and step off the straight and narrow for the first time in their lives when their pension fund

Live Stream at MarbleChurch.org 1 West 29th Street / New York, New York 10001 212 686 2770 / MarbleChurch.org Download the Marble Church App on iPhone or Android

becomes a corporate casualty. nypl.org (212) 289-0908

Fri 3 SHELF LIFE: NEW WORKS, MADE FROM THE ARCHIVES ▼ Library for the Performing Arts 40 Lincoln Center Plaza

7:00 p.m. Free The culmination of an intense semester of research and creative experimentation, New School University students, led by acclaimed saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom, present new music and theater works inspired by and incorporating the Library’s archives. nypl.org 917-275-6975

MAY 2-8,2019

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Sat 4

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU — A STAR WARS PROGRAM ►

Moroni: The Riches of Renaissance Portraiture We are pleased to present the first major show in the United States on Giovanni Battista Moroni, an essential figure in the Northern Italian tradition of naturalistic painting. The exhibition features nearly two dozen of this Renaissance artist’s most arresting portraits along with a selection of jewelry, armor, and other luxury items that evoke the material world of Moroni and his sitters. The paintings and objects were assembled from international private and public collections. Now in its final month (ends June 2), this critically acclaimed show was called a “Critic’s Pick� by the New York Times, and the Washington Post declared it “a jewel of an exhibition.�

Webster Library 1465 York Ave 2:30 p.m. Free Join and celebrate May the Fourth, with a fun, surprise Star Wars themed activity. nypl.org 212-288-5049

Masterpieces of French Faience: Selections from the Sidney R. Knafel Collection

CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND BRUNCH

Mon 6 THOMAS S. KAPLAN IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVID RUBENSTEIN: COLLECTING REMBRANDT 92y 1395 Lexington Ave 7:30 p.m. $35 The Leiden Collection, a unique “lending library� of Dutch Golden Age art named for Rembrandt’s birthplace,

is the largest and most important privately-held collection of Rembrandt and his peers of the Dutch Golden Age in the world. Marking this year’s commemoration of the 350th anniversary of the death of Rembrandt, Dr. Kaplan shares his journey as an art collector with the ďŹ nancier and philanthropist David Rubenstein. 92y.org 212-415-5500

Tue 7 BABY STORYTIME â–ź Yorkville Library 222 E 79th St 10:30 a.m. Free with museum admission Babies from birth to 18-months-old (pre-walkers) and their parents/caregivers can enjoy great books, lively songs, and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. nypl.org (212) 744-5824

Wed 8 SELECTED SHORTS: MOTHERHOOD WITH CELESTE NG AND MARY KARR Symphony Space 2537 Broadway 7:30 p.m. $32 Join award-winning authors Celeste Ng (“Little Fires Everywhereâ€?) and Mary Karr (“The Liars’ Clubâ€?) for an evening of ďŹ ction celebrating and exploring one of our most complex relationships. With stories by Kathryn Chetkovich (“Friendly Fireâ€?), Danielle Lazarin (“Back Talkâ€?), Tillie Olsen (“Tell Me a Riddleâ€?), and NaďŹ ssa Thompson-Spires (Heads of the Colored Peopleâ€?), and readings by Eboni Booth (“Daredevilâ€?), Kate Burton (“Scandalâ€?), Shalewa Sharpe (Comedy Central), Phillipa Soo (“Hamiltonâ€?) and more! symphonyspace.org 212-864-5400

In our daylit Portico Gallery, visitors may also enjoy an exhibition of colorful eighteenth-century French ceramics. The show of faience, tin-glazed earthenware, features works owned by Sidney R. Knafel, who has amassed one of the world’s finest such collections in private hands. The fine decoration found in these objects (platters, bowls, plates, and ewers) draws inspiration from multiple sources — Italian maiolica, Asian porcelain, and even contemporary engravings. This new show tells the fascinating and complex history of this art form.

Tiepolo in Milan: The Lost Frescoes of Palazzo Archinto Now on view at the Frick is a selection of paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs related to Giambattista Tiepolo’s first significant project outside of Venice, a series of ceiling frescoes for Palazzo Archinto in Milan. The frescoes were painted between 1730 and 1731 and commissioned by Count Carlo Archinto, one of the city’s most influential patrons and intellectuals. Tragically, the palazzo was bombed during World War II, its interior completely destroyed. To tell the story of this lost masterpiece, the exhibition brings together more than fifty works, among them the Frick’s Perseus and Andromeda, one of three surviving preparatory oil sketches.

FREE PUBLIC NIGHT Next First Fridays Events: May 3 and June 7 Museum admission and programs are free 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the first Friday evening of the month. Visitors have access to the permanent collection and special exhibition galleries, talks and lectures by museum educators and curators, music and dance performances, and open sketching in the Garden Court (complimentary materials provided by the Frick.) For more information, visit frick.org/FirstFridays.

ARCHITECTURAL MODEL NOW ON VIEW The architectural model showing the proposed renovation and enhancement of our facilities by Selldorf Architects is on view now. The project will honor the historic architecture and character of the museum and library and preserve the unique visitor experience for which the Frick is known. Greater access to the original residence is central to the plan, along with critical upgrades to the building’s infrastructure. Learn more at frickfuture.org

Brought to you by

The Frick Collection &BTU UI 4U PO 'JGUI "WF t www.frick.org

DID YOU KNOW? What site in NYC was one of the key locations for the “Monuments Men� mapping of Europe during World War II, with the goal of preserving cultural treasures from Allied bombing raids? Hint: It’s a remarkable museum library at 10 East 71st Street. Today it’s much in the news as a center for research. Open to the public. Answer: Frick Art Reference Library

Sun 5 The Guggenheim 1071 Fifth Ave 11:00 a.m Reserve Online Celebrate Cinco de Mayo all weekend at The Wright. Chef Alejandro Cortez has created a special menu with Mexican favorites including huevos rancheros, enchiladas, housemade churros with salted caramel, and margaritas. guggenheim.org 212-423-3500

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Dame are on view. Because the daguerreotype is not a print, but the equivalent of a negative that we view, the details, though tiny, are extraordinary. Architectural lines and embellishments are crisp, even as the overall image is glazed by a kind of otherworldly opalescence. And, due to a quirk of the chemicals, the sky stands out clear and blue. They’re remarkably moving to see at this moment. Also astonishing are the first photographs ever taken of the Acropolis in Athens, the Temple of Vesta in Rome, the Ramesseum in Thebes, and Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate.

PEERING INTO THE PAST Daguerreotypes from the mid-19th century capture ancient wonders of the world, and the vastness of time itself BY MARY GREGORY

Ever since Heroditus traveled the eastern Mediterranean coastline in about 400 BC and wrote about wonders he encountered in Egypt, travel diaries have captured the attention and imagination of audiences, allowing armchair adventurers to trek vicariously. Visitors to the Met’s “Monumental Journey: The Daguerreotypes of Girault de Prangey” have an extraordinary chance to journey back in time, in an exhibition that is a fascinating travelogue, an engaging visual novelty, and a deeply poetic rumination on time.

A Man on a Mission Artists have always embraced new technologies. In 1842, only three years after Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre invented the daguerreotype, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey a French artist, architectural historian, and pioneer of photography, embarked on a three-year journey to places few of his countrymen and women had ever seen. Carrying large, heavy, custommade equipment, chemicals, and fragile glass plates, Girault set out to document the wonders of the ancient world. He captured some of the first photographic images of sites in Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Israel. A palpable sense of his journey comes through in

the exhibition, thanks to the presence of his oversized wooden camera, the boxes in which he carried the fragile plates (both before and after exposure), and his innovative plate holder that could be used either horizontally or vertically.

Time Travel The more compelling journey, though, is the one the exhibition offers to times and places as they existed in earlier centuries. Most of the approximately 120 daguerreotypes on view have rarely been seen before. Though small in comparison to what we think of as photographs, such as snapshots, school portraits or wedding pictures, they’re huge (at about 8 x 10 inches) compared to typical daguerreotypes, which are closer to business card size. It makes Girault’s oeuvre all the more exceptional. Along with a selection of Girault’s watercolors, paintings, and illustrations, they’re part of a trove found in the 1920s by his descendants in his crumbling villa. (He died in 1892.) Crates in the attic held over 1,000 carefully stored and labeled pristine daguerreotypes, many depicting places that no longer exist. Perhaps the most poignant, given recent events, is one of the earliest extant photographic images of the rose window of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. It was taken in 1841, when the medium was only two years old. Four of the thirteen images Girault made of the Notre-

A Treasure Preserved

Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, Rose Window, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, 1841, Daguerreotype. Photo: Adel Gorgy.

IF YOU GO WHAT: “Monumental Journey: The Daguerreotypes of Girault de Prangey” WHERE: The Met 1000 Fifth Avenue, Second Floor WHEN: Through May 12 Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, Ramesseum, Thebes, 1844, Daguerreotype. Photo: Adel Gorgy.

The exhibition, organized by Stephen C. Pinson, is arranged by geographic location. Glass cases present and protect the magical images, carefully and perfectly lit, and we peer into boxes of the past. Images of Beirut, Damascus, and Aleppo under Ottoman rule, picturesque views of Jaffa, streets in Cairo topped by minarets long since fallen, the Dome of the Rock and Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem are all there to see, as they existed over 175 years ago. As we look, time seems both incomprehensibly vast and touchingly near. “Girault returned to France in early 1845 bearing more than one thousand daguerreotypes,” the curatorial statement points out. “No other photographer of the period embarked on such a long excursion or successfully made a quantity of plates anywhere near this amount,” Both as documentary evidence and beautifully composed works of art, Girault’s daguerreotypes are treasures. They present us with our own rich past, even as they lead us to wonder which of these rock-built sites will become no more than lost histories to our descendants.

MAY 2-8,2019

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Who Says You Can’t Remain Informed, Engaged, and Inspired?

The NYU School of Professional Studies offers a wide array of nondegree courses that many older adults will find of interest in their desire to continue the lifelong learning process. From remaining current on world politics; to exploring art, great literature, theatre, and history; to gaining the skills to write a short story or your memoir, you will find a wealth of options from which to choose. Courses are taught by experts in their respective fields, who guide you through the content, while encouraging lively classroom discussion. You’ll meet and mingle with classmates who share your interests in a supportive and stimulating learning environment. Reduced Rates for Older Adults The NYU School of Professional Studies offers many courses to older adults at reduced rates. If you are 65 years of age or older, you can receive a 25 percent discount on most non-degree courses, except where otherwise indicated.

To Register: Online: If you have previously taken a course at NYUSPS, visit our website sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways, locate the course in which you are interested, click on it, and follow the prompts for registration. If you have NEVER taken a course at NYUSPS, visit sps.nyu.edu/login.htm and create a noncredit portal account. Then, register for the course following the directions above. You will need to provide your proof of age at a future time. By Phone: Call 212-998-7150, register and ask for the older adult discount. Mon.–Thurs., 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 9 a.m.–5 p.m; and Sun., Closed You will need to provide your proof of age at a future time. In Person: Visit the Office of Noncredit Student Services at 7 East 12th Street. Mon.–Thurs., 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 9 a.m.–5 p.m; and Sun., Closed You can provide your proof of age onsite.

List of Courses GLOBAL AFFAIRS Daytime Courses Country Risk: Geopolitics, Policy, and Regulation World Politics: The New Global Power Alignments taught by Ralph Buultjens Weekend Courses Brazil’s Economic Development International Development Trade Wars! Trade Policy in the Trump Administration ARTS & HUMANITIES Daytime Courses Art and Daily Life in Ancient Greece Art Styles through the Ages: From Baroque to the 20th Century Bob Dylan: American Literature’s Defiant Prophet Introduction to Drawing Introduction to Film Music and Sound Latin American Art: From Columbus to the Present New York in the Jazz Age: Art Deco Architecture from Wall Street to Washington Heights Puccini’s Women Reading Dante’s Inferno The Lake District: A History Revealed The Western on Film What is American in American Art, 1925-1975: From Regionalism to Fluxus What is American in American Art, 1975-Present: From Protest Art to Now Weekend Courses The Bible in Literature: Good Books Inspired by the Good Book Nazi Looted Art: Theft, Destruction, Return--But No Redemption?

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WHAT’S SO

funny

ABOUT NEW YORK?

It’s the setting of iconic sitcoms, home to “Saturday Night Live,” the talk shows of Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, legendary comedy clubs and enough comedians and comedy writers to fill the L train, if it ever arrives. The joke’s on us, America, and you’re welcome. BY DAVID NOONAN

I was walking down Broadway one sunny afternoon on the Upper West Side in 1978 when I noticed a woman up ahead of me, walking in the same direction. There were other people walking down Broadway that afternoon, but the woman I noticed was the only one wearing a bowler hat. And it wasn’t just any bowler, it was a bowler with a hole neatly cut in the back to accommodate the woman’s ponytail, which was swinging gently with the rhythm of her walk. I was moving a bit faster than she was, and as I passed her I realized it was Gilda Radner. Of course! Who else would wear that hat? Who else could? Gilda, an Upper West Sider, was one of the stars of “Saturday Night Live,” which had just completed its third season, and her one-woman show, “Gilda Radner – Live From New York,” would soon be a smash hit on Broadway. If she wasn’t the funniest person in New York at the time (She was!), she was certainly on the short list. Forty-one years later, and just a few blocks to the north, I watched the current holder of the title, Upper West Sider Jerry Seinfeld, tear the house down at the Beacon Theatre in a set that lasted more than an hour. This was not TV Jerry, not that there’s anything wrong with TV Jerry, the laconic bystander, the sardonic eye at the center of the wacky

and absurd “Seinfeld” storm. This was high-energy Jerry, master of the stand up arts, alone on stage in a suit and tie, serving up one superbly written bit after another, each perfectly paced and, yes, acted out. Naturally, his explications of New York life – he’s had it with restaurants in general, especially the ones that “drizzle” various fluids on your food – got some of the biggest laughs. It was Seinfeld’s 2019 Beacon residency, which started in January and will continue through November (details here www.jerryseinfeld.com ) that inspired this special section about comedy in New York. When I heard about the shows, I was struck by the fact that the guy who co-created one of the great New York sitcoms of all time, which is set on the Upper West side, who also lives on the Upper West Side, likes to perform at a theater just a few blocks from his apartment. Hey, why go downtown or all the way over to the East Side when you can stay in the neighborhood and work? That’s such a New York thing. Like fussy Felix Unger moving in with his sloppy pal Oscar Madison when his wife kicks him out. Or the Jeffersons confirming their success in life by moving from Queens to an Upper East Side high-rise. Or Mrs. Maisel coping with her own wrecked marriage by getting up onstage and joking about it. Or the regular com-

ics at the Comedy Cellar in the Village mercilessly mocking Pete Holmes, the out-of-towner trying to make it in the big city on HBO’s “Crashing.” As the accompanying map illustrates, and the stories in this section confirm, New York is a funny town. And because it’s New York, it’s funny in a relentlessly ambitious, edgy and determined way. Being funny is hard work, New York is a hard-working town and funny people come here to work hard at being funny, like the improv performers Joshua Nasser hung out with, and the women comics Emily Mason wrote about. Sure, some of our funny people go to Los Angeles, like Q & A subject Danny Jacobson. But when they get there they make hit shows about New York, like “Mad About You,” which Jacobson co-created with Paul Reiser. Of course, no exploration of New York comedy would be complete without a piece that New Yorkers can argue about, and Jon Friedman’s theory about “Seinfeld’s” parentage takes care of that. I didn’t say anything to Gilda Radner that day on Broadway – New Yorkers leave their celebrities in peace – but that fleeting moment remains one of my fondest memories of those years. What’s so funny about New York? A ponytail sticking out of a bowler hat, for one thing.

Image by Susan Faiola

There’s just no substitute for live comedy. Here are 11 of the best clubs in the city.

New York Comedy Club 241 East 24th Street 212-696-5233 newyorkcomedyclub.com

Comedy Cellar 117 Macdougal St 212-254-3480 Comedycellar.com

The Stand Restaurant and Comedy Club 116 East 16th St 212-677-2600 thestandnyc.com

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 555 West 42nd St 212-366-9176 ucbtheatre.com

Stand Up NY 236 W 78th St 212-595-0850 standupny.com

Carolines on Broadway 1626 Broadway 212-757-4100 carolines.com

Gotham Comedy Club 208 West 23rd St 212-367-9000 gothamcomedyclub.com

Dangerfield’s First Ave & East 61st St 212-593-1650 dangerfield’s.com

The PIT 123 East 24th St (212) 563-7488 thepit-nyc.com

Magnet Theater 254 West 29th St 212-244-8824 magnettheater.com

Comic Strip Live 1568 Second Ave 212-861-9386 comicstriplive.com

MAY 2-8,2019

THE IMPROVISERS

UCB was founded in 1999 by the UCB4 -- Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, Matt Besser, & Ian Roberts. The theater started off as a place where performers could put on their own shows, but over time it became much more than that as they developed their own curriculum and began sharing their ideas about improv with students. UCB has one core belief and that is to “follow the game.� Following the game (or just game, for short) means you

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The UCB Approach

NEIGHBORHOOD’S BEST NEIGHBORHOOD’S BEST

They make it up as they go along, but don’t be fooled, New York’s best improv groups are disciplined and highly-trained. Oh, yeah, they’re funny, too.

New York is live comedy heaven. Whatever you want to do – lighten your mood after a long day at work, hear a funny and creative twist on the latest news, have your mind blown by a provocative new voice or laugh at some faux Shakespeare – there is a club, performer or group that will meet your needs. So, where does it all come from? How do comedians get their start? Most seem to come out of one of two places: stand-up or improv. Stand-up comedy has always been huge in New York, but improv has definitely grown in recent years. This can be explained in part by an inux of comedians from Chicago, where improv has been a central part of the comedy scene since the legendary Second City improv group was founded there in 1959. But New York is more than holding its own these days, thanks to two top Manhattan troupes – the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) and the Magnet Theater. Both offer improv classes in addition to regular performances, and each has its own style and approach to the art form. Their improv “philosophies,â€? if you will, are quite different.

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Just another day at Upright Citizens Brigade. Photo: Courtesy UCB via Instagram

must find what is funny or unusual about a scene, draw attention to it, and hit on it as much as you can. An example would be if you were in a scene with someone and they told you the only way they could fall asleep was by eating socks. That behavior would be called out and the scene would more or less become about that. It’s a very calculated way of being funny, and the best performers at the theater can mix this calculation with their own personal brand of humor. In addition to the founders, many notable performers have come out of UCB. The list is long, and includes Donald Glover (“Atlanta�), Chris Gethard (“The Chris Gethard Show�) and Kate McKinnon of “Saturday Night Live,� to name a few.

Out of Their Heads As for more recent comedians, there are plenty of good ones, including Brandon Dzirko, a member of a UCB house team. (House teams are groups of regular performers who work together.) “I love the UCB play-style because anytime you’re on stage, it feels like you’re building something completely from scratch,� Dzirko said, when asked what drew him to UCB. “You and your scene partner are using the tools you learned in classes, including game, to communicate and navigate the scene. You’re taught to play in a way that gets you out of your head and

into the scene, leading to fun discoveries and surprises.� For Dzirko, and lots of others, UCB is much more than a stage and a place to be funny. “UCB has always provided me with an environment that pushes me to grow, while providing the tools and support network to make that possible,� he said. “The experience and community I’ve gained being a part of this school has meant so much to me. Improv is my favorite thing in the world, and I’m glad I chose UCB.�

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A Dual Mission That Dzirko, an established group member, still refers to UCB as a school, speaks to its dual mission – to entertain audiences and teach new performers the deceptively rigorous mental and physical skills required for success. “UCB has a really strong, very focused idea of how improvisational comedy is done, as an art form,â€? said Harry Wood, a current UCB student. “What UCB has done that not many theaters have done is to clearly deďŹ ne the styles they support.â€? Before coming to UCB, Wood had only done montages, the most general and free-form style of improv. What drew him to UCB, he said, was the importance it puts on developing speciďŹ c skills for a particular style of performance. “That razor focus and opportunity to train inside a clearly deďŹ ned school of thought appealed to me,â€?

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FOUR FUNNY WOMEN

Ritu Chandra. Photo: Dani Allen Photography

KATE NICHOLS

Hecklers, jokes that bomb, late hours, no money, tough competition. What’s not to love ve about life as an up-and-coming comic? BY EMILY EM LY MASON

forming at ope open mics, Leaty said tthat hat the shows of ten lacked di diversity. ersity. So, she and nd her Ariel Leaty’s aty’s comedy career friend Gordon ordon started with th a dream that many Baker are a re pronovice comics mics share: to work for duci n g t hei r “Saturday Night Live.” Her first own, called Culture ca step into the he scene was an open Vultures, Vulture featuring mic in New w Jersey in 2014, and comics from a range of she hasn’t stopped since. communities and backcommuni Today, Leaty eaty produces, hosts, grounds. ground That means and performs rms in shows in New more mor women, too. Jersey and d New York. She’s also “A lo t o f thankful for or her day job as a shows, the sales associate ciate at a bitlineup will ters company, ny, which be five gets her into nto the straight city for open en mics, white a necessary y pain males, and for anyone e purI don’t want suing a career areer that for the in comedy. show.” Leaty said. sa “If we can, Open-Mic Life let’s try not to get ge any straight Leaty dewhite males on the show, so scribes the it’s all people who wh have maybe mics — which been overlooked in the comedy ca n happen scene.” anywhere, from While W ile Leaty loves stand Wh barber shops, ops, to up, she doesn doesn’t know if it’s shoe stores, es, to her comedic endgame. She bars — as rooms holds onto to t the dream full of other her cothat started it all, and said medians waiting she might like li to end up in for their chance to h comedic acting. Ariel Leaty. Photo: Jenni Walkowiak get on stage to test Wherever she lands, and perfect their mateLeaty feels that her comedy rial during the typically two-minute spots. career is ahead of her. Five years into the “You’re constantly doing the same thing over scene, she still sees herself as a newcomer. It and over again,” Leaty said. “It’s the devil in can take 10 to 15 years to really hit a stride, she the details, you have to keep working at it. And said. “There’s no reason to do it. You’re going then, finally, you have a well-crafted joke, and to lose money and sanity. But when it’s great, maybe it took you months.” it’s great.” Her first show was a ‘bringer’ where you have to bring at least five people to the show if you want to perform. It’s one of many types of mics on the scene. Leaty has gotten used to the open-mic experience, even when she doesn’t get the laughs she’s looking for. Ritu Chandra spends her weekdays “No one actually cares about you,” Leaty caring for her 11-year-old son in the said. “That’s the advice I give myself every day. suburbs of New Jersey. But at night she’s If I do bomb, no one actually cares. They’re not in Manhattan comedy clubs, cracking up going to go home and write about it. It’s go- audiences with her outspoken humor. ing to be me who feels the bomb, and I have to Chandra, who always dreamt of performing, work through it.” grew up with immigrant parents from India who encouraged her to find a more reliable caDiversity Now reer. For her, comedy has been a release from Adding to the lackluster experience of per- inhibitions, and she revels in the opportunity

ARIEL LEATY

RITU CHANDRA

tant in life. I also want him to see that there’s ta the traditional way to work and make money, th but if you have a dream you can try that too.” b

to tackle motherhood, sobriety, and starting a new life at 40.

The Crisis Begins Her self-described mid-life crisis began with a comedy class at the Comedy Cellar. By her second session she knew comedy was more than a passing hobby. “Something just changed,” Chandra said, “where I think I felt I connected to the audience when I was performing, and a connection to the stage. I was like, ‘Oh this is really fun, I really want to keep trying this.’” As she started going to more open mics, Chandra began to build a network and name for herself. “It was really different from being a suburban forty-something mom. Now I’m out and hanging out with all these young comedians, and it was just a totally alternative lifestyle that really suited me,” Chandra said. ”I was in a world where I could say whatever I wanted and no one judged me, which was completely different from my normal life.”

On the Town Her suburban community may not have expected her to put the effort in to become a working comic, but sure enough, Chandra is out on the comedy circuit most nights of the week. Her friends and family mily have had to adjust to her new lifestyle, yle, but she is grateful for their support. “I married my husband d when we were in our late 20s, and nd he did not marry me expecting ng that I would start being out five ve nights a week until two in the morning with strange people, strange ange men mostly,” Chandra said. “He He has to be a super patient, understanding, standing, and supportive person to put up with that.” Chandra wants her son to o be a part of her comedy career as well. She takes him to shows and wants him to learn and be exposed to what the commedy community has to offer. “I want him to have a good od sense of humor,” Chandra a said. “I think that’s imporr-

Kate Nichols had always been interested in comedy, but it was the sudden passing of her h mother in 2015 that made her realize she should be making the most of the time she has. So she signed up for an improv class and started doing open mics. Audiences liked her style, female empowerment blended with her laid-back and happy onstage personality. Soon, she was getting booked on curated shows put together by other comedians. At first, Nichols took every show she was offered. Now she’s more selective and only take shows that she thinks will work for her. “You have to find those places, and that’s what you learn. This isn’t my voice, this isn’t my space, these aren’t my people,” Nichols said. “And then you find places that are more like you, you find people who you gel with a little more, and who share your values and your beliefs.”

Hecklers in the House Being in a space you feel comfortable in is especially important when every comic’s least favorite audience member arrives: The Heckler. From the drunk, to the guy (or gal) who wants to show the audience that they’re funny too, to the well-meaning folks who think they’re helping, Nichols has seen them all. “I try to get the room on my side, and a lot of the time, if the heckler is distracting or annoying, they already are,” Nichols said. “It’s kind of like you’re the teacher in the classroom and it’s your job to quiet the disruptive student so that everyone else can do what they came here to do.” But Nichols was disheartened to discover that women comedians seem to draw more fire from hecklers than their male colleagues. “I notice that sometimes som show they when I’m at a sho heckling make a point of h female comics,” Nichols said. “I think tthey feel I more comfortable, comfor feel they think they fe have more of a right voice in that to have a voic Kate Nich Nichols. Photo: Mike Mi Celona

MAY 2-8,2019

room than some lady on stage does.” To combat the hecklers, Nichols used to work them into her set, engaging them and making fun of them. But that strategy was eating into her stage time to test out her material.

Nope, Not Scared Nichols is still searching for the ideal heckler defense, the perfect line that shuts them up fast, with no hard feelings. But she doesn’t let them discourage her. “I do really feel pretty empowered as a woman,” she said. “That’s something I try to bring to my material, this strong female perspective and unshaken ability, like ‘You’re not going to scare me.’”

ABBI CRUTCHFIELD Abbi Crutchfield has appeared on The Tyra Banks Show, VH1 Hip Hop Honors nors with Tracy Morgan, acted in movies and nd performed at some of New York’s biggest comedy clubs. According to her website, she does topnotch Texas and Russian accents ents to boot. Crutchfield graduated from m Georgetown University as a foreign service ice major, and there must be something funny ny in the water at the school, which also gave ve us comedians John Mulaney, Jim Gaffigan and Mike Birbiglia.

The Long Game She learned firsthand the hard lessons, and weird contradictions, of life as a stand up. “I was beating myself up after [a stand up set] and feeling like ‘Oh, that was awful,’ Crutchfield said. “And then the only redemption would be to get back up and do it again.” As she progressed through her career, though, she realized that negativity harmed her creativity. “It’s a long game,” she said, “and you’re not going to see results until much later than you thought. And whether you’re positive or not is up to you.” For example, she said, it’s important to be happy for other comedians’ successes, and to remember not to take opportunities for granted. “Let’s just appreciate the moment, because that’s exactly what I would want for myself. I would want you to be happy for me,” said Crutchfield. “Let’s just all feel great and then we’ll all be back to the drawing board tomorrow.” tomorrow.

Airing It Out Crutchfield grew up in Indianapolis ianapolis and navigated life as a biracial girl rl with a single mother, themes which have made their way into her material. She moved home after college and started saving money ney for a move to New York or Los Angeles. She chose New York, dove into the stand up scene here and started unpacking herr life struggles on stage. “Airing them out publicly y makes it feel like a lot less of a boogie monster,” Crutchfield said. “It feels more like a silly thing that I can laugh at, and I can even laugh at myself for wrestling with it.” While stand up offered a way to sort through difficult emotions, working full time while pursuing a career in comedy left Crutchfield as exhausted — and misunderstood — as she’d ever felt in her life. “Nobody cares about your comedy career until they can see you on The Tonight Show,”” Crutchfield said. “They don’t ’t understand the work you’re e putting into it. They think of it as a hobby, like you show up and do a little skit and you get people to laugh at you.”

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Abbi Crutchfield. Photo: Sheldon Walker

Business as usual at Magnet Theater. Photo: Courtesy of Magnet Theater via Instagram

IMPROVISERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 Wood said. UCB has the advantage of pedigree and name recognition that a lot of comedy theaters don’t, Wood notes, and he acknowledges that some people might be skeptical, or turned off by its stature. “What I’d say to that is this,” he said, “the people who are at the core of UCB are not just incredible performers, but they’re reasonable teachers and kind supporters. I’m not particularly interested in declaring one theater is better or worse than another–I think that every student should move from place to place to get a little style from each. But I do think that UCB has gathered a suite of teachers and performers that let it, on a regular basis, live up to its very high reputation.” The bottom line: for people interested in a more calculated approach to improv, UCB is the way to go.

The Magnet Approach The Magnet Theater, founded by Armando Diaz in 2005, has more of a Chicago-style approach to improv, with a greater focus on character and relationships. The Magnet, which has produced, and is home to, many top performers, including Charles Rogers (creator of “Search Party”), Jason Mantzoukas (“The League”) and the improv duo Trike, teaches students to work more off of

their own emotions. So, if you enter a scene sad, you stay sad and you go through the scene as that sad character and interact with the other characters and the environment on stage. It’s a less calculated, more free flowing style.

‘Find the Most Fun Thing’ “Watching a Magnet show, you’re struck by a style somewhat looser than you might find at [UCB],” said former Magnet house team member, Collin Gossel, “but which ultimately highlights the ensemble and its camaraderie more than the clever ideas generated by individuals on the team. Performers at the Magnet are at all times building and playing together, searching for fun organically, with the easygoing atmosphere of professionals who know they don’t have to invent – they can find the most fun thing if they travel together for an honest moment.” It’s no surprise, Gossel added, that the same style has extended into the Magnet community at large, making it one of the friendliest places in the comedy community. Whether you want to become an improv star or just want to laugh with some new friends, he said, the Magnet “will help you get there.” Current house team member, Rachel Robertson, who never took classes at Magnet, has a different perspective. “As someone who just came in as an outsider, hungry for stage time, I could not pinpoint one discernible perfor-

mance style, and I love that,” she said. “What I mean is, considering that most of the performers were trained at the Magnet, it never seemed like anyone was working off of a ‘comedy template’ so to speak. The only trait that is shared show-to-show is the support and energy between performers.”

Don’t Forget the Weirdness Of course, there’s also the weirdness. After all, this is comedy we’re talking about. “When I joined my first Magnet sketch team, Raw Denim,” Robertson said, “I got the sense very quickly that we all had the freedom to get weird with each other and the audience, in the best possible way. And the more shows I see, the more teams I’m on, and the more performers I meet, I realize Magnet just promotes an environment of refreshing, creative weirdness. And it’s not pessimistic or bitter. It’s exploratory. Sometimes it flops, but mostly it’s good, pure comedy by performers who aren’t being paid. A lot of them never plan to be paid for comedy, and are doing all of this for the joy of it.” If you’re looking to learn the art of improv, these two theaters are your best bets. If you’re unsure, go see a show. Whichever one you choose, you’ll be learning from some of the finest performers the city has to offer. Joshua Nasser is a New York-based comedian.

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MAY 2-8,2019

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

‘IT COMES DOWN TO DOING WHAT YOU KNOW’ The co-creator of “Mad About You” on why so many sitcoms are set in New York, “Seinfeld’s” buzzer problem and why George Carlin is like a cabbie BY DAVID NOONAN

Danny Jacobson is a very specific kind of New Yorker — the kind who lives in Los Angeles. The kind who was born in Brooklyn (Park Slope) and moved to Westchester (Larchmont) when he was nine. The kind who auditioned for “Grease” on a dare in his 20s, won the part

of Kenickie and moved to the Upper West Side. The kind who follows the Yankees the way the Pope follows the ten commandments, which is to say religiously. The kind who, despite nearly 40 years in Southern California, retains the rasp of a cab driver and the determined un-mellowness of a true New Yorker. Jacobson is also funny, in a very professional and successful kind of a way. He got his start in comedy writing sketches for Stiller & Meara, then worked with Billy Crystal on “Soap.” He was head writer and supervising pro-

And the networks, their belief is, it doesn’t matter. I’ve never had a network say to me, ‘We would love for this show to be set in New York.’ Just like no one ever said, ‘Oh. Let’s have Roseanne live in an apartment in Los Angeles.’ It comes down to doing what you know. When comedy gets too far from its roots, it fails. It’s like any other art. Jacobson (left) on the “Mad About You” set with Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser. Photo: Courtesy of Danny Jacobson

ducer on “Roseanne” for its first two seasons, and helped its star establish herself as a bold new voice in American comedy. He next created “Davis Rules,” which starred Jonathan Winters, who won his only Emmy for his role on the show. And he was the co-creator, with Paul Reiser, of “Mad About You,” the hit 1990s sitcom that starred Reiser and Helen Hunt as a young couple seeking success and satisfaction in Manhattan. I’ve known Danny for years (he’s a lifelong friend of my wife and her family) and I

called him recently to talk about New York and comedy. After a detailed description of a Yankees come-from-infront loss to the White Sox the night before, he shared his thoughts.

What is it about New York that makes it such a rich source of, and setting for, comedy? For comedy to live, one of the things it requires is an audience, and New York is a city where you can have nine packed Broadway houses, a packed basketball arena and a Yankee game and a Met game going on and still have people outside in line waiting to get into comedy clubs.

And what is it about New Yorkers themselves? The people in New York, they’re more crowded, they’re more stressed, they’re more frantic, they’re more type A. And all that stuff adds up to one thing — conflict. There are more people, in a closer space, in conflict. Everyone’s experiencing that kind of misery, so if you write an episode about it, everyone gets it. We wrote an episode once where Paul and Helen wanted to go somewhere, but because of the crowds of people watching the Gay Pride parade, they couldn’t get out of their apartment. People from New York get it, and people in the middle of Michigan get it too. They get the idea, ‘Oh my god, I’m trapped inside with my wife or my husband all day.’

The list of sitcoms set in New York is long, as you know. “The Honeymooners” in the ‘50s, “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in the ‘60s, “The Jeffersons” in the ‘70s, “Taxi” in the ‘80s,

“Seinfeld,” your show, “30 Rock,” “Broad City,” to name just a few. No other city comes close. Why is that? It’s so important for somebody that has a comedy point of view to be doing it comfortably. When the network told Lucille Ball, in the 1950s, ‘There’s no way we’re giving you a Cuban husband.’, she was like ‘Well, there’s no way I’m doing the show.’ It wasn’t about politics or race, it was about this is the man she feels funniest and most comfortable with. So to protect the comedy, that’s what they did. If you look at every one of the shows that’s ever been developed for a comic voice — Paul Reiser, Jewish guy who grew up in New York; Jackie Gleason, blue-collar guy who grew up in Brooklyn, that’s what their shows were. Jerry Seinfeld, that’s what his show was, being observational, not trying to be the acting force, standing around with a trio of people in little stupid situations that likened themselves to his comedy. Shows are in New York because that’s what the people know, that’s where they come from. Our show was set in New York because Paul and I, the creators, we grew up there and that’s what we wanted to do. And also, I wanted his character to be a struggling independent filmmaker, and that seemed right. With Ralph Kramden, you had a guy who was a New York City bus driver who was ashamed of his upstairs neighbor who worked in the sewer, who lived better. So that’s pretty specific New York. And those two characters, like Laurel and Hardy, they would have been funny probably anywhere. But New York is where they were from.

And yet so many of these New York shows, including yours, were or are filmed in LA. The business that Hollywood is in is illusion. The production is saying to you ‘Imagine that they live in New York and this is what their world is.’ If someone wants to raise their hand and go ‘Listen, I’ve been laughing for 10 minutes but I’m not convinced that it’s actually New York.’ That doesn’t happen.

Time for some quick takes. “Seinfeld.” Who has an apartment in New York in the 1990s and every time someone buzzes they say ‘Come on up.’ I once said to Jerry at a party, ‘I’m waiting for the episode where you say ‘Come on up’ and two guys come in and rob your apartment.’

“Friends” I don’t know that show as well as I probably should, but if somebody said to me,’”Friends” took place in Philadelphia.’ I’d say ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ But, you know, a bunch of kids, single, in an apartment. Where else in this world would you want to be, especially in the 90s? New York!

George Carlin Totally a New York style. Because his main thing is complaining about stuff. He’s like a cab driver driving by and saying ‘What kind of sh** is that? What the f***?’

Final question. What’s so funny about New York? In New York City there is a greater concentration of people that are needing to laugh, wanting to laugh, willing to laugh and able to make you laugh.

MAY 2-8,2019

MY SEINFELD THEORY The wildly successful New York sitcom of the 1990s owes a big debt to a wildly successful New York sitcom of a decade earlier BY JON FRIEDMAN

Since “Seinfeld” went off the air in 1998, fans, television historians, pundits, sociologists and probably a stray anthropologist or two have studied the quintessential “New York” situation comedy to answer some elusive but fundamental questions. Why was it so popular that it defined the decade of the 1990s? And successful as the No. 1 show on TV? And identifiable, somehow, for people in far-off places like Indiana and Kentucky and North Dakota, who say “yada yada” with the same affection as someone in Barney Greengrass? And

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what, exactly, made “Seinfeld” so funny in the first place that it lives on and on and on in syndication? I know. In fact, only I have the correct answer.

A Different Group of Losers Remember, while “Seinfeld” showed Manhattan in an indelible light, it was not the first series to make the city a major supporting character and establish that the show could not have taken place anywhere else. “Seinfeld” became infamous for being “a show about nothing.” But that charming marketing tag line was not quite accurate. It was a show about the lives of four misanthropic Upper West Side pals — Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer — and the other neighbors, parents, lovers

and co-workers who intruded comically from time to time into their lives. Just as crucially, to the people who loved the show in Nebraska and Texas and Georgia and, oh yes, back in Jerry Seinfeld’s hometown of Massapequa on Long Island, it was a show about something else, all right: New York City. For that reason, Jerry & Co. owe a big debt to a show that made us laugh and think a decade earlier, from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The program was called, simply, “Taxi.” “Taxi” was a stunning show — funny, of course, but different from previous sitcoms. Its main characters were losers, judging by normal societal measures. A lifelong cabbie, a vulgar dispatcher, an immigrant mechanic, a burnt-out Harvard man, a punching-

bag of a boxer, an actor who cou ld barely get auditions and d a beautiful single l mother who managed an art gallery in her spare time. They weren’t wealthy. They weren’t successful. Their dreams would probably never come true. And their love lives served as comic fodder.

Better Together Than Apart Yet, there they all were, gathered together in the Hell’s Kitchen garage, which became the centerpiece for the show (a forerunner to the bar in “Cheers”) and at Mario’s, the bar-restaurant next door. “Taxi” thrived because of the camaraderie of the endearing losers. “Endearing” is the word that best captures their appeal to a television audience, too. They were better together than apart. You couldn’t really imagine a spin off starring any of the characters. Such a show would not have had much of a shot sustaining the public’s inter-

est. But their interactions and conversations morphed into memorable story lines. Who can forget Christopher Lloyd’s tour de force when Rev. Jim, while taking the written part of the driving test, repeatedly asked: “What ... does... a ... yel-low... light ... MEAN?” And Bobby, increasingly exasperated, repeatedly replied: “Slow down!” www.youtube.com

Making the Case “Seinfeld” seemed to take inspiration from “Taxi,” mostly by using New York City as a supporting character. Here,

most of the action mo took place in the too central location cen Jerry’s living of J room. Th The characters were h hardly stars in their chosen professions (whatever Kramer’s was, for that matter). The plots on “Seinfeld” swirled around Jerry, who acted as the voice of reason, just as Judd Hirsch’s Alex Rieger had done so deftly on “Taxi.” The “Seinfeld” masterminds even named their female lead Elaine, in what might have been an homage to “Taxi.” Who knows? Larry David, the co-creator of “Seinfeld,” was a cast member of a shortlived ABC late-night show called “Fridays” at around the time when “Taxi” was a big hit on the same network. Perhaps Larry observed “Taxi” from the inside? Maybe he drew inspiration from the most original aspects of such a smart and witty show? You might say that “Seinfeld” was a show about something after all — namely the best of “Taxi.”

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ÑÝÜäÓàâÓÒ âÝ ÏÜÝâÖÓà ÑÖÓÑÙ×ÜÕ ÞàÝÒãÑâ Ýà ÑÚÝáÓÒ \ `^_g ËÓÚÚá ºÏàÕÝ ¶ÏÜÙ Â µ µÚÚ à×ÕÖâá àÓáÓàäÓÒ ¸ÓÞÝá×â ÞàÝÒãÑâá ÝøÓàÓÒ Ðç ËÓÚÚá ºÏàÕÝ ¶ÏÜÙ Â µ ÁÓÛÐÓà º¸½· ÂÁÀÇÆ ½¸ aggf^_

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CENSUS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The City of New York, along with the New York State Attorney General and several other states and cities, is a plaintiff to the case — and for good reason. The central issue in this case could rob New York’s already-undercounted communities of color and immigrant communities of fair representation, and could result in New York losing its share of billions in federal funding for vital programs and services, including public housing, children’s nutrition and special education needs. The case centers around the Trump Administration’s addition of a question to the 2020 Census (not asked since 1950): are you a United States citizen? Its inclusion is yet another example of the Trump Administration’s war on immigrant communities. Time and time again, the Administration has tried to undermine communities of color, silence immigrant communities and remake the United States into a land of exclusion instead of inclusion. By adding this question, the Trump Administration is seeking to discourage immigrants from participating in the Census, forcing an undercount in many of our most diverse cities and states. When a city or state is undercounted, the people in those regions lose fair representation in Congress and miss out on their fair share of federal dollars. It is estimated that New

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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com York State could lose up to two congressional seats as a result of an undercount. This outcome would likely occur in other states with large immigrant communities or communities of color, which disproportionately stand to lose their fair share of representation. Simply put: the Trump Administration is trying to use the federal government’s constitutional obligation to count us as a tool to hurt us. In addition to representation, the amount of federal funding in question is also incredibly significant. Over $800 billion in federal funds are allocated by the federal government each year to cities and states for approximately 320 different programs that depend on the Census. Funding for public education, special needs, women in need, senior centers and infrastructure depend on the Census. In 2016 alone, New York State received over $73 billion through 55 programs guided by 2010 Census data. Furthermore, City agencies and businesses rely on Census data to make vital decisions. For example, with the measles outbreak now occurring in the city, the NYC Department of Health relies on Census data to estimate the vaccine uptake and coverage in the affected ZIP codes. While so much is at stake, it was emboldening in January, when U.S. District Court Judge Jesse Furman ruled that the Trump Administration’s addition of the citizen-

ship question violated federal law. This case was appealed by the Trump Administration, and last week, the Justices of the Supreme Court heard New York’s arguments. We await their decision, but remain confident that the facts — and the law — are on our side. We know that the mere possibility of a citizenship question has already caused damage among immigrant communities. We say to the immigrants in our city and to all communities who might question whether or not the Census is for them: the single best way to fight back and counter the fear the Trump Administration wants us to feel is to ďŹ ll out that Census form. Next year, for the ďŹ rst time ever, the form will be online, making it easier to take just the few minutes needed to ďŹ ll it out. Those who might not have internet access will be able to answer the questions over the phone. We have an opportunity here to say: we will not be disenfranchised, and we are entitled to our fair share — from the halls of Congress to the halls of our local schools. We are New Yorkers. We will stand up and we will be counted.

HOLMES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 comply with city zoning regulations governing open space, setbacks and building spacing. At issue in Brewer’s complaint is de Blasio’s plan to unilaterally waive these zoning requirements rather than pursuing necessary changes through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP, which would require extensive public input, including from the community board, City Council and borough president’s office. Brewer contends that city and state law require the project to go through ULURP. By electing to exempt the new tower from the requirements through the use of an obscure mechanism known as a mayoral zoning override, Brewer’s lawsuit alleges, NYCHA and the de Blasio administration “have illegally circumvented ULURP, to the detriment of the communities they are tasked with serving.�

“It’s undemocratic and unlawful,â€? Brewer said in a statement. “If this development undergoes ULURP, I’m conďŹ dent the results would turn out even better for NYCHA than a plan cooked up behind closed doors and then merely announced as a fait accompli.â€?

Market-rate rental units The Fetner project is part of the mayor’s “NextGeneration NYCHAâ€? initiative, which aims to raise money for the beleaguered public housing authority by selling rights to build so-called “infill developmentâ€? on open space within public housing campuses. Fetner will contribute $25 million to NYCHA in exchange for a 99-year lease at the Holmes Towers site. NYCHA currently has nearly $32 billion in unfunded ďŹ ve-year capital needs, and Holmes Towers alone requires nearly $59 million for repairs. Half of the new building’s 339 rental units will be market-rate and half will be pub-

licly subsidized affordable housing. Brewer has questioned whether the city negotiated adequate compensation from Fetner in exchange for the lease; she alleges that the developer will receive over $60 million in housing subsidies for the project, which will also not be subject to city property taxes because of its location on city-owned land. “The Borough President brings this action to require NYCHA to proceed with a genuine community planning process pursuant to ULURP [...] to ensure that the public receives the best possible deal from the lease of this land to Fetner,� Brewer’s lawsuit states. A spokesperson for the mayor did not respond to a request for comment. “The lawsuit is under review,� Nick Paolucci, a spokesperson for the city’s Law Department, wrote in an emailed statement. “We’ll respond as we proceed in the litigation.�

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS APR 17 - 23, 2018

Julie Menin is the Director of the Census for New York City and also serves as Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel for Strategic Advocacy. Bitta MostoďŹ is the Commissioner of the Mayors’ Office of Immigrant Affairs. An earlier version of this piece ran in the Daily News and El Diario.

neighborhood news? neighborhood celebrations? neighborhood opinions? neighborhood ideas? neighborhood feedback? neighborhood concerns? Email us at news@strausnews.com

The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. Candle Cafe

1307 3rd Ave

Grade Pending (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140Âş F. Cold food item held above 41Âş F (smoked ďŹ sh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ÂşF) except during necessary preparation. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

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Business

‘GARDEN AND SEA’ IN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS FOOD Bookbook owner Carolyn Epstein with employee David Hammerschlag. Photo: Jason Cohen

TURNING THE PAGE ON BOOKBOOK CLOSINGS West Village independent bookstore to shut after 35 years BY JASON COHEN

After more than three decades of being a fixture in the Village as an independent bookstore in the Village, bookbook will be shuttering its doors on May 15. Located at 266 Bleecker Street, bookbook has been owned and operated by Chuck and Carolyn Epstein since 1984. The store’s original address was 400 Bleecker Street, and it was then known as the Biography Book Shop. The mom and pop book store features recent and backlist fiction, children’s books, travel, history, drama, cookbooks, art and fashion books and other subjects. Carolyn Epstein explained that it has been a fun, long ride, but that she at the age of 70 and her husband at 69 felt it was time to call it quits. “At this point, we kind of had enough; we’re tired,” she said. “I’m kind of looking forward to not having any responsibility.” Epstein said the book business runs in the blood of her and her husband. Prior to owning the store, she was a sales rep for Simon & Schuster and Chuck’s mother owned a bookstore in Stony Brook. “We just kind of always did it and liked being around books,” she remarked. According to Epstein, when they opened their store 35 years ago they had no business plan, but simply wanted to put their passion to good use. After a few years of seeing that biographies were not what the com-

munity wanted, they shifted to fiction, non-fiction and other books. Then by the early 90s they added remainders, which changed their business. Remaindered books are printed books that are no longer selling well and whose remaining unsold copies are liquidated by the publisher at greatly reduced prices. “Remainders have helped us a lot,” she said. She looked back on their time in the Village and said as much as she and her husband have enjoyed owning the store, it was never easy. It is a small bookstore in the city, Epstein said, not Amazon. Certain times, especially during the recession in the 2000’s, were challenging, she said. “It was hard keeping up on the bills and all that,” she noted. Epstein explained that as 2019 began she and her husband realized it was time for a new chapter in their lives. They hope to travel, maybe live in Spain for a year and ultimately just relax. She noted that with the changing economic times and online retail, they have had to work much harder recently than they did in the past. “It’s not just rent and sales taxes,” she said. “We’re not in a position to keep putting money into the store.” But they still intend to be a presence in the community. Once they close, the Epsteins plan to be at the Abingdon Square Farmers Market on the corner of Hudson and 12th Streets on most Saturdays, with tables full of interesting books and a selection of greeting cards. Periodically, they also plan on having tables by the pickle stand on Carmine Street, between Sixth Avenue and Bleecker Street.

A restaurateur with experience in real estate opens a new family-run Italian eatery BY JASON COHEN

Morningside Heights is now home to a new restaurant featuring authentic Italian cuisine. Located at 994 Columbus Avenue and 109th Street, Ortomare Ristorante Pizzeria opened its doors in early February. The eatery is a small family-run place, owned by husband and wife Alfredo and Arta Hila and Eddie Hila, Alfredo’s brother. “Everybody who worked in the restaurant industry a long time our goal is to open one,” Alfredo said. The restaurant seats 60 people and provides a warm cozy atmosphere with affordable prices. It offers ravioli, fresh vegetables, homemade fettuccine, grilled salmon, brick oven pizza, tiramisu, wine and much more. Its signature dishes are Appetizer Ortomare, Papardelle Ortomare and Pizza Ortomare. More importantly, its lunch of two courses only costs $14 and three courses is $18. The name — Orto e mare, translated to “Garden and Sea” in Italian — means to prepare meals with the highest quality ingredients from the land and the sea. Born in Albania, Alfredo moved to Rome at the age of seven. It was there where he learned about food, restaurants and found his passion. He worked for his uncle Clementine in his restaurant and many others for 15 years, helping him master his trade. However, in 2010, his wife came to America to study at Columbia University for her Ph.D. in international law. He shortly followed and joined her here. Alfredo continued to work in restaurants in the city, but in 2015, he became a licensed real estate broker. As a broker, he educated himself on the restaurant industry in New York. Now, with his restaurant

Out of the pizza oven. Photo: Arta Kola

background and newly acquired real estate experience, he felt they were ready for their first restaurant. “We started planning it in October and it opened rather quickly,” he said. Now after a few months in the community, he feels things are headed in the right direction. Alfredo acknowledged that owning a restaurant can be a challenge, especially in New York City. With high taxes, rent and needing to worry about things 24 hours a day, he has a lot on his plate.

“The restaurant industry is very hard, it’s not easy,” he explained. “When you know what you’re doing you’re not nervous.” Alfredo explained that what he likes most is being with his clientele. Seeing them enjoy the food and the restaurant makes his 25 years and hard work in the industry worthwhile, he said. “I feel like I am fulfilling myself,” he commented. “The community is very welcoming. I just keep looking forward. I never look back.”

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MIRACLE IN RWANDA 34 REVIEWS ENDS MAY 11

MAC BETH PREVIEWS START MAY 07

In Red Bull’s retelling, seven girls hurl headlong into the unchecked passions of “Macbeth,” as the line between real life and bloody fantasy quickly blurs.

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This compelling drama chronicles the dramatic events of Immaculée Ilibagiza during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

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THE SHADOW OF A GUNMAN

In this new solo show, a tragic accident splinters Constance’s upper-class black family and forces her to face some uncomfortable truths.

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MINETTA LANE THEATRE - 18 MINETTA LN

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Irish Rep presents Irish master Sean O’Casey’s drama about a poet who gets pulled into the chaos of the Irish War of Independence.

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IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE - 132 W 22ND ST

Arthur Miller’s prescient 1978 play forces us to confront politics as theater, where blending the truth with lies is all part of the game.

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MAY 2-8,2019

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NURTURING BROADWAY’S NEXT HITS THEATER Hal Brooks is the common denominator among this season’s standout plays “Hillary and Clinton” and “What the Constitution Means to Me” BY MARK NIMAR

The 2018-2019 season for New York theater has been a remarkable one. Shows like “Hillary and Clinton,” a play set in a parallel universe about a woman named Hillary running for President, have not only entertained us, but also challenged us to think about what the real Hillary’s two runs for president meant for the country. The upcoming play “Continuity” by Bess Wohl, at the Manhattan Theatre Club on the Upper West Side, shows us what it is like to be a woman in a position of power in Hollywood. And the surprise hit “What the Constitution Means to Me” by Heidi Schreck has engaged us in a dialogue about our laws and their effects on our everyday lives. On Tuesday, “Constitution” and “Hillary and Clinton” both received Tony nominations. There is one man who is the common denominator among these standout shows. Brooklyn-based director and Yale School of Drama professor Hal Brooks has had a hand in developing all of these plays. Brooks is the artistic director of the Cape Cod Theatre Project, a non-for profit summer theater dedicated to developing new American plays. Located in Falmouth, MA, CCTP — which is looking ahead to its 25th anniversary this summer — produces staged readings of four new American plays during the month of July. During a

Hal Brooks (right), with (from left) director Adrienne Campbell-Holt and writer/producer P.K. Simonds, discussing CCTP’s 2018 production of “Bearded Ladies,” which Simonds wrote and Campbell-Holt directed. Photo: Beth Armstrong

show’s designated week, the playwright rehearses, revises, and puts on his or her play before a live audience. Plays often change drastically in the week they have for both performance and rehearsal, so audiences have the opportunity to witness a play’s evolution in real time. While some of these shows never make it to Broadway, or even a fully staged production, that is not CCTP’s objective. “The goal isn’t nor should be to have a play come up to the Cape and go to Broadway,” says Brooks. “I don’t think that’s what we should be shooting for. Is the play that we’ve chosen developing along

Playwright Bess Wohl, whose “Continuity” will open at the Manhattan Theater Club on the Upper West Side. Photo: Joanna Eldredge Morrissey

the [right] path? This play may be a great play and never have a production. But what’s important to me is that they continue to develop as a playwright.” And Brooks’ dedication to process over product has paid off for the organization. Several of the theater’s past plays have enjoyed productions in New York on and off Broadway. Manhattan Theatre Club produced Sharr White’s play “The Snow Geese,” starring Mary Louise Parker and Danny Burstein, on Broadway immediately after its 2013 July reading at CCTP. The concert play “Seawife” went on to have a celebrated run off-Broadway at the South Street Seaport Museum after its reading at CCTP in 2014. But The 2018-2019 New York theater season has been an exceptional one for CCTP. CCTP’s influence on the American theater is all over Broadway and off-Broadway. Following its staged reading at CCTP in 2015, “Hillary and Clinton” had its first production at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, and is now opening on Broadway with John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf playing the show’s eponymous heroine. Wohl’s “Continuity” is making its New York debut this season after its staged reading at CCTP in 2017. Playwrights Horizons produced Will Arbery’s play “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” following its reading at

CCTP in 2018. And Schreck revised and developed “What the Constitution Means To Me” while she was the company’s artist-in-residence in 2017, according to Brooks. Is there a magic formula for getting a show from Falmouth to Broadway? Brooks doesn’t think so. “You never know how it’s gonna land with an audience,” says Brooks. “It’s very mystical in a lot of ways.” Brooks does, however, have a specific way he likes to structure his season. “I choose a play, and then I choose its opposite ... I choose a play by a known playwright, by an unknown playwright ... I [also] do the best that I can to establish gender parity in playwrights we bring up as well as cast. I like to have a range that’s challenging and exciting.” For Wohl, Brooks and CCTP were the earliest champions of her playwriting career. “As I began to write plays, Hal was incredibly generous with me in terms of supporting my writing ambitions,” she said. “With ‘Continuity,’ he believed in the play before I knew what it was. When I applied for Cape Cod, I think I only had about 30 or 40 pages of it, and he said, ‘I believe in you enough to trust that this will turn into something.’” Something notable about “Continuity,” “What The Constitution Means to Me,” and “Hillary and Clinton” is that all these plays were either written by female playwrights

or have strong female characters in their stories. Wohl feels that Brooks has always been a supporter of female voices, playwrights and directors, saying that she “felt completely welcomed by Cape Cod to the point where I really just felt like a writer. I didn’t feel excluded because of my gender [and] I didn’t feel included because of my gender: I just felt like I was a writer there to do work.” Wohl commends Brooks for “putting his theater project where his mouth is.” Brooks seems to relish the current era of theater where the issues of inclusion and fair representation on stage are on theatergoers’ minds. “There’s so much going on right now,” says Brooks. “It’s a really vibrant time. There are plays about gender [and] race diversity that are being produced at big theaters. It’s kind of really cool to watch. So much has changed in the past few years: there [are] a lot more LGBTQ artists we’re seeing onstage, we’re seeing plays from different ethnicities we haven’t seen before. We’re fully into 2019 and we’re seeing that onstage.” Wit hout t he oppor tu n ities Brooks gave to Schreck, Wohl and other playwrights who have come through CCTP, these productions may have never made it to New York. Brooks’ decision to support these artists has made New York’s theater season funnier, richer and more diverse than ever before.

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