News From The Queens Tourism Council
Spanish operas and dances, a Polish street fair, Japanese movies, a Puerto Rican play, a Chinese book reading, a Caribbean drama about South Africa, and a celebration of Turkish food are on tap.
Other options include a sneaker swap (yes, a sneaker swap), concerts and book events. Here’s the rundown.
– Friday, May 30, We Women Do It Better! (¡Nosotras lo hacemos mejor!), times vary (until June 29). This comedy takes the shape of a very spicy, sexy and funny “Workshop on Professional Growth” taught by an attractive psychologist. As she re-lives her own experiences, she explores her sexual awakening, analyzes the myths of marriage, exposes the schemes of seducers, and discovers love at age 50. Performances in English star Kathy Tejada on Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 3 p.m. Performances in Spanish star Soledad Lopez on Saturdays at 8 p.m and Sundays at 4 p.m. $27/$20 students and seniors, special group rates. Thalía Spanish Theatre, 41-17 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside www.thaliatheatre.org.
– Friday and Saturday, May 30- 31, Sizwi Bansi is Dead, 7:30 p.m. (also Sunday, June 1, at 3 p.m.). The Caribbean American Repertory Theatre honors South Africa with an award-winning play depicting the inhumanity of the apartheid system. $20. L. Charles Gray Theatre, Presbyterian Church of St. Albans, 190-04 119th Ave., St. Albans, (718) 454-4234.
– Friday, May 30, Forgotten Queens, 7 p.m. Kevin Walsh discusses his book, Forgotten Queens, and shows rare photographs. $8. Bayside Historical Society, 208 Totten Ave., Bayside, www.baysidehistorical.org.
– Saturday, May 31, Sole Insanity Sneaker Event, noon to 6 p.m. Buy, sell and trade sneakers and listen to music by DJ Bobby Trends from Hot 97. More than 150 vendors are expected. Sneaker battle. Sneaker raffle. $25 admission/$100 for a table. The Shops at Atlas Park, 80- 00 Central Ave., indoors on the lower level in the Regal Cinemas building, Glendale, www.soleinsanity.com.
– Saturday, May 31, Broadway, 8 p.m. The Astoria Symphonic Choir performs selections from Broadway musicals, including My Fair Lady, Guys & Dolls, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Damn Yankees, Anything Goes and West Side Story. $20-$25 at the door/$15-$20 in advance. Trinity Lutheran Church, 31-18 37th St., Astoria, www.AstoriaMusic.org.
– Saturday, May 31, Second Annual Turkish Food Fair and Cooking Contest, 1 to 4 p.m. The Turkish Cultural Center Queens brings good food, entertainment and Turkish hospitality. First place, $250; second place, $150; third place: $100, $25/$10 (children ages seven to 15). Sunnyside Community Services, 43-31st St., Sunnyside, www.tccqueens.org.
– Saturday, May 31, Gabriela Granados: Retrospectiva, 8 p.m. A spectacular showcase of flamenco, Spanish classics and zarzuelas with the American Bolero Dance Company. $28/$20 seniors/$12 children and students. Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, 35-12 35th Ave., Astoria, www.ambolero.com.
– Saturday, May 31, Book Extravaganza, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Large selection of books, DVDs, tshirts, homemade goodies. Free. Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, LIC, www.astorialic.org.
– Saturday, May 31, The World of the 7 Train, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This is official Queens historian Jack Eichenbaum’s signature tour. The ride-and-walk excursion takes place in LIC, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Corona and Flushing. (Lunch is in Flushing.) $40, registration by mail to Jack Eichenbaum, 36-20 Bowne St., #6C, Flushing, NY 11354 (include name, phone and email address). The program and other info are available by email to jaconet@aol.com.
– Saturday, May 31, The Love of Sumako, the Actress, 5 p.m; Miss Oyu, 7 p.m. The Museum of the Moving Image is honoring Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956), who produced 85 films that spanned the silent and sound eras in Japan. Sumako is about the consuming drive of the pure creator. Sumako Matsui, one of Japan’s first actresses and an unapologetic nonconformist, attracts the eye of a movie director, who leaves his family to be with her. In Miss Oyu, wealthy bachelor Shinnosuke is set to marry Shizu, but instead he falls in love with her young widowed sister. The three make an arrangement, but their pact proves vulnerable. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Sunday, June 1, Peter Pan, 1 and 3 p.m. This production explores the journey of children in turn-ofthe century London who use their imaginations to reenact the story of Peter Pan. $14 or purchase a Family Series Flex Pass for $100 (10 tickets to use however you want.) Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org.
– Sunday, June 1, A Dream of Red Pavilions (Staged Reading), 4 p.m. The Pan Asian Repertory Theatre presents A Dream of Red Pavilions, the classic Chinese novel that questions society’s mores and norms. $10. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.
– Sunday, June 1, Poland’s International Children’s Day, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Polish culture, art and food. More than 30 vendors and stalls, live music and entertainment, folk dance and song performances, Junior Miss Polonia, talent competition, face-painting, crafts, rides and petting zoo. Free. Beach 116th Street, Rockaway Beach, www.pl-int-childrensday-2014.com.
– Sunday, June 1, The Crucified Lovers, 2 p.m.; Victory of Women, 4:30 p.m.; My Love Burns, 7 p.m. The Museum of the Moving Image is honoring Kenji Mizoguchi (1898- 1956), who produced 85 films that spanned the silent and sound eras in Japan. The Crucified Lovers is about an apprentice scrollmaker who attempts to help his master’s wife out of a delicate financial situation, and as a result the two end up on the lam together. Victory of Women depicts a female lawyer who takes up the case of a recently widowed woman who killed her baby rather than raise it amid poverty and plundering. My Love Burns illustrates the feminist adage that “the personal is political.” Trailing a friend who has been sold into slavery, Eiko relocates to Tokyo, where she works with the progressive party and falls in love with its leader. She suffers untold brutality for the cause, but when the progressives come into power, the issue of women’s rights has been forgotten. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Wednesday, June 4, Monthly Jazz Jam with Special Guest Kenny Brawner, 7 p.m. Jam session led by house band Queens Jazz OverGround. Open to professional jazz musicians, graduate students studying jazz, and music educators. $10, free for performers. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org
“It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s attractions.
