Hi everyone,
I hope that you are taking care of yourselves in some of the most troubling historical times. Today’s newsletter comes from the podcast by Marketplace and an interview by host Reema Khrais of her father who immigrated from Palestine and shares how he is experiencing this moment. I recommend that you listen here.
As always I hope that this newsletter points you to shows, movies, books and podcasts that will give you the same butterflies that they gave me- a light in darker times and a reminder of beauty in various forms that still surrounds us despite it all. I always love hearing yours as well <3
Shows
Photo by Jeanette Spicer
The Following Evening by 600 Highwaymen- If I could join any company in the world 600 Highwaymen would be in my top 5 or maybe even 3. I’ve always really looked up to their civic encounter type work and how they organically weave dance and theater together in a way that feels very grounded. In their latest and maybe last work as New Yorkers they draw parallels between their lives as a couple that makes theater together, with Ellen Maddow (75) & Paul Zimet (81) who’ve also been married and co-founders of the Talking Band. Throughout the show the theme of moving to New York when the New York you moved into was already over and making the best of your time left on earth comes across different stories. Throughout the show I found myself thinking about some favorite experiences making and seeing work in New York. Among those experiences, I thought about the ones that felt like they were from a past time. Ironically on the way to this show, I ran into Andrew Dinwiddie, one of the founders of CATCH. A night of works-in-progress that no longer exists that took place in a wrestling ring and was iconic when I first moved to New York. As I was watching 600 Highwaymen I was reminded going to CATCH at the knockdown center (an old door factory), on a fourth of July weekend, in the early aughts of a new relationship. Performance was everywhere at all once. In an attic. In a parking lot with surrounding cars with a Fast and Furious franchise films in the background. It was exceptional and of another time. Back to The Following Evening at one point Abigail Browde Browde and Paul Zimet are against a wall moving in sync. She mentions “I am 42” and Paul goes “I am 42” before she cuts him off with “no you’re 81”. I don’t know why but that moment really got me.
Speaking of art making, my friend Janine (Cunningham), sent me an email a few months ago with a challenge to fight against collective winter depression involving making a dance video to the theme of “dead of winter". The result is her compilation of love letters- involving my filmed dance inspired by TikTok to the nature sounds of Youtube videos. I can send it upon request.
Molly Poerstel’s Flesh House- In the spirit of reuniting with old friends from many moons ago, Nadia, Lydia and I caught Flesh House by Molly Poerstel in the beautifully intimate Kestrels Studio, surrounded by other dancers and dancemarkers. Maybe the nostalgia from the previous week was still within me but there was something really comfortable about being in a small dance studio and watching bodies I am familiar with dancing to their telling of stories from their youth with movement that felt really unique to them.
An Enemy of The People- Caught two of my favorite television boys- Michael Imperioli and Jeremy Strong- in this adaptation of Ibsen’s 1882 drama centered around a doctor whose message of truth becomes a danger to the town’s prosperity. Aside from a branded Aquavit moment that feels very jarring the play still works and Jeremy Strong delivers a method actor-level performance that will satisfy all Kendall-heads.
TV/Streaming
The Vince Staples Show is a really thrilling fictionalized version of the rapper’s life that gets extraordinarily worse in a Beef/Russian Dolls kind of way. I really appreciated how each episode is edited as tiny minisodes and just wish it were longer.
Open Wide is also fascinating- but will leave you with many unanswered questions. It looks into John and Mike Mew, the two orthodontists behind the Mew Method that has gone viral on TikTok and manifests in the development of strong jawlines. Mike, John’s son, has gone to extremes to honor his father’s work that goes against traditional orthodontics, including entertaining incels and arian-type ideologies. Though I wish there were a Part 2 I really recommend. Sensitivity warning for this one if you are sensitive to shots of teeth/mouths.
American Nightmare- for True Crime fans, this documentary is only 3 episodes and it will make your brain flip. I can’t say more but each episode will give you a different opinion of what happened.
Photo from The Ringer
JLO’s The Greatest Love Story Never Told- I am not about to start hating on JLO but WHY did she make this.
If I were her friend this would have been my advice to her:
Wait five more years before making a film about your relationship with Ben
Hire an editor and listen to them- it’s their job to make you look good
If you’re going to hire Trevor Noah/Jane Fonda/Keke Palmer or any famous actor- ask yourself why and if there is no sensical place for them in the story then use that money to hire another editor.
Writing catchy songs is HARD- why not use any of your successful previous hits
Do you actually believe in fairy tales? If you do- wait 5 years before writing yours and answer this question again.
Anyway- no hate- but hire editors!!!!!
Visual Art
Jennifer Guidi’s Rituals at Gagosian- I trekked through the snow during my lunch break at work to catch Jennifer’s meditative work inspired by nature with really incredible dimension to them from the added use of sand and rocks. The whole show put me in a serene and good mood.
Hung Liu, Cookie Queen, 1994
Godzilla: Echoes from the 1990s Asian American Arts Network is another wonderful show at Eric Firestone Gallery featuring individual artists involved with the network which sought to foster mutual support, documentation and networking to expand the number of Asian American artists in the 1990s. Their first action in 1991 being a protest against their lack of representation at the biennial. This show at Eric Firestone reflects the wealth of diverse artists at the time, in form and background and is also really fun!
Cindy Sherman’s Untitle 650
Cindy Sherman’s new show at Hauser & Wirth about the representation of self in the 21st century is really funny but a bit of a mob/who’s who. For this show she has repurposed parts of photos of herself to build new characters- it’s kind of amazing to see how relevant her work still is and how face tuning has only supported her furthering it.
Podcasts/Sound
Audiobook
This month involved more road trips than usual and we devoured the audiobook of Crying in H Mart. Michelle Zauner, singer of Japanese Breakfast, has as expected a great voice for audio and the experience of hearing her walking us through her mother’s illness is gut wrenching. Food is a big part of this too and it will also make you very hungry.
Podcasts
Blame it on The Fame, Milli Vanilli is coming out wide (it’s currently only on Wondery +) very soon, and though I may be biased because work at Wondery I have to say- it’s really good. I didn’t really know the story of the rise and fall of the band but this show also covers issues of racism and differences in expectations for Black artists that were crucial to their story and not part of the conversation of the time.
Nobody Should Believe Me: This independent show about family members of people with Munchhausen by Proxy hosted by Andrea Dunlop whose sister has it is really tough but incredibly gripping and informative.
I will leave you with an album recommendation by my father- which has helped me focus and relax my brain a bit these last couple weeks- The Four Seasons recomposed by Max Richter.