FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES | “I grew up Black and Jewish,” recalls Rain Pryor, “which means I’m proud, but I feel guilty about it.” That’s more than enough material to build a comedic persona around, if not an entire career — but for Rain, daughter of Richard, tales of her struggle with racial and religious identity in the ’60s and ’70s are springboards from which to leap toward contemporary truths, not crutches that keep her tethered to the past. Pacing the stage and occasionally mimicking her father’s cadences with genetically impeccable precision, Rain’s searching eyes, skeptical tone, and well-parceled expressions of exasperation are unmistakable products of her paternal legacy — but the daughter distinguishes herself with observational material that dad simply wasn’t built to ponder, let alone fathom with such nuance and depth.
Riffing on the West African dashiki garment, Rain likens it to a caftan, then shifts gears for those in the audience who might not grasp either reference (“If you don’t know what a caftan is, it’s a housecoat with flowers.”). Expect plenty of likeminded cross-cultural outreach at Pryor’s autobiographical solo show, “Fried Chicken and Latkes,” in which she recalls her Beverly Hills upbringing, retraces her father’s path, and finds her own identity — as a woman, an artist, and a mother. Not enough for you? There’s also material from her days as a sitcom actor, a stand-up comic, and a cabaret singer. To paraphrase kindred spirit Gilda Radner: You don’t have to be Black and Jewish to like it, but it wouldn’t hurt.
Wed., Feb. 24, 7 p.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place). For tickets ($35, $25 for Museum members, $15 for students with valid ID), call 646-437-4202 or visit mjhnyc.org. Artist info at rainpryor.com.
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY’S 13th ANNUAL LOVE N’ COURAGE FUNDRAISER | An East Village treasure you can always bank on, Theater for the New City (TNC) has spent three decades discovering new talent, keeping ticket prices affordable, and fighting the good fight by giving the green light to countless projects that advance the causes of social justice, sexual liberation, and limitless silliness. But putting their money where their mouth is costs a lot of green. That’s where this annual fundraiser comes in, which helps shore up TNC’s bottom line while paying tribute to key figures in the arts community who support the development of new works for the stage.
This year’s Love N’ Courage event, which will raise funds for TNC’s emerging writers programs, salutes the actress and philanthropist Betsy Von Furstenberg (1931-2015), along with sculptor and painter Donn Russell. Among those offering tributes will be David Amram, Phoebe Legere, KT Sullivan, the Yip Harburg Foundation Rainbow Troupe, TNC’s Street Theater Company, dancer Cha-Lee Chan and Eric Yves Garcia. Downtown performers Phoebe Legere and Matt Morillo will emcee. Cecilia Johnson and J. Seward Johnson, Jr. will also be acknowledged (their Johnson Theater is one of four TNC stages on which countless writers, directors, actors, designers and producers have presented new work). So turn off the idiot box, venture into the night, and find yourself transported to a time when — says TNC Executive Director Crystal Field — “theater was what television is today. It was the place to go, where art was created.”
Mon., Feb. 22. Cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:45 p.m., performance and presentation at 8 p.m. At the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South, btw. Irving Pl. & Park Ave. South). For tickets ($175 each, $150 each for tables of 10 to 12), call 212-254-1109 or visit theaterforthenewcity.net.
THE LAST CLASS: A JAZZERCIZE PLAY | If you haven’t quite gotten around to making good on those New Year’s resolutions to exercise more and support the arts, the sweaty multitaskers at newly formed DODO: A Theater Collective are here to help. At each performance of “The Last Class: A Jazzercize Play,” two ticketholders will be able to join playwright Megan Hill on stage, as she assumes the persona of Kelsea Wiggan — a deeply insecure instructor who refuses to surrender herself to Zumba, even as that trendy exercise regimen threatens her reign at the Chikatawnee Valley Community Center. With meltdowns that number higher than her heart rate, even ever-patient co-instructor MJ (Amy Staats) can’t keep things from deteriorating, as Wiggan leaps about the stage in a brave but misguided attempt to marry ’80s-style aerobics with the music of Adele, Macklemore, and Imagine Dragons.
Wed.–Fri. at 8 p.m., through Mar. 5, at TheaterLab (357 W. 36th St., third floor, btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). For tickets ($18) visit dodotheater.com. To “take the class,” send an email to askadodo@gmail.com.
–BY SCOTT STIFFLER
