“MIRACLE ON 42nd STREET” at DOC NYC | It’s got jazzy transition music and charismatic star power, plus its archival footage of seedy ’70s Midtown puts HBO’s “The Deuce” to shame — but this documentary on NYC’s iconic housing complex for “qualified singers, actors, dancers, and behind-the-scenes members of the entertainment community” comes up just short read more here »

BY TRAV S. D. | There may have been more powerful columnists in the history of American journalism than Michael Musto, but none was ever more adored, for he radiates a personality and humor as great as — and often greater than — the celebrities he covers. For nearly 30 years (1984-2013), his Village Voice read more here »

BY DAVID NOH | The late, great Charles Ludlam wrote dozens of plays, but they are rarely revived right here in the very city in which he pioneered the alternative theater scene. To remedy that, La MaMa is reviving his “Conquest of the Universe or When Queens Collide,” commemorating both the playwright’s founding of his read more here »

BY PUMA PERL | “Stranded in the Jungle: Jerry Nolan’s Wild Ride — A Tale of Drugs, Fashion, the New York Dolls, and Punk Rock.” Curt Weiss’ bio of drummer Jerry Nolan lives up to its long subtitle. Nolan’s drumming drove the Heartbreakers and the New York Dolls, and his style was the epitome of read more here »

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN | Curated in a joint effort by the acclaimed New York-based painters Kathleen Kucka and Jennifer Riley, “The Roaming Eye” brings together an unusual group of artists, aesthetics, and approaches. Still, despite this obvious eclecticism, they have one thing in common: all of them utilize vision as the dominant sense. The result read more here »

“WHY WHY ALWAYS” | Set in a dark dystopia where supercomputer Alpha 60 pulls the strings and pushes the buttons of an emotionally lobotomized population, “Alphaville” is a gritty, bullet-ridden, noirish nightmare through which a chain-smoking, trench coat-wearing secret agent assumes the guise of a journalist (talk about Fake News!) to track down the computer’s read more here »

  HALLOWEEN KIDZ KARNIVAL | Please don’t refer to it as Pier 26 — at least not for this one special afternoon every year, when that part of Hudson River Park is transformed into “Halloween Central.” Designed for ages 2-8 (all ages are welcome), there will be face painting, treats, personalized pumpkin art projects, spooky interactive read more here »

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN | For her latest exhibit — “Bagels and Locks” — Kate Shepherd lures us into the realm of New York City’s construction sites. In fact, some visitors might easily engage in the illusion of having stumbled upon one, scaffolding and all. Shepherd, who though best known for her almost minimal but lusciously read more here »

(Clarification: Regarding the original posting of this story, there was some controversy over the Japanese apology. The Japanese consulate said the government had expressed “sincere apologies and remorse.” The Japanese pointed out the governments of Japan and Korean reached an agreement on Dec. 28, 2015, that the comfort women issue had been resolved “finally and irreversibly.” In read more here »

BY TRAV S.D. | What to make of the state of the world when pillar institutions (e.g., the government in Washington, ostensibly) become the loose cannons, and experimental arts organizations become anchors of stability? We are thinking specifically of the Downtown theatre La MaMa, which is now about to enter its 56th season as New read more here »