Volume 78 - Number 38 / February 25 - March 3, 2009
West and East Village, Chelsea, Soho, Noho, Little Italy, Chinatown and Lower East Side, Since 1933

The A-List

Compiled by sarah norris
sarah@thevillager.com

Book Talk

Simon Critchley & Lewis Lapham
What can a book about death teach us about life? New School professor Simon Critchely, author of “The Book of Dead Philosophers” explores death, “our last great taboo,” by recounting the demise of both well-known and obscure philosophers – from Pythagoras’ fatal aversion to beans to Barthes’ untimely death by laundry van. Critchley will discuss the implications of these variously tragic, amusing, bizarre, and pathetic ends with author and commentator Lewis Lapham, former editor of Harper’s Magazine and founder of Lapham’s Quarterly. Fri., March 6, from 7-8 p.m. Free. McNally Jackson Bookstore. 52 Prince St. (btwn Lafayette & Mulberry). 212-274-1160, mcnallyjackson.com

Discussion

Journalist and activist Asra Q. Nomani

Feminism and Faith
In honor of Women’s History Month, three women with very different views will discuss their struggle to reconcile their feminism with their religious beliefs and practices, and will share how they have reclaimed their religions in a personal way. Co-sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance, the panel will feature Blu Greenberg, founding president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance; Reverend Jane Holmes Dixon, the second woman to be named bishop in the Episcopalian Church; and journalist/activist Asra Q. Nomani, who has written extensively on issues related to Islam. Wed., March 7 at 7 p.m. $5-10. Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. 36 Battery Pl. 646-437-4202, mjhnyc.org

Theater

Awaji Puppet
Lauded an Intangible Folk Asset by the Japanese government, Awaji Puppet Theater is often referenced as the origin of bunraku puppetry, exhibiting the technique of three-man manipulation of puppets that has been handed down over 500 years. Unlike bunraku, Awaji puppetry is traditionally performed by touring troupes in temples or outdoor spaces and with large (about 4’ tall) puppets. With a program presented in two parts, the company performs the ritual celebratory dance pieces featuring live chanting and shamisen accompaniment. March 5-March 7 at 7:30 p.m. Family matinee on Sat., 3/7 at 2:30 p.m. $38-42. Japan Society. 333 E. 47th St. (btwn First & Second Aves.) 212-715-1258, japansociety.org

Photo by Joan Marcus

Laurel Holland and Michael Micalizzi

Love/Stories (Or But You Will Get Used To It)
In this performance of five new one-act plays by Itamar Moses, men and women grapple with romantic relationships in situations that often manage to be both laugh-out-loud funny and uncomfortably familiar. In his recent profile of Moses, Steve Snyder wrote about the ways in which the playwright bends the rules of theater and challenges audiences. “It’s fascinating,” Moses commented, “the stories we tell ourselves and other people about love, as a way of making sense of something that really doesn’t make any sense – and the way we tell each other stories in a theater to make sense out of life.” Through March 8. $20. The Flea. 41 White St. (btwn Broadway & Church) 212-226-2407, theflea.org 

Reading

Going Hungry
Priscilla Becker, Latria Graham, Maura Kelly, and Rudy Ruiz—contributors to the anthology “Going Hungry: Writers on Desire, Self-Denial, and Overcoming Anorexia”—will read with the book’s editor, Kate Taylor. In his introduction to an interview with Taylor last fall, Will McKinley described the collection as “highly personal stories from 19 writers who fought the disease and lived to tell their unique tales. For those who have dismissed anorexia as a lifestyle of the rich and famous, this book is an eye opener. From rich to poor, young to old, anorexia is an equal opportunity affliction, and the survivor’s stories that Taylor has selected are sometimes surprising, but always inspiring.” Mon., March 2, at 6:30 p.m. Free. Mid-Manhattan Library. 455 Fifth Ave. (at 40th St.) 212-340-0833, nypl.org