The Broadway Collection News for May
May in New York
Now that we can exchange our down jackets and wool sweaters for sandals and cotton t-shirts, there’s no excuse to stay inside. May is the perfect time to visit New York for the beautiful weather and the flurry of activities as restaurants, festivals, and museums prepare for visitors. This month brings a slew of fun things to do for seasoned New Yorkers and tourists who have never been to New York alike.
Smorgasburg , which the New York Times called “the Woodstock of eating,” features an array of vendors who offer fresh takes on foods you know and love (donuts in flavors like French toast and raspberry coconut), foods you’ve never had the opportunity to try (chimichurri), and foods you’ve never even heard of (ramen burgers). With two Brooklyn locations open on Saturdays and Sundays, Smorgasburg is a perfect place for the adventurous eater.
Once you’re full of artisanal ice cream, make your way uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met is opening a Van Gogh exhibit on May 12th, exactly 125 years after the artist told his brother Theo that he was working on four paintings of large bouquets of flowers. The exhibit, called “Van Gogh: Irises and Roses,” reunites a set of works that had been as far away as Amsterdam. The paintings have aged and faded over their time moving from place to place, but the museum has done special restorations to preserve their color and texture.
In other art news, The Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival, May 4-9, is a weeklong celebration of the venues that brought jazz to Harlem, generally considered to be a central location for the development of jazz in the 1920s. Some of the original clubs where audiences used to go to tap their feet on weekends almost a hundred years ago are still thriving. The festival celebrates these places, such as the Apollo Theater and Minton’s Playhouse, as shrines.
For the less artistically inclined, tree-hugging tourist on a budget, the 9th Annual Earth Day Rockaway will be on May 2nd this year. Situated on the beaches of Rockaway, there will be live music and food and plenty of family-friendly fun. Activities include a mock dolphin rescue, face painting, a firehouse safety obstacle course, recycling Olympics, kite-making, and more. All activities are free and aimed at increasing education about natural resources in New York. Who knew such a big city could have such beautiful nature?
Another fun outdoor activity is at Chelsea’s High Line Park, a beautiful place to enjoy the amazing May weather. Last fall, the park unveiled an expansion, but this spring is the first time visitors can enjoy the flowers and art installations along the new parts of the park. Famed for its scenic views of the Hudson and greenery emerging from old abandoned railway tracks, the High Line is simultaneously off the beaten path and centrally and conveniently located.
In Broadway News
The cast recording of On the Twentieth Century will be released on May 19! Called “ridiculously sublime” by the New York Times, the musical features the legendary, Tony Award-winning Kristen Chenoweth opposite Tony nominee Peter Gallagher. The musical won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 1978, and this revival album is sure to dazzle as well. On the Twentieth Century is the hilarious story of a bankrupt producer who tries to entice a starlet to play the lead in his non-existent play. For those who want a taste of the show before they see it in its current Broadway revival, or for travelers who want to take a piece of Kristin Chenoweth home with them, the cast recording is a must-have.
If you’re looking for live showtunes, there will be a free Broadway outdoor concert in the Shubert Alley on May 27th. It will be hosted by the Broadway League and United Airlines and will celebrate the shows of the 2014-2015 season, an exciting season that saw many openings of new musicals. The show will have numbers from this season’s musicals, in addition to some well-loved, well-known classics.
After you’ve picked your favorite show of the season, head the to the Tony Awards Pop-Up shop at 235 West 46th Street, hosted by the Tony Awards and the Paramount Hotel. The shop will contain merchandise and memorabilia celebrating 69 years of the Tony Awards, in addition to posters, mugs, sweatshirts, hats, t-shirts, and more from Tony-nominated shows of the 2014-2015 season. This one-stop shop for all Broadway souvenirs is celebrating its first year ever!
One Tony-nominated show from last season is seeing an exciting new addition: Earl Carpenter will reprise his performance as Javert in the revival of Les Misérables starting this May! Carpenter originally performed the role in Toronto, where critics called him “brilliant.” He has also played the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, Peron in Evita, and Beast and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. He will star opposite Tony Award nominee Ramin Karimloo as Jean Valjean and Samantha Hill as Cosette.