Listings

ART

DOTTY ATTIE With a lethally seductive technique and the equanimity of a cobra, Attie turns her appropriating gaze on images of patriarchal structure, and turns the tables on her longtime study of the male gaze. Instead of details from old masters, she uses old photographs of sporting events, colonial expeditions, and battleeld action as fodder for this show, titled “Sometimes a Traveler.” If anything, the wary complicity between image, text, context, and implied meaning in these deliciously nasty sequences of small grisaille paintings has intensied. “At certain times resistance and refusal mean consent” is the wily refrain. THROUGH MAY 24, P.P.O.W., 555 West 25th Street, 212-647-1044. (Levin)

OLAFUR ELIASSON In the side gallery, the two rotating spectral beams of a perfectly simple and utterly satisfying light installation play across the walls. It’s a beautiful specimen of his landscape-inflected work. In the main space, he re-creates his studio as an amazing laboratory of sketchy maquettes and experiments in structure and perception. The array of playful forms—dodecahedrons, tori, geodesic domes, prismatic variations on platonic solids, and Möbius loops—on the faceted shelves and worktable is enthralling. Besides exposing the wizardry underpinning his art, it’s a metaphor for intelligence, restraint, exuberance, and cosmic order. THROUGH JUNE 14, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, 521 West 21st Street, 212-414-4144. (Levin)

DANCE

JODY SPERLING/TIME LAPSE DANCE A good mind and a heavy dose of glamour will take you far in the downtown dance world. Sperling’s extensive research interests spring to life onstage in choreography that draws on n de siècle spectacles like those of Loie Fuller. She also appropriates circus contortion acts, stage hypnotism (in a new duet with Melissa Rodnon), and the fundamentally absurd ballet stance. Quentin Chiappetta provides original scores. THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AT 8, Williamsburg Art Nexus, 205 North 7th Street, Brooklyn, 718-599-7997. (Zimmer)

RENNIE HARRIS PUREMOVEMENT Philadelphia’s alpha male returns with a new, full-evening work, Facing Mekka, that transforms hip-hop into a spiritual journey back to its African roots. Men and women are both featured in this one, with startling virtuosity and a video mix blending African ceremonial dance with yesterday’s newsreels. Live musicians on tabla, berimbau, conga drums, and more play a score composed by Darris Ross in collaboration with Grisha Coleman, Philip Hamilton, Gabby Lang, Kenny Muhammad, and Lenny Seidman; Tobin Rothlein provides the provocative video collage. TUESDAY AT 8 AND MAY 14 THROUGH 18, Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, 212-242-0800. (Zimmer)

FILM

‘ANDY WARHOL: SCREEN TESTS’ “Wouldn’t it be just great to see a movie of someone’s elbow—like from the 12th century?” Andy once wondered aloud. This installation of 28 ve-minute portraits (including Salvador Dalí, Donyale Luna, Dennis Hopper, and Susan Sontag) culled from the Silver Age of the Factory may be the next greatest thing. THURSDAY THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1, Museum of Modern Art, 33rd Street and Queens Boulevard, Queens, 718-866-879-MOMA. (Hoberman)

‘COWARDS BEND THE KNEE’ Guy Maddin’s delirious new whatsit—a sort of not quite softcore version of The Shanghai Gesture featuring a lot of brothel intrigue and hockey-playing spermatozoa—is screening twice at the Tribeca Film Festival, Sunday. But you can also see it throughout the festival the way the lm-maker intended, in 10 successive peep-show arcades. THROUGH SUNDAY, UA Battery Park 16, 102 North End Avenue, at Vesey Street, 866-265-TIXX. (Hoberman)

‘MAY ’68, AGE 35’ Vive la France. Somebody had to commemorate the anniversary of the Night of the Cobblestones. This ultra-grad-school, two-part tribute to the 1968 student uprising includes Jean-Marie Straub’s The Bridegroom, the Comedienne, and the Pimp (with R.W. Fassbinder) and Jean-Luc Godard’s Un Film Comme les Autres, as well as an assortment of 1968 “cine-tracts” made by Godard, Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, et les autres. SUNDAY AT 7 AND 9:30, Ocularis at Galapagos Art Space, 70 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, 718-782-5188. (Hoberman)

MUSIC

AFI+SNAPCASE With DreamWorks money behind them, AFI’s newish LP lays out a platinum-baiting assault that is both hooky and unexpectedly muscular: Their accessible Fugazi- lite guitars make way for some powerful riffage, and like a slightly goth At the Drive-In, they turn their dark shouts of pain into radio-ready group choruses. Snapcase are way more underground both in mind and sound, and their chops-intensive hardcore evokes ngers moving skillfully over strings, a prog-rock-schooled drummer, and hearts bleeding overtime. With Recover. THURSDAY AT 7:30, Roseland, 239 West 52nd Street, 212-777-6800. (Hoard)

BILL CHARLAP The interplay of Charlap’s splendid trio (bassist Peter Washington, drummer Kenny Washington) with guests Frank Wess and Phil Woods began as an enthralling JVC evening a couple of summers ago, exemplifying the pianist’s readiness to share the bandstand with masterly players. An organic and skintight ensemble in its own right, the trio is everything a visiting soloist could want in the way of accompaniment. Charlap has emerged as one of the most original, compelling pianists in years, one who keeps his technique in reserve while choosing just the notes he wants, then suddenly plays a virtuoso flourish you can scarcely believe. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AT 9 AND 11, Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, 212-581-3080. (Giddins)

THE FAINT+LES SAVY FAV+SCHNEIDER TM Icy like their native Omaha, newly hot like local labelmates Bright Eyes and Cursive, dark-wave sex-obsessives the Faint were doing the electroclash thing as far back as 1999! Tim Harrington, Les Savy Fav’s rafter-climbing, feline-imitating singer, leads his art-school-assembled band in sweetly surrealistic post-emo jams. German dandy Schneider TM, a/k/a Dirk Dresselhaus, invented glitch-pop and, almost as importantly, recently named a song “Frogtoise.” SATURDAY AND MONDAY AT 8, Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place, 212-777-6800. (Catucci)

BARRY HARRIS The eternal keeper of the bebop flame, Harris has a unique touch—an unsentimental caress that allows him to mine the music for romance and wit while exploring all the harmonic byways and swinging with pointed nesse. For nearly 50 years, he’s been a creative custodian of Bird, Bud, and Monk, as well as a teacher of instrumental and vocal techniques. But his nest achievement is the way he personalizes the modern jazz aesthetic and keeps it fresh. Appearances here by his longtime trio with bassist Earl May and drummer Leroy Williams are always highlights of the season. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AT 9 AND 11, Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, 212-255-4037. (Giddins)

NORAH JONES+THE ROOTS Nawrah’s pigtails have fallen into flowing locks overnight, as diehards dig the quietly intense voice, cushiony piano parts, invitingly cherubic cheeks, and sweet persona—even as detractors toss zingers like “half asleep” and “wholesome.” Balancing the amazing lady’s admirable restraint with pummeling energy are the Roots, alterna-rap’s koolest cooperative, with an acoustic freshness that means feverish rhythms, lyrical thoughtfulness, tough notes that wrestle each other for denition, and tons of top-notch interplay. FRIDAY AT 7, Battery Park, Battery Place and Broadway. (King)

JON LANGFORD When’s he going to slow down? This gig will feature what he calls his “(new) New York band the Ship & Pilot”—Jean Cook, Tony Maimone, and indefatigable drummer Steve Goulding, the fth different combo to back Langford in this city in the past year. The same night he’ll have an art opening at the Big Cat Gallery at 154 Orchard Street at 6 p.m. And the night before he’ll be “talking and singing” in this very space—which if it’s nearly as good as the autobiographical presentation I saw in Seattle last month will be at least the equal of the other two shows. THURSDAY AT 10, Galapagos, 70 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, 718-782-5188. (Christgau)

BUCKY PIZZARELLI Only serious guitar mavens remember George Van Eps, the innovator of the seven-string acoustic guitar, in which the extra string is used to top chords and provide basslines, but Bucky (not to be confused with his crooning guitarist son, John) has not only kept his concept alive, he’s brought it rmly into the jazz realm. A profoundly swinging musician with infallible taste, Pizzarelli is one of the most coveted accompanists alive, and doesn’t get to front his own trio often enough. But this week it’s just him, pianist John Bunch, and bassist Jay Leonhart. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AT 7:30 AND 9:30, Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, 212-576-2232. (Giddins)

YEAH YEAH YEAHS+EX-MODELS+GREENHORNES The YYYs’ new album, like their EPs, turns once humorless blues-punk screaming into a dance party with no nostalgia or airs of importance; add how Karen O demonstrates wanting to do it to each other like a sister and a brother, and no wonder they’re the biggest band in town. Equally sex-obsessed locals the Ex-Models’ new album chops up punk-funk into goofy noise spurts that’d make the Minutemen or Wire proud. But the best band here might be Cincinnati’s Greenhornes, whose current Dual Mono has two sweet duets with White Stripe pal Holly Golightly and tons of expert “Gloria” rewrites that remember how much Eric Burdon wanted to be black. Thursday, the Icarus Line and Har Mar Superstar open. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AT 8, Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place, 212-777-6800. (Eddy)

PETE YORN+GRANDADDY+ROONEY He’s simple. He’s cute. He’s the pilot. But so what if you nd the polite grit of the headliner a little on the Gap-ad side? The rest of the bill should sate any desire for loopy swoon-psychedelia (backed by herb-enhanceable lmic imagery, no doubt) and pogo-pop bliss-out. If you haven’t caught the vapors, Rooney are fronted by Jason Schwartzman’s little bro and sound like a Weezed-up, strange, magic ELO. FRIDAY AT 7:30, Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 West 34th Street, 212-564-4882. (Sinagra)

PHOTO

MARK COHEN Cohen, famous for his intrusive, hit-and-run ’70s work, continues to get uncomfortably close to his subjects in his recent black-and-white photos. But after recording the wariness of several passersby, he tends to focus less on faces than on truncated body parts—bare shoulders, an exposed shin, a man’s hand pointing God-like at a wasp—and an abject array of discarded objects. With these objects, including the burned-out wreck of a car, a lime slice covered with ants, and a rotting nectarine, Cohen’s sense of urban unease nds a physical embodiment as eloquent as a sideways glance. THROUGH MAY 17, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, 504 West 22nd Street, 212-627-3930. (Aletti)

CHARLIE WHITE Although there are no marauding monsters or mist mutants in White’s glossy new photographs, they’re still plenty unnerving. Putting aside obvious digital effects but punching up the dark humor and the confusion between artice and reality, White’s made 11 tableaux with little in common save what-the-fuck peculiarity. Henri Rousseau, Thomas Kinkade, and a lecherous version of the Muppets are joined here by a wounded lamb gurine, a naked middle-aged couple in their kitchen, and a gaggle of bloody game-show contestants beating each other up. For work that’s not exactly likable, White’s is surprisingly ingratiating. THROUGH SATURDAY, Andrea Rosen Gallery, 525 West 24th Street, 212-627-6000. (Aletti)

THEATER

‘I AM MY OWN WIFE’ A lot of Germans thought the Nazis were a real drag; one such German was the legendary cross-dresser Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the dozen-year Reich by slipping in and out of various gender identities. She lived to tell the tale; Doug Wright, author of Quills, interviewed her and others to create this solo piece for Obie-winning actor Jefferson Mays. Moises Kaufman, who garnered some interview experience of his own in creating The Laramie Project, directs. IN PREVIEWS, OPENS MAY 27, Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42nd Street, 212-279-4200. (Feingold)

‘I WILL BEAR WITNESS’ The most signicant document of Nazi Germany didn’t emerge till ’95, when Victor Klemperer’s diary was published. Klemperer, who was saved from shipment to the death camps by the Allied bombing of Dresden, had notated all the excruciating details of life under Hitler; his voluminous work instantly became a giant bestseller and a standard historical reference. Actor George Bartenieff reduced the massive text to two solo-performance evenings; Part II (1938-45) earned him an Obie award in 2001. Just back from a European tour, Bartenieff is testing Part I (1933-38), in which Klemperer loses his job, his rights, and his residence—but gains some unexpected friends. WEDNESDAYS, THROUGH MAY 28, Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, 212-614-0505. (Feingold)

‘LAST DANCE’ An American poet discovers that living in the south of France surrounded by love, poetry, and flowers may not guarantee happiness. Presumably, Marsha Norman’s new play also offers you some reason to sympathize with her heroine’s plight—maybe there are French people involved. Lynne Meadow’s production, at least, has some welcome North American actors involved: James Barbour, Heather Goldenhersh, David Rasche, and JoBeth Williams. PREVIEWS BEGIN TUESDAY, OPENS JUNE 3, Manhattan Theatre Club, 131 West 55th Street, 212-581-1212. (Feingold)

‘RAIN DANCE’ Does the phrase “Los Alamos, 1945” give you chills? More than likely the characters of Lanford Wilson’s new play, who are ostensibly there at the time, share your feelings. Espionage may or may not be in the dramatic mix; moral doubts or recriminations certainly will be. Guy Sanville, who staged the play’s premiere production at the Purple Rose Theatre in Michigan, directs this one, the second New York premiere in Signature’s all-Wilson season. The cast includes Randolph Mantooth, Suzanne Regan, James Van Der Beek, and stalwart Harris Yulin. IN PREVIEWS, THROUGH JUNE 29, Signature Theatre, 555 West 42nd Street, 212-244-PLAY. (Feingold)

‘THE SEVEN MINUTE SERIES’ Who says TV-bred Americans have a short attention span? Why, downtown plays are getting longer every second. Which means it’s time again for the Ontological Theatre to salute youthful talents with a set of plays guaranteed to run no longer than six minutes and 60 seconds each. And if the names of playwrights like Bronz, Holsopple, Hooker, Juli, Kurkjian, McCormick, Oppenheim, and Shukert don’t ring a bell, the reason probably isn’t your short attention span—they’re new to us, too. THROUGH SUNDAY, Ontological at St. Mark’s, 10th Street and Second Avenue, 212-533-4650. (Feingold)

WORDS

DAVID AMSDEN+MARK NESBITT If you’re keen on barely post-pubescent lads moseying into the publishing world with nary a rejection letter (or a gray hair) to show for it, read on. Both Brooklyn-based writers diffuse heartbreaking tales with humor. In Amsden’s debut novel, Important Things That Don’t Matter, an unsentimental 20-year-old unravels his past, starting from the age when he “pretty much thought about half the universe in terms of Play-Doh” and including episodes in dive bars with his coke-snorting father. THURSDAY AT 7, Housing Works Used Book Café, 126 Crosby Street, 212-334-3324. (Meyer)

ADAM RAPP Adam Rapp’s searing new play Stone Cold Dead Serious (now at Chashama) turns reality-TV surreal, mixing ninja stagehands and QVC banter with a Midwestern rue so potent you’ll cry if you’re not careful. At Low’s Playwrights Reading Series, he reveals another facet of his talent, reading from a novel in progress (he has ve published ctions to his name) and singing his own compositions. THURSDAY AT 7, Low, 81 Washington Street, Brooklyn, 718-222-1569. (Park)