The Metropolitan Room
In the nine months since its opening, the Metropolitan Room in Midtown has quickly established itself as New York's venue of choice for major artists from Broadway and the jazz-pop concert and recording worlds. The club is known to encourage innovation, and has already played host to Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, Susan Egan, Christine Ebersole, and Eileen Fulton, all of whom have premiered new shows there.
In fact, the Metropolitan Room is receiving a special 2007 Nightlife Award later this month for encouraging the development of solo shows by Broadway stars. This week two fascinating new shows are set to premiere. John Meyer reprises his Judy Garland musical memoir "Heartbreaker"—this time with new partner Judy Blazer as Garland. And England's Barb Jungr, known on both sides of the Atlantic and in Australia for her hauntingly evocative interpretations of Bob Dylan tunes, world premieres "Barb Jungr Sings Bob Dylan," her first all-Dylan show to bow in New York.
In an exclusive two-week engagement from Jan. 25 to Feb. 3, Jungr creates a brand new song list combining tunes she's performed in recordings (her well received Dylan CD "Every Grain of Sand" released in 2002), with songs she has done on stage in various shows. Often compared to Nina Simone and Peggy Lee, Jungr was voted a Time Out New York Top Ten act in 2004.
In "Heartbreaker," which runs from January 25 through 29, singer-songwriter John Meyer relives his roller-coaster entanglement with Judy Garland (they were an item in the months preceding her death, at 47, in 1969). The musical dramatization of his memoir combines comic anecdotes with songs identified with Garland, plus five by Meyer. The author plays himself, while musical theatre veteran Judy Blazer ("Titanic" "Me and My Girl") portrays Garland as she veers dangerously in and out of sanity.
In the next six weeks, others who will be blazing a trail to the club with new shows will include Eric Comstock, Baby Jane Dexter, Andrew Lippa, Marilyn Maye, Maurice Hines, Tammy Grimes, David Pomeranz, Bryan Batt, and Larry Gatlin.
Super Bowl Painting
Super Bowl Fever got a kick-off in a big way at famed sports artist LeRoy Neiman's Manhattan art studio last week with a special visit from his friend "Broadway Joe" Namath. The Hall of Fame quarterback for the New York Jets was in town to celebrate a painting called "Handoff-Super Bowl III" that is being released today as a limited edition of 350 serigraphs signed by Neiman and Namath and numbered.
When Neiman was an artist-in-residence with the New York Jets he created the drawing from his vantage point right on the field.
"Handoff" recreates perhaps the most storied Super Bowl in the history of football—the 1969 Super Bowl, one of the biggest upsets in American sports history. The New York Jets, the underdogs, defeated the favored Baltimore Colts with a winning score of 16-7.
With his quintessential dynamism LeRoy Neiman places us directly on the field of the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida at the most important moment of the game. We can almost hear the roar of the crowd and the clash of those mighty titans. Neiman's powerful brushwork and electric palette perfectly translates the action as the Jets star quarterback, Joe Namath, hands off to fullback Matt Snell on his way to the winning touchdown.
A Taste of Sorrento
Tony May, owner of San Domenico, eatery to the stars of Broadway and Hollywood, is always offering new attractions at his restaurant, a sign of a great restaurateur.
Now, Mr. May is outdoing himself by bringing the famous Michelin-starred chef Peppino Aversa of Il Buco Ristorante in Sorrento, Italy for a week long festival of Sorrentino cuisine. This Neapolitan restaurant has received numerous awards in Italy and now New Yorkers can taste the ultimate in palate romance.
Sorrento, an Italian city of amore and beauty, is a stone's throw from Capri and just below Naples. The aura of the region is carried out in the glorious food invented by Chef Aversa—from sea bass in citrus-flavored breadcrumbs with orange sauce and escarole tart to cannelloni of salt-cod over seafood and fried seaweed.
The January doldrums are bound to blow away with one evening at San Domenico.