I went to Boston to see my friend, opera singer Amy Burton in a sold-out performance of "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny" at Opera Boston, a small, edgy, high-quality opera company dedicated to performing innovative repetoire and rarely seen works  This production was directed by the very gifted stage director Sam Helfrich. Burton in the role of Jenny was sublime.

The show seems to be having its moment with productions in Boston, Los Angeles, and Boston. With its libretto by Bertolt Brecht and a score by Kurt Weil, this strange and dark story of a city of pleasure overcome by a hurricane has prescent themes that resonate with our time.

I went with my friend, Pam Katz, who has written a novel published in Germany and yet to be published in the United States called "And Speaking of Love," a fictional account of the life of Lotte Lenya (who was married to Kurt Weil). To imagine this dark vision of humanity being performed in the early 1930’s in Berlin gives me chills. It was a gift to see this deeply striking show performed Boston on Tuesday night

Here’s an accurate eview by Keith Powers in the Boston Herald:

   

What happens in Mahagonny, stays in Mahagonny. Kurt Weill’s tragicomic and ironic opera “The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny,” with its trenchant libretto by Bertolt Brecht, was given a sensational opening performance by Opera Boston under the baton of Gil Rose Friday evening at the Cutler Majestic Theatre.
    Written in the late ’20s, “Mahagonny” tells the story of a city, similar to Vegas, on immoral steroids. Founded by three criminals on the lam, Mahagonny is a haven for decadence, where its residents give themselves over to whoring, gluttony, fighting and drinking.
    Sounds like fun, huh? Through the sardonic lens held up by the Weill/Brecht collaboration, the excesses explored in this mythical city – set in California – bring mostly misery to its residents. One man eats himself to death. A boxing match ends with the loser dying. The biggest crime – seemingly the only crime in Mahagonny – is failing to pay a bar bill, which also ends in death.
    Throughout it all, the music was rapturous, especially the ensemble pieces. And the stars, notably Daniel Snyder as Jimmy MacIntyre, the aforementioned deadbeat who gets executed, and Amy Burton as Jenny Smith, his high-priced hooker/girlfriend, sang with distinction. Boston regulars Stephen Salters (Bank Account Bill) and Frank Kelley (Fatty the Bookkeeper) also gave notable performances.
    But it truly was the scantily clad ensemble (this performance could easily double as a bachelor party) that stole the show. Weill has a gift for setting soloists against chorus, and this opera is full of riveting trios, quartets and even larger groupings.
    Rose had his hands full, with half a dozen soloists, a chorus of 20 and an orchestra that features unusual instrumentation (for an opera, at least) including a trio of saxophones and an accordion. He’s a skilled leader, and the opening-night performance was paced as smoothly as if it were the end of a long run. The single set, featuring Dumpsters and port-o-sans, added a comic flavor to the generally dark themes. Generally the acting and blocking were good, although at times the stage was overcrowded and emphasis was swallowed up by confusion.
    Opera Boston has done fine work in its few short seasons, filling a repertory void by presenting works on the fringes of standard opera. “Mahagonny” continues that fine tradition.

Continue reading OPERA BOSTON: MAHOGONNY →

Ten years ago rocker Amy Rigby released the critically acclaimed CD, Diary of a Mod Housewife, which is now out in a special 10th anniversary edition and available on her website. The former East Villager now lives in France, where she writes a blog called, Little Fugitive In France.  An OTBKB reader gave me a heads up about one of her posts. Very touching.

"Let me take a break from being that guitar totin’ woman of the world
and wallow in sentimental mother-mode for a minute: I miss my daughter
so much sometimes! I walk around feeling a little glum and wonder
what’s wrong with me. Then I look at the clock and it’s about ten to
three and it hits me – I should be dropping everything to pick her up
from school and give her a ride somewhere. But I don’t have to anymore.

I try calling her but of course she’s in class, or out doing
some fun, exciting, young adult thing that perhaps she’ll tell me about
when I do reach her. I find myself checking her myspace page, or even
her friends’ pages, just to get a sense of being around her. I think
"This is really pathetic" but then it occurs to me that I’m doing the
equivalent of going and sitting in her room, looking at her stuff and
and then wistfully shutting the door. But our stuff’s in storage so I
look for her in cyberspace – sometimes modern life is very weird. And I
wonder how other parents deal with this empty feeling that comes and
goes. I hope she doesn’t read this, but I think I’m safe in assuming
that she has better things to do than trawl the internet finding out
what I’m up to."

This from Jeanne Ramirez at New York 1:

A hill in Sunset Park is one of the highest points in Brooklyn —
offering panoramic vistas of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and the
harbor.

But soon the view of Lady Liberty could be obstructed. Digging has
already begun for a high rise planned here, on the site of a former
parking lot.

"We were not consulted. We were not even given any information,”
said Loretta Holmes of the Sunset Park Alliance of Neighbors. “The only
way we realized it was our houses were shaking."

Residents convinced the Buildings Department to issue a stop-work
order for complaints including construction after hours, lack of proper
permits, and structure stability.

And they formed a coalition called Sunset Park Alliance of Neighbors.

"To put up a 12 story and plus monstrosity of this size and this
nature on a block with so many low-rise family buildings is unjust and
unfair," said David Galarza, a member of SPAN.

"We’re not going to let this developer come and develop all of a
sudden,” said another SPAN member, Johnny Trelles. “They have to come
and work with the community because we’ve been here 30, 40 years."

Most homes in the neighborhood are three stories. The tallest
structure, seen for miles, is the tower of Saint Michael’s Church —
but the proposed building would rise higher that that.

Plans filed with the Department of Buildings at this location
include more than 30 units of housing along with a day care center and
medical facility.

Residents say the local community board should have been on top of
this, especially after it helped another part of the district — the
area of Greenwood Heights — get rezoned to limit the height of new
construction just last year.

"We should have been having rezoning done as soon as the other
neighborhoods were done,” said Tom Murphy of SPAN. “They just let it
lag."

But Community Board 7 says it cannot initiate a zoning change, only
support residents who ask for it. The board says the City Planning
Department has to step in for change.

City Planning says it will look at whether a zoning change is
warranted. In the meantime, the developer says he is resolving the
permit issues and plans to resume construction as early as next week.

This from the Daily News:

Nearly half the traffic in Park Slope is created
by drivers cruising around for parking spots due to jam-packed curbs,
according to a new study unveiled yesterday.

"What we have now is the equivalent of a Russian bread line," said Paul
Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, the
advocacy group that conducted the study.

"Except instead of bread, it’s parking, and instead of peasants
standing in lines, we have cars circling the block," White said.

The study – titled "No Vacancy" – found an average of 95% of the
parking spots on the main commercial drag on Seventh Ave. between Union
and 12th Sts. were occupied. It also found that one in six vehicles in
the neighborhood was parked illegally.

"We need to apply market solutions to our streets, and this is where we
start," said White, who rode away on a bicycle after yesterday’s press
conference to unveil the 21-page report.

Major findings of a new study on the lack of parking spaces in Park Slope by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.

Here’s this week’s Smartmom from the Brooklyn Paper:

Saturday night, Teen Spirit’s band, Cool and Unusual Punishment, played
Club Loco, a monthly event for teens organized by teens at the Old
First Dutch Reformed Church in Park Slope.

Smartmom found out the
hard way that they are oh-so-serious at Club Loco about not letting
adults, especially parents, into the well-supervised event at the
church, which is located on Seventh Avenue at Carroll Street.

To oversee the event, the church has a bouncer, a 30-something technical director, and a cadre of 20-something chaperones.

But to attend, you must be in high school — and prove it by showing a high-school ID.

While
the Club Loco show got underway, Smartmom, OSFO, and Hepcat ate dinner
without Teen Spirit. Afterwards, Smartmom put on her pajamas and
watched the family’s new high-def, flat-screen television in their cozy
living room.

But then, without warning, it came over her: Shakes.
Sweats. Uncontrollable curiosity. The urge to leave the house on a
freezing cold night.

Next thing she knew, Smartmom was stripping
out of her pajamas and putting on her jeans. It was like someone else
was in control of her body. At first, Smartmom didn’t know what was
happening or why.

But then she figured it out. She was having an
attack of Fly-On-The-Wall Syndrome and was desperate to see what Teen
Spirit was doing.

Old First Church. Must. Go. To. Old First Church, said a voice inside her head.

So at 9 pm, Smartmom told OSFO and Hepcat that she was going to take a stroll down Seventh Avenue.

“What are you, nuts?” Hepcat said.

“I’ll pick up the Sunday Times,” she spit out.

As
Hepcat went back to his computer, Smartmom donned a big red hat, a
scarf, an oversized down coat and big, unfashionable winter boots.
Nobody would ever recognize her.

When Smartmom got to the church,
the bouncer asked for her high-school ID. She almost hugged the guy.
Then he realized his mistake.

Smartmom was, like, so busted.

“No adults allowed,” said the young woman who was selling tickets.

Smartmom
knew the rules. But she tried to talk her way into the show
nevertheless. Nervously, though, because she was afraid that Teen
Spirit might see her.

“My son is one of the teen organizers of Club Loco. I just wanted to see his band play…”

Smartmom
was careful not to mention her son’s name. The young woman had pity on
Smartmom and told her that she could stand for a few minutes near where
they were checking coats.

Smartmom sat on a cold folding chair as
Dulaney Banks, a local blues duo with a singer who sounds like Big Mama
Thornton, finished its set. A woman, who Smartmom could tell was well
over 20, checked coats.

“I’m a member of the congregation,” the
woman said. “And the only reason they let me help is that I don’t have
children. They really don’t want parents in here.”

Smartmom felt the need to explain herself.

“I
haven’t heard my son’s band in quite a while,” she said. That was
mostly the truth. But the real truth was far weirder than that.

Fly-On-The-Wall
syndrome afflicts parents who are having a tough time accepting that
their children are growing up. Teen Spirit is 15 and doing all kinds of
things that have nothing to do with Smartmom.

In other words, he’s got his own life now.

It’s
a strange feeling. Seems like yesterday, he was a tiny baby at Lenox
Hill Hospital, and needed Smartmom to do everything for him.

For
years and years, they were joined at the hip. Except when he was at
school. After school, she would sit and wait as he went to baseball and
soccer practice, took clarinet and bass lessons, attended a musical
theater workshop.

She accompanied him to playdates, movies, museums, and doctor’s appointments, even video arcades.

But
everything’s different now. He has friends whose parents Smartmom
doesn’t even know. He takes the subway by himself. He visits friends on
the Upper West Side. He goes to shows at the Knitting Factory.

He
even goes out to eat at Oshima Sushi. All. By. Himself. And it kills
Smartmom that she’s not as big a part of his life anymore.

Sure, she sees him at home. They talk. She watches as he does homework, as he IMs his friends, as he eats dinner.

They watch “Scrubs” re-runs together.

They chat first thing in the morning as he eats breakfast and gets ready for high school.

Don’t get her wrong: she’s proud that he’s an independent, self-sufficient, interesting person with an interesting life.

But
she’s got Fly-On-The-Wall syndrome. And there’s not much she can do. No
cure has been discovered yet (except, perhaps, time).

So that
explains why she was sitting in the dark sanctuary of Old First Church
listening to her son’s band through a wall, relieving an uncontrollable
urge to be within spitting distance of her offspring.

But you know what happened to that cat.

Smartmom knew to keep her visit short. Beside, it was freezing cold in there.

Teens
were pouring into Club Loco as Smartmom left the church incognito.
She’s sure that the rest of the show with Dulaney Banks, Cool and
Unusual, and The Floor is Lava! was great.

But she wouldn’t know.
She was back on Seventh Avenue before you could say “Fly-On-The-Wall
syndrome” picking up a Sunday Times at the Starbucks.

In Sunday’s Times, the  neo-conservative Op-Ed writer and enthusiastic supporter of the US intervention in Iraq (on moral grounds, no less) ranted against hipster parents in his article, “Mosh Pit Meets Sandbox.”

“Can we please see the end of those Park Slope Alternative Stepford Moms in their black-on-black maternity tunics who turn their babies into fashion-forward, anti corporate, indie infants in order to stay one step ahead of the cool police,” he writes. Read more at the Times — but you need Times Select.

Now wait a minute! Brooks, known for rampant generalizations and his penchant for clever coinage, isn’t talking about the Park Slope that Smartmom knows and loves. 

Here’s a big shout out:

The Second Annual Brooklyn Blogfest will be on Thursday May 10th at 8 p.m. at the Old Stone House located on Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets in Park Slope.

Theme: The Impact of Brooklyn Blogging

There will be special speakers, photo bloggers, an open mic (sign up soon), refreshments from a top notch Brooklyn eatery. Lots of time to meet and greet.

Donation (Tip Jar): $5.00 (to defray costs).

Read what Norman Oder  (AtlanticYardsReport) said at Saturday’s Grassroots Media Conference.

I’m the most mainstream person sitting on this panel, and I don’t think
there’s a contradiction between using mainstream training and
experience in the service of grassroots media.

In fact, I think
that grassroots media, held to professional standards, can be more
intellectually honest and more responsible than the mainstream media.

I
try to read everything. I read all the press. I read the documents
regarding Atlantic Yards. There’s lots of information in documents.
That was the lesson from I.F. Stone in the 1950s and that’s still true today.

Read, read, read more: at Atlantic Yards Report

Did the Times’ headline writers call Egan’s Op-Ed, "A Developing Story" to get Norman Oder’s goat?

A developing story? It’s the biggest development project in the history of Brooklyn and Brooklyn bloggers like Atlantic Yards Report and No Land Grab have been covering it for ages — like 38 months. Egan’s excellent Op-Ed was the first one of its kind published on that coveted page.

In fact, Norman Oder started his blog as a way to monitor the New York Times’ coverage of the AY. And then, his blog became so much more. Here’s the post that introduced his blog: 

From today onward, my reportage, analysis, and commentary on the Atlantic Yards project will appear here at the Atlantic Yards Report.

This blog, originally dubbed TimesRatnerReport, was conceived to accompany the 9/1/05 publication of my report The New York Times & Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards: High Rises & Low Standards. I thought a blog could help track and comment on the response to my report.

The report has not yet spurred the Public Editor of the New York Times to assess the newspaper’s coverage of the Atlantic Yards project. However, I do think my criticisms have contributed to a somewhat better performance by the media, including the Times.

Moreover, the report and the research behind it have served as a base for an evolving blog. While I initially emphasized media analysis and commentary, I now include much more original reporting.

A developing story? HA. Sure, it’s a cute headline. But this is a story that has been comprehensively covered by Norman Oder at Atlantic Yards Report. Was that a jab?

I read this at New York 1 but for the real story go to Atlantic Yards Report.

A federal judge on Friday recommended tossing out a lawsuit meant to block developer Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project.

The suit, which was filed last year, claims that taking property away under eminent domain is unconstitutional.   

U.S. Magistrate Robert Levy says the federal court should stay out of the case because it is a local matter.

A U.S. district judge has the final say on whether the suit will be thrown out.

Willie’s Dawgs, the HOT NEW hot dog restaurant on Fifth Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets in Park Slope (same street as the Pink Pussycat) is finally open.

Willie’s is owned by a couple who were in the movie business but wanted to do something else with their lives (I like the backstory already). They spent many months on the stylish renovation. I thought the place would never open.

This is no ordinary hot dog stand. They’ve got challah buns and other kinds of rolls for the dogs, as well as a full menu of toppings. You can choose a beef, turkey, chicken or tofu dog.

I read in New York Magazine that they’re using Karl Ehmer all-beef, natural casing franks, which will be
served on home-baked buns (challah, rye, or multigrain), with sides
like Yonah Schimmel’s knishes and house-made fries and onion rings.

I ordered the Heidi (the dogs are named for dogs the owner know, I think), which has swiss cheese, kraut and German mustard.

I didn’t eat it — Hepcat was starving and he finished off the whole thing. OSFO had a plain dog with ketchup.

The decor is colorful, stylish , and fun (see above)  with a big hot dog mural on the back wall. There are also interesting photo/collages by KC Bailey of dogs, who were rescued.

They’ve only been open a few days.

This from New York 1:

While the City Council said the delay was because it was waiting
for the ballots to get officially certified, the delay came on the same
day the Councilman-elect Mathieu Eugene’s candidacy was questioned due
to his residency.

Eugene beat out nine other candidates this week to win in the
district that includes Flatbush and Crown Heights, but Eugene lives in
Canarsie.

His spokesperson says the law gives council members time to establish residency in their district post-election.

But some election experts disagree.

“He can’t be sworn in,” said Jerry Goldfeder, an election lawyer.
“The Board of Elections can’t certify him, and it can’t be changed
after the fact.”

According to the Board of Elections, the law states that candidates
must reside in the district when the voters elect them. But the Eugene
campaign says that will be official when the board certifies the
ballots, giving him time to move.

While Eugene was not available to comment, his campaign says he
signed a lease for a three-bedroom apartment in the district for
February 1st, and is waiting to be sworn in before he moves into the
residence.

OSFO, Crystal and I visited BARC, Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition, on North First Street and Wyethe in Williamsburg, a haven for homeless animals that provides quality food, shelter, and medical attention to the dogs in their care.

"BARC meets the needs
of homeless animals through the assistance of dedicated volunteers,
revenues generated from the success of our pet supply business, and
from private donations." says the blurb on their website.

Jose was our guide and he took us to the kennel a few doors away from the pet supply business. First I noticed the strong smell of dog, urine, and dog food. Then we went through a door into a big barn-like room with about twenty large cages for the dogs.

The barking was cacophonous at first. The bigger dogs, Pit Bulls and German Shepherds,  barked aggressively.

There were quieter dogs, too. But looks can be deceiving. We found ourselves attracted to a an adorable-looking black and white Shih Tsu.

"Oh that’s a bad dog," Jose said. "Look, he just killed  a mouse." Sure enough. In the Shih Tsu’s cage was a dead mouse.

A Pitbull that looked pretty fierce to me was, according to Jose, a sweetheart. He went into his cage and gave the dog some attention.

A 12-year-old black poodle, Marvin was abandoned by his owner who could no longer care for him. He sat quietly in the corner of the cage. "He’s a sweetheart. He just had surgery." Jose brought us into the cage and showed us Marvin’s shaved spot. "He had a tumor as big as a baseball." Jose said.

He’s deaf, too. That’s why he doesn’t mind being with all those barking bigger dogs. In the back of the room there was a huge dog in a big cage. There were signs that said: DOG NEEDS SPECIAL ATTENTION.

"I can handle him but he’s a very mean dog. He’s been here for seven years." Jose said.

Every dog in the place had a story. In one cage there was a very friendly white lab and a tiny poodle puppy, brought in from the same home. They seemed very comfortable together. OSFO and Crystal spent some time in that cage.

In another room, there were four cages. OSFO and Crystal fell in love with an endearing beagle who had just arrived was in there. "We hang on to them for at least 72 hours to make sure they’re not just missing," Jose told us. "Then he can be adopted."

In another cage there was a very high-strung Chihuahua. We were very moved by his story. He’d had a good life in a good home for ten years. Then he was abandoned and is very, very angry.

"He can attach to one person. Then he’d be alright. But you don’t want to get in his way when he’s eating. He’ll bite."

Another dog in the small room was blind. "She’s tricky to take care of. Her eyes don’t tear so she needs her eyes washed every day. But it can be startling. She’s bit me a lot."

Jose has been with BARC for 16 years. He has three dogs — a Pitbull, a pug, and "a very nice" Chihuahua." All of them from BARC.

Every morning they walk the dogs from 9-12. It’s a great time to visit. OSFO and Crystal both want to come back to walk with the dogs. It must be quite an adventure. We’ll be back.

This from the NY Sun:

Mayor Bloomberg
weighed in on the pooper-scooper debate yesterday, saying he supports
stiffer fines for those who fail to clean up their dog’s waste.

Last week, the state Assembly voted to raise the maximum penalty for
pooper-scooper violations from $100 to $250. It is no surprise that the
mayor supports the bill, which still needs approval from the state
Senate and governor, given that the city Department of Sanitation
requested the state take up the issue.

VERY, VERY INTERESTING. This from the Nw York Times.

A generation of mothers who are largely perceived as postfeminist in
every way, from sex to economic discrimination, has begun a
consciousness-raising that is almost old-fashioned were it not for the
technology involved. Raised to believe that girls could accomplish
anything, these women have reached parenthood, only to find they faced
many of the same pay, equity and work-family balance issues that were
being fought over decades before. From that awakening, they say, has
come the inkling of a new movement.

In many ways, these groups
are repackaging issues that have been around for nearly 50 years and
have proven intractable despite the efforts of legions of activists,
lawyers and elected officials.

An organization What MomsRising has done, the organizers say, is frame its
concerns as family and economic issues, which resonate for a younger
generation of women. (They say they will include the fathers later.)

It is not a coincidence that MomsRising is using the tactics of MoveOn.org, the influential liberal organizing site that helped propel Howard Dean’s presidential candidacy. One of the group’s founders is Joan Blades, who, with her husband, Wes Boyd, founded MoveOn.

MomsRising is the newest and most prominent in a loose coalition of
advocacy groups, including Mothers & More, the Mothers Movement
Online, Mothers Ought to Have Equal Rights and the National Association
of Mothers’ Centers, that are sharing information, joining together at
rallies and signing one another’s petitions.

They, in turn, are starting to form alliances with labor groups and traditional feminist groups like the National Organization for Women. And they are communicating with what some might see as unlikely allies: traditional family values groups like the Christian Coalition.

The
various mother’s rights groups are concentrating much of their effort
at state legislatures. In Washington State, they met with the speaker
of the house about passing a bill that would allow employees to be paid
if they take family- or medical-leave time, and in California, they
have proposed legislation that would make it illegal to discriminate
based on family status. Senator Sheila Kuehl has agreed to author the
bill, which is to be introduced this week. They are also hoping to be
heard during next year’s presidential race.

It’s difficult to
know just how big the burgeoning movement is. MomsRising, which has
been around since last May, has attracted 80,000 members from around
the United States. The goal, organizers say, is to build a nonpartisan
grass-roots movement millions strong.