around town today
free outdoor movies: >>
grease (audience choice winner), coney island
big, central park (first night of the central park film festival)
dirty dancing, astoria park’s great lawn
the shining, bryant park (closing night)
7am-7pm (thru 8/22): picnic in grand central: grand central terminal’s vanderbilt hall is transformed to an indoor picnic area, complete with an astroturf floor, picnic tables, food for purchase (11am-4pm), and daily entertainment (11am-2pm, 4pm-7pm) from broadway performers, musicians, and more. but because this is indoors, you can also take advantage of the air conditioning and free wi-fi. free admission. >>
6-8pm: the way station’s monster monday madness series screens horror movies every week, with free pizza from 6-7pm. >>
6-9pm (thru 8/21): the meatpacking summer series is four-nights of live music, comedy and improv outdoors on gansevoort plaza. tonight: an evening of folk and traditional music from ireland and america with the murphy beds and friends. gansevoort st. bet. hudson st. + ninth ave, free admission. >>
6:30pm (+ 8/20, 25, 27): the asia society and museum’s ‘waking the green tiger’ film series features four documentaries from the front lines of china’s environmental crisis, followed by filmmaker q+a. free (rsvp required). >>
7pm: the jazzmobile brings grammy award-winning afro-jazz pianistarturo o’farrill and quintet to brooklyn bridge park’s harbor view lawn at pier 1. free. >>
7pm: the annie o music series presents an intimate show with folk-rock singer-songwriter martha wainwright at the penthouse at the standard hotel. 25 cooper square, free (rsvp required to [email protected]). >>
7pm doors, 7:30pm show: test your trivia knowledge at the big quiz thing for a chance to win cash, tickets to shows and cultural institutions, baked goods, and more. hosted by quizmaster noah tarnow. subculture, $15. >>
7:30pm (ends today): sing along to mozart’s requiem and thompson’salleluia at the west village chorale’s annual summer sing. musical score provided, and light refreshments will be served. judson memorial church, $15. >>
7:30pm (ends today): the free martin luther king jr. concert series at brooklyn’s wingate field ends the season with a gospel night featuring grammy-nominated singer tamela mann and the christian cultural center choir. >>
7:30pm doors, 8pm show: union hall bartender therese plaehn hosts ‘the shift’ variety show from behind the bar. tonight: gossip girl‘s zuzanna szadkowski, 18-time moth story slam winner adam wade, and house band bryan bruchman + alex nahas. $5. >>
7:30pm doors, 8pm show: wyatt cenac (the daily show) hosts the weeklynight train comedy show with stand-up by sasheer zamata (snl), d.c. benny (ferguson, comedy central), marc theobald (last comic standing), adam mamawala (funny or die’s ‘top 30 under 30: comedians to watch’), plus ‘annie vs oliver: something is very wrong with jean grae – a musical’. littlefield, $8. >>
8pm: comedy for a cause at the monthly cause b show: sean donnelly (last comic standing, comedy central), leah bonnema, joyelle johnson, the lucas brothers, and myka fox lend their comedic karate chops to benefit a friend who has a rare form of muscle cancer. bonus: free beer with a donation. the cobra club, free admission. >>
8pm (+ 8/24, 25): the witches is a ‘nightmare immersive theatre experience’ that starts as a dinner party until macbeth finds himself in hell, forced by the three witches to relive his story over and over. court tree collective gallery (carroll gardens), $18 >>
8pm: liam bailey, moses sumney, tropic of pisces, and the mast play this week’s school night concert at brooklyn bowl. free with rsvp, $7 without. >>
8:30pm doors, 9pm show: the weekly broken comedy show at greenpoint’s bar matchless features stand-up by the lucas brothers (lucas bros moving co, fallon), yamaneika saunders (last comic standing), dan soder (conan, comedy central), joe pera (comedy central), and host nimesh patel. free. >>
8:30pm doors: pegasus warning, tutu, cookies, and clementine + the galaxy play glasslands. $10. >>
9pm (mondays): huckleberry bar’s free monday night movie screenings pay tribute to the harry potter series this month. tonight: harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban (2004). >>
9:30pm doors, 10pm show: tonight at the the stand’s frantic! free comedy show: trevor noah, brody stevens, joe matarese, joe list, michelle buteau, aaron berg, ari shaffir, and host michael kosta. free.>>
thru 8/24: the annual brooklyn comedy festival kicks off with an evening of free shows at bar matchless, spike hill, cobra club, and an after party at union pool featuring music by reverend vince anderson + his love choir. >>
check our website for ongoing events.
coming up
8/19: free outdoor movies: >>
independence day, red hook’s valentino pier
the royal tenenbaums, central park
8/19 7pm (tuesdays): play super mario bros.: the lost levels on the roof bar of whole foods brooklyn with ‘our princess is in another castle’ hosts steve heisler (story pirates, onion av club) and rob blatt (wrestling mania). a beer, wine and food menu (including veggie options) is available. free admission, free to play. >>
8/19 7pm: the film society of lincoln center continues the free talks series of filmmakers and actors discussing recent projects. tonight: actors john lithgow and marisa tomei, director ira sachs (keep the lights on), and co-screenwriter mauricio zacharias discuss their new filmlove is strange. free tickets (one per person) will be available one hour prior to show time. >>
8/19 7pm: in tribute to robin williams, tribeca cinemas screensawakenings (1990), starring williams and robert de niro. $15 admission benefits the national alliance on mental illness. >>
8/19 7pm (thru 8/31): get your minor league baseball fix for a fraction of the cost of the majors during the brooklyn cyclones season. tonight is the ny-penn league all-star game. $10-16. >>
8/19 7:30pm doors, 8pm show: the empiricist league, which promotes science, exploration, and beer, explores the theme of ‘love’ with topics on okcupid and the math of online dating, evolutionary psychology’s advice for the lovelorn, and what neuroscience teaches us about love, lust, and marriage. new location: union hall, $8 adv, $10 dos. >>
sales, deals, freebies
cheese and wine flight for two or artisanal picnic at artisanal fromagerie and bistro in midtown east for $27-35 ($45-60 value). >>
ticket deals
2-for-1 broadway week tickets are now on sale for 21 shows occuring 9/1-14: aladdin, cabaret, once, wicked, you can’t take it with you, more. >>
get free tickets to the affordable art fair at the tunnel 9/26-29 (plus ticket fees, reg. $15). >>
get tickets to phoenix, an off-broadway play starring julia stiles at the west village’s cherry lane theatre thru 8/23 for $25 with promo code ‘pjuly25’ (plus $1 ticket fee, reg. $56-66). >>
get tickets to see play/date at fat baby thru 8/27 for $18-40 (plus ticket fees, reg. $30-50). >>
get tickets for two to taste williamsburg greenpoint, including four tastings and two drinks each, 9/7 for $25 ($54.74 value). >>
deal ends today: get tickets to see louis c.k. and sarah silvermanheadline funny or die’s oddball comedy fest at the nikon at jones beach theater 8/22 for $35 (plus ticket fees, reg. $63.75). >>
deal ends today: admission for two for $11 ($20 value) or annual membership for one or two to the morbid anatomy museum for $25-45 ($50-100 value). >>
deal ends today: get an all-inclusive brooklyn boulders day pass with a climbing orientation and equipment rental for $19 ($45 value). >>
