In This Week’s “THIS WEEK IN CHELSEA”
The Smuggler at the Irish Repertory Theatre / Committee Meetings of Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) Throughout January / Art at Hudson Guild
The Smuggler: A Thriller in Rhyme at the W. Scott McLucas Studio in the Irish Repertory Theatre (IRT): Jan. 18 to Feb. 26 | Writer Ronán Noone never strays from rhymed verse, in this one-person show whose scheduled run at the Irish Rep would have come the year after its acclaimed 2019 production as part of the Origins 1st Irish Festival (where Noone won the Best Playwright award). But the global pandemic of 2020 had other plans, forcing the Rep run to be cancelled—or, more accurately, postponed. “Irish Rep is proud to return to this production and bring it to our stage this winter,” said IRT’s Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director and Ciarán O’Reilly, Producing Director, of the upcoming Jan./Feb. run. Michael Mellamphy reprises his 2019 performance in the role of Irish immigrant Tim Finnegan. When the aspiring writer loses his job as a bartender, he gets drawn into the world of smuggling. The act itself is plenty shady—but what he’s tasked with smuggling is the thing that reveals the dark underbelly of Amity, a Massachusetts summer colony where old money and newly arrived migrants make for a combustible mix. “The Smuggler,” notes the press material, “examines how far one man will go to restore his self-respect and asks the question, ‘What does it mean to be an American citizen?’ “
Previews begin Jan.18. Opening Night, Jan. 26 for a run through Feb. 26. Performances are on Wednesdays at 2pm & 7pm; Thursdays at 7pm; Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 7pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets begin at $50, available at IrishRep.org. The Irish Repertory Theatre is located at 132 W. 22nd St. (btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.). As of Jan.1, most performances at Irish Rep will be Mask-Optional. All Wednesday matinee and Saturday evening performances are Mask-Required.
Committee Meetings of Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) Throughout January | The January committee meetings promise to advance topics covered at the January 4 full board meeting of Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4). To visit CB4 online, click here, To access past meetings archived on the (excellent!) CB4 YouTube channel, click here. Our roundup of all January committee meetings of CB4 can be found by clicking here. At that destination, you’ll find registration links, plus info on agenda items. Some committees have already met as this column was published. Here’s what remains for this month: Tuesday, January 17, 6:30pm via Zoom: The Chelsea Land Use Committee (CLU) | To register for the online meeting, click here. To attend by phone, dial 646-518-9805 (Webinar ID: 420 721 312). There will be a committee discussion regarding NY State’s RFP (Request for Proposal) for the Bayview Building at 550 W. 20 St., a topic covered at CB4’s Full Board Meeting of Jan. 4, 2023, in which the public had an opportunity to weigh in, and the full board approved a letter generated during CLU’s December, 2022 meeting. Wednesday, January 18, 6:30pm via Zoom: Transportation Planning Committee (TPC)| To register for the online meeting, click here. To attend by phone, dial 646-518-9805 (Webinar ID: 973 3488 0256). The agenda includes a presenation by Port Authority regardig the impact night closures of the Holland Tunnel would have. Also presenting: The NYC Depatmet of Transportation, with information on their CarShare Pilot Program. TPC committee members will also discuss among themselves the matter of MTA grates in need of repair. Thursday, January 19, 6:30pm via Zoom: Housing, Health and Human Services Committee (HH&HS) | To register for the online meeting, click here. To attend by phone, dial 646-518-9805 (Webinar ID: 955 2999 9182). On the agenda is a presentation by the NYC Right to Council Coalition, which seeks “support of the RTC Resolution “seeking to provide legal representation for all tenants facing eviction and small landlords facing foreclosure.” The NYC Department of Homeless Services presents on the topic of the West 39th Street Temporary Hotel Sanctuary Shelter.
Dialogue: Works by Wanda Payne and Taj Poscé
At Hudson Guild Gallery, January 12-March 15
Representing the thriving contemporary art scene in Philadelphia, this exhibition of work by Wanda Payne and Taj Poscé highlights their “vibrant, dense compositions,” which curator Jim Furlong notes are “filled with bold, overlapping shapes, as they experiment with form and technique. Seen together, their work creates a rich dialogue about the use of color and abstraction.”
Hudson Guild Gallery is located in the Hudson Guild Elliott Center (441 W. 26th St. btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.). Free admission. An opening reception will be held from 5:30-7pm on Thurs., Jan. 12. After that, weekly viewing hours through March 15 are Tues.-Fri. 10am-6pm, Sat. 12pm-3pm. For info, call 212-760-9837 or click here.
Ar’n’t I A Woman?
At Guild Gallery II, January 19-March 15
Artist Vija Doks’s portrait paintings of famous women throughout history populate this exhibition, in which the artist strives to communicate the essence of each individual, while allowing the group’s collective voice to make “very apparent,” notes the promo material, “women’s contribution to the world.”
Guild Gallery II is located in Hudson Guild Fulton Center (119 Ninth Ave. btw. W. 17th & 18th Sts.). Admission is free. Following the opening reception from 5:30-7pm on Thurs., Jan. 19, weekly viewing hours through March 15 are Tues.-Fri., 10am-6pm. For info, call 212-760-9837 or click here.
—Listings compiled by Scott Stiffler
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