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Andrew Garfield

Andrew Garfield. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

This play floods me with very strong memories and emotions. It was one of the first plays I saw when I moved to New York City. I had seen Part One: Millennium Approaches in 1993 when I was visiting from Los Angeles where I was living at the time it opened. But I saw Part Two: Perestroika when I finally moved to New York City in the spring of 1994. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes was something quite beyond belief.  The original cast included Ron Leibman, Stephen Spinella, Kathleen Chalfant, (the spectacular) Marcia Gay Harden, Jeffrey Wright, Ellen McLaughlin, David Marshall Grant and Joe Mantello. It was a play about AIDS and homosexuality in America that demanded to be heard and taken seriously.  It was revolutionary, theatrical, and dramatic while also being entirely human.  It forced itself inside you and stayed. Anyone who saw it on Broadway can instantly bring forth the memory of that magnificent Angel descending from the heavens. That particular image will forever be embedded in our collective mind, with no possibility of escape. And why would anyone want to?

Andrew Garfield, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett

Andrew Garfield, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

“Listen to the world, to how fast it goes. That’s New York traffic, baby, that’s the sound of energy, the sound of time.”

Russell Tovey, Nathan Lane, Denise Gough

Russell Tovey, Nathan Lane, Denise Gough. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

My fellow theatre-junkie and I were a bit cautious when we arrived at BAM Rose Cinemas on the 20th of July. We were there to see the National Theatre Live’s screening of Part One of Angels in America, the acclaimed production currently on stage at the National in London. Would the medium be able to transport us back to New York City, circa 1985/86 and into the minds and hearts of all those strange and wonderful characters? On stage, it is something to behold, but on staged show on a movie screen, I wasn’t so sure. The place it was always meant to be seen and heard is the stage, with all strings and mechanicals showing. On one very long Sunday in 2010 at the Signature Theatre, my same friend and I took in the marathon day of both parts of a revival. Tony Kushner’s play confirmed it’s place in my soul that day, with a stellar production and a talented cast that included: Christian Borle as Prior, Zachary Quinto as Louis, Billy Porter as Belize, Bill Heck as Joe, Zoe Kazan as Harper, Robin Bartlett as Hannah, Frank Wood as Roy, and Robin Weigert as the angel, directed by Michael Greif.

Angles in America

With the monumental HBO production, Angels in America could not be minimized or squashed, even on that small screen.  It didn’t hurt that the cast was made up of super stars perfectly cast in their roles:  Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Jeffrey Wright (repeating his Tony-winning Broadway role), Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman, Patrick Wilson, and Mary-Louise Parker. It was sublime and epic. A powerful piece of writing and a strong statement for the world to see. A statement that seems as relevant today as any time before it.

Angels In America

“History is about to crack wide open. Millennium Approaches.”
Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches

Angels In America

From a taping at the Lyttleton Theatre in London, Part One: Millennium Approaches is by far the most beautiful and far reaching introduction to a place and time representing the History of Gay America in the 1980’s. Magnificently directed by Marianne Elliott (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, War Horse), the opening monologue, a speech by an old Jewish rabbi, played effortlessly by Susan Brown (National Theatre’s Husbands & Sons) mysteriously tells us all we need to know.  Not in terms of the old Jewish woman laying in the coffin, which he does do, but about the world and people we are about to embrace.  It’s such a sly and wonderful piece of writing that sneaks into our soul, and sets us up on almost all levels for what is in store.  It’s about death, love, life, but it’s also about pain, suffering, guilt, and abandonment. One thing you can say about Kushner and his writing of Part One, is that there isn’t a moment of excess or a wasted scene that could be edited out.  Every word seems meaningful in this over three hour beginning.

Denise Gough, Russell Tovey

Denise Gough, Russell Tovey. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

The cast is exceptional. Andrew Garfield (Mike Nichols’ Death of a Salesman) as Prior gives us 1980’s camp artfully masking the frightened young boy beneath. James McArdle (Chichester Festival Theatre’s Platonov) as his guilt ridden boyfriend, Louis is epic in his word play, hiding quite simply behind the intellectual waterfall of words and ideas. They don’t in the end do the job in protecting him, as most beautifully pointed out by Belize, archly portrayed by the wonderful Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (National Theatre’s The History Boys) but they do distract him just enough not to see how he is engaging with the world.

Nathan Lane, Russell Tovey

Nathan Lane, Russell Tovey. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

Russell Tovey, who was masterful in Broadway’s The View from the Bridge, is sublime once again as the confused Morman, Joe. The battle that plays out inside his head ricochets throughout the theatre and into our hearts. Denise Gough (National Theatre’s People, Places and Things – a play I NEED to see with her in it – it’s coming to St. Ann’s Warehouse) as Joe’s tortured and torturing wife, Harper tackles maybe one of the hardest parts in this complex play and triumphs against all odds (Marcia Gay Harden and Mary Louise Parker must be giving her virtual standing ovations nightly).  The scene when Harper and Prior connect for the first time is electric and emotionally engaging, making tears flow down my face before I knew what even was happening. The thin hair of connecting tissue between these two are what holds this piece together. The way they can see inside the other and know their pain, is what adds weight and meaning to the whole.

Angels In America

Amanda Lawrence and Susan Brown have the joy and the difficulty of playing numerous roles spanning from a nurse, a Mormon neighbor, a male doctor, Joe’s mother, a homeless woman, Ethel Rosenberg, to a Rabbi and an angel. Gough also has the opportunity to showcase her skills playing a smarmy male friend of Roy Cohn. All with an ease that makes it look effortless. Nathan Lane (Broadway’s The Front Page), as the closeted Roy Cohn is the biggest surprise of the evening.  The comedian that has charmed us all and made us laugh in shows like The Producers has proven once again, that to be a brilliant and true comedian, one must almost also be a smart and intense actor. His Roy Cohn is as layered and fiery as one could hope for, funny but devastating, cruel but desperate for connection. It’s a magnificent performance and one I hope to witness again. He, and the others bring the humor to the front without distancing themselves from the pain and suffering that surrounds. I only hope that the rumor is true and that this production will be coming to Broadway next season.

James McArdle, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett

James McArdle, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

The three plus hours of the first part is just the beginning.  On Thursday July 27, we will be back at BAM Rose Theatres to see Part Two of Angels in America, but I must say we are left at the end of Part One majestically.  For the few who don’t know I won’t spoil the epic theatricality of the descent, but it still leaves us wanting more.  Does it equal the Broadway, or even the vision of Emma Thompson from the HBO version? Not really, but I must admit the predecessors were and are monumental, and pretty hard to beat.

“I want the voice, it’s wonderful. It’s all that’s keeping me alive.”

Denise Gough

Denise Gough. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

But Kushner spoke often about Angels in America‘s need to be seen as artificial in a theatrical manner, with all strings and artifice showing itself. And in that stance, the National Theatre’s grand and intimate production succeeds gloriously.  The set by Ian MacNeil, with expert lighting by Paule Constable and perfect costuming by Nicky Gillibrand expands and highlights all aspects of this play (choreography and movement by Robby Graham, music by Adrian Sutton, sound by Ian Dickinson).  It effortlessly transitions and blends from one moment to another, emotionally and visually. The intimacy is palpable, especially in the intricate revolves. It pulls us in to the tremendously engaging story of the AIDS crisis in America, a conservative Reagan administration doing nothing to help these strange and wonderful New Yorkers who are grappling with life and death, love and sex, and most importantly of all, heaven and hell.  I look forward to what is next to come. I will prepare for the arrival.

Amanda Lawrence, Susan Brown

Amanda Lawrence, Susan Brown. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika

Angels In America

“Greetings, Prophet. The Great Work Begins. The Messenger Has Arrived.”

And we are back. At the BAM Rose Cinemas to see the most theatrical of stage shows on screen, Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika, and I am thrilled. My nervousness and concern are no more after last week’s powerful and touching introduction to NTLive’s theatre presentation, and I’m ready for more.

One of the striking things about this tale is just how epic and large Kushner’s stroke is as he paints his canvas. He will open with the oldest living Russian Bolshevik (Susan Brown) give a speech about revolution, passion, and theory, and it’s captivating in its word play, but sometimes, it’s a bit difficult to see the point. In reflection though, it has deep psychological meaning about living life and moving forward. Not just for Russians, or persons with AIDS but for humanity as a whole. He spins words and ideas that are sometimes overwhelming in the moment but are never without passion and heavy meaning on the bigger canvas.

Denise Gough, Russell Tovey

Denise Gough, Russell Tovey. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

Some believe that this play, Part Two, should be edited down well beyond its plus four hour length. They say the story could and would still be told, and I agree with that point if story-telling is all we are here for. But like great works of Shakespeare and others, the piece would lose some of its magic with each subtraction of text. Ever word and utterance feels important somehow. Maybe not in the moment, but when it is all said and done, the piece carries that weight well. The canvas is brilliant to behold long after the last stroke is applied. And I wouldn’t want to lose one phrase for the sake of a few minutes here and there.
 “The fountain’s not flowing now, they turn it off in the winter. Ice in the pipes. But in the summer…it’s a sight to see, and I want to be around to see it. I plan to be, I hope to be.”
Susan Brown, Andrew Garfield

Susan Brown, Andrew Garfield. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

The lead actors are as magnificent as they are in Part One. Not surprisingly, they dig deeper into our souls with each overlapping scene and interaction. Garfield’s Prior becomes much more than a victim of AIDS but a prophet and brave forger for life and love. His surprising entanglement and deepening connection to Gough’s Harper makes my heart ache every moment these two souls see into each other’s pain, but the truly spectacular connection is the one to Brown’s Hannah Pitt, Joe’s mother. Hannah finds herself lost and adrift in Manhattan, with no connection to her son or daughter-in-law. She has been abandoned by them just like Prior has by Louis making it one of the most touching bonds formed in the whole nine hours of Angels. At first it is one helping the other out of an emergency need, but in the end, their comradory is equal and needed by both. Watching Hannah open up to the magical possibilities of the world and beyond triggers so much deep emotional connections to the maternal other, that at moments it’s hard to take in.
Nathan Lane, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Susan Brown

Nathan Lane, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Susan Brown. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

That being said, a lot of the real magic of the second half lies in the hands of the two women who feel like supporting roles in Part One. Brown is not only magnificent at the Mormon mother breaking the stereotypical mold, but is equally mesmerizing as the Bolshevik and as Ethel Rosenberg watching over the magnificent Lane on his death bed. Amanda Lawrence (Young Vic’s Government Inspector) also carries a ton of the weight of this colorful canvas on her magical wings.  As the angel that descends from the heavens, the actress, and a fantastically assist from the team of players that manipulate the winged creature (puppetry designers: Nick Barnes, Finn Caldwell; puppetry director and movement: Finn Caldwell; illusions: Chris Fisher; aerial direction: Gwen Hales; fight director: Kate Waters) create something together that is stupendously theatrical and out-of-this-world.  It’s beauty and it’s resplendent majesty resonates beyond the dramatics, especially when taken to the extremes with in the heavenly scene up above. It hits us deep, much deeper than one might expect.

Denise Gough, Andrew Garfield

Denise Gough, Andrew Garfield. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

There is that beautiful moment when Prior leaves Heaven for the real world, choosing life over freedom from suffering. It’s inexplicably emotional, resonating down into our animalistic urges for survival. The magic of the theatrical design is breathtaking in Prior’s Heavenly ascendancy and even more so in his descent, and the humor and care that is found upon his return makes the heart break more real and powerful than one can imagine.

There is an interesting component taking place throughout Part 2 with the look and dynamics of it’s conceptual set construction.  Part One saw solid set pieces with walls and hallways, but there is a wonderful deconstructed quality to everything and everyone in Part Two.  There are no more walls between these people,  but scenes remain while others fly in from the sides.  We see the shadows pushing and arranging the pieces like the shadows of the angels constructing scenarios all around them.  We see Prior in his hospital bed sleeping far off but present, while the forever guilty and challenged Louis lays on his living room floor in a pool of his own shame and undoing. All of that is just the background to a scene between the complex and exciting Belize fighting it out with the dying Cohn in a hospital bed on the other side of town. All the while being watched over by the spirit of the dead Ethel Rosenberg. It’s quite the layered moment, and says volumes about the lives in front and behind that are slowly becoming more and more entangled and enmeshed.
Russell Tovey, James McArdle

Russell Tovey, James McArdle. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

“This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all. And the dead will be commemorated, and will struggle on with the living and we are not going away.”

Heaven, in Angels in America, is something far more than what is described in the text.  The Shakespearean quality of the dialogue echoes around the theatre, passes through the screen and into the cinema, adding a dynamic that connects Prior with the omnipresence of all, and to our spirit.  His desire to live, even with all the pain and suffering that he will have to endure, pulls on our collective heart. It’s the desire to live over all else, even when given a chance to end his suffering and remain in heaven. Just like many other moments in this wondrous conclusion, a desire to live and connect, even if that connection will bring pain, is the choice that is held onto.  Harper’s beautiful monologue as she flies off through the sky in search of meaning, speaks, once again, to the collective.  The dead will rise, and join hands in a hopeful act of saving others, so that I n the end, it is really just about creating something more meaningful and beautiful than what and how life is initially seen. Gloriousness can be found in the ending of a person’s life, and at the end of this lovely heart-wrenching story.
Amanda Lawrence, Andrew Garfield

Amanda Lawrence, Andrew Garfield. Photo by Helen Maybanks.

(Still) A Gay Fantasia on National Themes both Past and Present

“We won’t die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come.”

Maybe it doesn’t feel as true as it did when I first heard those words thirty years ago. Or where I thought this nation was even one year ago, but we have to believe, I guess, in the bigger picture of civilization.  We need to look beyond what we are stuck with now, just like these complex characters had to do.  So we shall. We can’t stand still. We will #Resist and move forward.

“Bye now, you are fabulous each and every one and I bless you. More life, the great work begins.”

So for more, go to frontmezzjunkies.com

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My love for theater started when I first got involved in high school plays and children's theatre in London, Ontario, which led me—much to my mother’s chagrin—to study set design, directing, and arts administration at York University in Toronto. But rather than pursuing theater as a career (I did produce and design a wee bit), I became a self-proclaimed theater junkie and life-long supporter. I am not a writer by trade, but I hope to share my views and feelings about this amazing experience we are so lucky to be able to see here in NYC, and in my many trips to London, Enlgand, Chicago, Toronto, Washington, and beyond. Living in London, England from 1985 to 1986, NYC since 1994, and on my numerous theatrical obsessive trips to England, I've seen as much theater as I can possibly afford. I love seeing plays. I love seeing musicals. If I had to choose between a song or a dance, I'd always pick the song. Dance—especially ballet—is pretty and all, but it doesn’t excite me as, say, Sondheim lyrics. But that being said, the dancing in West Side Story is incredible! As it seems you all love a good list, here's two. FAVORITE MUSICALS (in no particular order): Sweeney Todd with Patti Lupone and Michael Cerveris in 2005. By far, my most favorite theatrical experience to date. Sunday in the Park with George with Jenna Russell (who made me sob hysterically each and every one of the three times I saw that production in England and here in NYC) in 2008 Spring Awakening with Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele in 2007 Hedwig and the Angry Inch (both off-Boadway in 1998 and on Broadway in 2014, with Neal Patrick Harris, but also with Michael C. Hall and John Cameron Mitchell, my first Hedwig and my last...so far), Next To Normal with Alice Ripley (who I wish I had seen in Side Show) in 2009 FAVORITE PLAYS (that’s more difficult—there have been so many and they are all so different): Angels in American, both on Broadway and off Lettice and Lovage with Dame Maggie Smith and Margaret Tyzack in 1987 Who's Afraid of Virginai Woolf with Tracy Letts and Amy Morton in 2012 Almost everything by Alan Ayckbourn, but especially Woman in Mind with Julia McKenzie in 1986 And to round out the five, maybe Proof with Mary Louise Parker in 2000. But ask me on a different day, and I might give you a different list. These are only ten theatre moments that I will remember for years to come, until I don’t have a memory anymore. There are many more that I didn't or couldn't remember, and I hope a tremendous number more to come. Thanks for reading. And remember: read, like, share, retweet, enjoy. For more go to frontmezzjunkies.com

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Serving Up Smiles for enCourage Kids Foundation Returns to Raise Funds in New York City

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October 4, 2023

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On October 16, the enCourage Kids Foundation will host Serving Up Smiles, a premier tasting extravaganza that will include decadent food from world-renowned chefs and top named restaurants in NYC, VIP Lounge, world-class wines, spirits, and incredible auction items at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. Red Carpet & Door 6:30pm-9:30pm.

ABC Sports Anchor Ryan Field will emcee the evening alongside Chef Ralph Scamardella (Chef & Partner TAO Group Hospitality) who is the Culinary Chair for this event. DJ CHEF will keep guests dancing as they enjoy the fine cuisine at the beautiful waterfront venue.

Invited guests include Charles Oakley (NBA All-Star/Coach/Chef), Malik Yoba (Actor – Empire & NY Undercover), Erik Coleman (Former NFL Safety & MSG Commentator of Odds with Ends), Howard Cross (NY Giants Super Bowl Champion & YES Network Commentator), Tony Richardson (NFL Legend & Sports Commentator), Matt Brust (Former NBA Forward & ), to name a few.

Participating Restaurants include Beauty & Essex, Be B.I.O. Café, Bryant Park Grill, Cardinali Bakery, Dolce Bella, F. Ottomanelli By The Water, Hunt & Fish Club, LAVO New York, Ocean Prime, Robert, Sfoglia, TAO Downtown, The Curry Blossom.

Participating Beverages include Dr. Perricone Hydrogen Water, Fever-Tree, FIJI Water, Gelston’s Irish Whiskey, Jade Sparkling Wine, JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery and Landmark Vineyards, Newburgh Brewing Company, Owl’s Brew, Whitley Neill Gin, and Zyr Vodka.

Gold Sponsors include Ark Restaurants Corp, Cougar Capital & The Donut Pub, Feil Family Foundation, Flagstar Bank, and GFP Real Estate. Silver Sponsors include Lucy and David Ball and Segal Mc Cambridge.

Photo Booth Sponsors Emerson Entertainment and Goldberg Weprin and Giveaway Item Sponsor Buchbinder & Warren.

More information and for tickets, please visit www.encourage-kids.org and https://ekf-sus.org/

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Restaurant Workers Discount with Industry Table & New York City Wine & Food Festival

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October 4, 2023

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The Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One returns to celebrate 16 years this October 12-15  with more than 80+ events featuring over 500+ chefs from around the world who come together with God’s Love We Deliver to support New Yorkers affected by severe illness. The Festival is proud to announce that for the first time, it will be offering discounted tickets to restaurant workers through a new partnership with The Industry Table.

This new initiative invites restaurant workers to dine at select events from the Festival’s Intimate Dinner and Lunch Series at 50% off the ticket price. These intimate dining experiences will feature one-time-only menu collaborations between world-renowned chefs like Daniel Boulud, Alain Allegretti, Phet Schwader, Scott Conant, Tiffany Faison, Vijay Kumar and more. The menus will be perfectly paired with wine and spirits from the Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits portfolio. A full list of available dinners can be viewed here.

“The New York City Wine & Food Festival is a celebration of the entire hospitality industry, and it’s important to us to make it as inclusive as possible,” said Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager. “We’re honored to partner with Chef John Fraser and The Industry Table to offer these coveted seats exclusively to restaurant workers and help celebrate the very people who are the backbone of our industry.”

Launched in March 2023 by Chef John Fraser, The Industry Table offers a table every night of service for hospitality workers to dine at cost across his portfolio nationwide, including IRIS, La Marchande, North Fork Table & Inn, The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens at The Times Square EDITION, Ardor at The West Hollywood EDITION and Lilac at the Tampa EDITION. To date, there have been nearly 500 seatings.

“We launched The Industry Table to foster community amongst hospitality workers by gathering around the table and making dining out accessible,” said Chef John Fraser. “We’re thrilled to team up with the New York City Wine & Food Festival to further expand the mission and spur camaraderie.”

Booking is available in sets of two tickets, and at least one guest must be currently employed in the restaurant industry. Reservations can be made by filling out The Industry Table form on https://www.jfrestaurants.com/nycwff-industry-table/ and are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis.

100% of the Festival’s net proceeds support their mission to EAT. DRINK. FEED NYC. through God’s Love We Deliver, the New York City metropolitan area’s only provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling for individuals living with severe illness. To purchase tickets, visit www.nycwff.org.

Stay up to date by following the conversation all year long on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using @NYCWFF/#NYCWFF and on TikTok at @NYCWineFoodFestival.

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Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

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October 4, 2023

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On Friday, October 27 the opening day of Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park will be kicking off the 22nd season of NYC’s favorite holiday destination. This event features an expansive free-admission skating rink, unmatched holiday market, and a festive bar and food hall. Partnering with Bank of America for the 11th year, Bryant Park is thrilled to be welcoming back one of NYC’s most popular winter attractions.

  • The Rink is the largest free-admission ice skating rink in New York City. Skate time and rentals through November 29 can be reserved in advance online. New skate reservation dates will be released throughout the season.
  • The Lodge is a rinkside, après skate-escape where visitors can cozy up with a festive cocktail, enjoy delicious food from local restaurants, and watch the ice skaters or admire the tree.
  • This season’s Holiday Shops by Urbanspace Markets will feature over 180+ new and returning merchants in an open-air holiday market, including the Small Business Spotlight presented by Bank of America, where four New York City minority-owned small businesses, with annual revenues of $1 million or less, will showcase and sell their products in a rent-free shop for approximately two weeks each. Featured businesses will be announced in the coming days.

Visitors are invited to Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park to enjoy the holidays and the broader winter season. The Rink and The Lodge will be open daily beginning October 27, 2023 through March 3, 2024. The Holiday Shops by Urbanspace Markets will be open daily from October 27, 2023, through January 2, 2024. Visit wintervillage.org for hours and details.

The entrance is between 40th Street and 42nd Street on 6th Avenue

#WinterVillage @BryantParkNYC

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Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Elevates Javits Center with Street Art for Mankind

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October 3, 2023

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This was a project with passion that we can get behind!

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey and Street Art for Mankind worked with artist, Carlos Alberto, to create the mural this fall that aims to inspire the community to become agents of environmental change. A hub for artists, New York is the ideal location for a mural of this size and importance. The mural was unveiled during Climate Week NYC.

“The growth of our partnership with American Forests over the past three years is a testament to our commitment to creating real change,” said Jesse Damashek, Senior Vice President of Whiskies & Liqueurs at Diageo. “The Tree Equity plantings we do are extremely impactful and important to the local communities we serve, and with Street Art for Mankind, we’re able to bring critical attention to these efforts, and the broader need for global Ecosystem Restoration. The Ecosystem Restoration murals that Street Art creates do a masterful job of promoting this important work, as well as inspiring people to be drivers of environmental change.”

In support of the United Nations Environment Programme, a part of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Street Art for Mankind created the Ecosystem Restoration Murals Project. Through this project, Bulleit is supporting the creation of five ecosystem restoration murals across the US. To create the mural in New York City, Street Art for Mankind partnered with Carlos Alberto. A street artist from Mexico, Carlos loves nature and using 3D effects to bring his art to life.

On the side of the city’s largest convention center, the Javits Center, Carlos created the mural in only 10 days. Carlos explained that his design features a woman hugging a tree to signify that she wants there to be more of them in her neighborhood. The woman is surrounded by the jungle, reminding viewers that, even in the “concrete jungle,” communities need trees and nature.

The mural also makes a reference to biodiversity with plants and animals from New York state, and from around the world. On the left you will find extinct and endangered plants and animals, and on the right you can see recovering species, reflecting the challenge and the hope that comes from global ecosystem restoration efforts. Kicking-off Climate Week NYC, this mural will serve as a vivid reminder of the critical need for global ecosystem restoration.

The public can scan the mural for an audio guide using a free mobile app called “Behind the Wall®”, published by SAM on Playstore and the Appstore. The app allows people to discover the story behind Ecosystem Restoration, hear officials talk about the issue, and listen to Carlos talk about his creation.

 

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Inside the Dazzling Amex Gold & Resy Present: Dip into Gold Dip with Nicole Byer

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2 days ago

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October 2, 2023

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This event took home the gold medal and more!

Amex Gold & Resy Present: Dip into Gold at Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard this Saturday, September 30th.

Brilliantly re-imagined signature dishes, featuring inventive sauces for guests to drench, drizzle, slather and dunk were grandly showcased during the thrilling night hosted by comedian Nicole Byer.

New York City’s favorite Resy restaurants including Laser Wolf, Foul Witch, Sylvia’s, Seoul Salon, Jacob’s Pickles, and Potluck Club were all on site serving up yummy dishes as special pop-up experiences from Amex Gold Card Dining Credit partners took place by Grubhub, Goldbelly, Wine.com, The Cheesecake Factory, and more.

For the entire affair attendees felt the joy with incredible food, music and epic fun. Chef Romeo Regalli, Executive Chef of Ras Plant, who was serving up his special event dish Injera Nachos, spoke on the importance of the momentous occasion.

“The companies putting this event together gives me a lot of hope businesses in the area. I think what American Express is doing great, especially for me as a small business,” said the chef as guests enjoyed his dish from his exquisite organic vegan Ethiopian eatery.”

Other amazing chefs featured during the party were Chef Mike Mayo of Laser Wolf with French Fries dunked in Tehina Ketchup; Chef Carlo Mirarchi with Foul Witch and Stone Fruit drenched in Leche de Tigre; Chef Marcus Woods of Sylvia’s with Sylvia’s World-Famous BBQ Rib Bites slathered in Sylvia’s Original Sassy Sauce; Chef Eli Sussman of gertrudes with Mini Challah Bite slathered with a Smoke Bluefish Pate, Herbs and Pickled Red Onion; Chef Dave Rizo of Yellow Rose with Corn Fritters with Cream; Chef Carlha Azcona of Shuka with Moroccan Spiced Eggplant; Chef Marc Ellert-Beck of Stretch Pizza with Old Town Square with Mushroom and Pumpernickel; Chef Preston Clark of Lure Fishbar with Lobster and Shrimp Dumpling; and Chef Zhan Chen of Potluck Club with  Fried Mantou with Black Sesame Dulce de Leche.

In between splendid culinary discoveries, attendees thrilled in Shake Shack’s Event-Exclusive Gold Sundae: A new sundae featuring vanilla cake, frozen vanilla custard and made with White Truffle Butterscotch Caramel and garnished with roasted hazelnuts and gold flakes; The Basket by Grubhub: Wing tasting with four popular sauces from: Mudville 9, Mable’s Smokehouse, Tacombi, and Insa; Goldbelly Special Delivery: A wall of special Goldbelly boxes are available to choose from, each containing an exclusive Goldbelly takeaway; Wine.com Carts: Exclusive wine sips with Wine.com at various tasting carts throughout Dip Into Gold. The complimentary pours will enhance the bites featured in each unique section; The Cheesecake Factory Photo Booth: Capture your saucy smiles at The Cheesecake Factory photobooth; and to end the perfect night sweet tweets from Milk Bar Milk Truck: a custom-designed milk truck will provide complimentary desserts.

Here is to creating your own golden experience in your own town today with American Express.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by: Jamie Mccarthy, Getty

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